Torta della nonna (custard and pine nut tart)

Name: Torta della nonna (custard and pine nut tart)
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: for the pastry: 300 g flour, 150 g cold butter, 120 g sugar, 2 egg yolks, lemon zest; for the custard: 500 ml milk, 4 egg yolks, 100 g sugar, 40 g cornflour, vanilla; 50 g pine nuts; icing sugar, to serve

Time: 1 h 45 min + chilling (about 50 min hands-on)8 servingsapprox. 520 kcal / serving (estimated)approx. 9 g protein / serving

Torta della nonna, or grandmother's tart, is a Tuscan classic: crumbly buttery pastry, silky vanilla custard and toasted pine nuts on top. It's the Sunday cake of Italian grandmothers and is still in every bakery window today. Simple, but very elegant.

Torta della nonna (custard and pine nut tart) (illustration)

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Ingredients

for the pastry: 300 g flour, 150 g cold butter, 120 g sugar, 2 egg yolks, lemon zest
for the custard: 500 ml milk, 4 egg yolks, 100 g sugar, 40 g cornflour, vanilla
50 g pine nuts
icing sugar, to serve

Method

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For the pastry, quickly knead the flour with the cold butter, sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest, and chill for 30 minutes.
For the custard, bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla; meanwhile mix the egg yolks smooth with the sugar and cornflour, then cook together into a thick custard.
Press two thirds of the pastry into a cake tin and pour in the cooled custard.
Cover thinly with the remaining pastry and scatter the pine nuts over the top.
Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.
Once cooled, serve dusted with icing sugar.

A Receptnaptár original recipe. Calories and protein are estimated.

Tips

Cool the custard completely before filling the pastry: hot custard makes the pastry fall apart.
Work the pastry cold, and if it sticks, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Before baking, press the pine nuts lightly into the pastry on top so they don't fall off.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it keep?

In the fridge, 3 days.

Can I make a lemon custard?

You can stir lemon zest into the custard: the Tuscan version is often lemony.

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