Plum Crostata Recipes

PLUM CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the dough: In a standing mixer with a paddle blend together flour, sugar and lemon zest. Add butter and continue mixing on low until sandy looking. Meanwhile whisk together egg and yolk. Add to flour/butter mixture and blend on low just until it comes together. Form into a ball and chill.
• Roll dough out to a 14-inch circle and place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Fold over 1/2 inch of the crust to form a rustic edge. Spread jam on center of tart then fan around wedges of plums and dot with raspberries. Drizzle honey over plums, brush edge with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 375 until fruit is tender and crust is cooked on the under side, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Note: You may use frozen raspberries if fresh is not available. Also if you can't find coarse sugar, use raw sugar.

PLUM CROSTATA

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir together plums, 1/2 cup sugar, the plum preserves, vanilla and allspice. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper; spray paper with cooking spray. Unroll pie crust on cookie sheet; roll into 12-inch round.
• Drain plum mixture, reserving liquid. In same bowl, toss plums with flour. Mound plums in center of crust, leaving 3-inch border. Fold crust up and over plums, pleating as you go. In small bowl, beat egg and water. Brush crust with egg mixture; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake 25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. Cool on cooling rack 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat reserved plum liquid to boiling over medium heat. Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool slightly. Brush 1 to 2 tablespoons plum syrup over exposed fruit in center of tart. Serve immediately with remaining plum syrup.

PLUM AND PORT CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Simmer port and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cover, and let cool 10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Fit into an 8-inch pie dish, leaving a 1-inch overhang.
• Stir together remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, plums, cornstarch, cinnamon, and port syrup. Transfer to pie shell. Fold in overhang to form a crust; brush crust with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake 30 minutes; reduce oven to 375 degrees. Bake until golden and center is bubbling, about 45 minutes more. Let cool.

PLUM CROSTATA

Steps:

• In food processor add the 1 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tablesppons sugar and salt - pulse to mix completly. Add butter and pulse to incorperate to resemble a course pea sized mixture. Add cold water slowly and pulse until the dough comes together. (do not over mix) Gather the dough and pat into a rounnd ball wrap in cling wrap and refridgerate for approxiamtely 30 minutes to an an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees position the rack to the thrid level - line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Working on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a disk shape to approximately 12 inches in diameter, transfer to the baking sheet and chill for another 15 to 30 minutes.
• In a bowl combine the remaining regular sugar plus 2 tablespoons (sugar not raw sugar) with cornstartch, cinnamon and organge zest. Add the plums and toss well. Let the mixture stand stirring every 5 mins or so to release the sugars from the plums for apporximately 15 to 20 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
• Arrange the fruit in a circular fashion around the dough working into the center making sure to leave a good 1 1/2 inch plus around the outside edges. Fold the dough over onto the plums. Brush the outside rim of dough with the egg yolk whisked with the water - and sprinkle with the raw sugar.
• Bake the crostata for approx 50 mins or until center fruit is bubbling and the outside crust is golden brown - let cool on baking sheet for a good 30 to 40 minutes cut in wedges and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
• You can fridgerate the actual dough for up to 3 days.

RUSTIC PLUM CROSTATA WITH LEMON THYME

Steps:

• In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse together the flours, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt until blended. In a measuring cup, lightly beat the egg, and add just enough cream to get to 1/3 cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.
• Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse to break up the butter. Do not over-process; you need lima-bean-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture over the dough and pulse until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs.
• Put the dough on the counter and knead to make one uniform piece. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out to a 12-inch round (it can be ragged). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and chill while preparing the filling.
• Toss together the plums, all but a tablespoon of the remaining sugar, a pinch of salt and the cornstarch. Pile fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the pastry over the fruit, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry with cream. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top, with the thyme.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Remove the thyme branches (some leaves will cling; you want this). Serve warm or at room temperature.