Take the blackest cherries you can find, and after you have removed the pits, grind well in a mortar, and take some red roses that have been finely chopped with a knife, with a little fresh cheese and a bit of good aged cheese, adding some spices, that is, cinnamon, ginger, and a little pepper and some sugar. And mix all these things together very well, adding also three or four eggs as needed. And cook slowly in a pan with a crust on the bottom. As soon as it is done, top with some sugar and some rosewater.

Dough

3-4 dl flour
100 g butter
4 tablespoon of water
4 tablespoon of sugar

Filling

About 500 g cherries (3 dl chopped cherries)
2 tablespoon of rosewater (or couple edible rose petals)
200 g fresh cheese
2 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1/2 dl sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
A dash of ground black pepper

Sugar and rosewater for finishing touch

Mix together the dough ingredients and put the dough to the fridge to rest until the filling is done.
Remove the stones and the stems from the cherries. Chop the cherries finely or grind them in a mortar. Mix together well all filling ingredients. Add finely chopped fresh edible red rose petals or rosewater. Bake in an oven in 225 Celsius about 20-30 minutes until the filling has set and the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the torte with a little bit of rosewater and sugar if you wish before serving.

Comments: Use fresh rose petals if you are able to find them edible. For me I could not at that time when I first made the recipe.

Source:

• The Art of Cooking, The First Modern Cookery Book, The Eminent Maestro Martino of Como, 15th century, Ballerini

Published 2014/ Edited 27th of July 2018