There is a pastry shop in central Palermo where we first tasted a version of this tart. The filling was dark, barely sweet, the crust crumbling at the first touch of a fork. We came back the next morning and ordered a second slice, standing at the counter because there were no seats left. That is the crostata this recipe is trying to be.
Ours uses the hazelnut and cacao cream directly, no melting, no double boiler. You spread it cold into the shell and let the oven do the work. The result is a filling that firms just enough to slice cleanly but stays soft at the center. The cocoa shortcrust gives it a slightly bitter edge that the filling needs.
Serve at room temperature. A thin dusting of cocoa powder on top is enough. Do not refrigerate once baked; the crust turns damp overnight.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
{"step"=>1, "text"=>"Combine [[250g | 8.8 oz]] flour, [[80g | 2.8 oz]] icing sugar, and [[25g | 0.9 oz]] cocoa powder in a food processor. Pulse to combine."}
{"step"=>2, "text"=>"Add [[125g | 4.4 oz]] cold cubed butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, about 10 short pulses."}
{"step"=>3, "text"=>"Add the 2 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Pulse just until the dough begins to clump. Do not overwork."}
{"step"=>4, "text"=>"Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press together into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes."}
{"step"=>5, "text"=>"Preheat oven to [[180C | 350F]]."}
{"step"=>6, "text"=>"Roll the dough out to [[3mm | 1/8 in]] thickness and line a [[23cm | 9 in]] tart tin. Trim the edges. Prick the base all over with a fork."}
{"step"=>7, "text"=>"Line with parchment and fill with baking weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment."}
{"step"=>8, "text"=>"Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spoon in [[320g | 11.3 oz]] of the Gusta Hazelnut and Cacao Cream and spread evenly with a spatula."}
{"step"=>9, "text"=>"Return to the oven and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, until the filling has set at the edges but still has a slight wobble at the center."}
{"step"=>10, "text"=>"Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, at least 1 hour, before unmoulding. Dust with cocoa powder through a fine sieve before serving."}
You made Crostata al Cacao con Crema di Nocciola. Time to eat.
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The dough will feel crumbly when you first bring it together. That is correct. Do not add more water. Press it together with your hands and it will hold once chilled. If it cracks when rolling, patch it in the tin and the blind bake will seal it.
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