Mascarpone and chocolate chip tart

To make the mascarpone and chocolate chip tart, begin by preparing the shortcrust pastry using the sanding method: In a mixer fitted with the blade attachment, add the sifted flour, a pinch of salt, and the butter still cold from the fridge, chopped into pieces 1. Pulse until you get a very grainy, sand-like mixture 2. Pour the powdered sugar out onto a pastry board and make a well in the middle. Grate the orange peel into the middle, making sure you only get the zest and not the bitter white pith too 3.

Add the egg yolks 4 and then the pastry mixture you’ve prepared. Knead everything together quickly for as long as it takes to blend all of the ingredients 5. Shape the pastry into a smooth, even rectangle, flatten slightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour to allow the pastry to firm up 6.

In the meantime, make the cream. Strain the ricotta into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer and spatula 7. Add the sugar and begin mixing using a hand mixer 8, then add the egg yolks 9 (save the whites to use later),

and the sifted potato starch 10. Once the mixture is even, turn off the mixer and add the grated orange peel 11 together with the cinnamon 12.

Begin mixing again with the hand mixer to combine everything 13, and then add the mascarpone 14 and work until it’s completely absorbed into the cream 15.

Fold the chocolate chips into the cream using a spatula 16. Set aside. Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, hit the surface a little to soften it. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry board, to around ½ inch (1 cm) in thickness 17. Arrange the dough in a cake pan (8 inches (21 cm) in diameter at the base and 10 inches (25 cm) in area) that has been buttered and floured beforehand 18. 

Cut away the excess pastry using a knife and save for the final decoration. Level the edges of the tart using the prongs of a fork, making them even 19. Pour the cream into the cake pan 20 and level the surface using a spatula 21.

Finally, it’s time to decorate the tart: Roll out the leftover pastry and, using a fluted pastry wheel, cut strips around ¾ inch (2 cm) long 22. Arrange them on top of the tart 23, spaced evenly to form a rhombus pattern 24.

Brush the surface of the tart with the leftover egg whites 25, and then bake the tart for one hour in a conventional oven preheated to 320°F (160°C). Once baked, let the mascarpone and chocolate chip tart cool 26, then serve dusted with powdered sugar 27.