This dessert is versatile, and cooks while dinner is being eaten. It works with any fruit in season, and it works with fruit you have frozen, or with jam as well. Right now, it is great with thinly sliced apples. I’m particularly fond of it with Winesaps. For a guide to apples in your area, check out the new Heirloom Apple Guide from Slow Food USA.
The recipe comes from my mom, who I believe got the recipe from Al Forno in Providence, RI.
Dough
- ½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ c superfine sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ c ice water
1. Keep butter cold, cut into cubes (put in fridge)
2. Flour, sugar, salt into food processor, pulse to combine (you can also do this in a bowl with two knives).
3. Add butter, toss to coat
4. Pulse it till butter forms into little pea sized lumps
5. Run motor and add ice water, keep it going and stop before it turns into a big mass. Just enough water to make it hold together
6. Turn it out onto foil, press into 7” disk. Min 1 hr in fridge, lasts 2 days in fridge or 2 weeks frozen
Topping
- ¼ c flour
- ¼ c superfine sugar
- ½ stick butter (4 tablespoons)
1. Combine flour and sugar
2. Cut in butter till crumbly
Crostata instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Roll into 12-16” circle (defrost first if frozen). Dust w/ Flour to keep from sticking.
3. Lay on parchment paper on baking sheet
4. Spread fruit on top (less is more, especially w/ wet fruit). Leave a 2” ring free of fruit around the outside, and don’t put more than one layer of fruit down.
5. Pleat over the edge, top exposed fruit w/ crumble
6. Bake 20 min or more (longer bake makes for jammier fruit, which I like, but don’t burn. If need be, put foil over top to keep from over browning).
7. Let cool 10 minutes
