Lemon Crostata Recipes

LEMON CROSTATA

Steps:

• Pulse almonds with 1/4 cup flour in a food processor until finely ground, being careful not to grind to a paste.
• Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Chill 1 tablespoon beaten egg for egg wash and beat remaining egg into butter mixture. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. At low speed, mix in almond mixture, zest, salt, and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour until a dough just forms. Halve dough and form each half into a 5- to 6-inch disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Beat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar using cleaned beaters until very thick and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a heavy medium saucepan and stir in zest, juice, butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and mixture begins to bubble, about 6 minutes. Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with parchment paper, until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Generously butter springform pan.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep other piece chilled) between 2 sheets of parchment into a 12-inch round (dough will be very tender). Remove top sheet of parchment and invert dough into springform pan. (Dough will tear easily; patch it with your fingers.) Press dough over bottom and 1 inch up side of pan, trimming excess.
• Chill shell and roll out remaining dough between sheets of parchment into a 12-inch round. Remove top sheet of parchment, then cut dough into 10 (1/3-inch-wide) strips with pastry wheel and slide, still on parchment, onto a baking sheet. Chill until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Bake shell until bottom is pale golden and edge is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool shell in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.
• Spread filling in shell and arrange 5 strips 1 inch apart on filling. Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. Trim edges of all strips flush with edge of shell. Brush lattice top with egg wash and sprinkle crostata with remaining tablespoon sugar.
• Bake crostata until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours (juices will thicken).

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 PLUM CROSTATA WITH LEMON THYME

Steps:

• In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse together the flours, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt until blended. In a measuring cup, lightly beat the egg, and add just enough cream to get to 1/3 cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.
• Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse to break up the butter. Do not over-process; you need lima-bean-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture over the dough and pulse until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs.
• Put the dough on the counter and knead to make one uniform piece. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out to a 12-inch round (it can be ragged). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and chill while preparing the filling.
• Toss together the plums, all but a tablespoon of the remaining sugar, a pinch of salt and the cornstarch. Pile fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the pastry over the fruit, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry with cream. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top, with the thyme.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Remove the thyme branches (some leaves will cling; you want this). Serve warm or at room temperature.

LEMON CROSTATA WITH FRESH FIGS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Make the dough: Blend the flour, sugar, and lemon zest at low speed in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and continue blending at low speed until the mixture is coarse and sandy-looking. Add the beaten egg and blend just until the mixture comes together. Form into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a rough circle, about 8 inches in diameter. The dough may seem crumbly but you can just push it back together and make patches if necessary. Transfer to the prepared pan. All around the circle, fold in the outer 1/2-inch of the pastry to form a naturally raised, "rustic" edge to the tart. Don't press the edge down.
• Using your fingers, break the goat cheese into small pieces, sprinkling it over the bottom of the tart (not the edges). Arrange the fig halves in concentric circles over the goat cheese and drizzle the figs with honey. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the underside of the tart crust is browned.

LEMON PANNA COTTA

Steps:

• Place lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over it. Let stand for about 15 minutes until gelatin softens.
• Combine heavy cream, sugar, and 2 tablespoons lemon zest in a saucepan over medium-low heat; bring to a simmer. Whisk in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in orange liqueur.
• Strain the cream mixture into a medium bowl and divide evenly among small glass bowls or ramekins.
• Place uncovered panna cottas into the refrigerator until set, at least 4 hours. If time permits, cover the bowls with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
• Garnish with remaining lemon zest before serving.

CROSTATA WITH LEMON CUSTARD AND WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM

Steps:

• Combine flour, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, sugar, egg, baking powder, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Blend ingredients until dough starts sticking together and forms one piece.
• Wrap crostata dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll out dough using a lightly floured rolling pin on a work surface, or flatten it directly onto a baking sheet using your fingers, to form crostata shell. Pierce shell with a fork to prevent air bubbles during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven until sides are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove crostata from the oven and set aside to cool.
• While crostata cools, pour lemon juice into a heavy saucepan through a sieve and stir in 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Heat mixture over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Beat remaining sugar, eggs, and flour together in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer or a whisk until white and airy in texture.
• Pour warm lemon juice mixture into egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly. Pour custard mixture back into the saucepan.
• Heat custard mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to mix until the uneven texture becomes smooth, about 1 minute. Add butter gradually to custard 1 piece at a time, stirring constantly, until smooth. Let custard cool to room temperature.
• While custard cools, combine ricotta cheese, whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor. Blend until mixture is uniform and smooth in texture, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer ricotta cream to a bowl.
• Place lemon custard and ricotta cream in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Remove custard and cream from the refrigerator. Spread lemon custard evenly on cooled crostata crust. Spread ricotta cream on top of lemon custard. Decorate with raspberries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.