Strawberry Lime Crostata

By Midge • April 8, 2012 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: Inspired by preserves I made out of Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain last spring, lime stands in for the usual rhubarb to brighten the strawberries in this rustic tart. For the crust, I adapted Joanne Chang’s pate brisee recipe, adjusting the proportions slightly for a thinner shell. I like her use of egg yolks (I used just one here), which makes the dough more forgiving. I baked this free-form on a parchment-lined sheet pan, but I’d suggest a pie dish if your berries are super juicey. I threw in a handful of blackberries, just cause I had them lying around. Any berries or combination of them would work great. - Midge

Makes 9-inch crostata

Tart Crust (makes 2)

2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into uniformed-sized cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
small glass ice water
1 tablespoon sanding sugar, granulated sugar is fine if you don't have the fancy stuff on hand

Filling

4 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and halved (quarter the honkin ones)
1/4-1/3 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries
2 tablespoons strawberry jam, preferably homemade
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 lime, zested and juiced

Sift flour, salt, and sugar together by hand or in bowl of standing mixer.
Add butter to flour mixture. Mix on low speed (or cut into flour quickly by hand) just until it becomes a pebbly mixture, about 30 -45 seconds.
Whisk together egg yolk and two tablespoons of the cream and mix into lour mixture.
Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of ice water into mixture and gently combine until the dough starts to hold together. Add more water as needed.
Gather up the dough and form into two one inch-thick disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to four days. The recipe makes double the amount you need; freeze the other half or roll it out and cut it into strips for a lattice topping.
Meanwhile, mix berries with sugar, lime zest and juice, cornstarch, and jam. Let sit for about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about 1/8 inch-thick. Carefully fold the dough in half and then in quarters to transfer to a pie dish or parchment-lined sheet pan.
Fill the crust with the berry mixture. Gently gather and fold the overhanging crust over the pie. Brush with the remaining cream and sprinkle generously with sugar.
If you’re using a pie dish, consider sticking a sheet pan underneath it to catch spills.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden and the filling, bubbling.