Crostata di albicocche e amaretti

Apricot and Amaretti Tart

Summer stone fruit is coming in, and if you want to dress it up, try this crostata. It’s apricot season now, but if you miss the window, fear not. This crostata will work beautifully all through summer – plums, peaches and nectarines are great here. And once fall and winter bring a chill to the air, try apples and pears. This is the original all weather dessert.

Amaretti cookies sprinkled on the bottom of the crust soften during baking and imbue the crostata with a delightful almond flavor and a bit of texture. Cookies from different manufacturers vary in size. I used 12 Amaretti from Lazzaroni, my favorite brand. This step is easy; unwrap the cookies, place them in a small plastic or paper bag and crush with a meat mallet or the edge of a skillet. Crush just coarsely, you do not want to pulverize the Amaretti.

I use a simple sweet crust here because the Amaretti add a lot of texture to this crostata. If you wish, you may use an almond crust. Italian 00 flour, a finely milled all-purpose flour, available at Italian markets and Amazon, gives the crust added tenderness. If you do not have it, use regular American all-purpose flour. It will work beautifully. I also use Italian lievito, a baking powder with added vanilla flavor. The baking powder gives the dough a bit of lift, more tenderness and aids in browning. Again, it is available at most Italian markets and through Amazon. If you do not have it, substitute with American baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract added to the beaten egg.

Don’t skimp on the Amaretto – use Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira. It’s the best.

Serve this slightly warm with vanilla gelato, softly whipped cream, mascarpone or creme fraiche. My favorite? Vanilla gelato.

And because this tart is so versatile, you will find yourself making it often. Experiment with it. Try re-rolling the dough trimmings and cover the top with a lattice. Pretty soon, you will not need a recipe at all.

Crostata di albicocche e amaretti

makes an 8 inch crostata

Crust
1 1/3 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut in 16 pieces
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon lievito (or baking powder)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (if using American baking powder)

Filling
1 pound apricots
2 tablespoons turbinado or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon Amaretto (I prefer Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup coarsely crushed Amaretti (about 12 Amaretti di Lazzaroni brand)

Topping
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons granulated or turbinado sugar

Glaze
12 ounces Apricot jam
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Amaretto

One half hour before you plan to bake the crostata, place a pizza stone on lowest rack of oven, and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Make the crust:
Place flour, powdered sugar, salt and lievito (or baking powder) in bowl of food processor fitted with steel knife. Process on and off several times to combine. Open lid and scatter pieces of cold butter atop flour mixture. Replace top and process until mixture is almost the texture of coarse meal. Break egg (and vanilla, if using) into small measuring cup and beat lightly to break up egg. With processor running, pour egg through feed tube and process until mixture just begins to come together. Remove dough from processor and form into disk. Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator thirty minutes to 1 hour to chill and allow gluten to relax. Dough may be frozen, wrapped tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, for use within thirty days.

While dough rests, make glaze. Heat jam, lemon juice and water in small saucepan until jam has melted. Strain. Return to saucepan and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine with 2 tablespoons Amaretto. Refrigerate and store well covered, in glass container.

After dough has rested, dust board lightly with flour and roll dough to just over 1/16th inch. Fit into 8 inch tart pan. Do not stretch dough, just ease it into the pan. Press dough against edges of pan. Pass rolling pin over top of tart pan to trim top edges of dough. Place tart pan in refrigerator while you prepare fruit. Gather up scraps for another use.

Prepare the fruit:
Cut apricots in half. Remove and discard pits. Cut each half into quarters, for a total of 8 pieces per apricot. In medium bowl toss apricots with sugar, honey, Amaretto and almond extract. Set aside.

Remove prepared pan from refrigerator. Scatter coarsely crushed Amaretti over the bottom of pan, spreading to form an even layer. Pour fruit filling over Amaretti.

Dot top with butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Place crostata in preheated 425 degree oven and bake 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 375 and bake 35 to 40 minutes more.

Remove from oven, and place on rack to cool slightly.

Use a pastry brush to paint fruit with glaze. You will need about 2 to 3 tablespoons of glaze, depending on how much shine and glaze you want. If glaze has thickened, place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to thin slightly. You can thin it further if necessary, by adding a bit of Amaretto.

Serve crostata slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.

For another take on this dessert, take a look at Judy Witts Francini’s post at Over a Tuscan Stove.

Note: You can click on any picture for a slide show!

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.