Plum Crostata

Photo Credit
Becky Luigart-Stayner
Yield
6 to 8 servings
Course
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This plum crostata recipe makes the most of the seasonal fruit. A crostata is a free-form pie or tart that is baked on a baking sheet instead of in a pie plate. This recipe uses plums, but you can use any stone fruit (such as peaches or nectarines) or a mix!

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Filling

Ingredients
3-1/2 cups pitted and sliced ripe plums
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal or semolina
nutmeg, to taste
milk, for glaze
Instructions

I recommend using the Three-Grain Butter Pastry, which I find highly leak-resistant. Prepare the dough as directed. Lightly butter a large baking sheet. Set aside. Roll the dough into a 12½ inch circle and place it on the sheet. Put the sheet and pastry into the refrigerator for a few minutes while you make the filling.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put plums into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch and stir into plums. Stir in lemon juice. Set aside.

Remove pastry from the refrigerator. Imagine an 8-inch circle in the center of the rolled-out pastry. Sprinkle cornmeal evenly in that circle. Using a slotted spoon, lift plums out of juice (do not discard juice) and spread evenly over cornmeal. Lift pastry by sliding a spatula or dough scraper under the edge, then fold it up over the plums; you want about 2 inches of pastry overlapping the plums all around. (If pastry starts to break, it is still too cold. Wait a minute or two, then continue.) Work your way around the crostata; the pastry will form pleats. Pour juice from the bowl over the exposed plums. Dust the top of the plums with a few pinches of nutmeg. Lightly brush pastry with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on the center oven rack for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, until plums are bubbly and thickened. Check crostata as it bakes. If juice breaks through the crust, sprinkle 2 or 3 additional teaspoons of cornmeal on the sheet at the breach to contain juice. Thoroughly cool crostata on the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

About The Author

Ken Haedrich

Ken Haedrich is one of America’s leading baking authorities and a prolific writer—the author of 17 cookbooks and hundreds of magazine articles. Ken has received numerous accolades for his work and is the recipient of The Julia Child Cookbook Award. Read More from Ken Haedrich