Blueberry Crostata Recipes

SUMMER FRUIT CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you only need 1 disk of dough The other disk of dough can be frozen.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the baking sheet.
• For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas) .
• For the filling:
• Cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
• Combine the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.
• Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY AND SWEET RICOTTA CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare 2 pieces of parchment paper large enough to cover a 9-inch round tart pan.
• Whisk rice flour, buckwheat flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, white sugar, and dark brown sugar together. Cut in butter with your fingers until fully incorporated. Mix in egg and egg yolk by hand. Knead until the dough comes together to form a ball.
• Roll out the dough between the 2 sheets of parchment paper until it is approximately 1/2-inch thick and large enough to cover the bottom and rim of the tart pan. Place the crust in the pan. Remove the top sheet of paper to poke holes with a fork. Replace the paper. Fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake the tart shell on the bottom rack of the oven until slightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool, removing the weights. Keep the oven on.
• Meanwhile, whisk together ricotta, white sugar, dark brown sugar, and egg yolks in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour ricotta mixture over the crust and smooth out with a rubber scraper. Top with fresh blueberries.
• Bake until the blueberries and the ricotta cream are bubbly and beginning to brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool to set before serving.

BLACKBERRY JAM CROSTATA

Steps:

• Make the jam: In a medium saucepan, stir together blackberries, blueberries, sugar and lemon verbena, if using. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally at first, then more frequently as the mixture starts to bubble and reduce.
• When mixture has reduced and looks syrupy (about 30 minutes total), stir in lemon juice and zest. Taste and add sugar if necessary. (This depends on how sweet your berries were to begin with.) Cook for 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent burning. When the jam is thickened and shiny but still slightly runnier than you expect jam to be, take it off the heat; it will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Scrape jam into a bowl or heatproof container, stir in vanilla and let cool to room temperature. Taste and stir in a little more lemon juice if the jam seems very sweet. At this point, the cooled jam can be chilled for up to 1 week.
• Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, and set aside. In a second bowl and using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and almond extract until combined, then beat in flour mixture.
• Scoop 1/2 cup of the dough into a bowl or container, cover and chill. Transfer remaining dough to a 9- or 10-inch tart pan and use floured fingers to press evenly into bottom and sides. Chill crust in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread jam evenly into crust, then using your fingers, crumble reserved 1/2 cup dough over jam. Sprinkle with almonds and Demerara sugar.
• Bake until golden, 38 to 48 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature before serving.

SUMMER BERRY CROSTATA WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place large pizza stone on rack, and heat 1 hour while preparing other ingredients. Cut 6 sheets of aluminum foil, each one 8 inches square, and set aside.
• Make the crust: Combine flours, sugar and salt in food processor, and pulse to combine. Remove lid, scatter butter over surface of flour and pulse until butter pieces are no longer visible, 10 pulses of 10 seconds or so each. Turn mixture into mixing bowl, and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons ice water. Toss lightly with fingertips. Gather dough together, and squeeze a small portion with fingers. If dough feels dry, add another tablespoon water, and toss to combine. Turn dough onto work surface, press together firmly and pat into round disk. Cut into 6 wedges. Roll each wedge into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
• Make the curd: Place small, conical stainless-steel strainer over 2-cup glass measuring cup, and set aside. In small, heavy nonreactive saucepan, whisk egg, yolks and sugar together. Add lemon juice, and whisk to combine. Add zest, butter and salt. Place pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture is shiny, opaque and thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat, and stir in cream. Strain immediately into glass measuring cup, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the blueberry filling: Place half the blueberries in medium saucepan. Add cornstarch and sugar, and stir well. Add lemon juice and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until blueberries give up juices, thicken and simmer a bit. Compote will be very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining blueberries. Cool.
• Assemble the crostata: Working 1 piece of dough at a time, flour top and bottom lightly, and roll into thin 8-inch round. Transfer round to a square of foil. Spoon 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of desired filling in center, leaving 2-inch periphery free. Mound fruit in a circle. (Be sure to use all the filling in the 6 crostatas.) Fold dough over to support filling. Place crostata on sheet pan in refrigerator, and continue forming tarts with remaining dough pieces and fruit filling. Refrigerate all 6 crostatas at least 20 minutes.
• Slide 2 or 3 crostatas onto baking stone. Bake until dough is dark golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove, and cool 10 minutes on rack. Repeat with remaining crostatas. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, or add a dollop of whipped cream or a few tablespoons of chilled heavy cream. Serve.

RUSTIC BLUEBERRY AND FIG CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll pie crust out on a floured work surface to about 10 inches. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Combine blueberries, flour, sugar, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, and almond extract in a medium bowl. Mix well.
• Spoon blueberry mixture into the center of the pie crust, leaving about a 2-inch border. Place fig slices in the center in a circular pattern. Fold crust up all around the edge of the blueberries, crimping and pinching to create pleats.
• Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush edges of crust with mixture and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is crispy and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool and set, 15 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BLUEBERRY CROSTATA

Steps:

• Defrost pie crust.
• Bring blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
• Dissolve cornstarch in water. Pour into berries until thick.
• Cool slightly.
• Place rolled out crust on a parchment paper or silpat lined cookie sheet.
• Place blueberry filling in the center of crust and spread to within about 2 inches of the edge.
• Fold the edges over.
• Bake about 30-35 minutes at 400°F.

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Pastry: Chill mixer bowl & paddle in freezer for 10 minutes.
• Cut butter into small pea sized cubes then put into freezer to keep cold.
• Combine flour, salt & sugar & add to mixing bowl & set mixer to medium low speed. Slowly add chilled butter a few cubes at a time until all butter is coated with flour & looking crumbly.
• With the mixer running, slowly pour the ice cold water in a thin steady stream into the flour mixture until a dough ball forms. The flour should drink most of the water but if the dough feels sticky add a little four to the outside of the ball before wrapping in plastic bag then place in fridge for 15 minutes.
• Filling: Place cream cheese, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar & vanilla into mixer bowl & mix on medium to combine well.
• Rinse & drain berries but leave them slightly damp.
• Add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar to berries in a bowl & combine.
• Roll out pastry on floured bench to fit onto a greased 16" pizza pan (for easy transfer to pan, fold dough in half then half again to a triangle or wedge shape then lift to pan & unfold).
• Spread cream cheese mix evenly over dough all the way to the edges. Pick up one piece of the dough's edge & fold in by about 1 inch toward the middle & about 3 inches long & continue all the way around (you are basically making a rough octagonal shape).
• Place the sugar coated berries evenly across the middle of the pie & use the remaining sugar syrup in the bowl & a brush to glaze the folded edge of the crust before placing into a preheated 400F (200c) oven for 30 to 35 minutes until pastry is golden.
• Cool to room temp, cut into 8 using pizza cutter & try to stop eating more than 1 piece !
• NOTE: If you are experienced at pastry you may think that the amount of water is way too much but PLEASE TRY IT. I am not a trained chef but I spend a lot of time experimenting & I find the high amount of water results in a lot of steam creating a beautiful flaky pastry without all the technical pastry folding.