Solar Cooked Apple Crostata Recipes

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter using 2 knives or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Mix water and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Stir into flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Gently roll into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Toss apples with 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons flour in a large bowl.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll dough out to a 12-inch circle on a floured work surface. Transfer to the baking sheet. Arrange apple slices in the center of the circle, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold up border over apples, pinching together slightly.
• Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apples.
• Bake crostata in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

APPLE 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 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 becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
• For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice 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 holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.
• Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the ice water and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. (If the dough still crumbles and does not form into a ball, add another tablespoon of ice water.) Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the apples, 1/4 cup of the sugar and lemon juice in large bowl; toss gently to blend. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dust a large sheet of parchment paper with flour and roll out the dough on the paper to an 11-inch round. Transfer the dough and parchment paper to a large heavy baking sheet. Spoon the apple mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, leaving the apples exposed in the center. Pleat loosely and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• Bake the crostata until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack; cool for 10 minutes. Slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the crostata from the parchment. Cool the crostata to lukewarm. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve.

AMAZING APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt together with an electric mixer until combined. Mix in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water, 2 teaspoons at a time, while the mixer is running until dough just holds together. Test dough by pinching a small amount between your fingers; if it is crumbly, add a 1 teaspoon more ice water at a time.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until slightly firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Squeeze 1/2 the lemon over the apple slices to keep from browning.
• Place a large piece of parchment paper on a flat work surface. Roll dough into a round 12 to 16 inches in diameter, 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Arrange apple slices in 2 layers on the dough, leaving a 1 1/2 to 2-inch border all around. Fold up the border, pleating the edge to make it fit; leave most of the apples uncovered.
• Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apples. Squeeze remaining 1/2 lemon over apples. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar over crust. Transfer parchment paper to a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes.

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Remove pie crust from pouch; sprinkle with flour and roll out slightly.
• Place dough on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Mix sugar, brown sugar, the flour and cinnamon in medium bowl.
• Add lemon juice to apples; toss gently, then add sugar mixture and combine.
• Spoon apple mixture onto center of crust, spreading to within 2 inches of edge.
• Fold edge of crust over apples; crimp and fold dough like pleats.
• Cut butter into small pieces and place in several spots on top of apples.
• Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender.
• Poke apples with a knife tip to see if they are done.
• If crust becomes too brown, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top during baking.

APPLE CROSTATA WITH CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

Steps:

• For crust:
• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• For filling:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Combine apples, 3 tablespoons sugar, crystallized ginger, and lemon juice in large bowl; toss gently to blend.
• Roll out dough on large sheet of parchment paper to 14-inch round. Transfer parchment with dough to large baking sheet. Arrange 3/4 of apple mixture in center of dough, mounding just slightly, forming 8-inch-diameter circle and leaving 3-inch plain border. Overlap remaining apple slices in concentric circles atop apple layer. Fold plain edge of crust over apples, leaving apples exposed in center. Gently fold and pinch dough edge to seal any cracks. Sprinkle apples with 1 tablespoon sugar, then dot apples with butter. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush apples with warm apricot preserves. Cool on baking sheet 15 minutes. Slide long knife under crostata to loosen. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand on sheet at room temperature. Rewarm in 425°F oven 5 minutes before serving.) Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, as desired.

APPLE CROSTATA WITH CINNAMON-ALMOND TOPPING

Steps:

• For crust:
• Mix flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Add butter. Cut in with back of fork until butter is reduced to oatmeal-size flakes. Add 3 tablespoons ice water. Toss until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• For topping:
• Mix flour, brown sugar, cornmeal, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Add butter. Blend with back of fork until moist clumps form. Mix in almonds.
• For filling:
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 400°F. Place 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; stir to blend well. Mix in apples. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and toss to coat.
• Roll out dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 13 1/2-inch round. Arrange apple filling in center, mounding slightly and leaving 2-inch plain border. Gently fold dough border over edge of filling, pleating loosely and pinching any cracks to seal. Brush dough border with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle topping over exposed apple filling.
• Slide rimless baking sheet under parchment and crostata and place in oven. Bake until crust is crisp and apples are tender, turning baking sheet after 20 minutes, about 40 minutes total.
• Run knife under crostata to loosen from paper. Cool crostata completely on paper on baking sheet.

SOLAR COOKED APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Roll pastry into a 10 inch-circle.
• Transfer to a 9 inch dark, round cake pan.
• Fill the center of the pastry with apple filling.
• Lift about 2 inches of the border over the apple filling to enclose the dough.
• Pleate it to make a circle.
• Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl.
• Brush the rim with eggwash and sprinkle it with sugar.
• Place pan in solar cooker and solar cook until the crust is golden brown (about 2 1/2 hours).
• Remove from solar cooker and transfer to a cooling rack.
• Serve warm.