Hello Bakers,
We are almost to the end of our tart series on the show. My hope is that you feel more confident putting any of these doughs together.
And finally the assembly of the Torta della Nonna - literally “Grandmother’s tart” In Italian. This tart is really special - I encourage you to make it for your family and friends. With the flaky buttery pastry and rich vanilla kissed custard it needs very little garnish beyond a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Torta della Nonna Assembly.
Make the pasta frolla and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. Can be made ahead, refrigerated for 2-3 days and frozen for up to one month.
Make the pastry cream and chill.
Roll out the bottom crust and line the tart pan - keeping the dough 1/8” thick. Prick the bottom with a fork. Chill the tart shell for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, set up an egg white wash (one egg white beaten up with 1 teaspoon of water until it is smooth.) You need a pastry brush, a baking tray to support the tart in the oven and pine nuts and pistachios if you are using them for garnish.
After 30 minutes, remove the tart shell from the refrigerator and place it on the baking tray. Spread almost all of the pastry cream into the tart shell - leaving about a 1/4 inch from the top. This 1/4 inch will make space for the top crust. Using a small offset spatula make sure the cream is smooth and flat.
Roll out the remaining piece of dough, 1/8” thick and a little larger than the diameter of the tart. Carefully lift and drop the top crust over the tart using the rolling pin.
Press the edges together, clean the sides of the pan using your thumb.
Brush the top of the tart with the egg white wash and bake for 40 minutes in the middle of the oven. If the top of the tart is pale, move it to the top third of the oven and bake for 5-7 more minutes.
The tart is done when it is an all over light golden brown. Let cool before serving.Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
If made ahead, let warm up at room temperature before serving (about an hour) and refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!