Pasta Frolla

The easiest pastry to make, shortcrust pastry is used in a large number of different sweet dishes. To make about 1.25 kg (2¾ lb): mix together gently but quickly 500 g (1 lb 1½ oz) 00 (doppio zero) flour with 5 eggs, 250 g (9 oz) soft butter, 250 g (9 oz) caster sugar, a pinch of salt and the grated zest of a lemon. Then let this dough rest for at least 1 hour in a cool place, before using it to make biscuits and other sweets. It can be refrigerated for a few days, if necessary, but before using it make sure the pastry has first come back to room temperature. Shortcrust pastry usually needs 30 minutes in a medium to hot oven, and is cooked until it is a light golden brown. Pasta sable, a richer sweet shortcrust pastry from the French tradition, contains more butter. It is crumblier than pasta frolla, but can be used in much the same way and is especially good in fruit tarts.