Since I moved, one of the things I love the most doing is trying to find a balance between American and Italian culture. This pie is perfect for Thanksgiving, cause it is the Italian version of the pumpkin pie. This version is the ”modern” version of my nonna recipe, so please don’t tell her I changed it (even though I just made it a bit faster to make!).
Ingredients
For 1 standard :
9-inch (23 cm) tart pan:
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 3 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (400g)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (40g)
- 3/4 cup sugar (150g)
- 1/2 cup olive oil (110g)
- 2/3 cup milk (160ml)
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder (6g)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Half a lemon zest (freshly grated)
- Pinch of salt.
For the Italian custard:
- 2 cups whole milk (500ml)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar (120g)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (40g)
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (optional); (50g)
- Half a lemon, zest (freshly grated)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Trick 1: as you can see, the shortcrust pastry is not the traditional butter-and-egg one, but oil-based; that’s for two reasons: it is faster to make as it needs to be kneaded for less time, and it is less heavy yet pliable.
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Total time needed: 1h and half total, but you need to let it sit overnight.
We will start making the Italian custard on the stove: mix the whole milk, lemon zest, and vanilla in a pan and bring it to the right-before-boil point over medium heat. We want to see the small, slow bubbles coming to the surface, but not really bubbling; then remove from the heat and let it sit while we keep going.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until it gets pale and thick (my nonna used to say that you must keep going until you can leave clear traces on it with the back of a teaspoon). Now, sift the cornstarch (it is a crucial thing to do, as otherwise, don’t be lazy here) into it and slowly whisk until completely smooth.
Trick 2: When mixing something whisked with a powder, always do it really slowly and move it from the bottom to the surface; it will take a couple of minutes longer, but it will ensure you are not deflating it.
It should be more or less 10 minutes since you set aside the milk, so now slowly pour 1/3 of the milk into the bowl and whisk constantly; this will make sure the yolks don’t scramble (we are going to have tempered egg mixture). Now, pour the egg mix into the pan with the rest of the milk, place it back on the stove (go for low heat, so you don’t risk burning the bottom), and keep stirring until it thickens and begins bubbling.
I know it will hurt your arm, but it is important you never stop stirring and keep scraping the pan too, otherwise it is going to burn or form lumps; look at this recipe as an arm workout.
Once it is thick and it has bubbled for a couple of minutes, there’s the optional ingredient: pine nuts should go on top, but I don’t really like them this way, so I usually add them at this point and mix them into the custard (considering the price of the pine nuts lately, it is fair to say that you can completely avoid them and I usually do this too); transfer it to a shallow dish and press plastic wrap directly on the surface, so it will cool down without forming any film on top.
The process for the shortcrust pastry is really fast: in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt (again, I always suggest sifting the powders when cooking desserts; I know it is boring but makes a huge difference); in another bowl, whisk oil, milk, apple cider vinegar, and the grated lemon zest.
Mix wet and dry ingredients, starting with a fork until you need to knead it with your hands: do it just for 3/4 minutes, until the dough gathers into a smooth ball; we don’t want to overwork it.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 30/45 mins. After 45 minutes, both the dough and cream are ready, and we just need to assemble: start preheating the oven to 360°F (180°C) and grease and flour the tart pan, then divide the dough, more or less 2/3 and 1/3. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper, so it is going to be much, much easier to roll; we want it more or less 5 mm thick.
Place the disk you rolled into the tart pan and pour the cream in it (I suggest whisking the cream before, just to stir it a bit). Now, for the closing part, you can either just place the second disk on top, or cut some stripes (as you see in the picture) and form a grid on top: it doesn’t change anything, and it is completely optional, but it reminds me of nonna doing it this way.
If you just place the second disk, remember to cut it 7 slashes, we need the steam to go out. Bake it for 40 to 45 minutes on the middle level of the oven, until the crust is golden brown (again, it has to look like the picture), and then for the last 5 minutes let it bake on the very bottom level of the oven, so it is going to stay creamy, yet the slice will be evenly cooked.
Let it rest for the whole night, so the cornstarch will do its magic- and enjoy!
Italian Custard Tart
Ingredients
Method
- Heat whole milk, lemon zest, and vanilla in a pan over medium heat until small, slow bubbles appear, just before boiling. Remove from heat; let stand.
- Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Sift in cornstarch; whisk slowly until completely smooth.
- After the milk rests about 10 minutes, slowly whisk 1/3 into the yolks, whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.
- Return the egg mixture to the remaining milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until thickened and bubbling.
- Once thick and bubbling for a couple of minutes, stir in optional pine nuts. Transfer to a shallow dish; press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin while cooling.
- For pastry, whisk sifted flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separately whisk olive oil, milk, vinegar, and lemon zest.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures with a fork. Knead by hand for just 3 to 4 minutes until a smooth ball forms; do not overwork.
- Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, preheat oven to 360°F (180°C). Grease and flour the tart pan.
- Divide dough into 2/3 and 1/3 portions. Roll the larger portion between two parchment sheets to about 5 mm thick.
- Line the tart pan with rolled dough. Briefly whisk cooled custard; pour into the crust.
- Roll remaining dough for the top. Cover with a solid disk and cut 7 steam slashes, or cut strips for a lattice.
- Bake on the middle rack for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Move to the lowest rack for the last 5 minutes to cook the bottom evenly and keep the filling creamy.
- Rest overnight to let the cornstarch set before serving.