In her cookbook Barefoot Contessa Parties, Ina Garten says of her Apple Crostata, "This is my absolute, all-time favorite dessert. I've made it so often that I'm sure my friends are saying behind my back, 'No, not the apple crostata again'..."
We've made the recipe so many times, our friends probably think the same thing. But it is one of those low-effort, big payoff desserts that we think everyone should try—especially this time of year...
Yes, it still requires making a pie crust and rolling it out. But the filling is not much more than a pile of fruit in the middle. And because you aren't transferring the dough to a pie plate, the rolling out is a very forgiving process. You make any amoeba shape that's somewhat circular and then just roughly fold and flop the edges over. You bake it on a sheet pan, so it's simple to cut and serve (no sacrificial first piece).
Don't get us wrong, we also love pies. But when you've got some really good fruit you want to showcase in simple, rustic way, we highly recommend trying this.
Here are some recipes:
- Apricot and Biscuit Crostata, from the Kitchn
- Ina Garten's Apple Crostata, from the Food Network
- Almond, Apricot, and Cream Cheese Crostata, from Epicurious (above, left)
- Pear, Chocolate, and Hazelnut Crostata, from Epicurious
- Prune Plum Crostata with Brown Sugar Topping, from The Boston Globe
- Rustic Pear and Hazelnut Crostata, from Food and Wine
Related: Recipe: Basic Pie Crust
(Images: Mark Thomas for Bon Appétit; Flickr member podchef, licensed under Creative Commons)
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I do this dessert over and over again. People love it. Simple and low(ish) in sugar it is always the best way to showcase whatever fruit is in session. Sometimes I skip making the pie crust and just use frozen puff pastry.
Not to cheat, but I'm tempted to try it with either the puff pastry idea that caw261 mentioned or (gasp) store bought pie crust.
I love these, I've made apple versions a few times for company. They always look rustic yet impressive. However, the last time I made one the crust turned out unbelievably hard. What did I do wrong? I'm still not sure.
Serao, I never make pie crust, even my mom uses store bought. We're more cake people and our crust always turns out badly. Store bought hasn't failed us yet! Of course, it's horrible for you.
Ina's recipe is my go to for crostatas. I made it last year for Thanksgiving and again as a host gift and each time it turned out magnificantly. It's super easy and incredibly delicious!
I love making crostata/galettes for casual dinners with friends, or even for ourselves on a weeknight. I love their rustic look and the fact that they don't take all day to make. Martha Stewart has a great recipe for individual apple galettes that are just so cute and delicious; you put a little applesauce under the filling to make it a bit more moist.
I loved the blog the plum cake links to.
I love this recipe for a rustic plum tart with a bit of cornmeal in the crust. Fast and dead simple to make.
http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/baking/recipes/rustic_plum_tart.html
oh, i love a rustic tart recipe as well. i usually swap out some of the regular flour with almond flour (thank you TJ's) and it's super tasty....