Torta della Nonna
Torta della Nonna is a traditional Tuscan dessert. Literally translated it means, “cake of the grandmother.” It’s a sweet short pastry tart filled with an Italian custard flavored with a hint of fresh lemon and vanilla. It’s topped with pine nuts before baked until golden brown, and then finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s incredibly simple in nature but complex in flavor. You have to try it for yourself!
Traditionally this pie is perfect as is with a light dusting of sugar, but if you really want to go off script and take it over the edge, you can serve it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and maybe some sliced fresh berries. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing, although traditionalists might not approve.
Torta della Nonna
Torta della Nonna is a traditional Italian dessert from Tuscany. It's a short crust butter pastry tart filled with a vanilla bean pastry cream, with a hint of lemon, topped with pine nuts, and dusted with powdered sugar.
Servings: 12
Equipment
- Pastry blender
- Rolling Pin
- Tart pan
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 lemon zested
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter diced room temperature
- 1 large egg
Italian Custard:
- 2 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
Topping:
- 1 large egg whisked with a splash of water
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- To make the pastry, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest until well combined. Add in the butter and rub into the flour with your finger tips until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Beat the egg in a small bowl and add to the flour mixture. Mix until it comes together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- For the Italian custard, heat the milk in a saucepan with the lemon zest and vanilla seeds and whole pod.
- In the meantime, whisk the eggs, yolks, flour, sugar, and salt until completely smooth. The mixture will be somewhat thick. When the milk has warmed through, slowly pour and whisk into the egg mixture to temper. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly until the custard thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Set aside.
- Cut the chilled dough in half, transfer one half onto a lightly floured work surface and return the other half to the fridge. Roll out to a large circle and transfer to the prepared pan. Trim off any excess. Cover with a piece of parchment paper, fill with dry beans or pie weights and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- Fill the pie with the custard and smooth out into an even layer. Roll out the second half of dough and transfer on top of the pie. Trim off the edges and seal. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar, cutting and serving. Tart can also be chilled for several hours and dusted with sugar right before serving. Enjoy!
