Grandma's Pie with Puff Pastry

Grandma’s Pie is a classic dessert in Tuscan cuisine, but the addition of puff pastry instead of the traditional shortcrust pastry is a non-traditional variation. However, I can advise you on how to prepare a simplified Grandma’s Pie with ready-made puff pastry.

Ingredients

• 2 rolls of ready-made round puff pastry
• 500 g of custard cream
• 100 g of pine nuts
• Powdered sugar (to garnish)
• 1 egg yolk (for brushing)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C.
2. Unroll a puff pastry and lay it in a tart pan with its parchment paper.
3. Prick the bottom of the puff pastry with the tines of a fork.
4. Spread the custard cream evenly over it.
5. Sprinkle the surface with pine nuts.
6. Unroll the second puff pastry and gently lay it on top of the cream, sealing the edges with the underneath pastry.
7. Brush the surface with a beaten egg yolk to ensure it takes on a nice golden color when baking.
8. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the surface becomes golden.
9. Let the pie cool before dusting it with plenty of powdered sugar.

To stay true to the tradition, you can make Grandma’s Pie with a homemade shortcrust pastry base, following the classic recipe. The substantive difference lies in the texture and flavor that the shortcrust pastry gives to the dessert, providing a crunchiness and buttery taste that blend with the sweetness of the custard cream and the taste of the pine nuts.

Curiosity

Grandma’s Pie is so named because it evokes the warmth and authenticity of homemade desserts made by grandmothers, with that simplicity and recipes handed down from generation to generation that immediately bring back a sense of familiarity and comfort.