The Houndstooth Gourmet

Need a patriotic dessert for this 4th of July? How about making an easy crostada with berries? I used seasonal raspberries and blueberries for the red and blue colors, and the dotted topping looks kind of white. Close enough! I made this crostata last year and was very happy with the results, being that I don’t think I’m a baker in any sense. Basically, the crostata is an easy pie dough which you blind bake for the bottom, then you make more “dough” to dot the top.

Cherry Berry Crostata

 

 

Ingredients

Bottom 

• • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • 3 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling

• • 4 cups fruit-I used cherries and raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Topping

• • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 stick cold butter cut into 4 pieces
  • pinch salt

 Glaze

• • 1/3 cup apricot preserves

Directions

Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 4-5 times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12-15 times until the butter and dry ingredients come together into pea-size pieces. Run the food processor on continuous and add the ice water through the feed tube. Stop the processor when the dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and roll it into a ball. Flattent the dough into a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at leas an hour, or over night.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll the dough out onto a floured board into an 11 inch round.  Transfer dough to a 10-inch tart pan that has been treated with non-stick baking spray. If your dough sticks, as mine did, and you can not pick it up easily to transfer it, just press the dough evenly into the tart pan.

Blind bake the dough in the oven, on middle rack, or 8 minutes.

For the filling, combine the fruit, flour and sugar. Combine to coat evenly. Allow to sit while dough is baking.

For the topping, pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor 5-6 times to combine. Add butter and pulse until it is crumbly and will hold together when it is pinched

Pour the fruit into the baked dough. Pinch off topping and dot the top of the pie. Bake on middle rack of oven for 20-25 minutes. allow to cool for 10 minutes. Heat preserves over medium heat until it becomes loose. Brush preserves over top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serve with fresh whipped cream that has been flavored with 1 teaspoon of almond extract (if you are using cherries, otherwise omit), powdered sugar and lemon zest.

Tags: baking, berries, pastry, Recipe by Ramona
1 Comment »

 Termini Bros.has been a South Philadelphia baking institution since opening in 1928. Their tradition of Italian confections has made Termini’s a househould name to the Italian-Americans of South Philly, and well beyond the city limits. Known for making mouth-watering canolli, cookies, and pastries, Termini’s carries on the Italian tradtions passed down from generations of Italian immigrants.

 Termini’s canolli are considered the best there are by many, and one look at the photo above show just how fresh each canolli is made, with riccota filling piped inside to order. The filling  is a luscious foil for the crisp outer shell

. Among the pantheon of great Italian desserts is the sfogliatelle (SFOO-ya-dell, or SPOO-ya-dell are among the pronunciations), a shell-shaped pastry which is typically filled with orange scented ricotta, and sometimes has candied citrus and cinnamon added, as is the case with Termini’s version. Sfogliatelle originated in Naples, Italy and is said to have been perfected in convents and monasteries, as they are labor and time intensive to make.

Impossibly intricate, the sfogliatelle’s pastry shell is redundant with many, many layers of crisp crust that lightly shatters to the to bite. Sfogliatelle pastry is rolled very thin and slatherd with shortening. Then, the pastry is rolled so many layers are formed. Next, the roll is cut into what looks like rolled ribbons, and the center of the roll is pushed out, creating the point and many layers, as well as a pocket for filling. Once filled, the sfogliatelle are sealed and baked so that the many layers stay separated and become crisp. Kind of like a “crunchy” al dente!

During my stay in Philadelphia, I made a visit the famous Reading Terminal Market.RTM is a cornucopia of food, ranging from eateries reflecting cuisines from around the world, to fresh produce, baked goods, spices and of course, the good old favorites of Philadelphia; cheesesteaks, hoagies, and roast pork Italian sandwiches.

After being sated (if not stuffed) with an incredibly juicy roast pork with sharp provolone and brocolli rabe at DiNic’s Roast Beef & Pork lunch counter, I headed over to Termini Bros. to buy  dessert for later. I decided on the flaky clam shaped pastry just begging me to buy it! The sfogliatelle ($4.50) pictured above was fresh and heavy for its size, with flaky crust and dense ricotta filling. The semi-sweet nature of the pastry allows it to pair well with teas, or even espresso (with a shot of grappa, of course).

If you can’t buy excellent Italian pastries near you, you can either visit one of Termini Bros. locations in the Philadelphia area, or order from them online!

Tags: dessert, mail order, pastry, Philadelphia, travel by Ramona
10 Comments »