The beauty of a crostata, which is basically a pie baked on a baking sheet, is that it can be filled with almost any fruit. I love rhubarb for its ability to elevate the taste of the fruit with which it is paired. After tasting this crostata, I exclaimed, “I have outdone myself!” Both impressive looking and incredibly delicious, this is a hostess winner!
Ingredients:
For The Pastry:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/2 pound, 2 sticks, of very cold unsalted butter, 1/2 inch diced
- 1/4 cup of ice water
For The Filling:
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- 4 cups (1/2 inch thick) of sliced fresh rhubarb (1 1/4 pounds)
- 8 ounces of fresh raspberries
- 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- turbinado or demerara sugar, such as Sugar In The Raw
Directions:
- 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. Pulse until the butter is pea-sized. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube.
- Continue to hit the pulse button until all the dough comes together. Remove, wrap and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
- For the filling, place 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl, whisk in the cornstarch, and set aside.
- In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the rhubarb, raspberries, granulated sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until cool.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Roll the pastry into an 11-12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface and transfer to the prepared pan.
- Pile the raspberry rhubarb mixture onto the pastry, leaving a 1 1/2 border all around.
- Fold the border up over the filling, pleating if necessary, and pressing lightly.
- Brush the pastry with the egg wash, sprinkle just the pastry with the turbinado sugar and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the filling is thickened and bubbly.
- Cool for 30 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
