Progressive Desserts – Part #1 – Pine Nut And Honey Tart

We are doing a progressive dinner tonight, going from house to house to house. I think there will be 5 stops total, ending at my house for dessert. There will be about 15 of us. Each house will offer something different from drinks to appetizers to dinner to dessert. I made a couple of desserts for tonight’s fun event. My first dessert is an Italian pine nut and honey tart. It is also known as a torta della nonna in Italy, or grandmother’s torte.

This is a favorite of mine, but I don’t make it so much anymore because the price of pine nuts has gone completely out of control. 

Pasta Frolla (Sweet Crust)

I started off by making my pate sucre, or sweet crust for my tart. In Italian it is called pasta frolla. This is the crust used for many Italian desserts and pastries.

2 1/3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1-2 tsp orange zest

1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cubed

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix the flour, butter, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor until it is all mixed together and resembles coarse sand. Then add the eggs, cream and vanilla and mix again until it all forms into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it into a 10 inch tart pan. Press the dough firmly into the pan.

Chill the tart in the refrigerator while making the filling.

The Filling

A mild honey will be best for this delicate tart, so not to overpower the delicate flavors of the pine nuts.

Preheat the oven to 325*F or about 163*C.

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups pine nuts

Combine the honey, sugar, salt and butter in a heavy saucepan and cook over a medium heat. bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly.

While the sugar mixture is cooling, mix the eggs, vanilla and cream together, then add to the sugar mixture mix thoroughly.

Add the pine nuts to the mixture, then carefully pour as much as will fit into the prepared tart dough, making sure to spread it out evenly.

Bake between 40-55 minutes, or until golden brown and the custard filling is set. 

Allow the tart to cool completely before removing it from the pan and topping with either whipped cream or ice cream or gelato before serving. I know you are really going to love this delicious Italian treat. It’s sweet, but not to sweet and it will go down very smoothly. Each bite will be a little bit of Heaven. :)

This is just dessert #1 for our progressive dinner part. I have another delicious dessert to share with you as well, made just for this event, but you will just have to wait a little longer for that one. :)

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2024 is full of happiness, good health and prosperity for all. ’Til next time.