Make Ahead

Spring Pea and Ricotta Torte with Lemon and Mint

by:
April 13, 2010
4
4 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

This torte is all about peas. Peas are puréed with the ricotta and also left whole for texture in this baked egg dish. The unmistakable sweetness of the peas is discretely highlighted yet balanced with the addition of lemon and mint, salty cheese, and earthy nutmeg. —TasteFood

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
  • 2 cups shelled peas, divided
  • salt
  • 1/4 cup water or chicken stock
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup crème fraîche
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1/4 cup finely grated young Pecorino cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and wrap bottom with foil to prevent any leakage.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until softened, one minute. Add peas and 1 teaspoon salt; sauté briefly to coat. Add water or stock. Cook until peas are tender and liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  3. Transfer half of the peas to a bowl of a food processor; purée. Add ricotta and nutmeg; pulse to blend. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Transfer to a bowl. Whisk in crème fraîche, 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Pecorino cheeses. Stir in remaining peas, mint, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.
  4. Pour eggs into prepared springform pan. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake in oven until edges are golden brown and center is puffed and cooked through, about 30-35 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

32 Reviews

Cate April 22, 2017
This turned out excellent! Substituted sour cream for the creme fraiche and added smoked chipotle and matcha green tea spice. Sounds weird. Was wonderful!
alexiskraft March 28, 2016
This was excellent for easter brunch yesterday! Wonderfully sweet with the pureed peas in the custard. Went really well with a smoked ham; ham and eggs brunch! Asparagus with a mustard vinaigrette rounded it all out. Reminded me of a s'formatta.
nancy March 26, 2016
could I make the pureed pea portion a day in advance?
TasteFood March 26, 2016
You could, but I wouldn't recommend it - just to keep all the ingredients as fresh as possible.
dryden April 22, 2014
I made this for Easter and I loved it but not too sure anyone else did. It is salty. Anyway I had left overs and they have been delish heated just very briefly in the microwave. I am going to make it again but not add any salt. I tink the cheeses have plenty and I love salty things.
lbgirl April 22, 2014
Very helpful, thank you. I'm oversensitive to salt, so I'll definitely leave out the extra salt.
nonniedb April 16, 2014
I think that it is better fresh.
GeorgiannaN April 16, 2014
Thank you, I was afraid of that but will heed!
GeorgiannaN April 16, 2014
Does anyone know if this would keep well in the fridge for a couple days?
Carla April 15, 2014
Good looking quiche, I will share the ingredients over six small dishes
krusher June 7, 2013
I have just made this and enjoyed my first portion from the first mouthful. This is my kind of food. Beautiful.
ChristyBean March 23, 2013
I made this last night, and it was a hit! I served it with steamed leeks with a mustard shallot vinaigrette - very springtimey! The mint and lemon were so nice - it really made the dish shine!
nonniedb January 6, 2013
Could I use frozen peas this winter?
TasteFood January 6, 2013
Absolutely!
Nozlee S. May 6, 2012
I made this for dinner tonight and had to stop myself from eating it all -- so so good!
Tokyo B. May 5, 2012
I made this yesterday for lunch coupled with homemade cornbread croque-monsieur. I didn't have ricotta so I used cottage cheese, nor mint leaves so I just didn't use. It was so tasty and lemon flavor was so good. Next time I will try with mint though:-) Thank you!
Louelle April 23, 2012
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS FABULOUS LOOKING RECIPE - THANKS FOR SHARING - I CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE THIS! AND SHARE IT FORWARD! PEAS AND MINT- YUMM!
gina_berthold April 25, 2011
made this for easter brunch. so easy to make and so tasty! i loved the sweetness of the peas with a hint of lemon and mint. thanks for the great recipe!
lbgirl April 11, 2011
I was worried about this, because I'm not usually much of a fan of fresh mint, but I just had it for dinner and it was really terrific. I only have a mini food processor available to me right now, and the peas, ricotta, and eggs fit nicely into it, so I didn't have to process things in batches!
broccolirose April 8, 2011
I made this last night for dinner. It's comes together so easily and has a great springy green color. I served it with some baked sweet potatoes. So good!
MissEliz April 26, 2010
I made this for a pot luck last night. Everyone loved it! What a great tort!
cottageindustrialist April 16, 2010
Looks and sounds gorgeous. Wishing I had a brunch planned where I could serve this.
Oui, C. April 15, 2010
I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this, and can't wait to try it!
TasteFood April 16, 2010
Thanks, Oui Chef!
Culinista A. April 14, 2010
That looks delicious! I will def try it!
TasteFood April 16, 2010
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it.