APRICOT CROSTATA
My friend Jane met her husband, Filippo, while vacationing in Italy. Her wedding became an excuse for my family to spend two weeks living like locals in Italy’s Cinque Terra. That meant stopping by the bakery every morning. My daughter Vivien adored their crostata: fruity jam over a cake-like crust, which was piped in crisscrossed lines on the top. Like most Italian desserts, it wasn’t too sweet, so it was as delicious for breakfast as it was for dessert. Back home, I wasn’t able to capture the full flavors of the original until I used whole wheat flour in the crust. When I did, I felt like I was back in Italy. More importantly, I think Vivien did too.
makes one 8-inch crostata
- ¾ cup (108 g) white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup (55 g) almond flour
- 8 tablespoons (114 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup (52 g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, beaten, at room temperature
- ½ cup (146 g) apricot-orange marmalade, thick apricot jam, or orange marmalade
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Coat an 8-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom or springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk both flours in a small bowl. Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy. Scrape the bowl. Increase the speed to medium-high and dribble in the egg a tiny bit at a time, so the mixture doesn’t break. Scrape the bowl. Turn the speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, and beat just until the soft dough comes together.
3. Use a small offset spatula or your hands to spread a little more than half of the dough in an even layer across the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan, creating a 1-inch-high rim. Transfer the remaining dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch plain tip, or use a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and snip a 1-inch hole in one corner.
4. Spread the jam evenly across the dough in the pan, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges. Pipe the remaining dough in 1-inch-thick stripes on top, spacing them 1 inch apart. If you have extra dough, pipe stripes going the other direction and a ring around the edge. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
5. Bake until the crust is golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the sides of the pan and cool completely on the pan base on the rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
