Individual Tarts with pastry cream, almond paste, and black cherry jam
If there is one dessert recipe that I quickly memorized since I began cooking in Italy it is that of Crema Pasticcera, or Italian pastry cream. This thick pastry cream is a staple in Italian dessert making—it is the star of the show in everything from beautifully constructed individual tarts, to the classic Grandmother’s Pie (or Torta di Nonna), to tiny apple tarts…and how can we forget the pastry cream used as the base for a an unforgettable strawberry tart. This base recipe is anything but basic in flavor—it can be turned into an almond pastry cream with the simple addition of almond extract, or even turned into a lemon pastry cream with the addition of fresh lemon zest. Experiment with this basic recipe in your own kitchen and I bet you’ll have it memorized like I do, in no time at all.
Strawberry Tart with pastry cream
Apple Tart with pastry cream
(To view the recipe for the pastry cream, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Crema Pasticcera
Ingredients:
- Place 400g of granulated sugar along with 200g of all-purpose flour into a large sauce pan. Whisk to combine. Whisk in 4 whole eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Next, slowly whisk in 1 liter of whole milk until creamy and combined. Add two thik strips of lemon rind to the pan as well. Place the saucepan on the stove and over medium heat, cook the custard cream while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon, until it becomes very thick. (almost as thick as a pate a choux dough). Chill the pastry cream before you pipe it, or spoon it, into your desired dessert.
Directions:
Tagged: culinary school, dessert, externship, Italy, Mami Camilla cooking school, pastry cream, Sorrento, tarts
Leave a Reply