P
Italian · Abruzzo
Bocconotti Abruzzesi — Pastry Cream-Filled Tarts
Bocconotti are individual pastry cases (made from a rich short-crust with lard or olive oil) filled with either pastry cream and jam, or a cooked filling of chocolate, almonds, and jam — depending on whether they come from the Lanciano tradition (cream version) or the Castel Frentano tradition (chocolate version). They are the Christmas confection of the Abruzzese interior and represent the most elaborate pastry tradition of the region.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the pasta frolla con strutto
500 g
plain flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
lard
cold
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
eggs
Your own market
100 g
caster sugar
Your own market
1
lemon
zest only, finely grated
Your own market
For the Castel Frentano filling
150 g
almonds
toasted, ground coarsely
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
dark chocolate
grated
Your own market
120 g
amarena cherry jam
bitter cherry
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
amaretto liqueur
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To finish
1
egg
beaten, for egg wash
Your own market
30 g
icing sugar
for dusting when cooled
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Combine the flour and caster sugar on a work surface. Rub in the cold lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the eggs and lemon zest and work briefly into a cohesive dough. Do not overwork. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it holds together without cracking at the edges.
2
Toast the almonds in a dry pan over moderate heat, then grind coarsely — they should retain some texture. Grate the dark chocolate. Combine the ground almonds, grated chocolate, amarena jam, and amaretto in a bowl and work together into a thick, fudgy paste. This is where the dish lives or dies: the filling must be dense enough to hold its shape inside the case; if it is slack, the pastry base will soften and the filling will collapse on cutting.
3
Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Roll the rested pastry to approximately 3 mm. Cut rounds to line individual tart moulds (approximately 6–7 cm diameter), pressing gently into the base and sides. Fill each case to just below the rim — the filling expands slightly during baking; leave a small margin. Cut pastry discs to cover each tart, press the edges together firmly to seal.
4
Brush the pastry lids with beaten egg wash. Bake at 170 °C for 25–30 minutes. The bocconotti are done when the pastry is uniformly pale gold — not deep brown; baking at too high a temperature or for too long will colour the pastry before the interior sets.
5
Remove from the moulds and allow to cool completely on a rack. Dust generously with icing sugar before serving. The icing sugar is not decoration alone — it is the only sweetness applied to the exterior and is part of the traditional presentation.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Leaf lard rendered from the kidney fat of a heritage-breed pig; hand-ground coarse almonds toasted to order; single-origin bitter chocolate grated by hand; artisan amarena preserves with whole cherries.
02
Estate — Good-quality commercial lard; blanched almonds toasted and ground coarsely at home; a high-cocoa-percentage dark chocolate; imported Italian amarena jam.
03
Market — Standard supermarket lard; pre-blanched almonds; a reliable dark chocolate of at least 70% cocoa; amarena jam from a delicatessen.
04
House — A 50/50 mix of butter and lard where leaf lard is unavailable — this gives an intermediate texture, crumblier than pure butter but less so than lard alone. The flavour of the filling will carry the result.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The rested dough holds together without cracking at the edges when pressed — it is neither sticky nor dry.
◇Touch. The filling holds a firm, fudgy shape when pressed with a spoon — it does not slump or run.
◇Sight. The baked bocconotti are uniformly pale gold across the lid and at the crimped edge — no deep browning.
◇Sight. After cooling and unmoulding, the base retains its shape and does not show any soaking or darkening from the filling.
◇Where it lives or dies. The filling must be worked into a dense, fudgy paste — if it is slack, it will soften the pastry base and collapse on cutting.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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