Le curiosities about Italian cuisine they are a lot. In this article we will talk about the Typical Italian cake with custard cream filling which is the representative dessert of Salento. A dessert loved not only by Salento people, but also by tourists who often, once back home, look for the same confectionery delicacy in their cities, but with no luck. Only the bars opened by the Salento people in central and northern Italy have spread it to other areas besides Salento.

Lecce pasticciotto with cream

How and when was the pasticciotto born?

Il Typical Italian cake with custard cream filling was born in 1745 and is a shortcrust pastry filled with custard and baked in the oven. He was born in Galatina, a town a few kilometers from the Salento capital, Lecce. The invention of the pasticciotto is attributed to the pastry chef Andrew Ascalon. It is said that at that time the pastry chef was in financial difficulty and that, in search of greater fortunes, he spent his days experimenting with new recipes. In one of these culinary “Trials”, Andrea Ascalone mixed cream and the remaining dough of a cake, creating a real mess. He didn't seem happy with the result, so he gave the new cake to a passer-by who, however, made many compliments and, instead, seemed enthusiastic about the result. To reconstruct this story was a scholar of Galatina, Zeffirino Rizzelli, who had conducted studies on the matter. The pasticciotto, although defined as Lecce, was therefore born in Galatina, not in Lecce city.

The recipe for a pasticciotto doc

La prescription original way to cook a pasticciotto doc is the following:

  • to create the shortcrust pastry you need: 250 grams of 00 flour, 125 grams of lard, 125 grams of granulated sugar and 80 grams of eggs. In addition, ammonia for desserts (the tip of a teaspoon) and the zest of a grated lemon should be used.
  • To make the custard instead you need: 500 grams of whole milk, 4 egg yolks, 150 grams of granulated sugar, 40 grams of corn starch and 1 vanilla bean.
  • Finally, for polishing the pasticciotto, 1 egg yolk is beaten with a teaspoon of milk and then spread on the external surface of the pasticciotto.
pasticciotto with cream and black cherry

The kit to cook it at home is born: the novelty

But the latest news is that from now on the pasticciotto can be cooked at home with a convenience Kit. For pasticciotto lovers, in fact, the first "pasticciotto kit" has now been created. Good news for all lovers of cooking and the typical sweet of Salento. "The idea - explains Andrea Colitta, owner of the historic pastry shop in Cellino San Marco, to the Salento courier - was born during the first lockdown: we sent pasticciotti to anyone who requested it, but our concern was that they reach the recipients intact and unaltered. This is why we have thought of a solution that avoids this inconvenience and, at the same time, could make customers happy". The kit created these days is a real trend and contains all the ingredients needed to prepare the pasticciotto. Not only the shortcrust pastry is included in the kit, but also flour, some reusable molds, rolling pin, spatula and brush. The sac a poche has three different fillings. Among the possibilities there is also that of having the kit of these three variants:

  • unsweetened;
  • Vegan;
  • gluten free.
The story of the pasticciotto: the kit to make it at home is born last edit: 2022-01-18T14:30:00+01:00 da Antonio Murone

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