VIDEO lezione numero dodici

For the complete video click here.

For the whole lecture, recipes and exercises check the posts on May 11th, 12th and 14th.

La crostata

For the complete video click here!

This Italian classic is more difficult to describe than to bake =)

Ingredienti:

- pasta frolla (see the post from yesterday) 

- 1 jar (vasetto, lit. little cute vase) of your favorite jam or Nutella

Procedimento:

0 - Riscalda il forno a 180 C (warm up the oven at 350 F)

1- Prepare a batch of pasta frolla

2- Cut a piece of carta da forno (parchment paper) the size of your pie pan

3- Flatten 3/4 of the pasta frolla on a flat surface dusted with flour and transfer it into the pie pan. Use your hands to press the dough into the mold (it should be about 0.5 cm = 1/5" thick) and trim the excess dough

4- Prick the dough con una forchetta (with a fork)

5- Spread the jam or nutella evenly

6- Flatten the rest of the dough and cut it in strips that you will arrange on top of the crostata, in an open lattice pattern (see the photo below) 

7- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown

Your first crostata (it still needs a few minutes in the oven): bravi!

La pasta frolla

For the complete video click here!


La pasta frolla is a basic dough for cookies and torte such as la crostata and la torta di frutta (I will post the recipe tomorrow).


Ingredienti (per una crostata per 6 persone, about 26 cm in diameter):

(250 g is about 0.55 lb)

- 250 g di farina (flour)

- 125 g di burro freddo tagliato a cubetti (cold butter cut in cubes)

- 75 g di zucchero (sugar)

- 2 tuorli (or rossi) d'uovo (egg yolks) a temperatura ambiente (at room temperature)

- mezza buccia di limone grattuggiata (half a lemon zest grated)

- mezzo cucchiaino di lievito istantaneo (half a teaspoon of baking powder)

- 1 pizzico di sale (a pinch of salt)

- 1 pizzico/1 goccio di vaniglia (pinch/tiny bit of vanilla - goccia= drop)

Procedimento:

- In una ciotola (in a bowl) mescola (mix) la farina, il lievito, lo zucchero, il sale e la buccia di limone.

- Aggiungi (add) i tuorli d'uovo e il burro. Impasta (knead) con le dita (with -your- fingers) per meno di mezzo minuto (for less than half a minute).
-  if it does not stick together, add some cold water or an egg white

- Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally a couple of hours.

La pasta frolla is now pronta (ready) to make una torta or you can simply flatten it, cut it in your favorite shapes and bake it (at 350 F) to make biscotti.

 Comments and variations:

- you can use un robot da cucina

- you can prepare more dough and freeze it =)

- you can substitute all or part of the butter with extra virgin olive oil: not

 as tasty, but healthier

- in a few years you can add 1/2 a tablespoon of scotch to the dough