Preheating the Oven Chicago: Rhubarb and Raspberry Crostata

I love to make crostatas. That’s a weird thing to love to make, but let me tell you why. First, I love pie crust. In fact, I adore it. There is nothing lovelier then a flaky, buttery pie crust. Second, crostatas are EASY! Pie crust can be intimidating to make with all of that rolling, moving to a pie plate and pinching. If you don’t make them all of the time, then they can be extremely frustrating. (I have had shed a few tears over some sad looking and tasting pie crusts) Lastly, since the dough is kind of free form or rustic as I prefer to call it, it always works and looks cool. Dinner guests are always impressed by it.

The secret to this recipe? My good friend (ok, she's not really a friend, but I would sure love to be friends with her) Ina Garten’s perfectly simple, no-fail recipe for the dough. Really, I promise that it’s easy and it works. I actually only use about ¾ of a stick of butter and it still turns out nicely. This time around, I also swapped out some of the AP flour for whole wheat flour (1/4 cup).

Crostata Recipe from Ina Garten (using just the crust recipe)

Crust Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons ice water

Rhubarb and Raspberry Crostata from Bon Appétit (using just the filling recipe)

Filling Ingredients

¼ cup cornstarch

4 cups ½”-thick slices rhubarb (about 1-1 ¼ lb)

1 6-oz container fresh raspberries

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

From Ina

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.

Makin' the crust

From Bon Appétit

To make the filling:

My beautiful rhubarb from the Farmer's Market

Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine rhubarb, raspberries, and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. (I used frozen strawberries and blackberries because I had them on hand)

Ready for cookin'

Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and juices are released, about 4 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil (rhubarb will not be tender and slices will still be intact). Transfer to a bowl. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.

Cooked and chillin'

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 12" round; brush with beaten egg. Mound filling in center of crust; gently spread out, leaving 1 1/2" border. Gently fold edges of dough over filling, pleating as needed. Brush border with egg; sprinkle with raw sugar. Slide parchment with crostata onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let crostata cool on baking sheet on a rack. Transfer crostata to a platter, cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.