Crostata

An apple crostata with slivered almonds.

Crostata, a Dutch dessert tart

Crostata, a Portuguese dessert tart

A crostata is an Italian baked dessert tart, and a form of pie. The jams that are traditionally used as a filling are cherries, peaches, apricots, berries. The crostata can also be blind-baked and then filled with pastry cream (crema pasticcera) topped with pieces of fresh fruit; this is called crostata di frutta. A typical central Italian variety replaces jam with ricotta mixed with sugar, cocoa or pieces of chocolate and anisetta; this is called crostata di ricotta.

Crostata uses a sweet pastry made by first combining equal parts butter and sugar, then mixing in egg yolks, vanilla, baking powder, and flour. To make an 8 or 9-inch pie, first combine 100 grams of butter and sugar. Add 2 egg yolks and mix in 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla and 15 grams of baking powder. Then add 200 grams of plain flour. Form into a dough. (If dough seems too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time untl desired consistency is achieved. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour.) Roll out about 3/4 of the dough and press into a buttered tart pan. Add the filling. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into four strips each long enough to fit across the width of the tart pan. Place the strips across the filling. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling is hot.