Best Torta Della Nonna Recipes

RUSTIC LEMON TART (TORTA DELLA NONNA AL LIMONE) WITH PINE NUT LACE COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the crust:
• Whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Simmer lemon juice and zest in a small skillet over medium heat until syrupy and golden, 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and lemon reduction on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add whole egg and yolk and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat until just combined.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Transfer dough to a work surface, flatten into a disc, then wrap in plastic and freeze for 10 minutes. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round, about 1/4-inch thick. Fit dough into tart pan, pressing it into the fluted sides. If the dough breaks, just press it back together with your fingers. Trim the excess by running a rolling pin over the tart pan. Prick the pastry several times with a fork and freeze tart shell until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake on the middle rack until the tart shell is golden and dry, 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Reduce oven temperature to 275°F.
• Make the filling:
• Combine cream, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan and bring just to a simmer.
• Whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot cream. Add lemon juice and strain mixture into a heat-proof pitcher or large measuring cup with spout.
• Set tart pan on a sturdy baking sheet and pour in filling. Bake until custard is just set when jiggled, about 1 hour (the filling should not start to brown). Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.
• Meanwhile make the Pine Nut Lace Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir butter and corn syrup in a medium bowl until smooth. Add sugar and stir to thoroughly combine. Add flour and pine nuts and stir until blended and smooth.
• Working in batches, scoop level teaspoons batter onto baking sheet 2 inches apart, allowing room for the cookies to spread. Bake until cookies are golden and lacy, 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet and then transfer to a plate. Wipe parchment and repeat with remaining batter.
• Cut torta into wedges and garnish each slice with toasted pine nuts, candied lemon zest, and Pine Nut Lace Cookies.
• Do ahead
• Torta can be refrigerated up to 1 day before serving and Pine Nut Lace Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day before serving.

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.

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.

TORTA DELLA NONNA

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until thick and lightened; set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine milk, vanilla bean and seeds, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, durum wheat, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; slowly pour about a third of the milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly until combined. Pour mixture back into the remaining milk, whisking constantly to combine.
• Return pan to medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, until custard is thick enough to hold a clear trail when the whisk is lifted, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer the custard to a large heatproof bowl. Whisk in the butter until combined. Set bowl in the ice bath, and stir frequently until completely cool, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Use the custard immediately or keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to use, up to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger disk of Pasta Frolla to an 11-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing into edges. Using a sharp paring knife, trim dough to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan. Roll out the smaller disk to slightly less than 9 inches in diameter so that it will fit atop the filling.
• Using a small offset spatula, spread the custard evenly in the tart shell, then lay the smaller round of dough on top. Brush the rim of the bottom crust with water, and gently press the excess dough over the top crust to seal.
• Bake, rotating the tart halfway through, until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Remove from the tart pan, and let tart cool completely. Just before serving, generously dust with confectioners' sugar.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the orange zest. Add whole egg and egg yolk, beating until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, and beat in reserved flour mixture. Divide dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Before using, let dough sit at room temperature until pliable enough to roll.

TORTA DELLA NONNA-GRANDMA'S CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the dough: In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt and the butter (cut butter into pieces). Pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add the vanilla extract, two eggs plus the egg yolk and min only until the dough comes together. If by any chance the dough is too dry, add a little bit (1-2 Tbsp milk). If too wet, add a bit of flour. Collect the dough and divide into two pieces, a large and smaller piece (about 2/3 and 1/3). Make into two disks, wrap each separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. 2. Prepare the Custard Cream: Place the reserved lemon peel in the milk and warm up until hot, but not boiling. your can warm up in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove. In a saucepan, add the egg yolks, flour, sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk well until light and fluffy. Add a little bit of the hot milk (discarding the lemon peel) and whisk some more. Incorporate the rest of the milk, while whisking. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil, while stirring. The cream with thicken, so make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Lower the lame when it starts to bubble and cook for one or two more minutes, until it reaches the desired thickness. Pour the cream in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap. The plastic should touch the cream, so it won't develop a film on the top. Let Cool. 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 11 inch tart pan with butter and flour (or spray). Roll out the larger dough first on a lightly floured surface to a circle of about 12 inches in diameter. Helping yourself with the rolling pin, move the dough to the tart pan. If the dough breaks, you can easily fix it with your fingers, so don't worry. Trim the excess dough around the edges, or add little pieces if needed. Prick the bottom with a fork. 4. Pour the custard cream in the tart shell and spread. Roll out the other pastry to right around 11 inch circle, and place it on top of the tart. You need to be a little more careful now, as you cut off any extra dough from the edges, and press the edges together to seal. Gently prick the top with a fork just a little bit. Brush the top with some milk and sprinkle with the pine nuts, pressing them down slightly with your fingers so that the nuts stick to the dough 5. Bake in lower third of the oven for about 45 minutes, until slightly golden on top and around the edges. Let it cool down to room temperature first, then one hour in the refrigerator before dusting with powdered sugar and serve.