Summer Berry Crostata With Lemon Curd Recipes

MIXED BERRY CURD

Steps:

• Place the frozen berries in a small sauce pot. Cook for 3 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla extract. Allow to cook until the sugar is dissolved and all of the berries are unthawed, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the berries and their liquid to a blender or food processor. Process until thoroughly blended, about 3 minutes.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the berry sauce into the strainer to strain out the seeds. Use a spoon to help push the liquid through; discard the seeds. The berry sauce should yield about 3 cups. Set the berry sauce aside.
• Add 2 inches of water to a small sauce pan and set on high to boil and reduce to a simmer. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Place the bowl of egg yolks on top of the pot of simmering water. Make sure the water is not touching the bowl; it's the steam that will cook the eggs.
• Stir the eggs with a wooden spoon constantly, for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the eggs have thickened and stick to the spoon. It is very important that you stir constantly so that the eggs don't get too warm and begin to scramble. Remove the bowl from the heat immediately.
• If there are bits of cooked egg in your curd, then strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove.
• Stir in the chunks of butter one by one until they are each melted. Add 2 ½ cups of the berry sauce to the curd**. Mix thoroughly. You can reserve the ½ cup of berry sauce to use in yogurt, on top of ice cream or for a curd in the future. Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks or in the freezer for several months.
• Transfer the berry curd to an airtight container. Place plastic wrap just touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to chill before serving.
• Serve with sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, scones, muffins, toast, or stir into yogurt or oatmeal. It would even be delicious with some vanilla ice cream. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

SUMMER BERRY CROSTATA WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place large pizza stone on rack, and heat 1 hour while preparing other ingredients. Cut 6 sheets of aluminum foil, each one 8 inches square, and set aside.
• Make the crust: Combine flours, sugar and salt in food processor, and pulse to combine. Remove lid, scatter butter over surface of flour and pulse until butter pieces are no longer visible, 10 pulses of 10 seconds or so each. Turn mixture into mixing bowl, and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons ice water. Toss lightly with fingertips. Gather dough together, and squeeze a small portion with fingers. If dough feels dry, add another tablespoon water, and toss to combine. Turn dough onto work surface, press together firmly and pat into round disk. Cut into 6 wedges. Roll each wedge into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
• Make the curd: Place small, conical stainless-steel strainer over 2-cup glass measuring cup, and set aside. In small, heavy nonreactive saucepan, whisk egg, yolks and sugar together. Add lemon juice, and whisk to combine. Add zest, butter and salt. Place pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture is shiny, opaque and thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat, and stir in cream. Strain immediately into glass measuring cup, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the blueberry filling: Place half the blueberries in medium saucepan. Add cornstarch and sugar, and stir well. Add lemon juice and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until blueberries give up juices, thicken and simmer a bit. Compote will be very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining blueberries. Cool.
• Assemble the crostata: Working 1 piece of dough at a time, flour top and bottom lightly, and roll into thin 8-inch round. Transfer round to a square of foil. Spoon 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of desired filling in center, leaving 2-inch periphery free. Mound fruit in a circle. (Be sure to use all the filling in the 6 crostatas.) Fold dough over to support filling. Place crostata on sheet pan in refrigerator, and continue forming tarts with remaining dough pieces and fruit filling. Refrigerate all 6 crostatas at least 20 minutes.
• Slide 2 or 3 crostatas onto baking stone. Bake until dough is dark golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove, and cool 10 minutes on rack. Repeat with remaining crostatas. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, or add a dollop of whipped cream or a few tablespoons of chilled heavy cream. Serve.

BERRY CROSTATA RECIPE: THE BEST ITALIAN DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190°C); position the rack in the middle.

SUMMER BERRY TART WITH LEMON MASCARPONE CREAM

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F
• Place the crackers in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Add the salt, sugar and melted butter and process again until well combined.
• Place the crumbs into the tart pan and evenly spread the crumbs so that they cover the bottom of the pan and sides. Press down on the bottom firmly to make a compact layer. Use your fingers to pinch and press some of the crumbs around the inside edge of the pan to cover the sides evenly and create a rim about a 1/4 inch thick. Bake the crust until it's golden brown and smells nutty, about 10 minutes. Set the baked crust on a rack and let cool. Note: The crust can be made up to a day ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic.
• Beat the cream and cream cheese together on high speed with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the softened mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until mixed well (don't over-beat, mascarpone can separate). Add the lemon curd and lemon zest and mix on low until just combined. Taste and if you want more tartness, add the lemon juice.
• Pour the cream mixture into the cooled tart crust and level it with an offset spatula or butter knife. Chill for at least 3 hours (overnight is fine too). Top the tart with the berries and garnish with mint leaves if desired. Serve chilled (I like to take it out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving).

LEMON CROSTATA

Steps:

• Pulse almonds with 1/4 cup flour in a food processor until finely ground, being careful not to grind to a paste.
• Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Chill 1 tablespoon beaten egg for egg wash and beat remaining egg into butter mixture. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. At low speed, mix in almond mixture, zest, salt, and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour until a dough just forms. Halve dough and form each half into a 5- to 6-inch disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Beat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar using cleaned beaters until very thick and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a heavy medium saucepan and stir in zest, juice, butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and mixture begins to bubble, about 6 minutes. Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with parchment paper, until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Generously butter springform pan.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep other piece chilled) between 2 sheets of parchment into a 12-inch round (dough will be very tender). Remove top sheet of parchment and invert dough into springform pan. (Dough will tear easily; patch it with your fingers.) Press dough over bottom and 1 inch up side of pan, trimming excess.
• Chill shell and roll out remaining dough between sheets of parchment into a 12-inch round. Remove top sheet of parchment, then cut dough into 10 (1/3-inch-wide) strips with pastry wheel and slide, still on parchment, onto a baking sheet. Chill until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Bake shell until bottom is pale golden and edge is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool shell in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.
• Spread filling in shell and arrange 5 strips 1 inch apart on filling. Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. Trim edges of all strips flush with edge of shell. Brush lattice top with egg wash and sprinkle crostata with remaining tablespoon sugar.
• Bake crostata until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours (juices will thicken).

SUMMER FRUIT CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you only need 1 disk of dough The other disk of dough can be frozen.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the baking sheet.
• For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas) .
• For the filling:
• Cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
• Combine the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.
• Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MIXED BERRY CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line two small cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Unroll pie crust dough rounds separately onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and flour in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 mixture on each dough round, leaving a 1-inch border.
• Divide and arrange raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries evenly on top of flour-sugar mixture on each dough round. Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon over each berry mixture.
• Fold in 1-inch border of dough on each round, pleating as you move, in order to keep all the berry juices inside. Brush beaten egg onto the pleated crusts. Sprinkle both crusts and both berry mixtures with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crusts are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes or serve warm.

LEMON CURD TART WITH SUMMER BERRIES AND BERRY COULIS-WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the tart shells:
• Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse until the butter is pea-size. Add the water and pulse just until the dough gathers together.
• Take the dough out and place on a lightly floured work surface. Work gently into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until well-chilled, about 1 hour.
• Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each out into a circle to about 1/8-inch thickness, keeping the dough well-floured as you work. Then place each in its own tart mold and trim excess dough.
• Bake for 10 to12 minutes or until tart shells are lightly brown. Remove from molds and refrigerate tart shells while preparing the lemon curd.
• For the curd:
• In large bowl set over double boiler, place eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt over simmering water. Whisk well. Add butter in pieces and stir over medium heat, being careful not to boil, until it is thickened or coats the back of a spoon. Cool.
• For the coulis:
• In a medium saucepan simmer berries, water and sugar for 10 minutes. Press through a fine mesh strainer and puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside some coulis for whipped cream, some for berries, and some for plating.
• To serve:
• Fill tart shells nearly full with chilled lemon curd and place on an oval plate. Toss fresh berries in coulis and place on tart and directly on the plate. Place coulis artfully next to tart and berries. Whip the cream, adding sugar and coulis to it, then place a dollop on each tart top. Bon Appetit!

CROSTATA WITH LEMON CUSTARD AND WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM

Steps:

• Combine flour, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, sugar, egg, baking powder, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Blend ingredients until dough starts sticking together and forms one piece.
• Wrap crostata dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll out dough using a lightly floured rolling pin on a work surface, or flatten it directly onto a baking sheet using your fingers, to form crostata shell. Pierce shell with a fork to prevent air bubbles during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven until sides are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove crostata from the oven and set aside to cool.
• While crostata cools, pour lemon juice into a heavy saucepan through a sieve and stir in 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Heat mixture over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Beat remaining sugar, eggs, and flour together in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer or a whisk until white and airy in texture.
• Pour warm lemon juice mixture into egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly. Pour custard mixture back into the saucepan.
• Heat custard mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to mix until the uneven texture becomes smooth, about 1 minute. Add butter gradually to custard 1 piece at a time, stirring constantly, until smooth. Let custard cool to room temperature.
• While custard cools, combine ricotta cheese, whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor. Blend until mixture is uniform and smooth in texture, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer ricotta cream to a bowl.
• Place lemon custard and ricotta cream in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Remove custard and cream from the refrigerator. Spread lemon custard evenly on cooled crostata crust. Spread ricotta cream on top of lemon custard. Decorate with raspberries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

MIXED-BERRY CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Make the dough -- Combine 1 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and place the butter and 1 egg in the well. Using your hands mix the ingredients into soft pliable dough. Form it into a 4 inch disk and place it on a lightly floured parchment paper. Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it into a 10-inch circle. Place dough with parchment paper on a baking sheet, cover the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 10 minute
• Make the Crostata: Un a small bowl mix renaining flour and sugar and set aside. Remove the dough from the fridge and evenly spread the flour and sugar mixture on the dough leaving a 1-inch winde border arroung the edge.Place berries on top of the mixture and sprinkel with lemon juice. Fold the 1 inch border over the edge of the top of the berries to form a 9 inch Crostata.
• Bake the Croatata: Lightly brush the top of Crostatat dough with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with terbinado sugar if desired. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 35 minutes. Remove form oven and slide Crostata with the parchment paper onto a wire rack.
• Cool for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla icecream!
• Enjoy!