Better than Apple Pie (Yep! I said it)
Apple pie is undeniably the most popular and most delicious of all American pie desserts. However, this Apple Crostata has replaced Apple Pie in my kitchen. It is so much easier to make and loaded with wonderful, should warming flavors. My favorite thing about this dish is the slow roasted flavor of the apples. Because the it’s an open faced pie, the apple is exposed to the warm, oven air and roast rather than steam like they would in an enclosed pie, they roast and they are amazing! It’s a quintessential rustic dessert and I just love that.
This recipe comes from Ina Garten (no surprise there!) but I have to admin that although she claims her pie crust is easy to make, I don’t typically have the extra time to make it. So I use a good quality store bought pie crust which we all know isn’t as good as homemade, but it’s better than not making pie at all! It saves a ton of time and mess
(Almost) Ina Garten’s Apple Crostata
Ingredients
- 1 store bought pie crust Recommended: Immaculate Pie Crust
- 1 1/2 lbs pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large)
- 1/4 tsp teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 1/4 ground allspice
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet. (It doesn't need to be perfect!)
- For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.
- Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
1 thought on “Apple Crostata”
Fortunately, my parents’ trees are loaded with more apples than they can possibly use. When it’s apple season my father makes applesauce and apple treats practically every day.