Back to Basic: Cream Tart with Pine Nuts and Powdered Sugar a.k.a. Torta della Nonna!

The flaky pastry and the crème pâtissière are amongst the very first recipes I tried as a little kid, a very gluttonous little kid. When, after climbing our kitchen’s cabinets to get three or four spoonfuls of Nutella I found out that my mum had stopped buying Nutella, I realized that I had to make my own desserts to ensure my daily share of sugar, chocolate and cream. I was 6 or 7-year-old and started with a cake mix made by Fattorie & Pandea called “Miscela Nove Torte”. I’m sure my sisters remember it because we were all very fond of it! One could earn points buying the mix, and after having made a certain number of cakes one could mail the points and receive a cookbook – a cookbook that became my first source of recipes of all kinds of cakes and cookies. It was called “Scacciapensieri, Ricettario della Signora Amelia” and it was cloth-bound with floral decorations. It’s still somewhere in my parents’ house in Rome. Thanks to Ms. Amelia I started enjoying cooking so much I never stopped!

For the Crust (flaky pastry)

200 gr (0.45 lb) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 egg yolks
100 gr (0.22 lb) sugar
100 gr (0.22 lb) butter

1 pinch of salt

Grated lemon zest

220 gr (0.5 lb) dry beans (they can be re-used)

For the Cream

½ liter (2.1 cups) milk

6 egg yolks

125 gr (0.27 lb) sugar

40 gr (0.09 lb) unbleached all-purpose flour

Lemon peel

1 pinch of salt

50 gr (0.11 lb) pine nuts

One tablespoon powdered sugar

Prepare the pastry combining sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest in a food processor and running it for about 10 seconds. Cut the butter into ½ inch chunks and, with the machine off, scatter in the dry ingredients. Let the food processor run for a few seconds. Then, with the machine off, add the egg yolks and run the processor until the dough begins to clump into small balls. Pour the dough on a baking mat or in a bowl and press it together with your fingers until it easily forms a uniform, smooth ball. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pull out the dought from the fridge and roll it out thinly on a floured board or a silicone baking mat with a rolling pin. Flour the pin often and abundantly. 

To transfer the rolled dough in the baking pan (it should be 10 or 11 inch wide) cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper, turn it upside down and put it on the baking pan. 

Remove the silicone baking mat as shown in the picture and gently press the dough against the edges of the pan. Cut the exceeding dough. To form the traditional “crown” around the crust press down on the top of the sides with the thumb and the index finger of one hand while pressing against the inside edge with the index finger of your other hand. Repeat multiple times going around until you’ve molded this way the entire edge.

Another way to put the dough in the pan is to make an even 4-inch disk out of your dough ball and place it in the center of the pan. Always working from the center out, press down on the dough in all directions until it covers the entire bottom of the pan in an even layer. To form the sides of the crust, again press the dough from the center of the pan until an even ring of dough builds up against the pan’s sides.

Cover the baking pan, including the sides of the dough, with a piece of foil, prick it with a fork, fill it with dry beans and put the pan in the fridge while you prepare the base for the cream. Heat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

Pour the milk into a saucepan with the lemon peel, bring to a boil and turn the burner off. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with sugar and salt, add the sifted flour, beat some more and slowly pour in the hot milk. Put the cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan passing it through a mesh strainer.
Pull the dough out of the fridge and put it in the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes. While the dough is in the oven, put the pan with the cream on low heat stirring gently the mixture. Stir with more energy if you see lumps which might result from uneven condensation of the cream and should disappear if you keep stirring. After the cream condenses, stir for 10 more minutes, remove it from heat and cover it.

When the crust is cooked, pull the baking pan out of the oven, remove the beans and the foil and, pour in the cream, passing it through your friend mesh strainer.

For the pastry to be well cooked but not hard it is important to put the cream over the crust when the latter is still hot.

Distribute the pine nuts evenly over the cream and let the tart rest. 

Cover with sifted powdered sugar only a few minutes before serving.

To exalt the simple and full flavor of this recipe enjoy with a glass of Feudi di San Gregorio’s Privilegio. Try it and let me know!

White Ragù and Mushrooms Lasagna

For the pasta

500 gr (1.10 lb) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
A pinch of salt
Water








For the sauce

450 gr (1 lb) ground beef
3 sausages, skinned and chopped
1 small pack of dried porcini mushrooms
8 oz fresh baby bella or cremini mushrooms chopped in small pieces
3 chopped tomatoes
½ glass white wine
1 small onion, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and minced
2 small celery stalks, minced
Mixed spices (thyme, tarragon, sage)
Nutmeg, pepper and salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large mozzarella diced
200 gr (0.5 lb) grated parmesan

For the béchamel sauce

60 gr (0.13 lb) unbleached all-purpose flour
60 gr (0.13 lb) butter
1 liter (4.2 cups) milk
Nutmeg, salt and pepper

Start working on the ragù sauce by putting the dried mushrooms in hot water for about 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over low heat with onion, celery, carrot and the mixed spices for about 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Increase the heat and add and brown the ground beef and the sausages.

After about 10 minutes lower the heat and add the wine, the porcini mushrooms with 3 or 4 spoons of the water in which they have been soaking, the fresh mushrooms, the tomatoes and some pepper and nutmeg. Cover the saucepan and cook at minimum heat for a couple of hours.

Prepare the béchamel sauce by putting the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over law heat and stir in the flour. Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, then slowly whisk in the hot milk. To prevent lumps it is important to add the milk at first very slowly, stirring until it's well mixed in before adding more of it. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook, stirring often, over low heat, without boiling, for about 10 minutes. If needed, add additional hot milk to reach a very light, almost liquid consistency. Strain through a mesh strainer and let it rest, covered, until it reaches room temperature.

Prepare the pasta by pouring the flour on a clean counter, shaping it into a mound and making a well in the center. Add eggs, salt, olive oil and 4 tablespoons of water in the well. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, drawing in some flour as you go, until the eggs are mixed and slightly thickened. Using your fingertips, gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs and blend everything into a smooth, not too stiff dough. If it feels dry and crumbly, add water as needed. Of course, I do have a pasta machine and you’d better get one!

Cover the dough or wrap it in plastic and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Then divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces and roll them into thin sheets covering each of them with abundant flour.

Preheat the oven to 200° C (390° F). Grease a 9in by 13in baking dish.

Cover the bottom of the dish with some of the béchamel sauce, followed by a layer of the lasagna sheet, more béchamel sauce, some meat sauce, mozzarella and grated cheese. As you might have noted, I do not precook the pasta. It is not necessary if you use fresh pasta, but the béchamel sauce has to be abundant and almost liquid. Continue layering these ingredients ending with a layer of béchamel sauce. Sprinkle it with nutmeg, pepper, mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake the lasagna 40 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and enjoy it!!