It’s not uncommon to encounter tarts like this one all over Italy, where it is known as crostata di miele e pignoli. The filling combines two ingredients typical to Italian baking—honey and pine nuts—with those universal to dessert making (eggs, cream, sugar, and butter). If you can find a creamy, spicy, floral variety such as Tasmanian leatherwood honey, use one-quarter cup in the filling, and balance it with one-third cup of pale, mellow honey, such as acacia. Otherwise, use all acacia, as suggested below. The crust is pasta frolla, an Italian short pastry with a crunchy, cookielike texture. Be careful not to overcook the tart; the filling should still jiggle in the center when you remove it from the oven, and it will firm as it cools.
Recipe information
Yield
makes one 10-inch tart
Ingredients
For the Crust
For the Filling
Preparation
Step 1
Make the crust: Whisk together cream, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in cream mixture, and pulse until dough just comes together. Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate about 1 hour. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using.)
Step 2
On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 14-inch round, 1/8 inch thick (reserve second disk for another use). If dough is soft and sticky, transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and freeze until firm but still pliable, about 5 minutes. Fit dough into a fluted 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Patch any tears with scraps of dough. Freeze shell while making filling.
Step 3
Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, honey, and salt to a boil, whisking until sugar dissolves. Add butter a few pieces at a time, and whisk until incorporated. Transfer honey mixture to a medium bowl, and let cool 30 minutes. Whisk in cream, whole egg, and egg yolk until incorporated.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 325°F. Place tart pan on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Scatter pine nuts over bottom. Slowly pour filling over pine nuts, redistributing pine nuts evenly with your fingers. Bake until crust is golden brown and center is set but still slightly wobbly, about 1 hour. Transfer tart to a wire rack, and let cool completely before serving.
