Crostata Capricciosa From Victoria Granof
This isn’t especially Sicilian: you’ll find crostata all over Italy. Most often it’s made with whatever fruit preserves you happen to have on hand, but you could just as well fill it with crema pasticcera, crema al cioccolato, or crema di ricotta. It’s not the sort of thing you fuss over—and if you don’t want to go to the trouble of rolling out the dough, just press it into the pan with your fingers. Nobody will know. It’s rustic, and that’s its charm.
Photo by Victoria Granof
INGREDIENTS
Makes one 9- or 10-inch (23 or 25 centimeter) tart
1 recipe pasta frolla (recipe below)
1 tablespoon softened butter, for greasing the pan
1½ cups (510 grams) crema al cioccolato, crema di ricotta, crema pasticcera, confettura di pesche, or best-quality fruit preserves (recipes below)
1 egg, for egg wash
METHOD
Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you plan to use it. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). With the butter, grease the sides of either a 9- or 10-inch (23 or 25 centimeter) tart pan with a removable bottom, or the same size springform pan.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the dough to an 11-inch (28 centimeter) disc. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin and drape it over the prepared pan. Press it gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Spoon the filling onto the dough in the pan and spread it evenly.
Make a lattice top the easy way: Divide the remaining dough into sixths and roll each piece into a 10” rope with your hands. Lay three ropes equidistant apart across the tart in one direction, and do the same with the other three ropes, laying them across the tart in the opposite direction. Press the ropes down lightly onto the edges of the tart to adhere. Trim off any overhanging dough.
Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork until it starts to become foamy. Brush this onto the dough. Bake on a lower rack for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and continue to bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is bubbly. Cool completely before removing from the pan.
The crostata, if made with preserves, can be kept covered at room temperature for up to a week. If it has a milk-based filling, refrigerate it, wrapped airtight, for up to 3 days.
Sweet Pastry Dough (Pasta Frolla)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (240 grams) butter
¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour, or 2 cups (250 grams) 00 flour
1⅔ cups (250 grams) semola rimacinata (fine semolina flour)
⅓ cup (85 milliliters) milk
METHOD
In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt, and stir until well combined. Stir in the egg and the yolks, then the flours, all at once. Do not overmix; you want the dough to come together with no floury bits remaining.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently a few times. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month.
Chocolate Custard Filling (Crema Al Cioccolato)
INGREDIENTS
Makes about 2 cups (560 grams)
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
¼ cup (40 grams) cornstarch
1½ cups (375 millliters) milk
¾ cup (125 grams) finely chopped dark chocolate, or chocolate chips
METHOD
In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch. Add the milk gradually, whisking until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it bubbles, thickens, and becomes glossy, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, immediately add the chocolate and whisk gently until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Scrape into a small bowl, place a round of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming (I don’t do this, because the skin’s my favorite part!), and chill completely before using. Keeps, covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Sweetened Ricotta Cream
INGREDIENTS
Makes about 2 cups (475 millliters)
1 pound (450 grams) whole-milk ricotta
¼ cup (60 grams) unflavored fresh goat cheese (optional)
¾ cup (90 grams) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ to ½ teaspoon fiori di Sicilia, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (180 millliters) heavy cream
3 oz. (90 grams) chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips, about ½ cup (optional)
¼ cup (85 grams) chopped candied orange peel or candied watermelon rind (optional)
METHOD
Start this the day before you plan to serve it.
Line a strainer with cheesecloth, paper towels, or a paper coffee filter and place over a bowl. Place the ricotta in the strainer, cover with a plate and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Scrape the drained ricotta into a medium bowl and add the goat cheese, powdered sugar, salt, cinnamon, and fiori di Sicilia. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it’s billowy and nearly stiff. Fold it gently but with authority into the ricotta mixture. Fold in the chocolate and candied peel, if using.
Best used the day it’s made or store airtight in the fridge up to a day.
Pastry Cream (Crema Pasticcera)
INGREDIENTS
Makes about 2½ cups (590 millliters)
1½ cup (100 grams) sugar
⅓ cup (40 grams) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 egg yolks
1 sachet vanillina, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (500 millliters) milk
2 tablespoons (30 grams) cold butter, chopped in pieces
METHOD
In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and vanillina. Whisk half of the milk into the cornstarch mixture and half into the yolk mixture.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens and becomes glossy, about 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and slowly add the yolk/milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the pan to the heat and continue whisking just until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and immediately add the cold butter and whisk until completely incorporated.
Scrape the crema into a bowl and place a round of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming (I don’t do this, because the skin’s my favorite part!), and chill completely before using. It lasts up to 2 days in the fridge.
Late Harvest Sun-Cooked Peach Preserves (Confettura Di Pesca Settembrina Al Sole)
INGREDIENTS
Makes three to four 8-ounce (230 millliters) jars
1.5 lbs (680 grams) very ripe peaches, about 4 medium peaches
1 lemon, for juice
¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
Half of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise
METHOD
I don’t bother peeling the peaches for this but if you’d prefer to, bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl with plenty of ice and a little water. With a sharp knife, cut an X in the bottom of each peach and place them in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, then fish them out and transfer them to the ice water. After a few minutes, take the peaches out and remove the peels with your hands. They should slip off easily.
Halve the lemon and squeeze its juice into a wide, shallow copper, stainless-steel, or enameled pot. Cut the peaches in half, remove and discard the pits, and mash them with a fork into a coarse purée. Add the purée to the pot with the lemon juice.
Now stir in the sugar and scrape the vanilla seeds into the pot, reserving the bean pod to make vanilla extract. Cover the pot and let it sit for an hour, or until the peaches start giving up their juices.
Transfer the contents of the pot to a large, shallow stainless-steel pan or enameled tray (a photo developing tray works like a charm) and put it in full summer sun, covered loosely with a piece of net or cheesecloth. (Laugh if you want, but the dashboard of a closed car parked in full sun will do the trick nicely.) Every 4 or 5 hours, give the peaches a good stir and leave in full sunlight until the sun sets. Bring the pan inside at night (or leave it in the car if you’re using the dashboard method) and take it back outside the next day.
Continue with this operation until the preserves are thickened the way you like. Depending on the weather and your tastes, it could take anywhere from three days to five. Store, refrigerated in sterilized jars up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
From Sicily, My Sweet by Victoria Granof. Excerpted by permission of Victoria Granof.
