Apricot crostata: Italian shortcrust tart with a lattice, crisp underneath
The Italian tart built on pasta frolla: crumbly, lemony, made with a whole egg and a yolk, so it is sturdy enough to weave into a lattice. The apricots are tossed in a little starch and laid cut side up on a base scattered with breadcrumbs, because those are what drink the juice that would otherwise soak the pastry. An hour in the fridge for the dough, forty minutes in the oven, and that is all.
Your own work in that: 35 min.
- Dough 15 min
- Dough resting 60 min
- Assembly 20 min
- Baking 40 min
- Cooling 40 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneMake the pasta frolla
Mix the flour, sugar, salt and grated lemon zest, add the cold cubed butter and rub in with your fingertips until you have pea-sized crumbs. Add the egg and yolk and gather the dough until it comes together; knead a minute at most, only to combine.
Ingredients: 300 g plain flour · 150 g butter · 100 g sugar · 1 pcs egg · 1 pcs egg yolk · 1 pcs lemon, zest · 1 pinch salt
TipThe longer you work it, the more gluten the flour develops and the tougher the pastry gets. Frolla should be gathered, not smoothed: the visible flecks of butter are what give it its crumble after baking.
Pea-sized crumbs, then the eggsChill for an hour
Straight away cut off a third of the dough: that becomes the lattice. Flatten both pieces into discs, wrap in film and refrigerate one hour.
TipAn hour in the cold does two things at once: the gluten relaxes, so the pastry doesn't shrink in the tin, and the butter firms, so it rolls thin without sticking.
A wrapped disc, a third set asideLine the tin
Roll the larger piece between two sheets of paper to 4 mm and transfer to a 26 cm tart tin. Press into the base and sides, trim the excess, prick the base with a fork and scatter with the breadcrumbs. Heat the oven to 180 °C.
Four millimetres, pricked, crumbs on the basePrepare the apricots
Halve the apricots lengthways and remove the stones. In a bowl toss them gently with the sugar, potato starch and lemon juice. Arrange on the base cut side up, tightly, one against the next.
Ingredients: 600 g apricots · 2 tbsp sugar · 1 tbsp potato starch · 2 tbsp breadcrumbs · ½ pcs lemon, juice
TipThe starch and breadcrumbs bind the juice the apricots release in the oven; without them the base softens before the tart even cools. Cut side up: the stone hollow holds the juice instead of pouring it onto the pastry.
Halves cut side up, packed tightWeave the lattice
Roll out the reserved third and cut it into strips 1.5 cm wide. Lay half of them parallel across the tart, the rest crossways, weaving over and under every second strip. Press the ends into the rim, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Ingredients: 1 tbsp milk · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 tbsp icing sugar
1.5 cm strips, woven, milk and sugarBake 40 minutes
Bake 40 minutes at 180 °C on the lower shelf, until the lattice is deep golden and the juice between the fruit bubbles slowly. If the top colours after 30 minutes, cover loosely with foil.
TipThe lower shelf gives more heat from below, and the base is what makes or breaks a crostata. Bubbling juice is the sign the starch has begun to set: taken out earlier, the tart stays watery inside.
Deep golden lattice, bubbling juiceCool completely
Cool in the tin at least 40 minutes, to room temperature. A warm crostata falls apart when cut, because the filling only sets as it cools. Dust the cold tart with icing sugar. Covered, it keeps 3 days; on the second day it is firmer and cuts better.
Cold, icing sugar, a clean slice
Before you start
With jam, out of season
The classic crostata di marmellata: instead of fruit, 350 g of thick apricot jam spread over the base, lattice on top, baked 30 minutes. No starch or breadcrumbs needed, because jam is already set.
With almonds
Instead of breadcrumbs, scatter 3 spoons of ground almonds on the base: they absorb the juice just as well and add a marzipan note that suits apricots beautifully.
The dough sticks and tears
It is too warm. Roll between sheets of paper, and if it starts sticking to the pin, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes. Lattice strips are far easier to lift when chilled.
