Chefs' Recipes

Cafe di Stasio's torta di moscato

Australian Gourmet Traveller Italian dessert recipe for torta di moscato by Melbourne restaurant Cafe di Stasio.

  • 20 mins preparation
  • 40 mins cooking plus soaking, resting, cooling
  • Serves 10
  • Print
    Print
Torta di moscato
"I would be grateful if you would please ask the pastry chef at Melbourne's Café di Stasio for the recipe to their delicious muscat tart – it was such a sensational end to a memorable meal."
Jeremy Hatfield, Ashwood, Vic
To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, , GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant's name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.

Ingredients

  • 150 gm raisins (1 cup)
  • 200 ml muscat
  • 220 gm white sugar (1 cup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 280 gm double cream
  • 60 ml lemon juice (¼ cup)
  • ½ tsp each freshly grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • For dusting: caster sugar
Sweet pastry
  • 250 gm plain flour
  • 60 gm caster sugar
  • 150 gm butter, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large egg (59gm), lightly beaten

Method

Main
  • 1
    Combine raisins and muscat in a bowl and set aside until raisins are plump and most of the muscat is absorbed (2 hours).
  • 2
    Meanwhile, for sweet pastry, sift flour and sugar onto a work surface. Make a well in the centre, add butter and rub in with fingertips until fine crumbs form. Add egg and gently knead to combine, shape into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).
  • 3
    Preheat oven to 190C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 5mm-thick round and line a 26cm-diameter fluted tart tin. Trim edges and refrigerate to rest (30 minutes), then blind bake until light golden (20-25 minutes). Remove paper and weights, set aside to cool.
  • 4
    Reduce oven to 170C. Whisk sugar and eggs in a bowl to just combine. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine, pour into pastry case (there may be a little mixture left over) and bake until just set (10-15 minutes). Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then dust evenly with caster sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch or under a hot grill. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

This recipe is from the May 2010 issue of .