Cherry Almond Pear Crostata Recipes

CHERRY-ALMOND-PEAR CROSTATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and the salt. Cut in 1/2 cup butter, using pastry blender, until particles are size of small peas. In small bowl, mix egg and 2 tablespoons of the water; sprinkle over flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost leaves side of bowl (up to 1 tablespoon more water can be added). Gather dough into a ball; shape into flattened 5-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• On floured surface, roll pastry into 13-inch round. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• In food processor, place 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1/4 cup of the butter pieces and the almond paste. Cover; process with on-and-off pulses until crumbly. Between pieces of plastic wrap, form mixture into a disk; roll to 10-inch round. Place over center of crust.
• In large bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour and the cardamom. Stir in pears to coat. Mix in cherries and lemon juice. Spoon pear mixture over almond layer to within 3 inches of edge. Dot with 2 tablespoons remaining butter pieces. Fold 2-inch edge of crust up over pear mixture, pleating crust. Brush crust edge with water; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until pears are tender and crust is brown. Cool 20 minutes. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

PEAR AND FRANGIPANE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a stand mixer or in a bowl with a sturdy whisk, beat together sugar, salt, eggs and butter. Fold in flour and knead the dough into a ball. Squash the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days before using. (Dough can also be frozen up to 2 months.) Roll out dough using a lightly floured rolling pin or press dough into a 10-inch French tart pan. Freeze or refrigerate tart shell while you make the filling. (It is not necessary to blind bake the tart shell.)
• Make the filling: Whisk together almonds, sugar, butter, egg yolks and whole egg until creamy, then whisk in rum and almond extract.
• Spread the frangipane batter evenly over the bottom of tart shell, and arrange pear slices over in a circular pattern. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake at 375 degrees, for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. (If pastry is browning too quickly, loosely cover edges with foil.) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden but not too dark and a toothpick pushed into the center of the tart comes out clean. If it doesn't, bake a few minutes longer.

PEAR AND ALMOND CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, flour, 1 egg and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer until well blended and smooth. Set aside.
• Divide each package of almond paste into 4 equal portions. On a floured work surface roll each portion into a 6-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick. Put 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each round. Spread the filling out in an even layer, about 1/2-inch from the edge of the round.
• Quarter each pear and remove the core. Cut each quarter into 5 slices. Fan out 5 of the pear slices on top of the filling in the center of 1 of the rounds. Gently fold the edge of the almond paste round over the edge of the filling. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and repeat with the remaining almond rounds, filling and pears.
• Whisk together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until well blended. Using a pastry brush lightly brush each crostata with the egg wash and sprinkle each with the raw sugar.
• Put the baking sheets into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Serve each crostata on individual plates with a small scoop of ice cream and garnished with sliced almonds and mint.

PEAR CROSTATA WITH HONEY, BLUE CHEESE, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the pears, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and dot with butter. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pears are just tender. Let cool.
• Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out to a 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfect. Transfer the dough to the back of a lightly floured baking sheet. Slice the pears and arrange them on the dough round by overlapping the slices in a spiral fashion, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Drizzle with the honey, scatter blue cheese over the top, and sprinkle with the almonds.
• Brush the border with the egg wash. Bring the edge of crust over onto the filling, leaving the fruit exposed in center. Gently fold and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender. Slide a knife under the crostata to loosen it from the pan. Then cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice water and work that in with your hands. (Or do the whole thing in a food processor, pulsing a couple of times to combine the dry ingredients, then pulsing in the butter, and then the egg.) Check the consistency of the dough by squeezing a small amount together between thumb and forefingers: You want there to be just enough moisture to bind the dough so that it holds together without being too wet or sticky. If it's still crumbly, add a little more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. When you get it to the right consistency, shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

CHERRY CROSTATA

Steps:

• Prepare crostata dough: Sift 2 1/2 cups flour.
• Place flour, butter (minus 1 tablespoon), sugar, salt, and lemon zest in food processor.
• Pulse until mixture is moistened and crumbly.
• Add egg yolks and pulse until mixture just begins to form a ball of dough. (Crust can be mixed by hand if you do not have a food processor).
• Remove dough and flatten into a disk.
• Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Unwrap dough and place it on a floured work surface.
• I have a little better luck rolling out the dough if I let it come back to room temperature a bit.
• Roll out crust into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
• Transfer circle to a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Using a fork, prick holes in the crust about 5 or 6 times.
• In saucepan over low heat, warm cherry (or strawberry) jam with remaining 1 tbsp butter.
• Spread warm jam in a thin layer over the crust, leaving about 1 1/2 to 2 inches around the edges for a border.
• Spread fresh cherries over the jam.
• Fold the outer edges of the dough over the fruit, leaving about a 6-8 inch circle of the cherries showing in the middle.
• I turned the halved cherries that were visible in the middle skin side up to make the crostata look a bit more uniform.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Dust with powdered sugar if desired, and serve.