Pasta Flora
Submitted by sbsp1
Pasta flora is a Greek lattice tart with cognac-spiked butter pastry filled with apricot marmalade and finished with a crisscross dough top. Sliced into bakery-style squares.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30READY
90 minThis Greek tart is the dessert grandmothers in Athens kitchens have been baking on weekends for generations. A tender, cognac-spiked shortcrust pastry gets pressed into a square pan, filled with apricot or orange marmalade, then topped with hand-rolled dough coils arranged in a crisscross lattice that crisps to golden brown.
The cognac is the move. Most pasta flora recipes use just butter and sugar in the dough, but a generous half cup of cognac added with the egg yolk gives the pastry a complex, slightly boozy depth that lifts it out of cookie-bar territory. Grated lemon zest in the dough adds a bright citrus note that plays against the marmalade filling.
Pro Tips
- Use a thick, chunky marmalade with visible peel. Smooth jelly-style marmalade is too thin and runs out the sides during baking, leaving you with a soggy crust.
- Roll the lattice strips by hand between your palms. Cutting them with a knife gives sharp, machine-precise lines that don’t match the rustic, homemade look of this dessert.
- Bake at the low temperature called for. Higher temps brown the pastry before the marmalade has time to set, and the bottom stays raw.
- Cool completely before cutting into squares. Hot pasta flora tears and falls apart, while fully cooled bars cut clean.
Variations
- Swap apricot marmalade for fig jam, quince paste, or sour cherry jam for different flavor profiles.
- Use brandy or ouzo in place of cognac for a different aromatic profile.
- Dust the cooled tart with powdered sugar before serving for an extra layer of sweetness and visual contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Sift flour into bowl, and mix in baking powder.
Add butter, egg yolk, sugar, cognac, and lemon peel; and knead to make a fairly soft dough.
Separate into 2 parts.
Roll one out into a fairly thick crust; place in a square pan.
Break off a piece of dough from the remaining half and roll between your palms into a coil to fit around the crust.
Wet the edge of the crust with a little water and gently press the coil around the edges, so it adheres to the crust, and against the sides of the pan; shape with the fingers to form the side crust.
Spread the marmalade over the bottom crust.
Shape additional coils, each about as thick as your little finger, from the rest of the dough, and lay them on the marmalade in a crisscross latticework pattern.
Join to the crust with a little water.
Bake in preheated 300 F oven for 30 to 40 min. Cool and cut into squares.
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