Lecce pasticciotto cake

Shortcrust pastry ingredients:

- 500 g. flour

- 200 g. sugar

- 230 g. lard

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 egg

- 3 g. ammonia for desserts

grated peel of a lemon or orange

a pinch of salt

Custard:

- 500ml. milk

- 50 g. flour

- 150 g. sugar

- 3 egg yolks

half a vanilla pod

grated peel of one lemon

Finish: icing sugar

PREPARATION

First we prepare the custard which we leave to cool.

Put the milk on the heat with the vanilla pod cut in 2 lengthwise and heat (it must not boil, but only heat up)

In a saucepan, beat the egg yolks with a whisk, add the lemon peel.

Mix the sugar with the flour well and add them little by little to the eggs, stirring constantly with the whisk, mix well until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

Remove the vanilla from the milk and add it little by little to the egg cream, never stopping stirring with the whisk.

As soon as the mixture is well homogeneous, transfer it to the heat with a very low flame (I also use the flame spreader) and cook, stirring constantly with the whisk until the cream thickens and becomes nice and creamy.

Turn off the heat, stir well and cover the cream with the transparent film in contact, so that it covers the surface well.

Leave to cool.

Now let's prepare the pastry:

Mix together the sugar with the sifted flour.

Place it in a well on a pastry board, make a well in the center in which you will place the eggs, lard, ammonia, grated lemon peel and a pinch of salt, knead with your fingertips and then with your hands quickly until a smooth and homogeneous dough is formed.

Form a ball and place it in a clean cloth or cling film for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

As soon as the custard is very cold we can compose the dessert.

Butter a 24 – 26 cm tart mold.

Turn the oven on at 180°.

Roll out just over half of the pastry and cover the mould, including the edges, prick with a fork.

Spread the cream on the pastry.

Roll out the other remaining pastry and cover the cake.

Bake in the central part of the oven until golden brown (about 35 minutes, depending on your oven).

Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 5 minutes and sprinkle with icing sugar, serve.