Custard Pie with Pine Nuts

Name: Custard Pie with Pine Nuts (Torta Della Nonna)
Total time: 4 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 lemon; 4¼ cups (1 L) whole milk; 6 large egg yolks; 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar; ¾ cup (100 g) cornstarch; 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 10 tablespoons (150 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks; 2 large eggs, at room temperature, divided; ¾ cup (100 g) powdered sugar, plus more for topping; ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract; 3 tablespoons pine nuts, or to taste, for topping

Torta Della Nonna

Preparation info

Yield:
One

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
4 hr

Appears in

The Italian Family Kitchen

By Eva Santaguida and Harper Alexander

Published 2024

About

Torta della nonna, or “grandmother’s cake,” is so-called because of its status as the go-to, home-cooked dessert that every Italian’s nonna makes. It’s a simple, custard-filled pie that’s sure to keep the kids and grandkids coming back for another slice.

Ingredients

Custard

1 lemon
4¼ cups (1 L) whole milk

Europe
Italy
Dessert
Pie
Vegetarian

Method

To make the custard: Carefully shave off the yellow peel (avoid the white pith) of the lemon with a sharp paring knife. Try to shave it off in long pieces, as this will make it easier to remove from the custard later.
In a medium saucepan, warm the milk and lemon peel over low heat.
Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar i