Torta della nonna (Grandma's tart)

• 90 minutes to prepare • 35 minutes to cook • Serves 12

When tradition meets taste

La torta della nonna represents a classic of Italian tradition and in particular of Tuscan cuisine.
Although the birth of the recipe is disputed between Tuscany, Liguria and Emilia Romagna, legend says that the origin of this Italian delicacy is due to a Florentine chef who invented this recipe in the early 1900s as if to satisfy his customers and propose new tastes.

The origin of this dessert is therefore not a home-made one and its name is probably due to its genuineness and simplicity that recalls a cuisine rich in flavours, typical of a grandma.
Here is the recipe of Torta della Nonna as I like it.

Here are ingredients for a 12-serving recipe (24-cm diameter baking pan):

 

For the pastry

240 g flour 00
125 g sugar
125 g butter
1 egg
1/2 sachet vanilla baking powder

1 lemon zest, grated
salt

For the custard

150 g egg yolks
1 lemon zest, peeled
500 g  cow milk 
150 g sugar
45 g potato starch

For the garnish

1 egg
50 g pine nuts

1. Start preparing the pastry: cut the butter into cubes and place it in a bowl. Add sugar, a pinch of salt and knead it quickly
2. Stir in the egg, then mix again. Finally add flour, lemon zest and vanilla baking powder, all sifted. Knead it again
3. Form a ball, wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour
4. When we are close to the the 1-hour resting time of the pastry, preheat oven to 180°C
5. Move on to the filling preparation: pour the milk into a saucepan with the peeled lemon zest and bring to a boil
6. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with sugar until stiff for about 15 minutes
7. Incorporate sifted potato starch to the mixture. Whisk well
8. Pour everything into the saucepan with the hot milk. Let the custard to thicken over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid lumps
9. Pour the custard into a bowl and sprinkle with granulated sugar to prevent skin from forming over the surface. Let it cool down
10. Grease and dust the baking pan with flour, then cover bottom and sides with half of the pastry cut into a flattened disc-shape, about 5 mm thick
11. Pour the custard into the pastry pan and level well
12. Take the remaining pastry and arrange it into another flattened disc-shape. Place it over the whole tart surface, being careful to seal the edges, too
13. Beat one egg and distribute it over the top surface with a brush. Finally, place pine nuts all over the cake
14. Bake the cake at 180° for 35 minutes. (Do not open the oven for at least the first half of the baking time and perform the toothpick test at the end, to be sure baking is done)
15. Let the cake to cool down completely, then transfer it on a serving platter

Nutrition Facts are detailed in the table below. Data is provided per serving.