Torta della Nonna

A love to cook all things. Desserts, savory, traditional and not so traditional recipes, I love them all. Like many of you I spend a lot of my free time searching for new recipes in books, magazines and blogs, and I can say that most of what I know about cooking has come from the world of blogging.

I still have a lot to learn, but I finally decided to create my own blog so that I can give back a little of what was given to me.

Torta della Nonna

From the beautiful blog Baunilha e Caramelo.

Dough

2 ½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
½ cup (110 g) butter (used half butter half margarine)
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp (110 g) sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
Zest of ½ lemon

Filling

2 1/8 cups (500 ml) milk
2 eggs
¾ cup (150 g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
¼ cup (30 g) all purpose flour
Zest of ½ lemon

3 Tbsp pine nuts (didn’t use)

Icing sugar
 

Preparation

For the dough

1.   Place all the dough ingredients in a large bowl and work it with your hands until you obtain an homogenous, pliable and non-sticky dough (if it is sticky, add a little flour). Let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.

For the filling

2.   Pour the milk in a small saucepan, add the lemon zest and bring to a boil.

3.   In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar. Add the flour and combine.

4.   Add a little bit of the hot milk to the egg mixture and mix well. Now gradually add the egg mixture to the hot milk, while constantly stirring. Cook for a few minutes at low heat (keep stirring) until it gets thicker. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

5.   Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Butter a 27cm/10in tart pan.

6.   In a floured surface, roll out 2/3 of the dough until it is very thin, to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Place it in the pan and cut the excess of dough, leaving a 3 cm/1.2 in margin.

7.   Fill with the cream.

8.   Roll out the remaining 1/3 dough, cut a 27cm/10in circle and cover the filling with it. Fold the dough margin of the bottom over the top dough, to seal the filling.

9.   Sprinkle with the pine nuts (didn’t use) and bake for about 40 min, or until the top is golden. Let it cool completely and sprinkle with icing sugar. It is best served after a few hours (preferably overnight) in the fridge.

The dough is perfect to work with and delicious (before and after baking J). With the creamy and zesty filling it makes a perfect combination.