Crostate with Jam Filling

While touring through Italy, we found this Crostate everywhere - in homes, bakeries and supermarkets. It is used for breakfast or as a snack with coffee or tea. The traditional one seems to be made with apricot jam, but you can use any full-flavored jam of your choice. I’m sure the original fruit crostate was created with a thick, cooked fruit mixture in the summer when fruit is plentiful. But over the years, the use of store-bought jam has become commonplace. This recipe was taken off the back of a package of flour.

Pastry:

2 cups flour 9 ounces 250 grams 1 pinch salt         ½ cup butter 5.5 ounces 150 grams ½ cup sugar 3.5 ounces 100 grams               2 large egg yolks         2-4 Tbs milk

Filling:

1 cup apricot, berry or cherry jam     250 ml

Mix together the flour, salt, butter and sugar with your hands until crumbly.
Beat the egg yolks and stir in 2 Tbs milk.
Mix the egg and milk mixture into the dry ingredients.
Add a bit more milk if needed to bring the dough together.

Roll into 2 balls and flatten them into disks.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F [180°C].

Roll out the chilled dough to fit a 9” [23 cm]tart pan.
Press the dough into the pan. Don’t worry about breaks in the pastry, simply press together.
Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork.
Bake blind for 20 minutes, until golden.

Meanwhile, roll out the remaining dough to a similar thickness.
Cut the dough into long strips about ¾” [2 cm] wide.
Remove the pastry from the oven and fill with the jam, spreading evenly.
Place about 5 strips of dough across the top of the jam, parallel and evenly spaced.
Place another 5 strips at 90° from the first strips, forming a lattice top.
Cut off the excess and carefully press the lattice ends to the sides of the crust (pan is hot!).

Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is barely golden.
 

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