I’ve never been a huge fan of cooked fruits. I love fresh fruits paired with dessert, but once they get soft and mushy, my excitement often wanes. My eyes have never lit up at an apple pie or any sort of cobbler. But of late, I’ve been trying to step out of my comfort zone. That – and my boyfriend bought way too many pears and nectarines from Soulard Farmers Market this week.
I used the nectarines to make a nectarine-ginger ice cream and thought I’d try something I’d seen online a lot: crostata. Every single blogger talks about how easy a crostata is to make, and now that I’ve tried it, I wholeheartedly agree. Instead of rolling out pie crust, arranging it in a pie tin, making a filling and then rolling out a second crust to place on top, a crostata requires just one crust. The fruit is tossed in flavoring agents and then arranged on top. The edges of the crust are folded over, and the whole thing bakes up for a gorgeously simple and appetizing snack.
I thinly sliced the pears myself, although I suppose a mandolin would come in handy for this recipe. I also made the pie crust myself, which I found very easy. But if you’re short on time and trust a particular brand, feel free to buy a store-bought version. The crostata itself was very light and not too sweet. Although I still thought the pear was a bit too cooked for my taste, family and friends found it to be the ideal afternoon snack, while the boyfriend enjoyed it as breakfast – so much so, in fact, that he asked me to make a second crostata with the leftover crust that same week.
P.S. One of my friends drizzled a little extra honey on her slice for a touch more sweetness. Feel free to adjust as you please.
Pear Crostata
6 to 8 Servings
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published on blog.justinablakeny.com 1 to 2 large pears
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ Tbsp. honey
Pinch cardamom
Pinch nutmeg
Juice of half a lemon
1 9-inch pie crust, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
Splash heavy cream
2 Tbsp. coarse, turbinado sugar (available at Trader Joe’s)
Cinnamon
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a sharp knife or mandolin, slice the pears very thinly. Combine the pear slices in a bowl with the vanilla, honey, cardamom, nutmeg and lemon juice.
• Roll the pie crust out into a 9-inch oval on a large sheet of parchment paper.
• Arrange the pears in a circle atop the crust, leaving 2 inches around the edges. Fold the crust over and pinch over the pears.
• Brush the crust with some heavy cream and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the fruit is soft.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Pie Crust
Makes enough for 1 double- or 2 single-crust pies
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published on SmittenKitchen.com 2½ cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) butter, chilled
¾ cup ice cold water
• Fill a 1-cup measuring cup with water and drop an ice cube in it.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt with a whisk.
• Cube the butter and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your hands to mix together until the pieces of butter are the size of small peas.
• Drizzle half of the cold water over the mixture, and use a spatula to gather the dough together.
• Pour in a little more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Divide the dough in half and wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap.
• Let chill for at least 1 hour, or freeze for later use.
This article appears in June 2012.
