Fiadone — Corsican Brocciu and lemon cake
Fiadone is a Corsican fresh-cheese cake whose simplicity makes the ingredient identity especially important. The defining cheese is fresh AOP Brocciu, used here undrained at the full 500 g purchased weight. Eggs set the cake, sugar provides sweetness and a small amount of untreated lemon zest supplies the citrus note. There is no pastry shell and no separate cream-cheese layer.
Brocciu is not interchangeable with generic ricotta if the dish is being named without qualification. Its protected Corsican identity is part of what fiadone means. A ricotta cake can be a useful practical adaptation where Brocciu is unavailable, but it should be described that way rather than presented as if the protected ingredient were still present.
The batter should be homogeneous but not heavily aerated. Break the cheese up first, mix in sugar and zest, then add the eggs only until even. Too much air can make a crustless cheese cake puff dramatically and collapse. In the oven, the goal is a dark golden-brown surface with a centre that is set but still moist, plus a measured internal temperature of at least 71 °C.
Cooling and chilling are both counted. An hour on a rack lets steam dissipate while the cake settles, and two hours at 4 °C or below firms the crumb for eight clean slices. The cake should be refrigerated within two hours of leaving the oven and is best kept for a short two-day period because it is a moist fresh-cheese-and-egg dessert.
