A golden-brown tart with crisp shortcrust pastry, soft lemon cream and pine nuts. Give the filling time to cool completely and set; then you’ll be able to cut neat slices.
Torta della nonna is a well-known Tuscan tart: shortcrust pastry encases a pastry cream filling, topped with pine nuts. The combination is simple, but it depends on contrast. The pastry should be crisp and golden, while the cream stays soft and holds its shape when sliced. Lemon zest gives the custard a fresh aroma that balances the rich flavors of butter, milk and egg yolk. The pine nuts toast as the tart bakes, adding a subtle, nutty bite on top.
Good custard starts with even cooking. Heat the milk with lemon zest and mix the egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch before pouring in the warm milk. Adding the milk gradually warms the yolks gently. Back in the pan, the cream thickens further; keep stirring and scrape along the bottom and corners too, where it can catch first. Then let the cream cool completely. A warm filling would soften the butter in the pastry and make the tart harder to handle.
Cold pastry is just as important here. Keeping the butter firm at first helps the dough hold its shape better as you roll it out, giving it a crumbly, crisp texture after baking. If the dough gets sticky or tears as you line the tin, chill it briefly again instead of adding extra flour; too much flour makes the crust dry. A loose-bottomed tart tin with a diameter of 24 centimeters works well. Don’t prick the base: the cream needs to stay inside the pastry.
Cornstarch makes a smooth, fairly light cream and thickens quickly. You can replace it with flour, but the custard will be a little firmer and should simmer gently for a few more minutes after thickening to cook out the floury taste. Pine nuts are characteristic of this tart; flaked almonds can be used as an alternative, but they give it a distinctly different flavor and texture. Lemons are generally available even outside their season, so the tart doesn’t depend on a short harvest period.
Let the baked tart cool completely before slicing: the custard continues to set as it cools. You can dust it lightly with powdered sugar just before serving, but it isn’t necessary. Serve the tart for dessert after a meal or with coffee. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator and eat them within three days; let a slice sit at room temperature briefly before serving so the pastry and cream aren’t ice-cold.
Make the custard first. Heat the milk with the zest of 1 lemon in a saucepan until steaming, but not boiling. In a bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks with 110 g sugar and the cornstarch until smooth.
While whisking, slowly pour the warm milk in a thin stream into the yolk mixture. Pour everything back into the pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the cream thickens and a few bubbles pop on the surface, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla.
Spoon the custard into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface. Leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1½ hours, until the filling is completely cold.
Make the pastry while the custard cools. Rub the flour, cold butter, 100 g sugar and salt together with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs. Add the whole egg, 1 egg yolk and the zest of the second lemon. Knead briefly until the dough comes together. Divide it into two pieces, about two-thirds and one-third, wrap and chill for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional, top and bottom heat). Grease a 24 cm tart tin. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger piece of dough into a circle about 3 mm thick. Line the tin with it, letting the dough hang slightly over the edge.
Briefly stir the cold custard until smooth and spread it over the pastry base. Roll out the smaller piece of dough to make a lid and place it over the filling. Press the edges together firmly and trim away any excess dough. Beat the final egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of milk, brush it over the pastry and scatter the pine nuts on top. Press them down lightly.
Bake the tart in the center of the oven for 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Let it cool completely in the tin before slicing. If you like, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
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