Ingredients (Serves 10-12)

For pasta frolla

• 1/3 cup / 65 g ultra-fine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
• 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup / 65 g unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note 2)
• 1/4 cup / 30 g almond flour or almond meal
• 1/4 cup / 30 g whole-grain barley flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour
• A pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon grated zest of organic orange
• 6 tablespoons / 85 g / 3 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry), lightly whisked to blend yolk and white

For the filling

• 1 cup / 240 ml peach preserves (see Note 3)
• 3 Cara Cara oranges, or other sweet variety, possibly organic

Instructions

Note 1: Ultrafine or superfine sugar is also referred to as baker’s sugar. If you cannot find it, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.

Note 2: The less gluten (as indicated by % protein) in the flour, the better (I like to use Perfect Pastry blend by King Arthur Flour). Do not use bread flour.

Note 3: I use my homemade low-sugar peach preserves. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit and little sugar.

How to make the pasta frolla

Put sugar, flours (2nd through 5th ingredient in the list) and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.

Add butter and pulse a few times for 3 seconds until the mix resembles coarse meal. Empty food processor’s bowl onto your work surface.

[If you don’t have a food processor: Whisk together sugar, flours (2nd through 5th ingredient above) and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.]

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the egg and zest into it. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. Use some all-purpose flour as needed to flour your hands to prevent excessive sticking.

Shape the dough into a flat disk 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. I usually make it the evening before and refrigerate it overnight.

How to prepare the orange layer

Rinse well and dry the oranges.

Either peel and set aside the peel to candy it or zest the oranges and freeze the zest for future use, then peel the oranges. Basically, don’t throw away something that can be used. Cut oranges into 1/4 inch / 6 mm slices. Depending on the size of the oranges, you may not need all the slices, but prepare them and you can always snack on the leftover slices. Cut all but one slice in half crosswise. Choose a nice one, since it will be the center of the tart.

Remove the white center core from all the slices. Place slices in a bowl and every now and then drain the juice that collects at the bottom and save it.

How to prepare the bottom layer of the crostata

To bake the crostata, I recommend using a 9 or 9 1/2-inch / 23-24 cm fluted round tart pan with removable bottom, about 1 inch / 2.5 cm high.

Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge and unwrap it. I recommend you roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper or the plastic film in which it was wrapped as it is quite crumbly.

Lightly dust with flour the top of the dough and the surface on which you are rolling it. Keep some flour handy to lightly dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin’s width each time; turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling gently.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick. If you used parchment paper or plastic wrap as rolling surface, flip the dough over the tart pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan and use it, as necessary, where you find that you came up short.

Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. Refrigerate. After 15 minutes or so, preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

How to bake the crostata

Take the unbaked shell out of the refrigerator. With the help of a spatula evenly distribute the peach preserves on it to create a thin layer.

Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the border is golden.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool slightly on a rack. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, release the tart base from the fluted tart ring.

Let cool a bit longer on the rack, then, with the help of a wide spatula, slide the crostata onto a serving plate. Set aside.

How to finish the crostata

Shortly before serving the crostata, pour the orange juice into a small saucepan and reduce it to half over low heat.

Distribute the orange slices on the crostata. I start from the outer border and make circles of half slices until I reach the center, where I place the whole slice. Use quarter slices to fill in gaps here and there. With a pastry brush, paint the reduced orange juice on the surface.

Slice delicately and serve.

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

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