Start by preparing the pastry: place the soft butter in a bowl, add the sugar and beat with an electric whisk until you get a fluffy mixture. Add the egg and beat again with the whisk until it is well incorporated. Separately, sift the flour with the salt, baking powder, vanilla and grated lemon zest, then add the dry ingredients to the whipped mixture and mix well by kneading with your hands until you get a soft, smooth and elastic dough. Form a disc, wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours (though overnight is better).
Now prepare the poached pears: in a fairly deep saucepan that is not too wide, pour in the water, sugar and lemon and bring to the boil, making sure that the sugar granules have completely dissolved. Peel the pears, cut them in half and carefully scoop out the core from each half. Submerge the pears in the syrup and leave to simmer on the lowest heat for 10 minutes, making sure they do not break. Once this time has passed, take the pears out and leave them to cool, then make horizontal cuts across each half without cutting all the way through, creating a so-called “fan effect”.
Finally, prepare the ricotta cream: drain the ricotta well from its whey and work it into a cream by adding the sugar, eggs, Vin Santo and milk. Place in the fridge.
Roll out the pastry to form a disc about 3 mm thick and use it to line a previously buttered and floured baking tin. Trim the excess pastry from the edges and pour the ricotta cream into the pastry case, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Delicately arrange the fan-cut pears on top of the cream, with the smaller end in the centre, without pushing them down too far; place in the fridge.
