Pasta Frolla is an Italian shortbread pastry made with fat, flour, salt, sugar and flavour, such as vanilla or citrus zest, which are bound with an egg.
The word “pasta” means dough and “frolla”, as explained to me by my friend Simona, means tender in Italian, as it is a very flaky dough.
In Greece we make a similar one which is called Pasta Flora, which is topped with Jam.
However, Pasta Flora is quite different as you will see that the ingredients and method of making it is similar to a cake rather than a tart.
What is the ratio for the shortcrust pastry?
The ratio I use for making the shortcrust pastry is 1:2 that is for every 100 grams butter, I add 200 grams of flour, although the Italian add more butter, which makes it more flaky but also with more calories.
To sweeten the crust, we can add crystal sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar etc., but each kind will have a different texture.
I usually don’t add too much sugar when making Pasta Frolla as the Jam on top will make it too sweet.
We can cut the cold butter into very small pieces or even better to grate it on the big holes of a box grater.
Some of the butter will stick on the grater so a good way to clean it up is to reserve some of the flour, with which to clean up the grater.
We then add the remaining ingredients and the egg will help to bind the dough.
A much easier way is to make the dough in a food processor. If you have a food processor which can take all the ingredients, you can have the dough ready in five minutes.
Unfortunately I only have a mini food processor which I have to make the dough in batches. I add some butter, flour and icing sugar (you can use regular sugar if you prefer) and pulse it in batches until it resembles with coarse meal.
I then bind the mixture with an egg(s).
You can watch me making it in the video.
During the past years I’ve made some different variations of the crust either using regular butter or buffalo butter, margarine, olive oil or butter combined with shortening. The taste and texture differs depending on which one you prefer but the one I like best is with butter.
The ingredients should be cold when making the crust and before baking it you should put it in the refrigerator for a while.
Each time I decided to post one of the recipes of Pasta Frolla I made, something came up and kept postponing it, so today you’ll see all the different variations I’ve made.
The above is a Pasta Frolla with Cherry Jam and Cherry Preserve. I made it in a smaller baking tin so the dough was enough to cover the sides as well. In this one I used brown sugar.
Here I made mini tarts with strawberry jam and Seville orange marmalade, which I baked them in a muffin tin for about 20 minutes.
In this one I used a few leftover fruit preserves which I pureed in a food processor. In the center I used mixed citrus marmalade.
For this one, I made the crust with 200 grams butter and 50 grams shortening.
Here is one with Quince Jam and Chestnut Puree in the middle, topped with quince jam.
For those of you who love figs, you will love my Fig Newton Pasta Frolla, which I made a few days ago, hence the Christmas decorations.
I named it after the Fig Newtons biscuits, which I loved as a kid and which was so similar in taste.
Fig Newtons Pasta Frolla (or Pasta Flora)
Pasta Frolla is an Italian shortbread pastry tart, similar to the one we call Pasta Flora, in Greece. The word "pasta" means dough and "frolla", as explained to me by my friend Simona, means tender in Italian, as it is a very flaky dough.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 500 grams all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 heaped tbsp sugar or more if you prefer it on the sweeter side
- 250 grams cold butter cut into smaller pieces or grated
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 whole egg and a yolk
For the filling:
- 500 grams fig jam
- Egg wash:
- Optional (see note)
Instructions
- Follow the directions to make the Pâte brisée, but instead of adding water, add a beaten egg to bind the dough. If the egg is small you can add another yolk or a couple tbsp cold water. Add the egg gradually and if you have any leftover you can use it to egg wash the lattice.
- Line a 24 cm tart pan with parchment paper. Add half of the dough which after covering it with cling film, press with your fingers to spread it. Refrigerate.
- Roll out the remaining dough between parchment paper. When it becomes 1 cm thick cut it into 2 cm stripes. Refrigerate for fifteen minutes. You can cut the stripes with a knife or a ravioli cutter or shape them with your hands to make them round.
- Spread the jam on top of the pastry and form the lattice on top. Use the leftover pieces to cover the rim.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 - 50 minutes or until gold on top.
- Run a knife around the side of the tart to free it from the tin.
- Set aside to cool for half an hour and then remove the outside rim.
Notes
Reserve a little bit of yolk (about 1/8th), which dissolve with a tablespoon milk.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 529Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 91mgSodium 302mgCarbohydrates 77gFiber 2gSugar 29gProtein 6g
Tarts:
Some more Sweet and Savoury Tarts
The Best Chocolate Honey Baklavas Tart
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Old Fashioned Apple Pie
This Old fashioned Apple Pie is absolutely the best homemade apple pie because it has a flaky, buttery crust and a lightly-spiced cinnamon flavour apple pie filling.
Fig Newtons Pasta Frolla (or Pasta Flora)
Pasta Frolla is an Italian shortbread pastry tart, similar to the one we call Pasta Flora, in Greece. The word "pasta" means dough and "frolla", as explained to me by my friend Simona, means tender in Italian, as it is a very flaky dough.
Sausage and Onion Tart with easy Corn Meal Crust
This sausage and onion tart is very easy to make as the crust is made with an easy corn meal batter.  Don't be fooled by the picture. It is neither a Pizza nor a Tart.  I call it a tart as I baked it in a tart pan and it looks like a tart.  It's more like a Greek open faced pie, which we call "plastos".
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
Rosa
Sunday 17th of April 2016
Very tempting! Some awesome tarts you have here Ivy. I don't know which one to choose!
Cheers,
Rosa
Lisa
Sunday 17th of April 2016
Yum! I have some jam and will definitely try it.
Angie
Sunday 17th of April 2016
Newtons in a pie form..simply awesome!
Angie