The Custard Pie is a classic of traditional homemade pastry and a delicious and easy-to-make pie. We need an excellent shortcrust pastry prepared with the classic method and a baking custard to prepare this pie at its best. Compared to the traditional version, the baking custard has a lower egg content, which prevents it from "boiling" during baking. With this recipe, you can obtain a crumbly pie with a creamy heart that will stay soft even after baking. You can flavor the custard as you like: with vanilla, citrus, lemon zest, or a few grains of coffee ... You choose!
RECIPE FOR: People
DIMENSIONE TEGLIA 32cm diametro
EQUIPMENTS
- Pie Pan
Ingredients
For the Italian Shortcrust Pastry
- 500 gr All-Purpose Flour
- 300 gr Softened Butter
- 230 gr Icing Sugar
- 80 gr Eggs
- 20 gr Honey
- 4 gr Salt
- 4 gr Vanilla
For the Baking Custard
- 500 ml Whole Milk
- 200 gr Granulated Sugar
- 150 gr Eggs (3 uova)
- 35 gr Rice Starch
- 35 gr Corn Starch
- 2 gr Vanilla
- 2 gr Salt
Finishing
- 50 gr Toasted Pine Nuts
- Icing Sugar for dusting the pie
DIRECTIONS
For the Italian Shortcrust Pastry
- Work the softened butter with the powdered sugar, flavorings, and honey in the mixer without whipping.
- Add the eggs beaten separately with the salt and let them absorb into the butter mixture, working in the mixer at medium speed for a few seconds.
- Once ready, add flour and knead for the time needed to form the dough. It is essential not to knead the dough for a long time in order not to create gluten, which would, in fact, make the shortcrust pastry "rubbery" once baked.
- Wrap the shortcrust pastry in a sheet of greaseproof paper and let it set in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or 30 minutes in the freezer). Suppose you have the opportunity to prepare the dough in advance and let it set even 8 hours in the fridge. In that case, you will get a better result with a much more crumbly texture.
- When the shortcrust pastry is ready, roll it out to a thickness of 1/2cm (half an inch) and line a buttered pie pan. Take care to adhere the pastry in the corners and to the bottom of the pan to prevent air bubbles from forming during baking.
How to prepare the Custard
- Bring the milk and the salt to a boil.
- Mix the eggs with the sugar, the pulp of vanilla, and the starches.
- Dilute the mixture with the boiling milk, pouring it into many times
- Bring the mixture back to the stove over low heat, and continuously stir until the cream begins to firm up.
- Sanitize a steel pan with food-grade alcohol
- When the custard is ready, pour it into the container sanitized with the alcohol, cover with plastic wrap and cool quickly to+4°C (39°F) before using.
How to Assemble the Pie
- Pour the cold cream (and flavored if necessary) inside the tart, level the surface, and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.
- You can cover the pie crust with a thin layer of shortcrust pastry or decorate the surface with classic pastry strips (as I show you in the video) for a more rustic effect.
- Bake the Custard Pie at 160°C (320°F) for 35minutes, keeping the oven door slightly open to allow steam to escape.
- A few minutes before the end of baking, lightly dust the tart with powdered sugar and finish baking until the surface is golden brown.
- Once baked, let the cake cool very well before unmolding it (maybe place the pie in the freezer to be easier to handle). As a final touch, you can decorate the tart with a generous dose of icing sugar.
NUTRITION LABEL
Serving: 100g | Calories: 870kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamina A: 1194IU | Calcio: 105mg | Ferro: 4mg
5 comments about “Crostata alla Crema Pasticcera”
Grazie mille sei bravissima, ho provato a fare delle crostatine alla crema pasticcera ma la crema all’interno si asciuga completamente con il resto dell’impasto perdendosi….ma perché? È troppo alto il forno? Ho un forno a gas… consigli, grazie infinite
Ciao, posso chiederti quanto è il diametro della tortiera che hai utilizzato in questa ricetta? Grazie!
Ciao Giulia,
puoi usare una tortiera da 32cm
A presto!
Ciao, ti chiedo aiuto perchè ho fatto una variazione disastrosa 🙂 Sto cercando di riprodurre una torta della nonna, alta, burrosa e friabile, con la fodera superiore chiusa (per intenderci, disco, no strisce). Ho utilizzato la frolla sabbiata e la crema da cottura come da tue ricette (tutto amido di mais), quest’ultima è venuta di media densità, budinosa a freddo, sembrava ok. Tortiera a cerniera diametro 16 cm, altezza 6 cm, foderata sotto con carta oleata. Frolla stesa a 5 mm. Il ripieno era molto in rapporto alla frolla, quindi ho cotto 1h 15m a 160°C, prima tacca (in basso). Durante la cottura ha perso molti liquidi (grasso sul fondo del forno). Sembrava cotta ma quando, a freddo, ho smodellato si è distrutta perchè di lato e sotto la frolla era “lessa”. Qual’è la tecnica corretta per le torte alte e chiuse? Devo semplicemente cuocere per più tempo? Aumentare gli amidi? Altro? Grazie mille per l’aiuto, Daniele
Ciao Daniele,
ti consiglio quesi accorgimenti;
1) Non usare la carta forno per cuocere la frolla. Ungi leggermente una taglia da crostata e metti la frolla
2) Se usi la pasta frolla sablée ti consiglio di fare crostate di altezza normale (3-5cm). Se vuoi fare delle crostate alte (le american pies per initenderci) ti conviene usare una pasta meno grassa (tipo pasta brisée)
3) Se tii accorgi che il tuo forno ha poca spinta dal basso, pre-cuoci leggermente la base, metti la crema, chiusi con il disco e termini da cottura. Questo ti permetterà asciugare bene la base.
4) Una volta cotta CONGELA completamente la crostata prima di sformarla! 🙂
A presto!