The Pasticciotto Leccese has a long history behind it. Born as a simple makeshift dessert, obtained from what the fantasy suggested, back in 1475, to the Galtina pastry chef, Nicola Ascalone. It is said that on the occasion of the celebrations in honor of St. Paul, the Patron Saint of Galatina, Ascalone did not know what sweet to do for the many pilgrims who came for the party. Finding pastry leftovers with shortcrust pastry and simple custard, he had the idea of covering oval-shaped molds with pastry, pour in some cream and cover them with another layer of pastry. He baked the cakes in the oven and offered them to the pilgrims, who were ecstatic, renaming them Pasticciotti Leccesi. Let’s see how to make them at home.

Ingredients

Ingredients for the pastry:

  • 250 gr of type 00 flour
  • 125 grams of lard
  • 125 grams of granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • half a teaspoon of ammonia
  • grated rind of a lemon and an orange

Ingredients for classic custard:

  • 1/2 of milk
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 90 grams of 00 flour
  • 160 grams of granulated sugar
  • vanilla or lemon flavoring

Process

First thing, prepare the pastry:
To make the short pastry, combine the flour, sugar and lard in a large bowl. Mix everything together and add the egg, half a teaspoon of ammonia (replaces the yeast) and grated citrus peel. You must obtain a homogeneous mixture. Wrap the pastry just made in the film and let it rest in the fridge for at least two hours. The ideal would be to prepare it the day before.

Second thing, prepare the classic custard:
Now that the pastry is resting, prepare the custard. Pour the sugar into a bowl and add the egg yolks, then mix it briskly to obtain a frothy mixture. Gradually add the flour, stirring constantly, pour in the milk and continue stirring. Spend everything in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, add the aroma you like best and continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat, pour the cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Third, compose the Pasticciotto Leccese
Take the pastry and custard out of the fridge. Roll out the shortcrust pastry so as to obtain several cakes. Compose the pasticciotto by putting some shortcrust pastry in an oval mold, taking care to cover the whole mold, pour the custard inside and cover with other shortcrust pastry. when you have made all the pasticciotti, cook them in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, they must take on a golden color.

At the end of cooking, let it cool and enjoy!