Apple Crostata

Sometimes I discover a recipe and I know as soon as I take the first bite that I will make it again and again and again.  Other times unfortunately, I don't feel like I will repeat the recipe.  Well, with this scrumptious recipe for Apple Crostata I can not wait to make it again!!!!  Oh my, it is mouth-watering delicious!  The crust is super easy to make (especially if you have a food processor) and sooooo flaky good.  The apple filling is simple - the hardest part about it is prepping the apples (peeling, coring and then cutting into chunks).   The crumb topping is the final step to the recipe which brings this whole apple of a treasure dessert together....bringing in a cinnamon sweetness that just melts into the apples.

Go ahead and impress yourself - and your taste buds - and make this Apple Crostata....your eyes will roll back into your head with happiness and a fireworks worth of sweet deliciousness all at once when you take your first bite. 

The beauty of this dessert is that the next morning you can gently heat it up and have it for breakfast and it will taste just as amazing as the first time you enjoyed if not better - I know this personally for I had the last slice for breakfast the a.m. after I had made it....what a great way to start my day!  ;-)

Apple Crostata

(recipe adapted from Lovin' From the Oven which was found from Ina Garten)

Pastry Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, VERY cold and diced

2 Tbsp ice cold water

Filling and Topping Ingredients:

3-4 medium Macintosh apples (or baking apples of your choice)

1/4 tsp grated orange or lemon zest (I didn't have a single piece of citrus in my house so I used just a splash of lime juice)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, COLD and diced

Pastry Directions:

1. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.

2. Add in the butter...

and pulse 15-18 times, or until the butter is the size of peas.

3. With the motor running add in ice cold water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. 

4.  Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and form into a disc.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Make filling and crumb topping while waiting for pastry dough to chill.

5. Peel, core and cut apples into 8th's then cut each wedge into 3 chunks ....

  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp's of sugar and then the grated lemon or lime (in my case I sprinkled a dash of lime juice over the apples).  Set fruit aside.

6. Make crumb topping....start by combining flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a medium bowl.  Add in diced COLD butter and cut in with a pastry cutter (LOVE this kitchen gadget!!!) or 2 knives.  Topping should be nice and crumbly...

7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring pastry dough out of refrigerator.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to at least an 11" circle - I rolled mine out directly onto my Silpat and then transferred to a cookie sheet before I filled the dough.

8. Scoop apple filling onto the pastry dough.  If any liquid has accumulated with the apples be sure to leave it behind in the bowl.  You don't want any extra liquid at this point with the apples on the pastry dough.  Leave about 1 1/2 inch worth of a border around the  pastry dough....

....and then sprinkle crumb topping over apples....

... gently fold over the pastry border to surround the apples and topping...

9. Place crostata in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes - until crust is golden brown and the apples are tender....

...Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature - good vanilla ice cream is a lovely partner with this dessert...or served alone is just as yummy!

Happy Apple Crostata Baking!