Sweet Cranberry-Orange Ricotta Tart

More and more, I have been driven to take ingredients and throw them together to see what happens - and not just in cooking, where that kind of method is generally embraced. No, lately, I have been inspired to apply this same experimental approach to baking, despite being all-too-aware of the chemistry I would need to combat head-on. I just feel as though, as great as recipes are, I need to do this on my own, and flop and maybe even flounder until I figure out the ratios and proportions that work. Don't get me wrong, I don't just plunge into a cookie recipe blindly - I do my research, but it's still very hit or miss.

This tart is, in my opinion, both a hit and a miss, in fact. My qualms come mostly from what I've discovered is a distaste for such a large mouthful of virtually pure ricotta at one time, and some kinks in the preparation process: with just ricotta as the filling, it was thinner and flatter than I had imagined it would be; the crust was a little too chewy and not quite crunchy enough; and the orange overpowered the cranberry (though, in my research's defense, I strayed spontaneously from the ratios I had originally decided on, and undoubtedly should not have). It was a valiant attempt and not bad for a first attempt sans-recipe, and you can't beat the simplicity of the ingredients list, but I will definitely be taking the basic flavors and ideas behind this recipe and revamping the tart the next time I come back to it.

As it stands, it is a sweet, simple tart with a very prominent ricotta texture (though not flavor) and citrus flavor, with a not-quite-thick-enough cranberry swirl running throughout, perched atop a pecan crust. See what I mean, hit and miss? Even as I'm writing this I'm thinking that all of those flavors sound like they'd be pretty darn awesome together, but I (or perhaps one of you wonderful, more experienced foodies!) have some tinkering left with the actual logistics and, as I should have known all along, chemistry of it all. For now, I leave you with the base recipe that I created - feel free to try it if you're a ricotta fan, or play with it if you see the same potential in it that I do.