4cupsmixed fresh small fruitcut-up strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
1teaspoonlemon zestfinely grated
For the pastry dough:
1½cupsall purpose flour210 grams
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
½teaspoonlemon zest
½teaspoonsalt
⅓cupbutterfrozen
⅓cupice cold water
1egg yolk
For the egg wash:
1egg
1tablespoonwater
1tablespoonof Turbinado or coarse sugar for sprinkling on egg wash
For the berry topper:
1½ cupsmixed small fruitcut-up strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
2tablespoonslemon juicefreshly squeezed
Mint leaves for garnish.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190°C); position the rack in the middle.
For the fruit filling:
Whisk together ¼ cup of granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add 4 cups of your favorite small fruits (rinsed and dried) to a large bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and toss to coat. Set aside for now.
For the pastry dough:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, zest and salt.
Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter over dry ingredients.
Toss gently (with fingers) to incorporate the butter.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ice cold water and egg yolk.
Sprinkle one tablespoon of egg yolk-water mixture over a small section of the dry ingredients..
Incorporate together with a fork and push it aside.
Add another tablespoon and repeat until you have used up all the liquid.
Gently knead the dough (with your fingertips) a few times and before you know it, you will have a ball of dough.
Place the ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper which have been lightly floured.
Roll out the dough to an oval approximately 16 x 12 inches.
Transfer the parchment with the rolled out dough directly on the baking sheet. Set aside while we prepare the fruit filling.
Pile the fruit in the middle of your stretched out dough, leaving at least 2 inches all around.
Bring up the sides of the dough and partially fold it over the filling. Leave the middle of the crostata open.
Beat the egg and water together and brush over the exposed dough.
Sprinkle coarse sugar over egg washed crust.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Place a sheet of foil over the berry filling and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust becomes golden brown.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes. Then, transfer carefully to a wire rack to continue to cool down for the fruit to set.
While the crostata is baking, prepare the berry topper.
For the berry topper:
In a small bowl, combine the mixed small fruit with granulated sugar and lemon juice.
Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
When ready to serve, spoon berry topper over cooked center fruit filling of the crostata.
Garnish with mint leaves (optional).
Video
Notes
Variation: If using frozen berries, simply use equal amounts of frozen berries (no need to thaw). Place in a small pan and cook over medium heat together for a 3-5 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and increase the heat to medium high. Allow the mixture to come to a full boil and cook for about 1 minute while stirring consistently. Remove fruit mixture from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool down completely. Continue to assemble crostata as per directions. Please note that the total baking time will vary as the fruit filling is already cooked. Once the crust is golden brown, your crostata is ready.Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. *recipe adapted from Cook's Secrets Magazine