Italian Pie with Vanilla Cream and Pine Nuts

A popular Tuscan dessert, also known as grandmas cake (orig. torta della nonna). The dessert is simultaneously crumbly, creamy, and aromatic, with a pleasant flavor of vanilla, pine nuts, and lemon.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 75 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 55 minutes
  • Difficulty: 2
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

Dough

  • 300 g Flour, Wheat, bread flour

  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder

  • 1 pinch Salt, table

  • 200 g Butter, unsalted

  • 100 g Powdered sugar

  • pieces Lemon zest, fresh

  • 1 piece Egg, fresh

  • pieces Egg, egg yolk, fresh

Italian cream

  • 100 g Sugar, white

  • 30 g Koruzni škrob

  • 5 pieces Egg, egg yolk, fresh

  • 500 ml Milk, whole milk

  • pieces Lemon zest, fresh

  • 30 g Butter, unsalted

  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla, extract, natural

  • 50 g Pine nuts

  • pieces Powdered sugar

Premaz

  • 1 piece Egg, fresh

  • 1 spoon Water

Steps

  1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add salt and mix the ingredients well.

  2. In another bowl, cream together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and grated lemon zest. Mix in the egg and egg yolk. Add the dry ingredients and mix everything together on low speed until the ingredients are combined and a smooth dough forms. Shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

  3. Prepare the Italian vanilla cream. In a bowl, first mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the egg yolks and whisk the ingredients until frothy.

  4. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a saucepan, adding the lemon zest. Just before it boils, remove the saucepan from the heat.

  5. Slowly and gradually pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Continuously whisk with a hand whisk to prevent the eggs from curdling. You should get a smooth and uniform mixture without lumps.

  6. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly and vigorously, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble slightly. When the mixture is as thick as pudding, immediately remove the saucepan from the heat.

  7. Cut the butter into small cubes and gradually mix it into the warm cream, finally adding the vanilla extract. Strain the cream through a fine sieve. Cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface and let it cool to room temperature. The plastic wrap prevents a skin from forming on the surface of the cream.

  8. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a round pie dish (24 cm in diameter) with butter and dust it with flour (remove any excess flour).

  9. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Take 2/3 of the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a circle slightly larger than the size of the pie dish. Transfer it to the dish using a rolling pin and gently press it against the bottom and sides. Prick the bottom with a fork in several places, then spread the cooled cream over the entire surface and smooth it out.

  10. Roll out the remaining smaller piece of dough into a circle and place it over the cream. Trim any excess dough hanging over the edge, and use a fork to create a decorative edge where the doughs meet.

  11. Add a tablespoon of water to the egg and beat it well. Brush the dough with the mixture, then sprinkle pine nuts over the top.

  12. Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. When the dough turns golden brown, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool in the dish it was prepared in.

  13. Before serving and cutting into slices, dust the dessert with powdered sugar.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 418.85 kcal
  • Fat: 23.97 g
    • Saturated Fat: 12.51 g
  • Carbohydrates: 43.01 g
    • Sugars: 18.57 g
  • Protein: 6.25 g
  • Fiber: 1.04 g