Tortadellanonnagrandmascake Recipes

TORTA DELLA NONNA (GRANDMA'S CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• To make the pastry, make a well in the flour, and place egg, yolks, sugar, butter and olive oil mixture in the center and proceed as you would with fresh pasta, i.e. bring flour in bit by bit until the liquid in the well is thick enough to bring together with your hands. Knead until the dough is smooth, then allow to rest 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing together the cream cheese, pine nuts, sugar, lemon zest, juice and eggs in a bowl until creamy.
• To assemble, roll out the pastry to form 2 (12-inch) circles. Place one circle down to line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pan. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over this layer. Place the remaining circle of dough over the top and pinch together the edges. Place in the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and serve warm or at room temperature with vin Santo from Cappezzana.

TORTA DELLA NONNA (GRANDMA'S CAKE) RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the pastry: Process the butter and flour in a food processor until you have a mixture the consistency of grainy sand. (If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into the flour with your thumb and forefinger in a bowl.) Remove the blade, then sift the confectioners' sugar in with the flour and butter. Add the egg yolks, and use your hands to bring the dough together. If it feels too dry and crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough using a rolling pin into a large disk that is roughly ⅛ inch (3 to 5 mm) thick. Gently lift the dough using the rolling pin and lay it into a 10-inch (27 cm) tart pan. Gently press it down into the nooks and crannies, then roll over the top of the pan with the rolling pin to cut away excess pastry. Prick the bottom of the tart all over with a fork. Cover the pastry with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or weights.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until dry to the touch, then remove the parchment paper and weights, put the tart shell back in the oven, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more, or until the pastry is lightly golden. Remove and let cool briefly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.
• Make the filling: Add the milk to a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, and slowly heat until it starts steaming and little bubbles start rising around the edges. Take care not to let it boil.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour and slowly, while continuously whisking the eggs, gradually pour in the hot milk. Whisk in the vanilla. Return the mixture to the saucepan over gentle heat and simmer, whisking, until it thickens to a rich custard consistency, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour the custard into the pastry shell and top with the pine nuts. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and just set in the middle. Let cool briefly, then remove the rim of the tart pan. Serve warm.

TORTA DELLA NONNA

Steps:

• 1. How to make the pie dough (pasta frolla): In a bowl knead the butter quickly with 140 grams of the sugar and 1 whole egg. Add 250 grams of flour and knead the compound again. Let the pasta frolla rest in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
• 2. How to make the custard: Heat the milk to its boiling point. Separate the yolks from the egg whites and place in two bowls.
• 3. Beat 12 yolks with the remaining flour and the sugar in a heat-proof bowl and place over a bain marie.
• 4. Add the warm milk slowly to the yolk/flour/sugar mixture stirring continually with a whisk, and continue to cook until the cream thickens. Then place aside to let cool.
• 5. Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge and work it again with your hands or a rollin pin on a pre-floured surface. Stretch 3/5 of the pasta frolla inside a round tart dish.
• 6. Fill the dish with the custard and sprinkle raisins and half the pine nuts over the top.
• 7. Stretch out the remaining pasta frolla and then cover the custard filling. Press the edges of the 2 doughs together with your hands.
• 8. Beat an egg and spread on top of the pie dough with a small brush. Garnish with the rest of pine nuts, rinsed with cold water, on top. (The moisture helps keep them from becoming too brown).
• 9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C (350 F) for 40 minutes.
• 10. Let cool completely. Serve the cake on a plate and sprinkle with powder sugar.

CHOCOLATE TORTA DELLA NONNA

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. With the motor running, slowly add the egg yolks. If the mixture looks too dry, drizzle in 1-2 tbsp cold water. Tip it out onto your work surface and gently knead together. Flatten the pastry into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Pour the milk into a saucepan. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the split pod into the milk and add the pod as well. Heat the milk over a medium heat until it just starts to bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
• Beat the egg yolks, sugar and flour together with an electric whisk for 5-10 mins until pale and mousse-like. Remove the vanilla pod from the cooled milk and steadily pour over the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly.
• Pour the custard mixture into a clean saucepan. Heat over a medium-low heat, whisking all of the time. Cook the custard for 10 mins, still whisking, until it is very thick. Remove from the heat and push through a sieve into a wide dish. Cover the surface with cling film to prevent the custard from forming a skin. Set aside to cool while you prepare the pastry case.
• Roll out the pastry between 2 pieces of baking parchment to line a 24cm loose bottomed, fluted tart tin. Cover with cling film and chill for 30 mins. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the tart case with foil or baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 15 mins. Carefully remove the baking beans and foil, then return to the oven for 5-10 mins until the pastry is golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack while you finish the filling.
• Reduce oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Gently beat the custard with the ricotta, orange zest and grated chocolate until just combined, and spread evenly in the tart shell. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and bake for 35-40 mins - the filling will still be quite wobbly but it will firm up as it cools. Chill for at least 3 hrs, or overnight. Dust with icing sugar to serve.