pasta frolla

pear tart / crostata di pere

| Simona

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pear tart / crostata di pere / IMG_3705

the simple elegance of a crostata always wins at the table
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The current Cook the Books Club selection is Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber.1 On her website, the author explains:

The inspiration for this novel came years ago in a song. After hearing the Beatles' "Blackbird" for the first time, it haunted me… I was captivated with the concept of broken wings and how emotional wounds can keep many from being able to metaphorically fly… Blackbird research led me quickly to the Song of Sixpence with its “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,” and then a tidbit in Celtic folklore revealed that blackbirds were considered guardians and messengers of the "Other world.” With that, the heart of this book took form. What if blackbirds with their songs could pass messages from dearly departed loved ones through, of all things, pie, to bring comfort and love to those left behind?

The novel is a fairy tale (favola) set in a village in Alabama, mostly in the café of the title. Anna Kate, the protagonist, inherits the business and uses her spare time to untangle family secrets. It is a pleasant read and while the ending is fairly expected, there are a few surprises along the way.

Asian pears / IMG_3783

Asian pears and other varieties of pears are delicious and in season now
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Mulberries (more di gelso) play an important role in the story. If this were mulberry season, I would have made something with the delicious fruit, but those fleeting days are gone this year. Apples and pears of the new crop take center stage, crisp and juicy. I am Italian, so when I think about a dessert made with fruit, I think about crostata (tart). I presented crostata di mele (apple tart) some time ago2 so here I am sharing a recipe for pear tart. While the rendition on the photos uses Asian pears (pere asiatiche), the tart can be made with other pear varieties.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Pear tart

Ingredients

For pasta frolla:

  • 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine 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 OR a mix of millet and sorghum flours
  • A pinch of salt
  • 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
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • 1 cup / 240 ml fruit preserves of a flavor that goes well with pears (like berries) and made mostly with fruit (see Note 3)
  • 1 pound / 450 g Asian pears or another variety of pears (choose one that bakes well), preferably organic (you should be left with a few extra slices to snack on)

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 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 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 at a time 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 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 vanilla extract 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 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 refrigerator 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 and/or to make the border of an even thickness all the way around. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. You will have only a small amount of dough left over, which you can use to make a thicker edge or a cookie or two (1/6 inch / 4 mm thick and cut as desired, baked at the same temperature as the tart for 15 minutes).

Refrigerate the tart shell. After 15 minutes or so, preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

pear tart before baking / IMG_3701

tart ready for the oven

How to fill the crostata
Rinse, quarter and core the pears, then slice them ¼ inch / 6 mm thick.

Take the unbaked tart shell out of the fridge. With the help of a spatula distribute on it the fruit preserves in an even layer.

Arrange the pear slices in circles on top of the preserves, starting from the outside until you reach the center.

How to bake the crostata
Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Check the tart to estimate the time remaining, then continue baking until the tart border is of a light golden hue.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool slightly on a rack. If you 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. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing delicately and serving.

Serves 10-12.

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

1 The book's page on the author's website
2 On this blog: Apple Tart, Vinegar Tart

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di pere

or launch the crostata di pere audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

tart, fruit dessert, pear, Asian pear, crostata, Italian cuisine

recipe: pear tart (crostata di pere)

| Simona

Print Friendly and PDF
 

apple tart / crostata di mele

| Simona
apple tart / crostata di mele / DSC_3314c

a personal take on an Italian classic

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy, the current selection of our Cook the Books Club, is a well-known children's book in the US. It was an interesting read, giving me a glimpse into some of the literature people my age were exposed to during their childhood and a view into rural life and related activities in an age and place quite removed from mine. For Almanzo and his family the year was marked by the seasonal work they did, and that work is described in detail by Ingalls Wilder. There is also moral content, mostly with regards to money.

The distance in time and place between the book and me made some parts jarring and in this light, it was particularly interesting to listen to a recent piece on NPR on Ingalls Wilder on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth1. As usual, I am thankful to belong to a book club that exposes me to works I would not have read on my own.

There is a lot of food in the book and also something dear to my heart: the imperative of avoiding food waste. This topic recurs in the story including in the chapter connected to my choice of recipe. First Almanzo and his siblings harvest apples by hand, careful not to bruise them so they won't spoil when put into storage.

mutsu apples / P1020824

it's apple season!

The other apples are pressed into cider (sidro). Making use of less than perfect apples was the subject of an article I wrote a few years ago1. I regularly buy such apples (called seconds at farmers' market around here) and eat them out of hand or use them in my kitchen. Their main fault usually a tiny bruise or discoloration that can be easily removed, or a non-conformant shape.

Almanzo likes all pies. I have nice memories of the first apple pie I tasted, during my first stay in the UK, homemade by my landlady with apples from her garden. Being Italian, my preference goes to crostata, the traditional Italian tart.

The base (shell) of a crostata is made of pasta frolla (or pastafrolla), a dough of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. In the filling of this crostata I celebrate the change of seasons by using plum preserves from summer and apples from the new crop.

apple tart / crostata di mele / DSC_3307

the baked apple slices look like rose petals

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Apple tart / Crostata di mele

Ingredients

For pasta frolla:

  • 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine 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 OR a mix of millet and sorghum flours
  • A pinch of salt
  • 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
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • 1 cup fruit preserves of a flavor you like that goes well with apples and made mostly with fruit (see Note 3)
  • 2 apples, about 10 ounces / 280 g, of a variety that is sweet and crisp, organic if possible

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 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 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 at a time 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 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 vanilla extract 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 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 refrigerator 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 and/or to make the border of an even thickness all the way around. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. You will have only a small amount of dough left over, which you can use to make a thicker edge or a cookie or two (1/6 inch / 4 mm thick and cut as desired, baked at the same temperature as the tart for 15 minutes).

Refrigerate the tart shell. After 15 minutes or so, preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

apple tart / crostata di mele / DSC_3300

apples — thinly sliced with the help of a mandoline

How to fill the crostata
Rinse well the apples and cut them into quarters. Slice them thinly crosswise using the thinnest setting of a mandoline or similar tool.

Take the unbaked tart shell out of the fridge. With the help of a spatula distribute on it the fruit preserves in an even layer. Fan out the apple slices and distribute them over the fruit preserves to make an even layer that will look quite beautiful once the tart is baked.

How to bake the crostata
Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Check the tart to estimate the time remaining, then continue baking until the tart border is of a light golden hue. Make sure the apples don't burn at the edges. (If that is about to happen, cover the tart loosely with foil and continue baking.)

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool slightly on a rack. If you 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. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing delicately and serving.

Serves 10-12.

apple and plum preserve crostata

pretty also in black and white

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

1 NPR: 'Little House on the Prairie' author is 150 
2 North Coast Journal: Baking Beauties
3 On this blog: Vinegar Tart

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di mele

or launch the crostata di mele audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

Small_NFlogoThis is also my contribution to the 31st edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

tart, fruit dessert, apple, crostata, Italian cuisine

recipe: apple tart (crostata di mele)

| Simona

Print Friendly and PDF

crostata di arance / orange tart

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

orange tart / IMG_2648

a flavorful flower
(place mat from La FABBRICA del LINO)

Cara Cara oranges1 from the farmers' market and an invitation to a potluck inspired this crostata. The success led to encores. Citrus season (la stagione degli agrumi) is the perfect time to make this tart, which brings the sun to your table, regardless of what the thermometer says.

Choose sweet, flavorful oranges. Their juicy freshness contrasts the buttery crust. The peach preserves offers another layer of flavor and texture. There is enough sweetness to please the palate without overwhelming it.

In the photos, the tart rests on my glass serving plate on an elegant place mat by la FABBRICA del LINO.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Orange tart

Ingredients:

For pasta frolla:

  1. 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
  2. 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
  3. 1/2 cup / 65 g unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note 2)
  4. 1/4 cup / 30 g almond flour or almond meal
  5. 1/4 cup / 30 g whole-grain barley flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour
  6. A pinch of salt
  7. 1/4 teaspoon grated zest of organic orange
  8. 6 tablespoons / 85 g / 3 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  9. 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

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.

IMG_2644

ready for the oven

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.

Serves 10-12.

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

orange tart / IMG_2655

this slice is for you
(place mat from La FABBRICA del LINO & handmade wood cake server)

1 Cara Cara oranges on wikipedia

FTC disclosure: I have received the place mat free of charge from the manufacturer. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting them on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di arance

or launch the crostata di arance audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

[jump to Comments]

tart, fruit dessert, orange, crostata, Italian cuisine

Newrule

crostata di arance

crostata di arance / IMG_2648

come un fiore
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Arance a polpa rossa dal farmers' market e un invito ad una festa hanno ispirato questa crostata. Il suo successo mi ha spinto a replicare diverse volte. La stagione degli agrumi è il momento giusto per preparare questa crostata che porta il sole a tavola indipendentemente da quello che dicono le previsioni del tempo.

Scegliete arance dolci e ricche di sapore. La loro succulenza contrasta con la base burrosa. La conserva di pesche contribuisce un altro strato di sapore. C'è abbastanza dolcezza da soddisfare il palato senza sovraccaricarlo.

Nelle foto, la crostata è posata su un piatto da portata di vetro sopra una tovaglietta de la FABBRICA del LINO.

Ingredienti:

Per la pasta frolla:

  • 65 g zucchero fine o a velo
  • 60 g farina integrale per torte
  • 65 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 30 g farina d'orzo integrale oppure 30 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 30 g farina di mandorle
  • un pizzico di sale
  • 1/4 cucchiaino buccia grattugiata di arancia bio
  • 85 g burro freddo non salato tagliato a pezzetti
  • un uovo codice 0, leggermente sbattuto per mescolare albume e tuorlo

Per il ripieno:

  • una tazza / 240 ml confettura di pesche, possibilmente fatta in casa (vedi Nota 1 sotto)
  • 3 arance dolci e ricche di sapore, di medie dimensioni, possibilmente bio (vedi Nota 2 sotto)

Nota 1: io utilizzo la mia marmellata di pesche a basso contenuto di zucchero. Vi raccomando di utilizzare un prodotto di qualità che contenga soprattutto frutta (piuttosto che zucchero).

Nota 2: A seconda delle dimensioni delle arance, potreste non utilizzarle tutte, ma è meglio avere qualche fettina di arancia che avanza che non averne abbastanza. Potete sempre godervi uno snack alla frutta.

Fare la pasta frolla
Mettere zucchero e farine nel robot e pulsare alcune volte. Aggiungere il burro e pulsare un po' di volte per 3 secondi per sabbiare. Vuotare il contenitore del robot sulla superficie di lavoro.

[Se non avete il robot, lavorare il burro nel misto di farine e zucchero con le dita.]

Disporre gli ingredienti a fontana e versare l'uovo nel centro. Incorporarlo con una forchetta e poi con le dita.

Lavorare l'impasto solo fino a quando si forma un composto coeso. Se necessario, usare un pochino di farina 00 per infarinare le mani.

Formare un disco piatto di 2,5 cm di spessore e avvolgerlo nella pellicola. Far riposare la pasta frolla in frigorifero per almeno due ore. Io di solito la preparo di sera e poi la utilizzo il giorno dopo.

Preparare le arance
Lavare e asciugare le arance.

Sbucciare le arance e mettere da parte la scorza per candirla, oppure grattugiare la buccia e congelare per usarla al bisogno, poi sbucciare le arance. Insomma, non scartare questa parte della frutta senza utilizzarla.

Tagliare le arance a fettine spesse 6 mm. Tagliarle poi a metà (a mezzaluna) tranne una. Scegliere una carina dal momento che sarà al centro della crostata.

Rimuovere il filamento bianco al centro delle fettine. Mettere le fettine in una ciotola e ogni tanto scolare il succo che si raccoglie sul fondo e metterlo da parte.

Preparare la base della crostata
Per cuocere la crostata consiglio di usare una teglia per quiche (col bordo scanalato) di 23-24 cm di diametro, alta 2,5 cm e col fondo che si separa dal bordo.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la pasta frolla. Potete stendere la pasta su un pezzo di carta da forno o sulla pellicola in cui era avvolta. Questo rende poi più facile trasferirla sulla teglia.

Infarinare leggermente la superficie della pasta frolla e la superficie su cui la stendete. Tenere a portata di mano un poco di farina per infarinare al bisogno.

Se la pasta frolla è dura, premerla con il matterello cominciando dal centro del disco. Muovere il matterello di una larghezza e premere di nuovo. Ruotare la pasta frolla di 90 gradi e ripetere. Quando si è ammorbidita abbastanza, cominciare a stenderla con delicatezza fino ad uno spessore di 3 mm.

Trasferire la pasta frolla sulla teglia e premerla tutt'intorno in modo che il fondo sia ben coperto. Se usate carta da forno o pellicola, rovesciare la pasta frolla sulla teglia e rimuovere il supporto con delicatezza.

Tagliare la pasta frolla in eccesso intorno al bordo ed utilizzarla dove non ce n'è abbastanza o per formare un bordo di larghezza uniforme. Dovrebbe avanzare solo una piccola quantità di pasta frolla che potete utilizzare per fare il bordo più spesso o un paio di frollini.

Punzecchiare il fondo con i rebbi di una forchetta in diversi punti. Mettere in frigorifero.

IMG_2644

la base con la marmellata prima della cottura

Cuocere la crostata
Attendere 15 minuti e poi scaldare il forno a 177 C.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la base di pasta frolla e con l'aiuto di una spatola, distribuire su di essa in modo uniforme la marmellata di pesche formando uno strato sottile.

Infornare e cuocere per 40-45 minuti, fino a quando il bordo sia dorato.

Sfornare e far raffreddare leggermente su una griglia. Se avete usato una teglia col fondo che si separa, staccare il bordo.

Far raffreddare ancora un po' sulla griglia, poi con l'aiuto di una spatola larga, far scivolare la crostata su un piatto da portata. Mettere da parte.

Completare la crostata
Mezz'ora prima di servire la crostata, versare il succo d'arancia in un pentolino e, a fuoco basso, ridurlo a metà.

Distribuire le fettine di arancia sulla marmellata per creare lo strato superiore. Io comincio dal bordo esterno e faccio cerchi concentrici di mezze fettine verso il centro, dove pongo la fettina intera. Utilizzare quarti di fettine qua e là per riempire spazi.

Tagliarla con cura e servirla.

10-12 porzioni

La crostata è al meglio il giorno che viene fatta.

crostata di arance / IMG_2655

questa fettina è per te
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO & spatola di legno fatta a mano)

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto la tovaglietta gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice. Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarla sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

recipe: orange tart / crostata di arance

| Simona

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crostata con crema all’aceto / vinegar tart

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

IMG_2294 / vinegar tart

Italianized vinegar pie on Italian linen (from La FABBRICA del LINO)

Bob Dollar, the protagonist of  That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx, which is the current selection of our Cook the Books Club, is a shy man confused about his place in the world, who finds himself transplanted in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, a place full of interesting characters and rich in local customs and stories, a sliver of America in space and time.

The states of Texas and Oklahoma stacked like dirty pots in the sink, their handles touching. The same obelisks of sunlight fell on both sides of the state line, both shared out the same cold cuts of wind. Both lay in country of metallic light, tarnished brass clouds. 

Bob's secret mission is to buy land so the company he works for can establish an industrial hog farm. Many of the same people that show Bob kindness oppose the hog farm which would pollute the air, the land and their dreams, a nightmare (incubo) from which there is no waking up. 

Bob is a gentle, lost soul: he must live with the fact that the two people who should have loved him best, that should have supported and encouraged him and been there for him as he was growing up, abandoned him like an unnecessary piece of luggage. This is like Bob's personal hog farm: a nightmare from which he tries to wake up and make something out of his life.

To fulfill his assignment, Bob settles in a rough bunkhouse in Woolybucket and helps out at Cy Frease's Old Dog Cafe. Cy runs the Cafe in his own way:

Every other Saturday he drove down to Austin to shop at Whole Foods.
"Cowboys deserve to eat wholesome too," he said, opening himself to criticism (not long in coming) that he was a health food nut and probably a left-wing liberal if not a Communist.
He had a steady clientele of older men because he included on the menu eight or ten favorites from the Depression days when they had been boys and their tastes set: vinegar pie, cocoa gravy over biscuits, fried salt pork, and for the old cowboys, son-of-a-bitch stew. 

Vinegar pie? The name seemed to describe a paradox, so I looked for more information and some recipes and then created my own version, which is not a pie, but a crostata (Italian tart), whose crust is made of pasta frolla (tart dough) and whose filling, the part where I kept closer to the tradition, is a vinegar-flavored cream.

It sounds strange and I was quite skeptical the first time I prepared it. The taste and texture, however, were a pleasant surprise: The apple cider vinegar (aceto di sidro di mele) makes the creamy filling's flavor sparkle and complements the buttery crust. The result is a tart that tastes like nothing else and certainly deserved a place on the Old Dog Cafe's menu.

After choosing the filling of this recipe from Gourmet as my main guide, I played a bit with the ingredients and this is the version I settled on. In the photos, the tart rests on my glass serving plate on an elegant place mat by la FABBRICA del LINO (Margherite collection).

FTC disclosure: I have received the place mat free of charge from the manufacturer. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting them on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Vinegar tart

Ingredients:

For pasta frolla:

  1. 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
  2. 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
  3. 1/2 cup / 65 g unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note 2)
  4. 1/4 cup / 30 g almond flour or almond meal
  5. 1/4 cup / 30 g whole-grain barley flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour
  6. A pinch of salt
  7. 1/4 teaspoon grated zest of organic orange or lemon
  8. 6 tablespoons / 85 g / 3 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  9. 1 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry), lightly whisked to blend yolk and white

For the filling:

  • 2 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry)
  • 50 g ultrafine OR granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon Lebkuchen spices or alternative spice mix (see Note 3)
  • 50 g golden brown sugar OR 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour
  • 225 ml / 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons / 22.5 ml apple cider vinegar

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: Lebkuchengewürz is a spice mix used in Germany to make Lebkuchen. There are many versions of this mix, which contains mostly cinnamon and a variety of other spices. The one I use includes, besides cinnamon, coriander, star anise, orange and lemon zest, nutmeg, fennel, cloves and cardamom. You can substitute it with some pumpkin pie spice mix (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves) or a mix of cinnamon, ginger and a hint of nutmeg.

How to make the pasta frolla
Put sugar, flours (2nd through 5th ingredient n 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 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, no less than 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. Make sure the dough comes well up to the edge all around and even a bit higher, as the filling is liquid when poured into the baked shell and it will fill it to the brim.

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 while you prepare the oven.

IMG_2252 / blind baking a tart shell using pie weights

How to blind-bake the shell
Heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

Take the unbaked shell out of the refrigerator. Line it with a piece of parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights.

Bake the shell for 20 minutes, then take it out and remove the parchment paper with the pie weights. Bake for another 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and set aside.

While the shell bakes, prepare the filling.

IMG_2284 / making the vinegar pie filling

How to make the filling
Whisk eggs and first amount of sugar in a bowl until bubbly. Sprinkle spices and whisk briefly to incorporate them.

Whisk together corn flour and second amount of sugar in a saucepan, then whisk in water and vinegar. Bring to a boil, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat. Add liquid to the egg mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly.

Pour filling into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it reaches 175 F /80 C or coats the back of the spoon (the photo above shows that the line stays clear when I draw my finger across). Do not let the filling boil. Place the saucepan into a cold water bath and stir briefly. Take saucepan out of the cold water bath. If the shell is not yet ready, cover the surface of the filling with a piece of wax paper.

How to fill and bake the crostata
Make sure the oven is at 350 F / 177 C.

Pour the filling slowly into the baked tart shell and place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, or until the filling is set. After the first 20 minutes, or earlier if needed, cover the rim of the shell with foil to prevent overbrowning.

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. Make sure it is completely cool before slicing and serving.

Serves 10-12.

IMG_2298 / / vinegar tart

Would you like a slice of my tart?
(place mat from La FABBRICA del LINO & handmade wood cake server)

I made this tart a few times to finess the recipe, including on Thanksgiving Day. Traditional? I don't know, but I know that it was welcome on our Holiday table.

IMG_2295 / vinegar tart
the view from above in delicate sepia tone
(place mat from La FABBRICA del LINO & handmade wood cake server)

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

If you are interested in joining us in the future, this post introduces the four book selections for the upcoming eight months.

New bww logoThe photo is my contribution to edition #152 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Aparna of Stories from the Mahe Coast.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

I contribute my vinegar tart also to the 13th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. M like Minneapolis (USA) is hosted by me, Simona of briciole.

 

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata con crema all'aceto

or launch the crostata con crema all'aceto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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tart, crostata, vinegar, egg, Italian cuisine, American cuisine

Newrule

crostata con crema all'aceto

IMG_2294 / vinegar tart

"vinegar pie" italianizzata (su tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

La mia versione di questo dolce tradizionale americano è una crostata con la base di pasta frolla ripiena di crema aromatizzata all'aceto. Scetticismo è stata anche la mia reazione la prima volta che ho letto il nome, ma poi mi sono dovuta ricredere: è davvero buono.

Nelle foto, la crostata è posata su un piatto da portata di vetro sopra un'elegante tovaglietta de la FABBRICA del LINO (collezione Margherite).

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto la tovaglietta gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice. Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarla sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Ingredienti:

Per la pasta frolla:

  • 65 g zucchero fine o a velo
  • 60 g farina integrale per torte
  • 65 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 30 g farina d'orzo integrale oppure 30 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 30 g farina di mandorle
  • un pizzico di sale
  • 1/4 cucchiaino buccia grattugiata di arancia o limone bio
  • 85 g burro freddo non salato tagliato a pezzetti
  • un uovo codice 0, leggermente sbattuto per mescolare albume e tuorlo

Per il ripieno:

  • 2 uova codice 0
  • 50 g zucchero fine o granulato
  • 1/8 cucchiaino spezie per Lebkuchen o misto spezie alternativo (vedi Nota sotto)
  • 50 g zucchero di canna biondo o zucchero semolato
  • 1 cucchiaio farina di mais finissima (fumetto)
  • 225 ml acqua fredda
  • 1 cucchiaio e mezzo / 22,5 ml aceto di sidro di mele

Nota: Lebkuchengewürz è un misto di spezie (che si trova già pronto) tra le quali prevale la cannella. Ce ne sono molte versioni Quello che uso per questa ricetta contiene anche coriandolo, anice stellato, scorza d'arancia e limone, noce moscata, finocchio, chiodi di garofano e cardamomo. Potete sostituirlo con in misto di cannella, zenzero e un pochino di noce moscata.

Fare la pasta frolla
Mettere zucchero e farine nel robot e pulsare alcune volte. Aggiungere il burro e pulsare un po' di volte per 3 secondi per sabbiare. Vuotare il contenitore del robot sulla superficie di lavoro.

[Se non avete il robot, lavorare il burro nel misto di farine e zucchero con le dita.]

Disporre gli ingredienti a fontana e versare l'uovo nel centro. Incorporarlo con una forchetta e poi con le dita.

Lavorare l'impasto solo fino a quando si forma un composto coeso. Se necessario, usare un pochino di farina 00 per infarinare le mani.

Formare un disco piatto di 2,5 cm di spessore e avvolgerlo nella pellicola. Far riposare la pasta frolla in frigorifero per almeno due ore. Io di solito la preparo di sera e poi la utilizzo il giorno dopo.

Preparare la base della crostata
Per cuocere la crostata consiglio di usare una teglia per quiche (col bordo scanalato) di 23-24 cm di diametro, alta almeno 2,5 cm e col fondo che si separa dal bordo.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la pasta frolla. Potete stendere la pasta su un pezzo di carta da forno o sulla pellicola in cui era avvolta. Questo rende poi più facile trasferirla sulla teglia.

Infarinare leggermente la superficie della pasta frolla e la superficie su cui la stendete. Tenere a portata di mano un poco di farina per infarinare al bisogno.

Se la pasta frolla è dura, premerla con il matterello cominciando dal centro del disco. Muovere il matterello di una larghezza e premere di nuovo. Ruotare la pasta frolla di 90 gradi e ripetere. Quando si è ammorbidita abbastanza, cominciare a stenderla con delicatezza fino ad uno spessore di 3 mm.

Trasferire la pasta frolla sulla teglia e premerla tutt'intorno in modo che il fondo sia ben coperto. Se usate carta da forno o pellicola, rovesciare la pasta frolla sulla teglia e rimuovere il supporto con delicatezza.

Tagliare la pasta frolla in eccesso intorno al bordo ed utilizzarla dove non ce n'è abbastanza o per formare un bordo di larghezza uniforme. Dovrebbe avanzare solo una piccola quantità di pasta frolla che potete utilizzare per fare il bordo più spesso o un paio di frollini.

Punzecchiare il fondo con i rebbi di una forchetta in diversi punti. Mettere in frigorifero mentre preparate il forno.

IMG_2252 / blind baking a tart shell using pie weights

Cuocere in bianco la base della crostata
Scaldare il forno a 177 C.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la teglia. Coprire la pasta frolla con un pezzo di carta da forno o di alluminio e distribuire sulla superficie i pesi da pasticceria (vedi foto sopra).

Infornare e cuocere per 20 minuti, poi sfornare e tirare via la carta o alluminio con i pesi. Infornare e cuocere per altri 10 minuti, poi sfornare e mettere da parte.

Mentre la base cuoce in forno, preparare il ripieno.

IMG_2284 / making the vinegar pie filling

Preparare il ripieno
In una ciotola, sbattere con la frusta le uova con la prima quantità di zucchero fino a che si formino delle bolle. Aggiungere le spezie e sbattere ancora un poco per incorporarle.

In un pentolino, mescolare la seconda quantità di zucchero e la farina di mais, poi aggiugere acqua e aceto mescolando con la frusta. Portare ad ebollizione, mescolando fino a quando sia sciolto lo zucchero. Togliere il pentolino da fuoco. Versare molto lentamente il liquido nella ciotola con le uova mescolando costantemente con la frusta.

Versare il composto nel pentolino e scaldarlo su fiamma bassa mescolando costantemente con un cucchiaio di legno fino a quando raggiunge la temperatura di 80 C o vela il lato convesso del cucchiaio (nella foto in alto si vede che la riga tracciata dal mio dito rimane pulita). Evitare che il liquido giunga a bollore. Immergere il pentolino in acqua fredda e mescolare brevemente. Tirare fuori il pentolino dall'acqua. Se la base della crostata non è ancora pronta, coprire la superficie del ripieno con un pezzo di carta oleata.

Riempire e cuocere la crostata
Assicurarsi che il forno sia a 177 C.

Versare lentamente il ripieno nella base e infornare. Cuocere per 30 minuti o fino a quando il ripieno si sia addensato. Dopo 20 minuti, o anche prima se necessario, coprire il bordo della crostata con della pellicola di alluminio per evitare che imbrunisca.

Sfornare e far raffreddare leggermente su una griglia. Se avete usato una teglia col fondo che si separa, staccare il bordo.

Far raffreddare ancora un po' sulla griglia, poi con l'aiuto di una spatola larga, far scivolare la crostata su un piatto da portata. Fatela freddare del tutto prima di tagliarla e servirla.

10-12 porzioni

IMG_2298 / / vinegar tart

Posso offrirvi una fettina della mia crostata?
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO & spatola di legno fatta a mano)

Ho fatto questa crostata diverse volte per mettere a punto la ricetta, compreso il Giorno del Rngraziamento. Tradizionale? Non lo so, ma so che è stata molto gradita sulla tavola della festa.

 

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla tredicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. M come Minneapolis (Stati Uniti) è ospitata da me, Simona di briciole.

 

 

 

recipe: vinegar tart (crostata con crema all’aceto)

| Simona
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crostata di pesche / peach tart

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

IMG_1807 / peach tart / crostata di pesche

a splendid sun

Through Neukom Family Farm, this summer life has been giving me a steady stream of peaches. As I eat them, I stash my sensory memory, so once the long peach-less months set in, I will close my eyes and take a large virtual bite, feel the juice flood my mouth and trickle down my hand, taste the sun in the soft flesh of the beloved sweet summer fruit.

I roasted peaches and made our family’s favorite frittata. I baked a good number of peach, berry and rhubarb cobbler. I sliced and froze several pounds for future use. I made jars of low-sugar peach preserves and, finally, made crostata — many times. Peaches are so pretty that the tart makes a visual splash even though this baker is not particularly famous for beautiful desserts.

Last year, at the San Francisco Baking Institute, we made pie crust containing also teff flour, one of my favorite gluten-free flours — the other being millet flour (farina di miglio). For my peach tart, I created a version of one of my pasta frolla (tart dough) recipes using 1/3 teff flour. Cacao-colored teff flour gives pasta frolla a warm brown tone that goes beautifully with golden peaches. The tart crust’s somewhat exotic flavor stands quite well next to the sweetness of peaches. 

DSC_6081 / peach tart / crostata di pesche

the best part is sharing

The crostata has three layers: a base of pasta frolla, a thin layer of peach preserves and a pretty composition of peach slices.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Peach tart

Ingredients:

For pasta frolla:

  1. 1/3 cup / 64 g / 2 1/4 oz. ultrafine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
  2. 60 g teff flour
  3. 60 g whole-grain farro or spelt flour
  4. 30 g almond flour or almond meal
  5. 30 g millet flour
  6. A pinch of salt
  7. 5 tablespoons / 70 g / 2 1/2 oz. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  8. 1 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry), lightly whisked to blend yolk and white
  9. 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml vanilla extract of good quality
  10. Brown rice flour, as needed for making and rolling the dough

For the filling:

  1. 1 cup / 240 ml peach preserves, possibly homemade (see Note 2)
  2. 450 g / 1 lb ripe peaches, preferably organic (see Note 3)

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: I use my homemade low-sugar peach preserves. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit (rather than sugar). 

Note 3: This is a bit more than you need, but it is better to have some leftover slices than not enough. You can always have a peach snack.

How to make the pasta frolla
Put sugar, flours (2nd through 5th ingredient above) and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

Add butter and pulse a few times until the mixture has the consistency of 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 beaten egg and vanilla extract 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 brown rice 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 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 brown rice 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. You will have only a small amount of dough left over, which you can use to make a thicker edge or a couple of cookies (frollini).

Prick the shell with a fork in several places. Refrigerate while you prepare the peaches and the oven.

Wait 15 minutes or so, then preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

How to fill and bake the crostata
Rinse well the peaches, quarter them, remove the stone, then cut each quarter into slices 1/4 inch / 6 mm thick. 

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

Arrange the peach slices on top of the preserves to make the top layer. Having tried both ways, I prefer starting from the outside and make circles until I reach the center. 

Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, then check.

IMG_1877 / Peach tart / crostata di pesche

raw tart ready to go into the wood-fired oven (forno a legna)

The crostata is ready when the border is golden brown. If necessary, put the crostata back in the oven and check it again after two minutes. Repeat the last step as needed. In my oven, the baking takes 42 minutes. 

Remove the crostata 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. Make sure it is completely cool before slicing and serving.

Serves 10-12.

DSC_6081-2

playing with textures

I shared this tart with a good number of friends and they all liked it. It is a pleasure to bring to the table, a way to honor the good fruit that goes into it. It is rich, but a slice, brilliant and bursting with flavor, goes a long way to satisfy the senses.

Shop-local-badgeOrganic peaches from my CSA share and egg from a local farm make my tart perfect for the Shop Local Food Blogging Challenge organized by Elizabeth of Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.

The roundup of the event.

New bww logoThe monochromatic photo is my contribution to edition #141 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Susan.

The photo was shot in color and then converted to toned black and white (Lightroom preset Split Tone 1).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di pesche

or launch the crostata di pesche audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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tart, fruit dessert, peach, crostata, Italian cuisine

Newrule

crostata di pesche

IMG_1807 / peach tart / crostata di pesche

un sole stilizzato

Grazie a Neukom Family Farm, questa estate ho avuto molte pesche da gustare e serbare nella memoria dei sensi per i mesi durante i quali il loro sapore sarà un dolce ricordo.

Ho cotto pesche nel forno per fare la frittata. Ho preparato un buon numero di cobbler di pesche, frutti di bosco e rabarbaro. Ne ho affettare e surgelate un paio di chili. Ho preparato vasetti di conserva di pesche a basso contenuto di zucchero e infine ho fatto questa crostata — un bel po’ di volte. Le pesche sono così belle che la crostata è uno spettacolo, anche se io non sono famosa per fare bei dolci.

L’anno scorso al San Francisco Baking Institute, preparammo una base per pie contenente anche farna di teff, una delle mie farine senza glutine preferite (l’altra è quella di miglio). Per la mia crostata di pesche ho creato una versione di una delle mie ricette per pasta frolla contenente 1/3 di farina di teff (seme piccolissimo che viene dal Corno d’Africa). Questa farina color cacao done alla pasta frolla un colore marrone delicato che si abbina bene alle pesche dorate. La crosta ha un sapore un po’ esotico che esalta la dolcezza delle pesche.

DSC_6081 / peach tart / crostata di pesche

condividere è bello

La crostata ha tre strati: la base di pasta frolla, uno strato sottile di conserva di pesche e uno strato di fettine di pesche disposte a cerchi concentrici.

Ingredienti per la pasta frolla:

  1. 60-65 g zucchero fine o a velo
  2. 60 g farina di teff
  3. 60 g farina integrale di farro per dolci
  4. 30 g farina di miglio
  5. 30 g farina di mandorle
  6. un pizzico di sale
  7. 70 g burro freddo non salato tagliato a pezzetti
  8. un uovo codice 0, leggermente sbattuto per mescolare albume e tuorlo
  9. 1/2 cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia
  10. farina integrale di riso, q.b. per impastare e stendere la pasta frolla

Ingredienti per il ripieno:

  1. una tazza / 240 ml confettura di pesche, possibilmente fatta in casa (vedi Nota 1 sotto)
  2. 450 g pesche, possibilmente bio (vedi Nota 2 sotto)

Nota 1: io utilizzo la mia marmellata di pesche a basso contenuto di zucchero. Vi raccomando di utilizzare un prodotto di qualità che contenga soprattutto frutta (piuttosto che zucchero).

Nota 2: questa quantità è un po’ più di quanto ne avete bisogno, ma è meglio avere qualche fettina di pesca che avanza che non averne abbastanza. Potete sempre godervi uno snack alla frutta.

Fare la pasta frolla
Mettere zucchero e farine (numer 2-5 nella lista degli ingredienti) nel robot e pulsare alcune volte.

Aggiungere il burro e pulsare un po’ di volte per diversi secondi per sabbiare.

Vuotare il contenitore del robot sulla superficie di lavoro.

[Se non avete il robot, lavorare il burro nel misto di farine e zucchero con le dita.]

Disporre gli ingredienti a fontana e versare l’uovo e l’estratto di vaniglia nel centro. Incorporare gli ingredienti liquidi e solidi con una forchetta e poi con le dita.

Lavorare l’impasto solo fino a quando si forma un composto coeso. Utilizzare un po’ di farina integrale di riso per evitare che si appiccichi troppo alle mani.

Formare un disco piatto di 2,5 cm di spessore e avvolgerlo nella pellicola. Far riposare la pasta frolla in frigorifero per almeno due ore. Io di solito la preparo di sera e poi la utilizzo il giorno dopo.

Preparare la base della crostata
Per cuocere la crostata consiglio di usare una teglia per quiche (col bordo scanalato) di 23-24 cm di diametro, alta 2,5 cm e col fondo che si separa dal bordo. 

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la pasta frolla. Suggerisco di stendere la pasta su un pezzo di carta da forno o sulla pellicola in cui era avvolta dal momento che si sibriciola molto facilmente.

Con la farina integrale di riso, infarinare leggermente la superficie della pasta frolla e la superficie su cui la stendete. Tenere a portata di mano un poco di farina per infarinare al bisogno.

Se la pasta frolla è dura, premerla con il matterello cominciando dal centro del disco. Muovere il matterello di una larghezza e premere di nuovo. Ruotare la pasta frolla di 90 gradi e ripetere. Quando si è ammorbidita abbastanza, cominciare a stenderla con delicatezza fino ad uno spessore di 3 mm.

Trasferire la pasta frolla sulla teglia e premerla tutt’intorno in modo che il fondo sia ben coperto. Se usate carta da forno o pellicola, rovesciare la pasta frolla sulla teglia e rimuovere il supporto con delicatezza.

Tagliare la pasta frolla in eccesso intorno al bordo ed utilizzarla dove non ce n’è abbastanza o per formare un bordo di larghezza uniforme. Dovrebbe avanzare solo una piccola quantità di pasta frolla che potete utilizzare per fare il bordo più spesso o un paio di frollini.

Punzecchiare il fondo con i rebbi di una forchetta in diversi punti. Mettere in frigorifero mentre preparate le pesche e il forno. 

Attendere 15 minuti e poi scaldare il forno a 177 C.

Riempire e cuocere la crostata
Lavare bene le pesche, tagliarle in quarti, rimuovere il nocciolo, poi tagliare ogni quarto a fettine spesse 6 mm.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la base di pasta frolla e con l’aiuto di una spatola, distribuire su di essa in modo uniforme la marmellata di pesche formando uno strato sottile.

Distribuire le fettine di pesca sulla marmellata per creare lo strato superiore. Io preferisco cominciare dall’esterno e fare cerchi concentrici verso l’interno.

Infornare e cuocere per 40 minuti, poi controllare la cottura.

IMG_1877 / Peach tart / crostata di pesche

crostata pronta per essere cotta (nel forno a legna)

La crostata è pronta quando il bordo è color nocciola dorato. Se necessario, infornare di nuovo la crostata e controllarla dopo 2 minuti. Ripetere quest’ultimo passaggio al bisogno. Nel mio forno per la cottura ci vogliono 42 minuti.

Sfornare e far raffreddare leggermente su una griglia. Se avete usato una teglia col fondo che si separa, staccare il bordo. 

Far raffreddare ancora un po’ sulla griglia, poi con l’aiuto di una spatola larga, far scivolare la crostata su un piatto da portata. Fatela freddare del tutto prima di tagliarla e servirla. 

10-12 porzioni

Ho condiviso questa crostata con un buon numero di amici ed è piaciuta a tutti. È un piacere portarla in tavola, un modo gustoso per rendere onore a frutta di ottima qualità. Una fettina, dal colore brillante e dal sapore ricco è sufficiente ad appagare la voglia di dolce — di tutti i sensi.

recipe: Asian pear and Quark cheese tart (crostata di pere asiatiche e formaggio Quark)

| Simona
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