This sweet taste of Italy will delight the palate and soothe the pastry craving soul.
Strawberry Jam Crostata
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick of butter (8 tblsp) chilled and diced into small pieces
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of salt
Splash of vanilla (optional)
8-12 ounces of your favorite Strawberry jam (I also love fig jam in this tart)9-12 inch tart or pie pan
Directions
In a large bowl, lightly mix together all the ingredients with a fork and then using your hands, work the mixture to form a dough.
Once the dough is formed, wrap in plastic wrap and form it into a flat circle. Refrigerate for about 15-30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Divide the dough into ¼ and 3/4 pieces. The ¼ piece will be the lattice on top.
Roll out the larger piece of dough into a circle, large enough to fit in your tart or pie pan.
Now take the rolled dough and press it evenly into the pan. Using a fork, pierce the bottom of the dough several times. This will keep the dough from puffing up during baking.
Spread the jam evenly on the tart dough, leaving a little room around the edges for the lattice crust.
Roll out the remaining dough and cut into even strips with a pasta cutter or small knife. If the dough becomes too fragile, sometimes I roll pieces into long sticks (just like when we were kids playing with play dough) and then use those long stick pieces to create a lattice top on the crostata. As an option: let the kids get creative and use little cookie cutters to cut shapes to place on top of the crostata.
If I’m using a tart pan, once I place the lattice on top, I gently fold down the edges to create a more finished edge. This is definitely optional. It will be lovely and delicious however you prepare it.
Bake the crostata for about 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden. Let the crostata cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. The jam will be very hot.
*If doubling the recipe, this crostata can be made in a baking sheet pan using the same method.
Dining and Cooking