Hey, it’s a tikichris exclusive! Judith Schrut tips you off on a scrumptious treat, just for our readers.
If our Head for the Heel mini-series has whet your appetite for travel, food and drink of southern Italy, you’ll want to try our friend Antonella’s recipe for her delicious, traditional Pasticciotto Leccese cake.
Antonella and her family run La Torre Nel Borgo, an historic and hospitable B&B in the Salentino hamlet of Borgagne. It’s five miles from the Adriatic Sea and close to the wonderful baroque city of Lecce. According to Antonella, the invention of traditional Pasticciotto dates back to 1745, when the owner of a pastry shop in Galatina (Lecce) used leftover “pasta frolla” (sweet pastry dough) and “crema pasticcera” (custard) to make small pies for the Christian faithful who came to nearby St Paul’s Chapel to celebrate their patron saint. Here’s her recipe for this classic treat:
For the pastry:
- 500 g “00” plain/all purpose flour
- 250 g butter
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 vanilla stick or essence
- ½ lemon zest, very finely grated
- a pinch of salt
For the pastry cream:
- 1 litre milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 180 g “00” flour, sifted
- 320 g of sugar
For the pastry: Mix sugar and butter in a bowl. Add eggs first and then flour. Add vanilla and lemon zest and stir all ingredients together. Knead, taking care not to whip the dough. When ready, wrap the dough in cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour while you make the pastry cream filling.
For the pastry cream: Mix the egg yolks with the sugar, add sifted flour, pour some drops of milk and stir. Pour in the rest of the milk and place the pot over low heat until the cream starts to boil. Once thickened, strain it into a bowl and leave to cool. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge until cold.
To assemble: On a lightly floured surface, create two ½ cm thick round disks of pasta frolla with the diameter of a “crostata” (tart) mould (or pastry moulds). Drape and press one disk into the mould (or each mould) so that the dough sits against the bottom of the mould and goes all the way up the sides. Fill the mould(s) with cherries or sour black cherries in syrup and custard and top the filled mould(s) with another layer of pastry dough. Using your fingers, press down along the edges of the mould(s) to seal the pastry and give it the classic rounded shape of the Pasticciotto. Chill in the fridge for an hour. Brush the top(s) with egg wash and bake at 220 C degrees for approximately 10 minutes in a preheated oven. Allow to cool before serving and enjoy!
Judith visited La Torre Nel Borgo and travelled to southern Italy as a guest of Puglia Cycle Tours and Puglia Promozione. More at www.pugliacycletours.com and agenziapugliapromozione.it.
