Tangy cherry preserves bring balance to this ancient ricotta tart

By Christopher Kimball Milk Street At Armando al Pantheon a trattoria in Rome meals often are punctuated with a slice of torta antica roma a rustic tart inspired by the traditional Roman combination of ricotta and cherries It s exceptionally light with milky-sweet ricotta balanced by tangy brightly hued fruit preserves The base is a tender buttery almost cake-like crust and the topping is a crumby mixture of the same composition Sandwiched between is a layer of jam on a bed of ricotta dotted with poppy and sesame seeds In this recipe from our cookbook Milk Street Backroads Italy we devised a dough that gets flavor and texture from almonds that are ground in the food processor plus a small measure of semolina or cornmeal Lemon zest brings brightness and baking powder adds a little lift and lightness Sour cherry jam with its balance of sweet and sour is best in this tart particular brands might specify Morello cherries on the label If sour cherry jam is not available good-quality strawberry jam is a better option than sweet cherry jam Don t use part-skim ricotta as it lacks richness and has a grainy texture Also after making the crust mixture and transferring half to the pan be sure to refrigerate the remainder which will become the crumb topping If it s kept at room temperature it won t hold its shape during baking and will melt into the filling Lastly don t spread the ricotta and jam layers all the way to the edges or the filling will caramelize against and stick to the pan making it tricky to remove the tart for serving Covered tightly leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days bring to room temperature before serving Ricotta and Cherry Jam Tart Start to finish hours minutes current plus cooling Servings Makes one -inch tart Ingredients For the crust and topping large egg teaspoons vanilla extract grams cup slivered almonds grams cup white sugar teaspoons grated lemon zest grams cups all-purpose flour grams cup semolina flour or grams cup fine yellow cornmeal teaspoon baking powder teaspoon table salt grams tablespoons salted butter cut into -inch cubes room temperature For the filling and finishing - or -ounce container whole-milk ricotta large egg yolk tablespoon poppy seeds teaspoon vanilla extract teaspoon almond extract optional grams cup sour cherry jam see headnote teaspoon grated lemon zest Powdered sugar to serve Directions Heat the oven to F with a rack in the middle position Mist a -inch springform pan with cooking spray To make the crust and topping in a small bowl whisk together the egg and vanilla In a food processor combine the almonds white sugar and lemon zest Process until the nuts are roughly chopped about seconds Add both flours the baking powder and salt pulse to combine about pulses Scatter the butter over the top then pulse until the butter has been reduced to pea-sized bits about pulses Drizzle the egg mixture over the top then pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and resembles damp sand it will not form a cohesive dough Transfer half of the mixture to the prepared springform pan then distribute in an even layer and lightly press it do not firmly compact the mixture Transfer the remainder to a medium bowl and refrigerate uncovered until needed Bake the crust until golden brown to minutes Meanwhile make the filling In a medium bowl combine the ricotta egg yolk poppy seeds vanilla and almond extracts if using fold with a silicone spatula until well combined Cover and refrigerate until ready to use In a small bowl stir together the jam and lemon zest set aside When the crust is done transfer to a wire rack and cool for about minutes leave the oven on Scrape the ricotta mixture onto the still-warm crust and spread in an even layer leaving a -inch frontier at the edge Dollop the jam onto the ricotta and gently spread in an even layer to cover the ricotta layer try not to mix the jam into the cheese Remove the topping mixture from the refrigerator Scoop up a handful firmly squeeze it until it forms a cohesive clump then crumble and break the clump into bits scattering them over the tart aim for a mixture of fine crumbles and pebbly pistachio-sized pieces Continue adding the remaining topping in the same way distributing it in an even layer it will not fully cover the tart Bake until the jam is bubbling at the edges and the crumb topping is light golden brown to minutes Transfer to a wire rack and cool for about minutes Remove the pan sides and cool fully Just before serving dust with powdered sugar For more recipes go to Christopher Kimball s Milk Street at milkstreet com ap