something yellow - lemon ricotta tart

when barbara at winosandfoodies asked us all to bake something yellow for the livestrong day, i knew i just had to join. a taste of yellow is her contribution to livestrong day. and this is what it's all about:

LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's (LAF) grassroots advocacy initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues on a national level and in local communities across the country.

alot of you have already posted some wonderful recipes and a lot of moving stories about loved ones who survived or died of cancer. there is a story i could tell. someone close to my heart had cancer (but is looking & feeling brandnew today again!). it's just that i feel it wouldn't be ok to tell this story. it's not mine. i wasn't the one who had to go through chemotherapy. i wasn't the one who didnt know where life would lead. but if i have something to say about this, then it's this: if someone close to your heart has cancer don't run away. it might scare the hell out of you - the fear of losing a dear friend. and there are some nasty days at hospitals and alot of questions unanswered. but just stick with that person. i saw some run away. and it scared me alot more than the cancer. don't lose strength, never lose hope nor your humour and don't even think about quitting the fight.

during this time. we ate alot. only the most delicious stuff - oh we spoiled ourselves with truffle brioches and pretty much everything else that contained sugar. i am sure the lemon ricotta tart i baked for this event is something we would have had.


RECIPE

for the pastry:
125g butter, cut in cubes and soft
90g sugar
1 egg
250g flour

filling:
grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 eggs
350g ricotta
50g caster sugar
a hand full of pine nuts

for the pastry whizz butter and sugar in a blender. then add egg & flour. whizz until it comes together, wrap pastry in cling film and chill for about 45 minutes.
preheat oven to 180 c°.
roll the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a deep, loose bottomed tart tin. trim off any excess pastry and chill for about 20 minutes.
line tart with baking paper and fill with baking beans. blind bake in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes. then remove paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until crisp and golden brown. let cool.

for the filling put all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until well combined. pour into slightly cooled pastry shell and bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the filling is lightly set. cool, remove from the tin, sprinkle with the pine nuts and dust generously with icing sugar.

serve with fresh strawberries.