ITALIAN, SWEET TREATS & DESSERTS
ORANGE JAM & CARAWAY CROSTATA TART
Crostata tart is perhaps not an Italian dessert as well known as Tiramisu, or Canollis, but it truly deserves the same appreciation. With a buttery shortcrust pastry, this Venetian speciality was being made as early as 1000, when sugar started being imported from the East, and is a beautifully versatile dessert. We have chosen to flavour the pastry with caraway seeds, which brings a subtle aniseedy taste to the tart and to add orange jam as the filling which is sharper than other jams but sweeter than bitter marmalade, bringing a nice balance to this rustic and comforting tart.
Ingredients
THE CROSTATA TART
500g. Plain Flour,
250g. Soft Butter,
140g. Powdered Sugar,
3 Egg Yolks,
1 Whole Egg,
Zest of 1 Lemon,
400g. Orange Jam, or jam of your choice
Grated Peel of Half an Orange,
400g. Orange Jam,
2 tsp. Caraway Seeds,
METHOD
THE CROSTATA TART
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C (160°C fan).
- To make the pastry, slowly mix the icing sugar, butter, orange zest, carraway seeds, eggs and half of the flour. Once the pastry begins to come together, add the remaining flour.
- Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least an hour, or ideally overnight.
- Take the pastry out of the fridge, cut out two thirds of the pastry and roll it to a 5mm thickness. Place it into a 23cm diameter tart case. Prick the bottom of the pastry and fill it with the orange jam. Roll out the remaining one third of the pastry to a 5mm thickness and cut strips out of it. Place them over the jam, trim the edges. To give the pastry colour, you can brush it with a beaten egg yolk at this stage,
- Place the tart in the oven and bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is a golden colour.
Comment