Raspberry Crostata Tested Recipe

Raspberry Crostata Recipe

This Raspberry Crostata is so delicious. It combines the tart yet sweet flavor of homemade raspberry jam with a buttery crisp pastry. Crostata is just another name for 'tart', albeit one that is baked free form rather than in a tart pan. What this means is that we just roll the pastry into a round, spread on the filling, and then fold the edges of the pastry up and over the filling. To be honest I really enjoy this Raspberry Crostata as a breakfast or brunch dish for I like to think of it as a substitute for toast and jam, or maybe a better name is a homemade pop tart.

The pastry used for this Raspberry Crostata is Pate Brisee, pronounced 'paht bree-ZAY' which is a French short crust pastry dough made from a mixture of flour, a little sugar, salt, butter, and ice water. It has a high ratio of fat to flour which gives the pastry its crumbly texture and buttery flavor. I often make this crostata when I have a craving for raspberries but they are either out of season or just too expensive. Luckily, we now have excellent frozen unsweetened raspberries all year round and when they are cooked with a little sugar you end up with a delicious homemade raspberry jam. Of course, you can use a good quality commercial jam but I urge you to try this recipe. A good time saver would be to make the pastry dough and the raspberry jam a day or two ahead, and then the day you want to serve the tart you can just assemble and bake. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Raspberry Jam: Place the frozen unsweetened raspberries and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Do not let it burn. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof measuring cup. You should have about 1 cup of preserves. Stir in the 1 tablespoon raspberry preserves and add a drop or two of lemon juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator while you make the crust. (This jam can be made several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)

Pate Brisee: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until the pastry just holds together when pinched. Add remaining water, if necessary. Do not process more than about 30 seconds.

Turn the pastry out onto your work surface, gather it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour to chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax.

Once the pastry has chilled, remove from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into an 11 inch (28 cm) round. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spread the raspberry jam over the pastry, leaving about a 2 inch (5 cm) border. Gently fold the edges of the pastry up and over the filling, pleating as necessary, to form an 8 inch (20 cm) round. Make sure to seal any cracks in the pastry.

Bake the tart in a preheated 400 degree F (205 degree C) oven for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or almonds and dust the top of the crostata with powdered sugar. Serve plain or with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Note: To toast the nuts: place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Makes one - 8 inch (20 cm) Crostata.

References:

De Laurentiis, Giada. 'Everyday Italian'. Clarkson Potter/Publishers. New York: 2005.

Walter, Carole. 'Great Pies & Tarts'. Clarkson Potter/Publishers. New York:1998.

Raspberry Jam:

2 cups (225 grams) (8 ounces) frozen raspberries, unsweetened

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

lemon juice

1 tablespoon raspberry preserves

Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry):

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces

1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water

Garnish:

1 tablespoon toasted and chopped walnuts or almonds