The wedding of Moorea and Jeroen is a special one for me! Besides the fact I got to spend some time with Moorea, getting instantly connected over food talks and coffee, I truly admired them for designing and preparing their own wedding, form the decorations to the food, yes, they made the dinner themselves and it was AMAZING!
There was a sweet table and all sort of deliciousness so I had to ask Moorea to share a recipe with me, and with you all!

Here it is, a story of love and a sweet tart!

Cherry ricotta breakfast tart recipe

“I was on a research trip in Rome three months before our wedding, and Jeroen was able to join me for the weekend for his first time in the city. On our first morning together, we walked to the Jewish Ghetto to try the famous ricotta tart at Boccione. It is so dense and luxurious that they sell it by weight! We ate it in the middle of the street surrounded by pigeons and agreed that it was the best breakfast we’d ever had. For our wedding brunch, we made a Skye McAlpine recipe for orange, chocolate, and ricotta tart and then made a second version inspired by the Boccione ricotta and cherry tart. It is a thinner and lighter version of its Roman big brother- I’m still working out the secret recipe for that! These can be made a day or two ahead of time and kept in the fridge, which is great for a wedding brunch or just a Tuesday morning.”

Serves 10-12 people

FOR THE PASTRY

• 300 g plain flour
• 150 g cold salted butter, diced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten, to glaze

FOR THE RICOTTA

• 650 g ricotta
• 80 g icing sugar
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Grated zest of 1 lemon

FOR THE CHERRIES

• 300 g sour cherries in syrup, drained OR
• 400 g fresh sour cherries, pitted
• 2-3 tablespoons sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

 

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture has a sandy consistency. Stir in enough water (about 2-3 tbsp) to bring the dough together (alternatively, you could do all this in a food processor). Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, or overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 160C (non-fan 180C). Cut off about two-thirds of the pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, so it is large enough to fit a 28cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Gently lift it into the tin, trim off the excess pastry, leaving a generous margin around the top, and prick the base here and there with a fork. Chill for 15-20 minutes.
3. If you have found fresh sour cherries, rinse, pit them, dry them and put them in a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice, cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. From time to time, crush some fruit, but leave most whole. Let it cool.
4. Line the pastry with baking parchment, fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for 15 minutes, until the edges are very lightly coloured. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the base is lightly coloured too. Remove the pastry case from the oven and leave to cool a little.
5. Push the ricotta through a sieve into a bowl. Sift in the icing sugar and stir until smooth, then mix in the eggs, followed by the lemon zest. Fill the pastry case first with a layer of the sour cherry compote and then cover with the ricotta mixture.
6. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut it into strips about two fingers wide. Arrange them in a crisscross pattern over the tart, pressing the edges down to seal, then trim away any excess pastry. Brush this lattice top with the egg to glaze. Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling feels firm to the touch. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

Thank you Moorea for the recipe <3
and now let’s jump into their wedding story!