The Portuguese tart or Beneventana tart, is a truly delicious dessert, originating in the province of Benevento. In reality, it is not a tart, but a pie; the base is made of shortcrust pastry, while the top is filled with ladyfingers, milk, and eggs, all flavored with Strega liqueur.
Creamy, simple, and very delicious dessert, perfect to enjoy at breakfast, with a good espresso, or as an afternoon snack, along with a hot infusion. Discover how to make it by following the step-by-step recipe. At the end of the recipe, you will also find a video to help you.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 445.91 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 70.07 (g) of which sugars 42.40 (g)
- Proteins 8.11 (g)
- Fat 15.12 (g) of which saturated 9.04 (g)of which unsaturated 5.74 (g)
- Fibers 0.89 (g)
- Sodium 38.23 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 9 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- to taste baking powder
- 5 oz ladyfingers
- 2 cups milk
- 3 eggs (small)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1.75 oz Strega liqueur
- to taste vanilla essence
- to taste lemon zest (optional)
Tools
- 1 Pan
- 2 Spatula
- 1 Hand Mixer
How to make the Portuguese Tart
In a bowl, pour the flour, baking powder, sugar, and grated lemon zest, the cold butter cut into pieces, and the eggs.
Work for a few minutes until you get a floury and crumbly mixture, then
Transfer the mixture to the work surface and knead to form a dough. Cover with cling film and let it rest for 40 minutes in the refrigerator. Heat the milk with vanilla, once boiling, turn off and let cool.
Break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar, and mix quickly with a whisk.
Pour the liqueur, then the milk, and mix again.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/8 inch; line the pan with the pastry disc, buttered and floured
Place the cookies, then pour the prepared milk and egg cream on top.
Bake at 356°F using the oven’s static mode and cook for about 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Dust generously with powdered sugar.
Storage of the Portuguese Tart
It can be stored safely outside the fridge in a cake dome, but alternatively, you can freeze it, perhaps already cut into slices, so you have the portion you desire.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why is it called Portuguese Tart?
The origin of the name “Portuguese Tart” has nothing to do with the area where it was born; in fact, the Beneventana pie is a Campanian dessert made with Benevento’s Strega liqueur. It is also called this way because it resembles Portuguese puff pastry pastries, (also called Pasteis de nata) first made by the ancient Fábrica dos Pastéis de Belém.
Watch the video recipe of the Portuguese Tart
