It's finally summer stone fruit season again! And sun ripened nectarines, apricots, peaches, plums, pluots and/or cherries make the best topping for a summer fruit crostata, my favorite impromptu dessert of late.
I discovered this quick & easy crust recipe last summer {via Elizabeth Minchilli } and it's become the baking staple around here ever since, especially while traveling - e.g. there was a sweet cherry ricotta crostata in Umbria and Indian Summer fig & plum crostate in Anderson Valley. This time we were at the Russian River with a basket of California grown apricots …
the ingredients.
1 ½ cup flour {190 gram}
7 tablespoons butter {100 gram}
2 egg yolks
½ cup sugar {100 gram}
¼ teaspoon salt
The crust can be whipped up from just a five pantry staples, takes almost no time {no kneading, no rolling, no chilling!} and turns out a buttery shortcrust every time …
Preheat the oven to 350ºF {180ºC}.
Place the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center of the mound: add butter cubes, sugar, salt and the egg yolks in the dent.
Mix the wet ingredients with your fingers, gently mushing it all together, eventually working in the rest of the flour.
Just use your hands and give it a few good shoves with the heel of your hand to work it all together.
Grease a tart pan generously with butter. I usually use a 9" round tart pan, but had just found this vintage French rectangular pan at Cookin', so it came along for the Russian River road trip :)
Place the dough in the pan, slowly spreading it out with the heel of your hand and pressing up against the sides of the pan - et voila, you have a base waiting to get layered …
Slice the fruit of your choice and spread layers of fruit evenly on the crust.
