Extracted from The Art of Traditional Italian by Lucio Galletto,

published by Lantern, RRP$59.99

and

photography by Ben Dearnley

BERRY  AND MASCARPONE TART

“This beautiful summer tart is perfect for large gatherings and picnics. It is usually filled with vanilla pastry cream (see page 235), which just requires assembly rather than further baking, but I prefer this lighter version with mascarpone. I have suggested topping the tart with mixed summer berries, but it works well with most fruits, particularly figs if you are making it in autumn.

This recipe makes enough pastry for two tarts, because one is never enough – and you can freeze the other portion of pastry for several months, ready for the next time you have guests.” (pp 228-229)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

80 g caster sugar

finely grated zest of 1 lemon finely grated zest of 1 orange

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped

30 ml Cointreau

500 g mascarpone

fresh berries, to serve

SWEET  PASTRY

500 g plain flour, sifted

170 g pure icing sugar,sifted

250 g chilled butter, chopped

3 eggs

MAKES  ONE  24  CM  TART

For the pastry, mix together the flour and icing sugar in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture has a sandy consistency. Add 2 of the eggs and use a flat-bladed knife to mix lightly, until combined. Press together to form a dough, then divide in half. Shape each half into a ball and cover in plastic film. Place one in the fridge to rest for 1 hour, and freeze the other one for later.

Spray a 24 cm loose-based fluted tart tin with cooking oil. Place the chilled pastry on a floured surface and roll out to a very thin circle, about 4 cm larger in diameter than the tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry, pressing  it gently into the sides. Pinch the excess pastry 1 cm above the rim of the tart tin, then place in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper, fill with baking beads, uncooked rice or dried beans and blind bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and remove the paper and weights. Beat the remaining egg and lightly brush over the pastry shell to seal the surface, then return to the oven for a few minutes to cook the egg. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, trim any excess pastry with a sharp knife. Reduce the oven temperature to 110°C.

To make the filling, use a balloon whisk to beat the egg, egg yolk, sugar, lemon and orange zest, vanilla seeds and Cointreau in a large bowl until just combined. Add the mascarpone and whisk until combined. Fill the cooled pastry shell with the mascarpone mixture to about three-quarters full. Bake for 1 hour or until the surface looks set when you give the tart a gentle shake. Arrange the berries on top. Enjoy!