I study Italian weekly on Skype with Maria Elena in Puglia, Italy. We spent the last lesson going over this recipe. We spoke two different languages when it came to writing a recipe. She weighs all the ingredients with a scale. I use cups and tablespoons for measurement. This is our combined effort.
Serve this simple dessert at room temperature with an amaro, grappa, or sweet wine.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 1 stick of soft unsalted butter cut it into pieces
- 2 cups whole milk
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup confectionary sugar, sifted
- ⅓ cup “00” flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
For the Pasta Frolla sweet dough for two crusts:
Add the flour, sugar, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, and butter in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients to form a ball with the dough. You may also use a food processor. If the dough does not come together quickly, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of ice water to bring the dough together. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or until ready to use.
Make about 2 cups of pastry cream for the filling:
Heat the milk with the lemon zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
With an electric beater, beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until well combined.
Add in the flour and beat to a light and creamy consistency.
Whisk in ¾ cup of hot milk, a little at a time, to the egg, sugar, and flour mixture, whisking constantly. This will temper the mix to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Add the remaining milk and vanilla until well combined.
Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and vigorously beat the mixture with a wooden spoon. This will remove any lumps and create a creamy consistency.
Pour the cream mixture into a small bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Chill for at least an hour or until the mixture has cooled.
To assemble the torta:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut in half.
Place one piece of dough between two sheets of parchment paper, then use a rolling pin to roll out to a thickness of about ⅛ inch.
Butter an 8-inch pie pan, lay the dough over the pie plate, and tuck the sides in to fit evenly. With a knife, remove excess dough from the edges of the plate. With a fork, pierce the dough base with several holes. Fill the dough evenly with the pastry cream.
Use the same procedure with the second piece of dough. This will cover the cake. Seal the edges well and eliminate the excess pastry. Brush the surface with a lightly beaten egg white.
Bake the pasticciotto until the surface becomes light golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let it cool. Serve at room temperature.
