Kitchen Recipe Collection
Italian Cestini di Frolla (Pastry Baskets with Fruit)
Elegant, bite-sized shortcrust pastry tartlets filled with rich vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh, glazed fruit.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- italian
Ingredients
Scaled for 12 servings
- shortcrust pastry dough (pasta frolla)
- milk
- egg yolks
- sugar
- cornstarch
- vanilla bean or extract
- fresh berries and kiwi
- apricot glaze (apricot jam thinned with water)
Equipment
- Muffin tin or tartlet pans
- Piping bag
- Saucepan
Instructions
- 1
Roll Pastry
Roll out chilled shortcrust pastry (pasta frolla) to a 1/8-inch thickness.
- 2
Cut Circles
Cut circles slightly larger than the holes of your muffin tin or tartlet pans.
- 3
Line the Tins
Press the pastry circles into the tins. Prick the bottoms with a fork.
- 4
Blind Bake
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let the pastry shells cool completely, then remove from tins.
- 5
Make Pastry Cream
Heat milk with vanilla. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Slowly temper the hot milk into the eggs.
- 6
Thicken Cream
Return mixture to the stove and whisk constantly over medium heat until it becomes a thick, smooth custard. Let cool completely.
- 7
Prepare Fruit
Wash and slice fresh fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi are traditional.
- 8
Fill the Baskets
Pipe or spoon the cooled pastry cream into the baked pastry shells, filling them to the top.
- 9
Arrange Fruit
Artfully arrange the fresh fruit on top of the pastry cream.
- 10
Make Glaze
Heat a spoonful of apricot jam with a splash of water until liquid, then strain out any fruit chunks.
- 11
Glaze the Fruit
Lightly brush the fruit with the warm apricot glaze. This gives them a professional shine and prevents drying out.
- 12
Serve
Serve immediately or chill until ready. Perfect with morning tea or coffee.
Cooking Tips
- Blind baking is crucial to ensure the pastry is crisp and cooked through before adding the wet filling.
- The apricot glaze is the secret to making homemade tarts look like they came from an Italian Pasticceria.
Variations
- Cestini al Cioccolato: Coat the inside of the baked, cooled pastry shells with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate before adding the cream.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- A staple of Sunday morning 'Pasticcini' (mixed small pastries) boxes bought for family gatherings.
Nutrition Estimate
180 calories · 3g protein · 22g carbs · 9g fat · 1g fiber per serving
