Sbrisolata with lemon cream

Lemon cream sbrisolata is a fresh and citrusy variation of the traditional Italian dessert that combines the crunchiness of the crumbled shortcrust pastry with the softness of a delicate lemon cream.

Ingredients

For the crumbled pastry:

• 300 g of all-purpose flour
• 150 g of cold butter, cubed
• 150 g of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• A pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 lemon

For the lemon cream:

• 3 egg yolks
• 100 g of sugar
• 30 g of all-purpose flour or cornstarch (cornflour)
• 250 ml of whole milk
• Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons (untreated)

Preparazione

Crumbled pastry:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
2. Place the sifted flour in a bowl and add the cold, cubed butter. Start mixing with your fingertips until you get a sandy mixture.
3. Add the sugar, lemon zest, egg, egg yolk, and a pinch of salt. Continue to work until you have a homogeneous dough.
4. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator, wrapped in cling film, for at least 30 minutes.

Lemon cream:

1. While the dough is resting, prepare the cream. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
2. Add the sifted flour or cornstarch and mix well to avoid lumps.
3. Heat the milk in a saucepan with the lemon zest until it is almost boiling. Remove the lemon zest from the hot milk and slowly pour the milk over the yolks, stirring continuously.
4. Transfer everything back to the saucepan and cook the cream over medium heat, adding the lemon juice and continue stirring until it thickens. Once ready, transfer the cream to a bowl and cover it with cling film touching the surface, to prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool down.

Assembly:

1. Take a springform pan (about 24cm in diameter), grease it and lightly dust with flour.
2. Spread about two-thirds of the crumbled pastry dough on the bottom, creating an even layer and pressing it down slightly with your hands or the back of a spoon.
3. Pour the lemon cream over the pastry layer.
4. Crumble the remaining dough over the lemon cream, creating the typical “sbrisolata” topping.
5. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface appears golden.
6. Let the lemon cream sbrisolata cool completely before removing the ring of the springform pan and serving.

This sbrisolata is an exquisite dessert that with its freshness is perfect for concluding a meal or to accompany a coffee break. The combination of shortcrust pastry with lemon cream is a classic recipe of Italian pastry, evocative of the aromas and flavors of the Amalfi Coast, a place renowned for its prized lemons.