Recipe For Crostata with Pecan and Blueberry Pie Filling

* The memory card of my camera just crashed and that’s the only picture I could recover of the crostata right before getting in the oven.

A crostata is a dessert that is filled with jams or fruits and its sweet crust is folded inward at each edge. It gives the tart a more artisanal, which means rustic in French, and free-form look than other regular pies.

I made the dough with polenta to give it a more crumbly texture and flavored it with star anise. I used fresh ginger and Meyer lemon for the filling in addition to the blueberries.

1. Info for Crostata with Pecan and Blueberry Pie Filling

• Cook Time: unavailable
• Total Time: unavailable
• Servings: 6
• Calories: unavailable

2. Ingredients for Crostata with Pecan and Blueberry Pie Filling

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, +2 tablespoons for the filling
• 3/4 cup coarse polenta (not quick cooking)
• 1 drizzle canola oil, for greasing the food processor
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
• 2/3 cup sugar, + 2 tablespoons for the egg
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), diced
• 3-1/4 cups blueberries
• 1-1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 3 tablespoons pecans, coarsely crushed
• 1 Meyer lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ginger paste (see tips)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract, or powdered
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tablespoon Belgian pearl sugar, coarsely crushed

3. Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Using a handheld mixer, whisk the egg with 2 tablespoons of sugar until you get a pale yellow foam. It’ll take about 5-6 minutes. The consistency must be very airy. Add the vanilla and anise extracts. Set aside.
3. Lightly oil the bowl of your food processor with a silicone brush. Add 1-1/2 cups of flour, baking powder, 1/3 cup sugar, the polenta, 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Blend for a few seconds, then add the cold butter. Pulse the mixture until it forms crumbs of butter and flour. Add the egg mixture. Pulse another 3-4 times until it forms a dough. Do NOT overmix. Transfer the dough onto a pastry board lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Place a silicone mat (or parchment paper) on top of the dough like a sandwich. Even out the dough using a rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thick. Create 6 disks about 9 inches in diameter Set aside.
4. Wash the blueberries. Place them in a bowl. Coat them in 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes until the juices begin to flow. Add the ginger paste, cinnamon extract and Meyer lemon zest. Drizzle the juice of a Meyer lemon. Let them stand for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaning flour and tapioca flour and nutmeg. Toss well. Set aside.
5. Assembling the blueberry crostata: Flip each disk onto a baking tray lined with the silicon mat that was topping the dough. Place about 3 tablespoons of the blueberry pie filling in the center. Fold the dough on each side of the tart creating a ”free-form” blossom pocket. Sprinkle with Belgian pearl sugar. Bake for 15 minutes at 375°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F and cook for another 30 minutes. If the crostata is not golden enough, you can broil the tarts for about 2 minutes.
6. Serve warm with hot tea or a cardamom-flavored Arnold Palmer if you like.
7. Bon appétit!