Peach and Raspberry Crostata

Makes one 10-inch crostata

I don’t know if crostatas are any simpler to make than pies or tarts, but the relaxed, unfussed feel of the pastry makes them my preferred summertime dessert. I don’t peel the peaches for this; if you prefer to, I recommend you add a little extra cornstarch to the filling so it doesn’t wind up too juicy. I cool all crostatas on a wire rack to prevent the crusts from steaming and softening. Note: This recipe calls for only 3/4 cup of the crumble, but I make the whole batch and freeze the rest for later.

Crust:

• 1 recipe Crostata Dough (see below)

• 143g unsalted butter (5oz), chilled

• 210g all-purpose flour (7.4oz / about 1 1/2 cups)

• 12g white sugar (0.4oz / about 1T)

• 3g Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1 tsp)

Crumble Topping:

• 1 cup Brown Butter Pecan Crumble

• 142g unsalted butter (5.2oz)

• 45g pecans (1.6oz / about 6 T), chopped

• 110g light brown sugar (3.9oz / about 1/2 cup)

• 50g sugar (1.8oz / about 1/4 cup)

• 180g all-purpose flour (6.3oz / about 1 1/4 cups)

• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 0.7g Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1/4 tsp)

Filling:

• 4 medium peaches (about 600g), halved, pitted, and thickly sliced

• 60g sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 75g raspberries (2.6oz)

• About 8g crystallized sugar, such as turbinado, Demerara, or Sugar In The Raw (0.3oz / about 1 1/2 tsp)

DIRECTIONS

To start the crust, follow the instructions below. Roll out the crostata dough on a piece of parchment into a round about 13 inches across. Put the parchment (and dough) on a baking sheet and chill the dough for 15 minutes in the freezer or at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

To start the crostata and filling, preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch and set aside for about 5 minutes. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, leaving it on the baking sheet. Brush a 2-inch border around the perimeter with the beaten egg. Spoon the peaches and their juices onto the dough, avoiding the egg-washed border. Scatter the raspberries over the peaches. Form the crostata’s sides by working a section of dough at a time, lifting it up and over the filling and pinching and folding it, pleating the dough and forming the edge. Spoon the crumble evenly over the exposed fruit in the center of the crostata. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with egg, then sprinkle the crust with crystallized sugar.

Bake the crostata on the baking sheet until the crust begins to color, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is bubbly, about 35 minutes more. Remove the crostata from the oven, transfer it to a wire rack (this is done most easily by sliding the parchment with the crostata onto the rack). Allow the crostata to cool, then slice and serve it with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Crostata Dough

Makes a 10-inch crust

• 143g unsalted butter (5oz), chilled [286g / 2 1/2oz]

• 210g all-purpose flour (7.4oz / about 11/2 cups) [420g / 14.8oz / about 3 cups]

• 12g sugar* (see note) (0.4oz / about 1 T) [24g / 0.8oz / about 2 T]

• 3g Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1 tsp) [6g / 2 tsp]

To make the dough by hand, cut half of the butter in a 1/2-inch dice and the remaining butter in a 1-inch dice, then chill it all while you gather the remaining ingredients. In a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and, working quickly, use your fingers to massage the butter with the flour, pinching it bit by bit and coating each piece of butter with flour. Work just until all the butter pieces have been pinched and flattened. Sprinkle the dough with 1/4 cup ice water. Using a fork, mix the water into the dough until it is evenly distributed and the dough holds together (add a little more ice water if the dough seems too dry). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, then flatten it into a disk. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to a month.

To make the dough in a food processor, cut the butter as described above and freeze it. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the frozen butter and process until the biggest pieces are the size of peas, about 10 seconds. Add 1/4 cup ice water and process until the water is evenly distributed and the dough holds together when pinched; add a little more water if the dough seems too dry. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, then flatten it into a disk. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to a month.

*Note: To make a single-crust savory dough, reduce the sugar to 6 grams (0.2 ounces / about 1 1/2 teaspoons); for a double crust, use 12 grams (0.4 ounces / about 1 tablespoon) sugar. This is also delicious with Pecorino cheese incorporated in the dough. For a double crust, add 12 grams (0.4 ounces) Pecorino cheese, grated (about 21/4 tablespoons) to the flour/sugar/salt mixture.

Excerpted from Delectable by Claudia Fleming with Catherine Young. Copyright © 2022 by Claudia Fleming. Photographs copyright © 2022 by Johnny Miller. Excerpted by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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