Torta della Nonna

A double-crusted pastry case of lemon crema under toasted pine nuts.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour, for the pastry
• 200 g cold butter, diced, for the pastry
• 150 g caster sugar, for the pastry
• 2 eggs and 1 yolk, for the pastry
• zest of 1 lemon, for the pastry
• 600 ml whole milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 150 g caster sugar
• 50 g plain flour
• zest of 2 lemons
• 80 g pine nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Make the pasta frolla by rubbing the cold butter into the flour, sugar, salt and zest, then binding with the eggs. WORK IT AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE — frolla means crumbly, and kneading it develops gluten and makes it tough.
2. Chill it an hour, in two pieces: two thirds and one third.
3. Make the crema: whisk the yolks, sugar and flour, pour on the hot milk infused with the lemon zest, and cook stirring until it thickens and boils for a minute.
4. COOL THE CREMA COMPLETELY with film on the surface. Warm crema melts the pastry base into sludge before it ever reaches the oven.
5. Line a tin with the larger piece of pastry, fill with the cold crema, and lay the smaller piece over as a LID, sealing the edges. Double-crusted, not a lattice — that is the crostata.
6. SCATTER THE PINE NUTS ON TOP UNTOASTED. They toast in the oven, and pre-toasted ones burn.
7. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting, and dust with icing sugar.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes