Italian Crostata Recipes

Italian cuisine is rightfully considered the gold standard in the cooking world. Lasagna, pizza, spaghetti, risotto, ravioli… There is no person who would not hear the names of these Italian dishes. And only the lazy haven’t tried any of them. The list goes on. How about a traditional Italian crostata?

It’s a tart that combines shortcrust pastry, custard and all kinds of nuts, berries or jam. There are a lot of options for such a dessert, and today we are going to share with you 2 recipes for incredibly tender Italian crostata.

Lemon Crostata With Nuts

For the dough you will need:

• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup (100 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• a pinch of salt
• 1 ½ tbsp sugar
• 3 ½ oz (100 g) chilled butter
• 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) flour

For the custard you will need:

• 4 egg yolks
• 5 ⅓ tbsp cornstarch
• ⅔ cup (130 g) sugar
• 2 ¼ cups (500 ml) milk
• ¾ cup (100 g) pine nuts
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

Preparation:

1. Mix flour, powdered sugar and salt in a bowl. Add lemon zest and butter. Knead the dough with your hands, add egg yolks and continue to knead. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Put the dough on a surface sprinkled with flour. Cut off ⅔ of the dough and roll out with a rolling pin, put the dough into a 9-inch (24 cm) greased and sprinkled with flour pie dish with low sides.
3. Spread the dough evenly on the sides, then poke through the entire bottom of the dough with a fork. Put the rest of the dough in the refrigerator.
4. Cover the dish with parchment paper and pour with dry beans. Bake the dough for 15 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
5. For the custard, beat the yolks with sugar until they whiten and increase in volume. Add starch and mix.
6. In a saucepan heat the milk with the chopped zest of half a lemon. After a few minutes, remove the lemon zest. Add 1 ladleful of hot milk to the cream and mix immediately so that the eggs don’t coagulate. Then pour the egg mixture into the milk and continue to cook the custard over medium heat until it thickens, constantly stirring the mixture so that there are no lumps.
7. Transfer the custard to a bowl and add ½ cup (80 g) of pine nuts to it. Mix well.
8. Place the custard on already cooked crust and evenly distribute it. Then, from the rest of the dough, make thin strips and make a net out of it on the top of the tart. Next, sprinkle with the rest of the nuts and place the tart in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
9. Cool the finished tart first, and then remove from the dish. Before serving, sprinkle the treat with powdered sugar.

Raspberry Crostata

For the dough you will need:

• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup (100 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• a pinch of salt
• 3 ½ oz (100 g) chilled butter
• 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) flour

For the custard you will need:

• 8 egg yolks
• 6 ⅔ tbsp cornstarch
• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
• 1 ⅔ tbsp vanilla sugar
• 3 cups (700 ml) milk
• ¾ cup (100 g) pine nuts
• ⅓ cup (70 g) butter
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

Preparation:

1. Add the lemon zest, sugar, salt and flour to the softened butter. Start kneading the dough with your hands, then add the yolks. Knead the dough, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Put the dough in a greased 9-inch (24 cm) pie dish with low sides. Spread the dough evenly on the sides, then poke through the entire bottom of the dough with a fork.
3. Cover the pie dish with parchment paper and pour with dry beans or pie weights. Bake the dough for 15 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
4. For the custard, beat the yolks with sugar until they whiten and increase in volume. Add vanilla sugar to starch, mix, then add the mixture to the custard.
5. Pour all the milk into the mixture, then pour the mixture into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
6. Put the custard in a bowl, add softened butter and mix.
7. Evenly distribute the custard on already cooked crust. Top off with fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

After baking, it is best to place the dessert in the refrigerator for several hours. This Italian crostata is perfect for a festive tea party, and cooking it is much easier and faster than any multi-layer cake with frosting. We are sure that you won’t remain indifferent, just look at this beauty! You can learn more about the cooking process in our video. Bon Appetit!

Lisa

Like many people nowadays, I love to explore new places. My favorite type is slow travelling, when you can really blend in with locals and learn about new cultures and languages. But I think there are also perfect times for enjoying freshly baked pastry, a cup of fragrant coffee, and a good movie in the comfort of your own home. I guess I'm kind of a cultural omnivore, and I watch different types of movies, but the ones about art and food inspire me the most!