Place the flour on a pastry board. Mix with the sugar and shape into a well. Add an egg yolk, a pinch of salt and room temperature butter, cut into small pieces.

Knead until the dough is soft and uniform. Then, shape the dough into a ball and let rest in a cool place covered with a linen or cotton cloth for about an hour.

Pass the ricotta through a sieve and collect in a bowl. Add the caciotta, mozzarella and the ham, all diced. Mix well, then add the sugar, grated pecorino, a whole egg and an egg yolk. Stir well.

Divide the dough into two parts, a larger and a smaller one.

Roll out the dough until 1/10 inch thick using a rolling pin, then cut out two disks.

Grease a tart pan mold and line with the larger disk, so that the dough falls over the edges. Add the filling level off with a spatula.

Cover with the smaller disc and fold the edge of the bottom layer of dough back towards the center of the tart to close. Beat an egg with a spals of water and brush the surface of the tart to seal it and give it an attractive golden color. Bake in a 350° F oven for about an hour and serve.

Food History

The consumption cheese, and dairy products in general, dates back to ancient times. In all likelihood, cheese was first created when certain communities of human beings began to farm and produced an excess amount of milk than what could be consumed immediately. They discovered that milk could be transformed into an entirely different food that was easier to conserve and tasted good. Thus, ricotta and other cheeses were born and came to be eaten by the Sumerians and the Egyptians.

Other suggested recipes

• White cheese cake  
• Pizza with potatoes  
• Eggplant tart