A shortcrust tart filled with pastry cream and topped with pine nuts, associated with Tuscany and widely made across Italy. Serve it with vin Santo or espresso.
Torta della Nonna (Grandmother's Custard Tart)
Baking
Pies tarts
Vanilla: Extract
Medium
Your note
Edit
A tender lemon-scented shortcrust shell holds a thick vanilla pastry cream and is covered with a second crust studded with pine nuts. The top bakes into a low dome and is dusted with powdered sugar. Makes 1 tart in about 4 hr.
Prep
45 min
Cook
45 min
Cooling
2 hr 30 min
Total
4 hr
Servings
8
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Scales from a half to a double batch. Laminated and yeasted doughs are easiest to handle one batch at a time; bake extra pans in rounds.
- 2 cups (250 g)all-purpose flour, for the pasta frolla
- ½ cup (100 g)granulated sugar, for the pasta frolla
- ½ cup (120 g)unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 1 (50 g)egg, large
- 1 (18 g)egg yolk
- ¾ tsp (3 g)baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp (3 g)lemon zest
- 1 pinch (1 g)fine salt
- 2 cups (500 ml)whole milk
- 4 (72 g)egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g)granulated sugar, for the pastry cream
- ⅓ cup (40 g)all-purpose flour, for the pastry cream
- 1 tsp (5 ml)vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (80 g)pine nuts
- 2 tbsp (15 g)powdered sugar
Fresh ingredient guides
Baking tools for this recipe
Instructions
- Pasta frolla: mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, zest and salt. Rub in the cold butter until crumbly, add the egg and yolk and knead just until smooth. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Pastry cream: whisk the yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl. Heat the milk to steaming and whisk it slowly into the yolks.
- Return to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thick and bubbling; boil 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, press plastic onto the surface and chill until cold, about 2 hours.
- Heat the oven to 340 F (170 C). Roll two-thirds of the dough to 4 mm (1/8 inch) and line a 22 cm (9 inch) tart pan, trimming the edge and pricking the base.
- Spread the cold cream evenly over the base.
- Roll the remaining dough into a disc, place over the cream and press the edges to seal. Prick the top and scatter with the pine nuts, pressing them in lightly.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the pine nuts are toasted. Cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips
- Soak pine nuts in water for a few minutes before scattering to keep them from burning.
- Cool the pastry cream fully so the crust does not turn soft.
- Chill the shaped tart for 15 minutes before baking if the dough is warm.
- Boil the pastry cream for 2 minutes so the yolks are fully cooked (at least 160 F / 71 C), and keep the finished tart refrigerated.
Made this?
Log it to keep your bakes, ratings and notes together in My Kitchen.
Be the first to share one.
How did it turn out?
Recipe FAQ
How long does it take to make torta della nonna (grandmother's custard tart)?
Plan on 45 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 1 tart (8 servings).
How should I store torta della nonna (grandmother's custard tart)?
Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days; serve at room temperature.
Can I make torta della nonna (grandmother's custard tart) ahead?
Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.
Can I use a different form of vanilla?
Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
484
Calories / serving
24.2g
Fat
57.7g
Carbs
10.1g
Protein
31.7g
Sugar
Whole recipe (8 servings): ~3872 cal · 194g fat · 462g carbs · 81g protein · 254g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Made with VanillaGoods
Recipe Rating
0 commentsNo comments yet — be the first to share how this turned out for you.
Leave a comment