Pasticiotti or Pasta Ciotti

Name: Pasticiotti or Pasta Ciotti
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12 tarts, 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup vegetable shortening; 1/4 cup milk; 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 large egg, well beaten; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 2/3 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 cups milk; 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten; 1 teaspoon almond extract; 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk, for the egg wash

Submitted by Phil Franco

"Pasticiotti (or called Pasta Ciotti, as referred to in this recipe by Mary Ann Esposito in her book Celebrations Italian Style) are small individual cream or custard filled tarts with either a vanilla cream or custard filling or chocolate cream or ricotta cheese filling. They are a wonderful Italian treat. You may make them as small 3-inch tarts or even smaller "mini" tarts. *Notes: Makes 1 dozen (3-inch) tarts. If you make miniature tarts, bake for only 8 to 10 minutes. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen miniature tarts."

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photo by Toni M

Ready In:: 1hr 15mins
Ingredients:: 15
Yields:: 12 tarts
Serves:: 12

ingredients

Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
³⁄₄ teaspoon baking powder
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup vegetable shortening
¹⁄₄ cup milk
³⁄₄ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, well beaten
Filling
3 tablespoons cornstarch
²⁄₃ cup granulated sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ cups milk
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
Egg Wash
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk, for the egg wash

directions

Dough:
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add the milk, vanilla, and egg and use your hands to mix the ingredients into a smooth ball of dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside.
Filling:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar, making sure there are no lumps.
Gradually whisk in the milk.
Add the butter, place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolk and almond extract. Set the custard aside.
To Assemble and Bake:
Divide the dough in half.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into an 11-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick.
Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out circles of dough and press each one into the bottom and up the sides of 3 x 1 1/4-inch tart pans.
Reroll the scraps and cut out additional circles. You should have 12 tart shells.
Place the tart pans on a cookie sheet. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into each tart shell.
Roll out the second piece of dough and cut out 3-inch circles. Place a circle over each tart and pinch the edges closed.
With a pastry brush, paint the top of each tart with the egg wash. Refrigerate the tarts for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees . Bake the tarts on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove the tarts to racks and let cool completely.
Carefully remove the tarts from the pans. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Reviews

Made these today for my hubby's birthday and they were a big hit. After reviewing several recipes, I chose this one because it looked easier. It was easy. Only comment by my foodie brother is that it needed more almond flavor.

Toni M

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Phil Franco

holland, PA

Hi!! <table> <tr><td></table> <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Phil%20Franco.jpg'></td><td> Updated January, 2008. I worked for the Navy for 38 years prior to my present job as a research engineer with Penn State University. I'm originally from Long Island. I met my wife, Grace Mastellone, when I was 16 and she was 13. We've been married since 1963 and we've been living in Pennsylvania since 1974. We have two married sons and 5 grand children. We enjoy eating out at Italian restaurants as well as Applebees.</td></tr></table> <embed type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent src=http://w141.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/philfranco/1166725960.pbw height=480 width=600> VENICE <embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/lTOy32KzG0E type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent width=525 height=450></embed> We have two sons, Philip and Joseph. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/boysnew.jpg'> Our son Joe is a professional body builder. His website is <a href=http://www.Fitfranco.com>www.FitFranco.com</a> <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Joe.jpg'> <embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/curTOTUJVOs&rel=1 type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent width=425 height=355></embed> More Body Building pictures of <a href=http://franco_j.tripod.com/2006joecontest.html>Joe</a>Joe won this <a href=http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2006ocbgoldtri.htm>contest</a> Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs - the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss. This <a href=http://www.glycemicindex.com/>free GI database</a> can be used to find the GI value of your favorite carbohydrate foods that have been tested over the past 25 years from all around the world. You can also check the glycemic load (GL) and grams of carbohydrate per serving. We also have 5 grandchildren. A picture of Phil and Tricia's three boys: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/grandsonsnew.jpg'> Philip at a Giants game: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Phil.jpg'> Lucas and Angelina were 3 in March of 2006. This is their picture: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/cousinsnew.jpg'> Anthony in is the youngest of the grandkids. He was born on 1-11-06. This is his picture: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Anthonynew.jpg'> Anthony's Baptism: A picture of my Mom, my wife Grace, Anthony and my sister, Marianne. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/baptismnew.jpg'> This is a picture of Mom and Pop. He died in December of 2005 at the age of 94. We miss him dearly. He also liked to cook. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/mom_popnew.jpg'> I have a collection of several Italian cookbooks and I enjoy cooking with my wife. In the past five years we've visited Italy 4 times and each time I come back several pounds heavier. The thing that bothers me most are nuisance telephone calls, especially at dinner time. One of my favorite foods is pizza and in particular <li><a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/62122>Pizza Rustica!!!</a></li> which we usually make for Easter. I enjoy spending a quiet evening at a local restaurant with my wife. We also get pleasure with our grandkids at our beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey. We have part of the first floor in this triplex. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/condonew.jpg'> That's our family in Ocean City,NJ in 2002. Since then we've added three grandchildren. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Familynew.jpg'></td></tr></table>

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