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Pasta frolla provides the simplest, unfussy and quickest pastry dough. Pasta frolla is the foundation of numerous Italian pastries including ricotta pies, ham pies, fruit and any number of fruit or jam filled cookies. In English pasta frolla is often translated as short crust or shortbread dough. In Italian, “pasta” is any kind of flour and liquid paste from spaghetti to pies. The etymology of “frolla” seems uncertain, but it seems to have something to do with being tender or friable. Perhaps, the best translation would be “flaky.”
Pastry dough from flour and eggs dates from the most ancient times. Pasta frolla as we know it today dates from the around the 10th century when the Arabs introduced sugar cane to Sicily. (The Arabs also gave us the word, “sukkar.”)
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Many recipes call for grated lemon or orange rind. One very old recipe calls for a sprinkle of rose water, certainly an Arab influence. If you don’t have a lemon or orange on hand, you can leave it out.
The other variation in this recipe is whether or not to use the whole egg or just the yolks. Some recipes run the middle ground and use half whole egg and half egg yolk. The egg whites make a flakier crust or cookie, so I use the whole egg. You can decide for yourself. While using very cold butter and handling the dough as little as possible, you won’t destroy the dough if it’s not perfectly chilled. Making the dough takes only a few minutes. It is important, however, to let it rest for at least an hour before rolling out. For Jambals: Take the chilled dough and pat it out on a flour-dusted slab into a rectangular shape the thickness of your baby finger. Cut it into 8 long, thin strips and roll them until they look like arrow shafts. Twist the shafts into hearts, interlocking-rings, bows, or pretzels, as you desire. Brush with egg white. Bake on parchment for 13 minutes or until just a little brown. Remove from the pan with a flat spatula and cool for 10 minutes. Dust them generously in confectioner's sugar. Store in an air-tight box.
Makes 18 anis sugar cakes plus 8 jambals. - See more at: http://stores.renstore.com/-strse-template/1307A/Page.bok#sthash.J9Qb2Zwr.dpuf |
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Getting it together: What you need
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Getting it together: What you need
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Making the pasta frolla
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Making the pasta frolla
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Pasta frolla is ideal for any number of uses. Below is its use for a crostata with blackberries. The rich and buttery crust is the ideal foundation for any fruit. Traditionally, crostata tend to be round, but I like to make them in a long shape for ease of cutting and serving.
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Pasta frolla is ideal for any number of uses. Below is its use for a crostata with blackberries. The rich and buttery crust is the ideal foundation for any fruit. Traditionally, crostata tend to be round, but I like to make them in a long shape for ease of cutting and serving.
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