French Recipes

Imbrucciata

Individual Ajaccio-style tartlets pair thin short pastry with a tender filling of fresh Brocciu, egg, sugar and lemon zest, shaped with a pinched open rim and baked just until set.

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Imbrucciata — resting on baking parchment
Prep 35 minutes
Cook 28 minutes
Total 123 minutes
Yield 8 individual 9 cm pastries
Ingredients ↓
Introduction and overview

Imbrucciata — Corsican Brocciu and Lemon Tartlets

Imbrucciata is an Ajaccio-area Corsican pastry built around fresh Brocciu. Unlike crustless fiadone, the filling sits in an individual pastry shell; unlike a mainland cheesecake, the defining cheese is Brocciu and the tartlet keeps a low open form. The pinched edge gives the small pastry its recognisable outline without enclosing the filling.

Brocciu is a protected Corsican whey-based cheese made from sheep and/or goat milk. Fresh Brocciu can release whey, so the purchased 600 g is drained gently to about 500 g before mixing. The goal is not to press it dry but to remove enough free liquid for the filling to set without making the pastry soggy.

The pâte brisée is kept thin, around 2–3 mm, so it supports rather than dominates the fresh-cheese filling. A thirty-minute cold rest firms the butter and relaxes the dough. Brocciu drains at the same time, so those two tasks overlap rather than doubling the elapsed schedule.

Egg, sugar and lemon zest are stirred into the drained cheese without vigorous whipping. The baked centre should be fully set and reach 71 °C, yet still retain a tender curd texture. Cooling in and then out of the mould gives the pastry enough structure to release cleanly.

Success points

Success points

  • Drain fresh Brocciu without pressing it dry; the target is thick and spoonable, not crumbly.
  • Roll the pastry only 2–3 mm thick and preserve the open, individually pinched tartlet form.
  • Mix the filling gently and bake to a fully set 71 °C centre without over-aerating it.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Pâte brisée

  • 200 g plain wheat flour, plus only the measured flour; no extra flour counted
  • 100 g unsalted butter, cold, diced
  • 40 ml cold water, measured
  • 3 g fine salt, for the pastry

Brocciu filling

  • 600 g fresh Brocciu AOP, purchased chilled; drain to about 500 g — use genuine Brocciu to retain the named Corsican identity
  • 150 g pasteurized whole egg, about 3 large eggs, weighed without shell
  • 120 g caster sugar, measured
  • 5 g lemon zest, finely grated, yellow part only
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Make the short pastry. Rub the cold butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then add 40 ml cold water and bring the dough together with minimal kneading. The dough holds together when pressed but is not sticky or elastic.

  2. Rest the pastry. Cover and refrigerate the pastry for 30 minutes at 4 °C or below. The dough is firm and cool but still rolls without cracking.

  3. Drain the Brocciu concurrently. While the pastry rests, drain the chilled Brocciu for about 30 minutes at 4 °C or below. About 500 g thick, spoonable Brocciu remains after excess whey has drained.

  4. Shape the tartlets. Roll the pastry to about 2–3 mm thick, cut rounds and line eight 9 cm moulds. Pinch the exposed rim into points around each tartlet. Each shell is about 2–3 mm thick with a neat open centre and a pinched rim.

  5. Mix the Brocciu filling. Stir the drained Brocciu with the pasteurized egg, sugar and lemon zest just until even. The filling is smooth enough to spoon but still dense, with only small Brocciu curds visible.

  6. Bake the imbrucciate. Preheat the oven to 180 °C, divide the filling evenly among the shells and bake for about 28 minutes. The pastry edges are light golden, the filling is set with only a slight central tremble, and the centre reaches 71 °C.

  7. Cool before unmoulding. Cool in the moulds for 15 minutes, then unmould onto a rack for another 15 minutes. The filling has settled and the pastry releases without bending or breaking.

Serving

Practical

Serving

Serve the imbrucciate cool or lightly chilled, one pastry per portion. The lemon should scent the fresh Brocciu rather than dominate it. No sauce or fruit garnish is required for the pastry to be complete.

Storage and reheating

Cool promptly, cover and refrigerate at 4 °C or below within 2 hours. Use within 2 days. Bring to cool room temperature briefly before serving if desired, but do not leave fresh-cheese pastries out for prolonged periods. Freezing dulls the fresh Brocciu texture and is not recommended.

Make-ahead and substitutions

The pastry can rest overnight under refrigeration. Brocciu may be drained while the dough rests, but keep it chilled. If genuine Brocciu is unavailable, a fresh sheep- or goat-whey cheese can make a technically similar tartlet, yet it should be described as an adaptation rather than an imbrucciata with Brocciu identity.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size1 tartlet
  • Calories370 kcal
  • Carbohydrate35 g
  • Protein11 g
  • Fat21 g
  • Fibre1 g
  • Sodium330 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Milk from Brocciu and butter, egg, and gluten from wheat flour. Keep Brocciu and egg mixture at 4 °C or below, bake each tartlet until its centre reaches 71 °C, and refrigerate the cooled pastries within 2 hours.

Closing

Closing

  • Result: Individual Ajaccio-style tartlets pair thin short pastry with a tender filling of fresh Brocciu, egg, sugar and lemon zest, shaped with a pinched open rim and baked just until set.
  • Decisive technique: Drain fresh Brocciu without pressing it dry; the target is thick and spoonable, not crumbly.
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