KosherEye.com
Adapted from Remaining Kosher, Volume One
by Lauren Stacy Berdy
This is a homey, rustic tart that could be viewed as an over-sized cookie: it is mostly crust. Like many innocent recipes, this one has its roots in Italy, capturing the essence of a few simple ingredients. The orange rind blooms on the tongue; the olive oil pastry is tender!
All the ingredients are probably at your fingertips: the tart is enriched with egg yolks; jam or fruit preserves are the traditional toppings (use a good one- it's worth it).
I used cherry preserves. The dough is made by the quick work of your hands.
And your hands won't stay away from the finished tart! Don't expect any leftovers.
Ingredients
Pastry Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup finely ground nuts (almonds, walnuts or pecans)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 orange: grated for zest only
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 egg yolks, checked
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Filling Ingredients
2 cups jam: slightly warmed, or better quality fruit preserve
Garnish
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 ºF (convection if available).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper- or brush the baking sheet with oil and dust with flour.
In a bowl, mix the flour with the finely ground nuts, powdered sugar, orange rind and kosher salt.
Knead in the egg yolks, olive oil and honey. Blend the ingredients until they come together. Get into the corners of the bowl with the dough and get any loose crumbs!
Place the dough onto the middle of the parchment paper or prepared baking pan. Use your fingertips to work the dough into a rough circle.
Keep evening out the circle until it is about 9" in circumference and about ¼" thick. It's OK if the edges are uneven- it should look slightly irregular.
Place the warmed preserves (or jam) in the middle of the pastry. Spread the filling enough to leave a one inch uncovered edge.
Fold the uncovered 1" edge of the pastry towards the filling, pleating it as you go around the perimeter. The folded edge becomes the filling's boundary.
Brush the newly formed, folded edges with the lightly beaten egg.
Sprinkle all the brushed edges with sugar.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 30-40 minutes. The pastry should be crisp and golden. Cool the cooked tart on the baking sheet. Make sure it is cooled to room temperature to set the jam.
Carefully go around the entire tart with a thin metal spatula or knife: loosen the tart from the parchment paper.
When cooled, the crostata may be placed on a platter. Use a wide metal spatula when moving.
Serve
Use a knife to cut the crostata into wedges. Use a pie server to place on individual plates.
4-6 servings,
Notes
Recipe: kosher, dessert, parve