Are you Team Pie or Team Crostata? I love them both and tend to make pies more in the fall and crostatas in the summer. As much as I love the creativity and beauty of a lattice pie, let’s face it, the process takes time and can cause a lot of anxiety just thinking about it. The rustic simplicity of a crostata is that it is free form – roll the dough out, put in a filling, fold the sides of the dough up and best of all no pie pan needed.
Furthermore, a crostata gives your fruit center stage – whether it’s apples, peaches, blueberries or cherries (just about any fruit). What’s the difference between a galette and a crostata you might ask? Essentially Nothing! Just the origin, as galettes are a French term and crostatas originate from Italy. Whatever you want to call it, this dessert is easy to prepare and no one can resist devouring it.
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Adorned with ice cream or softly whipped cream, a crostata is the perfect ending to a summer dinner
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Cherry season comes and goes so fast – I barely have a minute to cook with them. In California, the race is on starting in mid-May. I bought several pounds of cherries the minute I laid eyes on them at the farmers market 2 weeks ago. Plenty to eat on the car ride home while still having enough for a dessert. My whole family, especially my husband, loved the results of this crostata. Fresh cherries with a touch of almond surrounded by a buttery crust. Whether adding ice cream or fresh whipped cream…you can’t go wrong either way. When I made a cherry crostata for this post, I served it with homemade almond ice cream, which was simply outstanding (recipe coming soon). However, you can serve it with store bought ice-cream or softly whipped cream.
The filling is something that I’ve made for a few years, and I’m thrilled to share with you this fail-proof dough recipe. It comes from “The A.O.C Cookbook” by Chef Suzanne Goin. She suggests adding a few tablespoons of cornmeal, which I usually do, as it adds a little unexpected crunch to the crust. I also feel like it adds sturdiness to the dough, keeping it from getting soggy while patiently waiting to be eaten. Even better, this crust can easily be made 2 days before baking.
This recipe makes 1 12″ crostata, or you can make individual ones (as shown below).
INGREDIENTS
Serves 8
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2 1/2 C pitted cherries
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1/3 C sugar
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2 1/2 T cornstarch
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1 1/2 t lemon juice
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1/4 t almond extract
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1 egg lightly beaten (for brushing the dough)
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2 1/4 C all purpose flour
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1 t kosher salt
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1/4 c sugar
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1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
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3 T finely ground cornmeal (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
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Place flour, salt, sugar and cornmeal in the bowl of a food processor and blend well to combine.
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Scatter the cubed butter evenly over the flour and pulse four or five times, for about 2 second intervals, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, while still seeing pieces of butter. You can also do this by hand with a pastry blender.
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Add 4 T ice water, while the blade is spinning, and pulse just until the dough comes together.
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Shape into a disk, and wrap with wax paper. Refrigerate at least in hour or up to 2 days.
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Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
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Combine cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and almond extract.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough to 14” and place in the middle of the baking sheet.
- Mound the cherry mixture in the middle of the dough leaving a 3” border (approximately).
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Gently fold the dough edges in and over the cherry mixture slightly. Continue overlapping the dough as you turn and complete the rotation.
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Brush the edges with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake approximately 40-45 minutes.
Polly, do you use any kind of cherry? Can you use the Trader Joe’s sour cherries in the jar? Looks delicious and will try this!! Crostatas are so much easier to make. I love the rustic look of them.
Author
Hi Mary, I use any fresh cherry. The tart cherries are so hard to find, and honestly I don’t like to add a lot of sugar and never notice the difference. I’ve never used canned or cherries in a jar. So sorry. If you do use the TJ cherries, let us al know how it turned out. I love the rustic look too!
Polly, So today I am making both a pie and crostata from this recipe. Since the pie took a lot more than 2 1/2 cups I’ve adjusted (somewhat) the ingredients! I’ll let you know how it turns out. I had some left over pie crust so I’m making a crostada for the man at the guard gate at our mountain community. I know he’s getting paid but everyone else is celebrating and I wanted to let him know how much we appreciate him. So REALLY hoping both turn out well!
Author
Dear Mary, That was so thoughtful of you! I’m sure he loved it. I hope you took some photos. Please send them to me! xo, Polly
I’m team Crostata for sure! This is so good. Thank you for bringing a “huge” slice for us to taste. Even though I don’t usually indulge, I just had to because YOU made it. It did not disappoint. The crust is just slightly sweet, and has a tiny bit of “bite” or crunch which I loved as it hugged the juicy delicious cherries. So elegant, so delicious…beautiful in every way.
Author
Thank you for the feedback Eydie, and I’m honored you tried it!
Totally Team Crostata/Galette for all the reasons you mention. Cherries are my all time favorite fruit. Can’t wait to make this & the almond ice cream! With all the peaches out back I may try this with peaches first till I find fresh cherries. Thanks for another delicious post with recipes!
Author
Thank you Anne! Peaches would make a wonderful substitute. Enjoy.
Polly,
My mom made it last night with peaches and blackberries. She said it was delicious but not nearly as pretty as yours. I’m going to try it tomorrow. Xo
Author
This makes me so happy!
PRL
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I made it for Father’s Day with 2 c cherries and 3/4 c peaches, plus a bit of lemon zest. Served with vanilla Coconut Bliss ice cream it was delicious!
Author
Dear Geralyn, That sounds delicious. Peaches and cherries….yum! xo, Polly