This tart appeals to me because of its fee form and organic shape. It has the look of freedom and spontaneity. It looks artistic and has a certain wow factor.
Pear Crostata
A Crostata is an Italian baked tart or pie. More specifically, it is a rustic, free-form version of an open fruit tart. It can be made with a variety of fruits. Here we use bosc pears, one of my favourite pears.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 425 ml (1 3/4 cups) All purpose flour
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar
- 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
- 150 g (6 oz) butter room temperature, cut in small pieces
- 1 egg yolk
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) water, cold
Filling
- 6 pears bosc, ripe, peeled and cored
- 25 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar, granulated
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) butter
Glaze
- 1 egg white slightly beaten
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar, Turbinado
Instructions
- Place flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and add the butter pieces
- Pulse on and off until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
- Mix egg yolk and water and with food processor running, add to the mixture
- Turn off after a few seconds and turn mixture out onto a floured board
- Gently knead dough into a ball, flatten into a half dome and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F)
- Slice pears into 8 sections, place into a baking dish, sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar and dot with butter
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crispy tender
- Let cool off
- Remove dough from fridge and roll out on a floured surface to a circle of about 33 cm (13 in)
- Carefully transfer onto the back of a floured baking sheet
- Using a fork, pick up pear slices and arrange on the pastry dough in a circular fashion starting in the middle, leaving a clear border of about 7-8 cm (3 in)
- Reserve remaining pear juices
- Fold the border over the fruit in a loose fashion, leaving the centre open
- Glaze the pastry with the egg white and sprinkle Turbinado sugar over pastry and fruit
- Bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is a nice golden brown
- Boil the pear juices down to a lightly syrupy consistency, about 5 min., and pour into the centre of the tart.
- Serve warm or cold
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