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Pastries
Jean-Francais Millet, The Baker Woman
Pellegrino Artusi's Pasta Frolla
Originated from: Italy
Occasion: Special times
Contributed by: Taken from "La Scienza in Cucina e L'Arte di Mangiar Bene" compilato da Pellegrino Artusi (1891, 1907)

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Ingredients

Pasta Frolla/Shortcrust pastry dough

Version A
500 grams flour
220 grams white sugar
180 grams butter
70 grams lard
2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk

Version B
250 grams flour
125 grams butter
110 rams white sugar
1 whole egg and one yolk

Version C
270 grams flour
115 grams sugar
90 grams butter
45 grams lard
4 egg yolks
orange zest

Original Italian Text
Ricetta A.
farina, grammi 500
Zucchero bianco, grammi 220
Burro, grammi 180
Lardo, grammi 70
Uova intere N. 2 e un torlo

Ricetta B
Fraina, grammi 250
Burro, grammi 125
Zucchero bianco, grammi 110
Uova intere, N. 1 e un torlo

Riceta C
Farina, grammi 270
zucchero, grammi 114
Burro, grammi 90
Lardo, grammi 45
Rossi d'uovo, N. 4
Odore di scorza di arancio



Directions

Pasta Frolla/Short Crust Pastry Dough

Here are 3 different recipes for short crust pastry dough. Choose the one that best suits your needs, but I [Pellegrino Artusi] recommend Version C as it the best, especially for pies.

To make short pastry without going nuts, grind the sugar very fine or use confections' sugar and blend it with the flour. Also, you can add a touch of white wine or Marsala which will help make the dough more malleable.

Make the butter soft, by working it with your hands.

To make the dough, handle it as little as possible, as over-handling will harden it, use a knife at the beginning to cut the ingredients into the dough.

You can make the dough a day before, as the a rested dough will be have a lighter taste after it is baked.



Original Italian Text for Pasta Frolla

Se volete tirar la pasta frolla senza impasszamento, lo zucchero pestaatelofinissimo (io mi servo della zucchero a velo) e mescolatelo alla farina; e il burro, se e sodo, rendelo pastoso lavorandolo prima, con una mano bagnata, sulla spianatoia. Il lardo, ossia strutto, badate che non sappia di rancido. Fate di tutto un pastone maneggiandolo il meno possible, che altrimenti vi si orucia, come dicono i cuochi; percio per intriderla, meglio eil servirsi da principio della lama di un coltello. Se vi tornasse comodo fate pure un giorno avanti questa pasta, la quale cruda, non soffre, e cotta migliora col tempo perche frolla sempre di piu. Nel servirvene per pasticci, crostate, lorte, ecc. assottigliatela da prima col inatterello liscio e dopo, per piu bellezza, lavorale con quello rigato la parte che deve stare di sopra, dorandola col rosso d'uovo. Se vi servile dello zucchero a velo la tirerete meglio. Per lavorarla meno, se in ultimo restano del pastelli, uniteli insieme con un gocciolo di vine bianco e di marsala, il quale serve anche a rendere la pasta piu frolla.






Notes

The recipe in this entry was taken from "La Scienza in Cucina e L'Arte di Mangiar Bene manuale Pratico per le Famiglie" compilato da Pellegrino Artusi. The book was first published in 1891. Since then many Italian editions have been published. Olga Ragusa's selection of recipes from Pellegrino Artusi's famous cookbook, titled "The Italian Cook Book," can be found in its entirety at www.archive.org (It's free). The University of Toronto recently published a new English edition of Pellegrino Artusi's "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well"; many of the recipes in this edition can be found at www.books.google.ca.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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