Peach Frangipane Crostata

 

While summer peaches are still plentiful and full of flavor, put this crostata on your to-do list. This luscious dessert is from Domenica Marchetta's latest cookbook, "Everyday Italian," and was a big hit recently with my Italian chit-chat group. The pasta frolla crust is buttery and the perfect foil for the juicy peaches that get cooked to a jammy consistency. You start by simmering them for a bit with brown sugar, lemon juice and spices. Let them cool while making the rest of the crostata.

Make the frangipane (almond paste filling) and spread over the raw dough. I chilled the dough while making the filling.

Arrange the cooled peach preserves over the frangipane.

Then place strips of dough over the top. You don't have to weave the strips as I did, but I do think it looks prettier. The dough is very buttery though and may be a bit ornery to maneuver, so I find it easiest to cut the strips, then refrigerate them to stiffen a bit. It makes the weaving much easier. 

Bake as directed, then dust with some powdered sugar. You could serve with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to ramp up the goodness. I wish I had taken a photo of a slice of the crostata, but it was gobbled up so quickly, I didn't have a chance.

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Peach Frangipane Crostata

recipe from Domenica Marchetta's "Everyday Italian"

Ingredients:

For the pasta frolla

2 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough

2/3 cup (80 g) confectioners’ sugar

1/4 tsp fine salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 small orange—or a little of both (about 1 Tbsp)

1 stick plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (150 grams), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

For the peach preserves

1 1/2 lb (680g) ripe peaches, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices (or 1 lb (500g) frozen sliced peaches)

1 cup (200g) light brown sugar

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

For the frangipane

3/4 cup (100g) almond flour or almond meal

1/3 cup (66g) sugar

6 Tbsp (86g) unsalted butter at cool room temperature

1 egg

1/4 tsp pure almond extract

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp fine salt

Directions:

1. Make the pasta frolla: Put the flour, sugar, salt, and zest in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse briefly to combine. Distribute the butter around the bowl and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and egg yolk and process until the dough begins to clump together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it together into a ball. Form the dough into two disks, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until well chilled (overnight is fine). Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before rolling it out.

2. Make the peach filling: Place the peaches, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat to dissolve the sugar, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring often, until the peach slices are tender but still intact, and the mixture has thickened to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg and simmer for 5 minutes more. You should be able to drag a path through the bottom of the saucepan with a silicon or wooden spoon. Scrape the peaches into a heat-proof bowl and let cool completely. (At this point the preserves can be refrigerated until ready to use.)

3. Make the frangipane: Measure the almond flour, sugar, butter, egg, almond and vanilla extracts and salt into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Scrape into a bowl.

4. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, place a cookie sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 350° F. Remove the pasta frolla from the refrigerator. Have ready a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. 

Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll the larger disk of pasta frolla into a 12-inch (30-cm) circle, lifting and turning the dough as you roll to prevent sticking and create an even round. Gently wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over the tart pan. Gently fit the dough into the pan without stretching it. Use the palm of your hand or the rolling pin to trim off the excess. Refrigerate while you roll out the second piece of dough.

Roll the smaller piece into a 10-inch (25-cm) circle and use a fluted pastry wheel to cut it into strips, as thin or thick as you like. Alternatively, for a more traditional look, divide the disk into 10 pieces and with your hands roll out each piece into a 10-inch (25-cm) rope.

Remove the crostata base from the refrigerator and spread the frangipane over the bottom in an even layer. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the cooled peaches over the frangipane in an even layer, letting the excess syrup drip back into the bowl. Position the strips of pastry on top of the peaches in a crisscross lattice pattern. You can weave the strips if you like, but the dough is fragile and tends to tear so it’s not necessary (nor is it traditional). Press the edges of the strips into the edge of the tart shell to secure and trim off the excess.

Set the crostata on the heated baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Transfer from the baking sheet to a rack to cool completely. Remove the ring and use a large, wide angled spatula to transfer the crostata from the metal tart base to a serving plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if you like and serve. For an extra-lavish touch, top each serving with a scoop of vanilla gelato and drizzle with some of the reserved caramelized peach syrup.

Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) crostata, to serve 8-10

Disposable Pan Crostate

Jam-filled crostate (plural of crostata) are ubiquitous go-to desserts in Italy, from the north of the boot to the south, and are eaten at any time of day – even for breakfast. They’re typically baked in a round, ceramic or removable-bottom metal tart pan.  I’ve posted about them in the past, but I wanted to share with you a revelation I had recently when I baked a couple to take to my Italian chit-chat group’s annual picnic. We had just transferred to the beach house for the summer, and I hadn’t yet brought my tart pans, so I went to the grocery store and bought disposable aluminum pans to use instead. I sprayed them first with a little vegetable spray (PAM) and placed the dough and jam inside, wondering if the disposable pans would work as reliably as my old metal tart pans, although admittedly, even with my metal tart pans, I am sometimes disappointed, with soggy bottom crusts.

I needn’t have worried. I had to be a little more careful in handling the pan while transferring to and from the oven, since it wasn’t as sturdy, but the bottom crusts baked more evenly and more thoroughly than the metal tart pans I normally use. I may have to rethink tart-making from now on. The recipe below makes two tarts — using 7 1/2″ x 12″ disposable pans or two 8″ or 9″ metal tart pans. I filled one with fig jam and one with cherry jam, adding a little amaretto to both the crusts and to the filling. They slice up nicely too, into square pieces, making them perfect finger food for a party dessert.

Dig in. Bet you can’t eat just one.

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Crostata

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter, (12 Tablespoons) at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk (save egg white)
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup amaretto, grappa, sherry or whatever liqueur you like
• a few teaspoons of ice water, if necessary
• fruit preserves (a 13 ounce jar or about 2 cups for each crostata), warmed to spreading consistency
• 1/8 cup amaretto (or other liqueur of your preference) to add to the fruit preserves (for each crostata)
• two disposable 7 1/2″ x 12″ aluminum pans, or two 8″ or 9″ round ceramic or metal pans

Instructions

1. Place flour and sugar into food processor and pulse for a few seconds.
2. Add the butter in small pieces and pulse again, until it resembles coarse sand.
3. Add the egg(s) and liqueur to the food processor, pulsing until the mixture starts to form a ball.
4. Add a little ice water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary.
5. If you don’t have a food processor, mix by hand with pastry cutter or spoon.
6. Let it rest for about 1/2 hour.
7. Divide the dough into 2/3 for the bottom and 1/3 for the strips.
8. Roll the bottom onto a floured surface and fit it into a buttered tart pan, letting any excess hang over the edge.
9. Fill the crust with jam.
10. Roll the remaining 1/3 of the dough on a floured surface and cut into strips.
11. Place them lattice-fashion over the jam, attach them to the dough along the rim, then trim the edges of the crostata.
12. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until the dough is golden brown.
13. I place the crostata on a cookie sheet that has been preheated in the oven to 425 degrees, then lower it immediately to 375 degrees.
14. It helps ensure the bottom crust is cooked thoroughly.

3.5.3251

 

Very Berry Crostata

With all sorts of berries coming into season right now in the Eastern U.S., it’s time to make this tart. Two extra containers of blackberries were unexpectedly included in my last food delivery, so I had plenty to make this tart. I actually made it twice — the first time with a purchased puff pastry shell, and the second time with this dough recipe, from Domenica Marchetti. We liked the crostata made with puff pastry well enough, but the texture of the crust with Domenica’s recipe was so far superior, retaining its crispness on the bottom after baking, that I doubt I’ll use the puff pastry again for a crostata. Plus the flavor, with its touch of lemon, is better with Domenica’s recipe. Her recipe makes enough for two crostate, tarts or pies, so keep one tucked away in the freezer. By the way, a crostata in Italy is generally presented as a tart with a lattice crust, as in this recipe for fig crostata, but many recipe writers use the term interchangeably with galette, the French word for a rustic, open-faced tart. If you’re inclined to call it a galette, go right ahead, but I gravitate to the Italian word whenever given the choice.

Roll out one half of the dough to a diameter of about 16 inches. Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle, just get it close enough, then slide it onto a Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. I put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator in the 15 minutes it took to prepare the fruit, to help the butter bits chill and solidify, making for a flakier crust.

Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the center of the pastry. It helps as a barrier to keep the crust from getting soggy, but also adds more flavor and texture.  Mix the berries with sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Carefully place the fruit in the center of the crust, over the almonds, leaving a border of about two inches all around. Flip up the border, pinching it together all around the perimeter. Brush it with a liquid like beaten egg yolk or milk. I had buttermilk in the house, so I used that. Press some almonds all around the edges. Placement in the oven is very important in order not to have a soggy bottom. Place the crostata on the bottom rack of  a 375 fahrenheit degree oven for a half hour. Then remove it to the highest rack for another 15 minutes. You may get some spillage of the liquid, as I did, if any of the edges had a split, as happened when I poked my nail through the crust. Don’t worry about it though, there will be plenty of other juice within the crostata. After it has cooled, carefully slide it off the Silpat or parchment paper onto a serving dish. The fruit has a “dull” appearance when it comes out of the oven, but to give it a “glistening look,” melt a bit of quince or apple jelly and spread it on top of the fruit.

Sprinkle the edges with some confectioner’s sugar and dig in.

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Very Berry Crostata

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• FOR THE PASTRY (Domenica Marchetti’s recipe makes enough for two crostate)
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into dice
• 2 large eggs
• FOR THE BERRY FILLING:
• 4 cups fruit (I used two cups strawberries, and the rest a mix of blueberries and blackberries)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted, plus more for the top
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• FOR THE TOP:
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk, milk or beaten egg
• slivered almonds
• powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt and pulse to mix.
2. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Add the eggs and process just until the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it in half, and pat it into two disks.
5. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and freeze for another use.
6. Wrap the second piece and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
7. Remove it from the refrigerator and roll it out to a diameter of about 15-16 inches.
8. Carefully transfer the pastry to a Silpat- or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
9. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on the dough.
10. Mix the ingredients for the filling and pile on top of the slivered almonds inside the dough, leaving a border of about 2 inches all around.
11. Gather the border and crimp to encase the fruit.
12. Spread some of the milk, buttermilk or beaten egg on the edges of the crostata.
13. Sprinkle with slivered almonds.
14. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, then remove it and place on an upper rack for another 15 minutes.
15. When it cools, spread a little quince or apple jelly over the fruit to make it glisten.
16. Sprinkle the edges with a little powdered sugar.

3.5.3251

 

Eggplant and Potato Crostata

My friend Lilli made this beautiful concoction recently, when the Italian chit-chat group convened at my house a few weeks ago. We generally serve both savory and sweet things at our weekly gatherings, and Lilli helped me by preparing this delicious eggplant and potato crostata. Lilli, who hails from Salerno, is one of my dearest friends, and a sensational cook. This recipe however, is from Giallo Zafferano, an Italian site that features so many wonderful recipes, but they’re all in Italian. I’ve translated the amounts from metric, for those of you in the U.S.  It would make a great appetizer if you’re having company, or even a main course, with a salad on the side. I hope you try it.

Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and to follow my trip through some beautiful European spots.)

Eggplant and Potato Crostata

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• one pastry shell, ready made or homemade
• 1 1/2 cups (400 grams)potatoes
• 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) eggplant
• 1 cup (100 grams) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (200 grams) Parmesan cheese
• salt, pepper,
• one egg yolk (for brushing on top)

Instructions

1. Slice the eggplants (not too thinly), and sprinkle with salt.
2. Let them rest for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse and dry the eggplants with paper towels, then cut in half.
4. Fry the eggplant in oil, draining well on paper towels.
5. Wash the potatoes well, and boil them for about 20 minutes, with their skins on.
6. Test for doneness, and when they can be easily pierced with a fork, remove from the water and let them cool, then peel them.
7. Chop the potatoes roughly.
8. Cut the mozzarella into small pieces.
9. Mix the eggs in a bowl with the salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.
10. To the eggs add the potatoes, the mozzarella and the eggplant.
11. Line a tart pan with the pastry, letting some hang over the edge.
12. Fill the tart pan evenly with the eggplant and potato filling.
13. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and brush with beaten egg yolk.
14. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
15. Serve hot or at room temperature.

3.5.3251

 

Crostata di Marmellata alla Sorrentina

Are you ready for Pi Day? It's coming up next week and you need to be ready with a real pie - or in this case a crostata (close enough). Of course, you all know that Pi, represented by the Greek letter π, is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, and is commonly approximated as 3.14159.

Pi Day is celebrated around the world on March 14 (March=3rd month, and the 14th day, hence 3.14), which also happens to be the birthday of Albert Einstein, whose legacy is omnipresent here in Princeton, where the Nobel laureate gave lectures at Princeton University, but mainly served as a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Studies from 1933 until his death in 1955.

Princeton honors Pi Day with all kinds of events, from an Einstein look-alike contest, to a pie-baking contest. (The first year of the contest, I actually won second place, with "Alessandra's crostata.")

I made a couple of goofs while making this crostata, but in the end, it all worked out.

It calls for a mixture of amaretti cookie crumbs to be mixed with egg, then spread on top of the jam.

But I misread the recipe and put the amaretti cookie crumbs in first, before the jam. Whoops!

Fortunately, I was able to scoop them up before I went any farther.

So after scraping out the amaretti crumbs, I put in a mixture of jams - orange and plum. You can use only one kind if you like, or mix any others - apricot and plum are delicious too.

Now is the time to spread the amaretti mixture. I didn't have quite enough, but it was just fine. Kind of looks like peanut butter and jelly at this point, but it tastes much better.

Spread the lattice strips on top, then brush with egg.

While baking, the amaretti crumbs and eggs puff up slightly and peek through the lattice strips.

The flavor is delicious and it slices so easily you may want to eat more than just one slice. After all, you are doing research on the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, right?

Happy Pi π Day.

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Crostata di Marmellata alla Sorrentina

from "The Southern Italian Table" by Arthur Schwartz

printable recipe here



your favorite pasta frolla recipe (pastry crust - I cheated this time and used one from Trader Joe's)

1 12 ounce jar marmalade (I used a combination of plum and orange)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup finely ground amaretti cookies (about 3 ounces, depending on the brand)



Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper or parchment. Line a 9-inch tart or cake pan with two-thirds of the pasta frolla, bringing the pastry up the sides of the pan just to the top. Save the other third of the pastry to make a lattice top.

Mix the jams (if using two different ones) and spread evenly on the pastry.

Beat one of the eggs in a small bowl until well blended, then add the amaretti crumbs and mix well. Spread this mixture evenly over the jam filling.

Roll out the remaining pastry. With a sharp knife or rolling pastry cutter, cut it into 1/2 inch wide strips. Arrange the strips on top of the tart in a diamond-shaped lattice. Turn the edge of the bottom pastry over the edge of the lattice top.

Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl, then brush the pastry with it.

Bake the tart for 30 to 35 minutes until nicely browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the tart from the pan and finish cooling it on a rack.



Variation:

Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of finely chopped nuts - toasted almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts - on the bottom pastry before pouring in the marmalade or jam.

At Masseria Astapiana, Villa Giusso in Vico Equense, near Sorrento, a fifteenth century former monastery now operating as a bed and breakfast and party venue, they make a rather complex, but not difficult to accomplish, version of this tart. Instead of using 12 ounces of marmalade, use only 6 ounces. Then dip about 28 whole amaretti quickly into dry white vermouth. Arrange a layer of the cookies over the marmalade, packing them in closely and pushing them slightly into the marmalade. Now combine 2 beaten eggs with 3/4 cup toasted and finely ground almonds. Pour this over the amaretti. There should be just enough to barely cover the cookies. Arrange a lattice pastry top. Bake as above.

Domenica Marchetti's "Preserving Italy"

I was predisposed to love this book as soon as I heard the title. "Preserving Italy" speaks not only to the time-honored methods of putting foods by that Italians have done for centuries -- but to holding on to traditions that face extinction if it weren't for people like Domenica Marchetti.

I grew up in a family that foraged for wild asparagus and broccoli rabe in the spring, that canned summer's bounty of peaches and tomatoes, that made its own wine in the fall and that mixed its own spicy sausages to hang and cure during the winter. Those, and other traditions to preserve food are deeply engrained in my genes and I try to not only maintain those traditions, but to enrich them with newfound ways of preserving my heritage and passing it onto younger family members and friends. So I was thrilled when Domenica's book arrived, (including my family's recipe for salt-preserved green tomatoes) bringing these old customs to a whole new audience.

photo from "Preserving Italy"

Aside from her wonderful recipes, Domenica leaves her imprint with her beautiful writing. Her first sentence grabbed me right away:
"When my grandmother passed away in 1971, she left behind four grieving daughters and a large jar of her liquor-soaked cherries."

photo from "Preserving Italy"

That sentence evoked my own memories of loved ones passed on, who had left behind their own culinary mementos: the foods my father ate for weeks after my mother died -- peppers and tomatoes she had prepared and stored in the freezer and cupboards; and the grappa-soaked cherries and salted green tomatoes my late husband had made - another bittersweet and tangible reminder of his absence in the months following his death.

With every bite of those cherries, roasted peppers, or canned tomatoes, we bring back past memories and at the same time, expose a younger generation to a taste they might pass onto future generations.

"We're seeing more and more of these traditional methods being used today," Domenica said. "Some people are putting modern spins on it and putting in new flavors."

Italy has long been a country where people, especially those living in the country with substantial gardens, put up their own food for the leaner winter months, but there are a lot more artisanal items on store shelves in Italy now too, she said.

"It's a way for regions to stand out in terms of culinary trends and I feel like we are in some ways going back. You see it not just with preserves, but in interest in old traditional recipes, like the sour dough bread baking movement, for example. These techniques that were in danger of being lost, are finding a new audience. I also try to find recipes that are in danger of being lost. I don't want these traditional recipes to fall by the wayside."

photo from "Preserving Italy"

The book contains instructions not only on the techniques of making and preserving vegetables, meats and fruits, jams and liqueurs, but also many ideas on how to use those items in various recipes.

From foods preserved in oil, like eggplants, zucchini and butternut squash; to foods preserved in vinegar, like cauliflower, carrots and fennel; to sweet jams and jellies; to tomatoes and sauce; to cheeses, cured meats; liqueurs and syrups, the book provides a step-by-step guide to creating a bountiful pantry.

photo from "Preserving Italy"

After you've finished seasoning and curing that guanciale, you can use it to flavor the pasta alla gricia recipe from the book; or try your hand at making mint syrup, then incorporate it in the book's recipe for mint chocolate chip cake.

photo from "Preserving Italy"

There's something for even the busiest working man or woman, including easy-to-make porchetta salt that will elevate your next pork shoulder to new heights. Domenica also includes the recipe for making a simplified home version of porchetta that anyone can make.

"The porchetta is simple because it's just a matter of making the salt, rubbing it into the meat and then it's hands off while the roast is in the oven.

from "Preserving Italy"

Most of the recipes in the book are "small batch" and just enough for a small family, she said.

 "They don't produce quarts and quarts of food - just enough for you to have something on hand. I like the feeling of having a larder with jars of food stocked in it. If you do a little bit of work on the front end, then you can just open a jar of tomato sauce and have a quick and easy great pasta dinner for example," she said.

Although Domenica has been making limoncello and other liqueurs for years, as well as jams, fresh cheeses and yogurt, many of the techniques in the book were new to her. "Therewas definitely a learning curve, which made the book all the more fun," she said.

photo from "Preserving Italy"

Writing a cookbook where you are first preserving the rawingredients does takes a bit longer than just creating a recipe alone, but it was a labor of love, Domenica said.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the process," she said, although the tight deadline imposed by HoughtonMifflin presented a challenge. The original six months stretched to a year in order to include ingredients from all four seasons of the year.

"I had a lot of fun sourcing the different things," she said including finding wine grapes she could use to create the syrupy liquid called mosto cotto in her kitchen in Virginia.

photo from "Preserving Italy"

"I put out a tweet asking winemakers to share some fresh grape must and I got a reply from one of Virginia's oldest winemakers - Horton Vineyards - who gave me a few jars."

Winemakers in general are the most generous people, she said, but "As I started working on this book, it became clear to me that there are so many talented and hard-working food artisans in Italy."

As a result, the book includes essays on many of the people she met while conducting research for the book.

photo from "Preserving Italy"

"They do what they do because it's their livelihood and they love it and maybe they're doing it to bring back those traditions. I really wanted to showcase the work they are doing. But it doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to the whole country and the number of food artisans there."

photo from "Preserving Italy"

Domenica will be promoting "Preserving Italy" in the next few months, starting with a book launch and dinner at Le Virtù restaurant in Philadelphia on June 15. She continues through the summer with appearances at bookstores, cooking schools and other sites throughout Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maine and North Carolina. For more details, click here.

Below is a recipe from Domenica's book - a beautiful and delicious crostata using homemade jam:

photo from "Preserving Italy"

Jam Crostata

from Domenica Marchetti's "Preserving Italy"

printable recipe here

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting the crostata

finely grated zest of 1 orange

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 to 2 cups rustic grape Jam, strawberry-apricot preserves, green tomato preserves (recipes in the book); or any favorite jam.

-Measure the flour, sugar, zests and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with at the metal blade. Process briefly to combine. Distribute the butter pieces around the bowl and process until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and egg yolks and process just until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a disk. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Rewrap the smaller piece and set it aside. Roll the larger piece into an 11-or 12-inch circle. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

-Spoon the jam into the prepared hell and smooth it out with the back of your spoon. Roll out the remaining dough and cut it into 3/4-inch thick strips or use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes such as flowers or stars. Place the strips in a lattice pattern on top of the jam or arrange the cutouts on top. (Save any excess dough to roll out later; you can cut out shapes and bake cookies) Fold the edge of the crust over the jam and lattice.

-Bake until the crust is lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Let the crostata cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature. To serve, remove the rim of the pan, transfer the crostata to a decorative serving platter, and dust lightly with confectioner's sugar.

Pear Apple Crostata

Last week I promised you this recipe, courtesy of my friend Jan who brought it for dessert recently following our dinner of stuffed shells. It was warm and beautiful. I wish I had thought to take a photo of the entire thing before we sliced into it, but one can only resist so much temptation. You can call it a galette, a croustade, a crostata or even an open-face pie. But whatever you call it, call it fantastic.

Jan used dried cranberries and dried cherries, but if you don't have both, you can substitute more of one or the other. Eat this warm topped with a scoop of ice cream, and it could become your go-to dessert.

pastry crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (maybe even a little bit more, but not a tablespoonful)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter cut cross-wise in 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup or more heavy cream

Whisk flour, sugar, lemon peel, and salt in medium bowl. Add butter; using pastry cutter, blend butter with flour mixture until coarse meal forms. Drizzle 1/4 cream over; toss with fork until moist clumps form adding more cream by teaspoonfuls as needed if dry. I added 2 more teaspoons. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. You may do this a day ahead. In that case, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Filling:
5 firm but ripe Bartlett pears, peeled cored, and thinly sliced
1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2-3 tablespoons dried cherries
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons (maybe a bit more) finely grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon (generous) ground nutmeg
heavy cream for brushing
sliced almonds for edge

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all fruit, sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon peel, and nutmeg in a large bowl to coat. (I whisked together the sugar, flour, lemon peel and nutmeg before adding the juice or the fruit.)
Roll out pastry on sheet of floured parchment paper to 14inch round, Transfer crust on parchment paper to baking sheet. Mound fruit in center of pastry, leaving a 2 inch border all around. Fold pastry border over fruit, crimping slightly. Brush edges with cream and gently press on sliced almonds.

Bake until filling bubbles and almonds are lightly toasted, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream if desired.

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