Fruit crostada - Any one ever have one?

[Barbarainnc]

All I know is that it is good and it's Italian. I found some recipes to try. Anyone out there every make or eat these. Thanks for your help!!!

[cjs]

Do you by chance mean a 'crostata' - an open, free-formed tart? This one I have made a couple of times is from an old Bon Appetit magazine - it's very good.

RUSTIC NECTARINE AND BLACKBERRY CROSTATA WITH CORNMEAL CRUST

Raw sugar can be found in the baking aisle.

Crust
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)*
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon (packed) grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup (or more) ice water

Filling and baking
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 medium nectarines, each pitted and cut into 16 slices
1 1/2-pint basket blackberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
Raw sugar crystals
Peach preserves, heated
Vanilla ice cream

For crust:
Combine first 5 ingredients in processor and blend 5 seconds. Add butter; using on/off turns, blend just until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. (To ensure a flaky crust, be careful not to overwork the butter.) Add 1/3 cup ice water. Using on/off turns, blend until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap; chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to 14-inch round, turning dough occasionally to prevent sticking. Slide rimless baking sheet under parchment. Transfer dough on parchment to refrigerator. Chill until dough firms slightly, about 30 minutes.

For filling and baking:
Stir sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Mix in fruit and vanilla. Let stand until juices are released, stirring fruit occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Transfer baking sheet with dough to work surface. Let stand 8 minutes to allow dough to soften slightly if too firm to fold. Spoon fruit and juices into center of dough. Arrange fruit in even 10-inch-diameter layer in center. Brush 2-inch border of dough with egg glaze . Lift about 2 inches of dough border and pinch to form vertical seam. Continue around tart, pinching seam every 2 inches to form standing border. Fold border down over fruit (center 6 inches of fruit remain uncovered). Brush folded border with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar.

Place baking sheet with tart in oven. Bake until crust is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling at edges, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven; slide large metal spatula under tart to loosen from parchment. Brush fruit with preserves. Slide tart onto rack. Cool 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.
* Available at Italian markets, natural foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Makes 8 servings.

[urmaniac13]

Basically, crostata (not crostada... maybe the Spaniards call them crostada? just guessing!) is a form of pie, or large tart. The small individual ones like the tarts you know are "crostatini".

It is usually made of pasta frolla, a short crust dough, then filled with your choice of filling, like jams, custard+fruits, nutella etc.

For the crust, I usually make it with
240g of flour
160g of butter, cold and cubed
100g of sugar
1 egg

Rub the butter into the flour to make a breadcrumb like mixture. Blend in the sugar, then make a well, drop a egg into the well and work the dough vigorously into a consistent texture, taking care not to overknead it.
Wrap it in a plastic wrap and let it rest for at least half an hour.
Flatten it with a rolling pin on a well floured surface, line the dough on a round pie form and precook it halfway @ 190/200°C (375-400°F), just to have the surface slightly browned. (It may help to use a pie weight or dried beans on a waxed paper in order to avoid the rising of the bottom)
Then fill with your preferred ingredients, and cook until the shell is golden brown.

You can create just about any variety of crostata, use your imagination and enjoy!!

*for a variety, a sheet of ready made puff pastry can be used too (also precooking as above is recommended). Not exactly the traditional crostata but also delicious