The Pasticciotti Leccesi are a typical dessert from the Salento cuisine in Apulia, particularly in Lecce. They consist of a shortcrust pastry shell filled with custard and black cherries.
They originated around the late 1800s in Galatina and today they are the most beloved Salento breakfast by everyone!
Nowadays, there are many varieties: the cream can be flavored with chocolate, pistachio, gianduja, but the classics of the Leccese tradition are truly the best!
You will surely love all these Apulian recipes:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
PASTICCIOTTI LECCESI CREAM AND BLACK CHERRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4.4 oz lard
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 egg yolk (for brushing)
- 4.6 oz sugar
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- Half teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 5.3 oz sugar
- 1.8 oz potato starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 syrup-soaked black cherries (80)
Tools
- 10 Molds
- 1 Rolling Pin
PASTICCIOTTI LECCESI CREAM AND BLACK CHERRY PREPARATION
Prepare the shortcrust pastry by creaming the softened lard with sugar, salt, and vanilla until you get a cream. Add the eggs one at a time, always mixing with a hand mixer at high speed until obtaining a super creamy and compact mixture.
Add the flour and sifted baking powder; quickly compact until you get a soft shortcrust pastry dough. Seal in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
Prepare the custard: beat the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture is very fluffy and frothy. Add the potato starch while continuing to beat. Separately, heat the milk with vanilla.
When the milk reaches a boil, lower the heat and pour it over the egg mixture, stir quickly for a few minutes, and then turn off the heat. Immediately pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap in contact and let cool at room temperature.
Butter and flour the molds perfectly, then roll out the cold dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/8 inch (3 mm).
Line each mold and adhere a piece of dough to the walls, prick the base with a fork.Pour the custard into the molds and fill to the rim. Add a couple of black cherries and then close the pasticciotti with a piece of dough and seal well by pressing on the edges.
Prick the surface gently with a fork, brush with beaten egg yolk, and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake in a static oven (already hot) at 356°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes until golden. Let cool on a rack.
Adriana’s Advice
If you don’t have molds for pasticciotti, you can also use muffin molds.
