Apple/Cranberry Crostata
Sweet apples and the zing of cranberries make an appealing dessert that looks as pretty as it tastes. Crostatas can be baked flat on a cookie sheet or contained within a pie plate. If cranberries aren't your thing, make this version with cheese in the crust to complement the apples. Change the way you style the top to make them a new adventure every time. Thanks to my aunt and friend, Shirley Zaidman, for this delicious recipe.
Click here for more fabulous desserts.
Pie Crust (makes 2 crusts) The crust recipe comes from Bon Appetit and is also used to make Lemon Meringue Pie.
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons crystal salt or 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1½ cups chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces
Ingredients for Filling
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of salt
5-8 apples (depending on size) Choose the variety of your choice - Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Honey Crisp or other
Juice of 1 lemon
1 can whole cranberry sauce (14 ounces, 397 ml)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 egg plus 1 teaspoon of cold water
Coarse or turbinado sugar (optional)
Method for the Pie Crust
Whisk the sugar, salt, and 1 1/3 cups of flour in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingers, smash each piece into a thin disk. Take your time doing this and don’t feel compelled to break the butter into even smaller pieces. Drizzle 2/3 cup of ice water over, dispersing it as widely as possible. Mix with a rubber spatula to bring mixture together into a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough out onto a surface and work together with your hands, pushing and flattening until the dough holds together when squeezed in your palm, but some streaks of dry flour are still visible.
Flatten the dough into an 8" diameter disk. Cut into quarters, stack the pieces on top of one another, and flatten the dough with a rolling pin to about half of its original height. At this point the dough should hold together with no dry spots remaining and have nice big flakes of butter showing. Use a bench scraper or a large knife to clean any clingy bits of dough from surface.
Grease plastic wrap or wax paper and wrap the dough tightly. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
Method for the Filling
Peel and slice or chop the apples.
In a bowl, mix the apples with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Squeeze a lemon all over the apples and mix well.
Assembly
Preheat the over to 375 degrees.
Divide the dough into 3/4 and 1/4. On a lightly floured board, roll out 3/4 sized piece of the chilled dough thinly, to about 1/8." Turn it back onto the rolling pin and transfer to a greased baking pan or parchment paper.
Sprinkle the cornstarch onto the dough to absorb the liquid from the fruit.
Put the apples all over the dough, leaving about 2 inches along the edges to wrap around the fruit.
Spoon the cranberry sauce over the apples, spreading it evenly. Top with the dried cranberries.
Wrap the dough up around the fruit, tucking up the corners to prevent spillage, With the remaining 1/4 of the dough, either cut strips and make a lattice or cut circles and dot the fruit randomly.
Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. If desired, sprinkle the dough with a few coarse sugar.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
Baking suggestion: Turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down underneath the baking pan to provide extra heat that will ensure the centre of the dough is cooked.
Sweet apples and the zing of cranberries make an appealing dessert that looks as pretty as it tastes. Crostatas can be baked flat on a cookie sheet or contained within a pie plate. If cranberries aren't your thing, make this version with cheese in the crust to complement the apples. Change the way you style the top to make them a new adventure every time. Thanks to my aunt and friend, Shirley Zaidman, for this delicious recipe.
Click here for more fabulous desserts.
Pie Crust (makes 2 crusts) The crust recipe comes from Bon Appetit and is also used to make Lemon Meringue Pie.
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons crystal salt or 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1½ cups chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces
Ingredients for Filling
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of salt
5-8 apples (depending on size) Choose the variety of your choice - Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Honey Crisp or other
Juice of 1 lemon
1 can whole cranberry sauce (14 ounces, 397 ml)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 egg plus 1 teaspoon of cold water
Coarse or turbinado sugar (optional)
Method for the Pie Crust
Whisk the sugar, salt, and 1 1/3 cups of flour in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingers, smash each piece into a thin disk. Take your time doing this and don’t feel compelled to break the butter into even smaller pieces. Drizzle 2/3 cup of ice water over, dispersing it as widely as possible. Mix with a rubber spatula to bring mixture together into a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough out onto a surface and work together with your hands, pushing and flattening until the dough holds together when squeezed in your palm, but some streaks of dry flour are still visible.
Flatten the dough into an 8" diameter disk. Cut into quarters, stack the pieces on top of one another, and flatten the dough with a rolling pin to about half of its original height. At this point the dough should hold together with no dry spots remaining and have nice big flakes of butter showing. Use a bench scraper or a large knife to clean any clingy bits of dough from surface.
Grease plastic wrap or wax paper and wrap the dough tightly. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
Method for the Filling
Peel and slice or chop the apples.
In a bowl, mix the apples with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Squeeze a lemon all over the apples and mix well.
Assembly
Preheat the over to 375 degrees.
Divide the dough into 3/4 and 1/4. On a lightly floured board, roll out 3/4 sized piece of the chilled dough thinly, to about 1/8." Turn it back onto the rolling pin and transfer to a greased baking pan or parchment paper.
Sprinkle the cornstarch onto the dough to absorb the liquid from the fruit.
Put the apples all over the dough, leaving about 2 inches along the edges to wrap around the fruit.
Spoon the cranberry sauce over the apples, spreading it evenly. Top with the dried cranberries.
Wrap the dough up around the fruit, tucking up the corners to prevent spillage, With the remaining 1/4 of the dough, either cut strips and make a lattice or cut circles and dot the fruit randomly.
Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. If desired, sprinkle the dough with a few coarse sugar.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
Baking suggestion: Turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down underneath the baking pan to provide extra heat that will ensure the centre of the dough is cooked.