Torta della Nonna

Method

1. Make the pastry dough: cream soft butter with icing sugar, potato starch, and vanilla bean seeds. Add eggs, then sifted flour, almond powder, and salt. Mix until smooth. Refrigerate for 4–5 hours.
2. Roll out the dough to 1 cm thickness, line a tart pan, and prick the base with a fork. Bake at 170°C until golden brown.
3. Prepare the lemon pastry cream: heat milk with lemon zest and glucose. Mix sugar with starches to prevent lumps. Whisk eggs, then gradually pour in the hot milk. Return to heat and cook until thickened. Stir in limoncello if desired.
4. Make the pine nut crumble (da quasi): whip egg whites with sugar. Fold in sifted icing sugar, pine nut powder, almond powder, and flour. Pipe small mounds onto a baking sheet. Bake at 190°C for about 10 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool.
5. Prepare the mascarpone almond cream: whip mascarpone with sugar. Gradually add cream and whip until soft. Fold in almond paste (or substitute with cinnamon). Keep refrigerated.
6. Assemble: fill the cooled tart shell with the lemon pastry cream. Crumble the pine nut biscuits over the top. Dust with icing sugar and scatter toasted pine nuts. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone almond cream on the side.