Lemon Cream Sbriciolata

The lemon cream sbriciolata is a fresh, citrusy variation of the traditional Italian dessert that combines the crunch of crumbled shortcrust pastry with the softness of a delicate lemon cream.

Ingredients

For the crumble pastry:

• 300 g of 00 flour
• 150 g of cold butter, cubed
• 150 g of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• A pinch of salt
• The grated zest of 1 lemon

For the lemon cream:

• 3 egg yolks
• 100 g of sugar
• 30 g of 00 flour or cornstarch (maizena)
• 250 ml of whole milk
• Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons (untreated)

Preparation

Crumble pastry:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
2. Place the sifted flour in a bowl and add the cold cubed butter. Begin mixing with your fingertips until you obtain a sandy mixture.
3. Add the sugar, lemon zest, egg and yolk, and the pinch of salt. Continue working until you have a homogeneous dough.
4. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes.

Lemon cream:

1. While the dough rests, prepare the cream. Mix the yolks with the sugar until you obtain a light and frothy mixture.
2. Add the sifted flour or starch and mix well to avoid lumps.
3. Heat the milk in a saucepan with the lemon zest until it is almost boiling. Remove the lemon zest from the hot milk and slowly pour the milk over the yolks, stirring continuously.
4. Transfer everything back to the saucepan and cook the cream over medium heat, adding the lemon juice and continuing to stir until it thickens. Once ready, transfer the cream to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, then let it cool.

Assembly:

1. Take a springform pan (about 24 cm in diameter), lightly grease and flour it.
2. Spread about two-thirds of the crumble dough on the bottom, creating an even layer and compacting it slightly with your hands or the back of a spoon.
3. Pour the lemon cream over the shortcrust layer.
4. Crumble the remaining dough over the lemon cream, creating the typical “crumble” topping.
5. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface is golden.
6. Let the lemon cream sbriciolata cool completely before removing the ring of the pan and serving.

This sbriciolata is an exquisite dessert whose freshness makes it perfect for ending a meal or accompanying a coffee break. The combination of shortcrust pastry with lemon cream is a classic Italian pastry recipe, evocative of the aromas and flavors of the Amalfi Coast, a place renowned for its prized lemons.