Visciole jam is a sour-cherry preserve with a gently tart flavour and a spreadable fruit texture, used beneath ricotta in a Roman crostata.
The preserve keeps the fruit layer distinct from the pale ricotta filling.
Visciole are sour cherries. Cooked with sugar, they make a dark-red preserve with a lightly acidic edge. Fruit pieces and consistency vary between products; choose a spreadable preserve for the pastry base.
Weigh 350 g of preserve. Stir it briefly with a spoon if needed to make it easy to spread, then cover the raw shortcrust base evenly. Add the ricotta filling gently so the two layers remain separate.
Visciole preserve belongs in Lazio’s fruit-pastry tradition. In crostata di ricotta e visciole, it makes the lower fruit layer, with the ricotta mixture spread gently above it.
The 350 g quantity is the weight of ready-made jam, not fresh cherries, fruit juice or cherry liqueur. Spread it beneath the ricotta mixture in the 24 cm tart, then complete the pastry lattice and baking as directed.
Choose a jar labelled confettura di visciole. Check the fruit and other ingredients rather than choosing a sweet-cherry jam by color alone. Sugar, lemon and added pectin vary between products; follow the chosen jar’s label.
Use a clean spoon and close the jar after taking the measured amount. Follow the label’s storage directions before and after opening, including refrigeration when required.
For the tart choose the fruit preserve labelled confettura di visciole. A cherry drink or liqueur does not supply the same spreadable fruit layer.
Use it as a spreadable preserve. Stir it to loosen the texture if needed, keeping the measured fruit layer separate from the ricotta.
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