Summer Fruit Crostata
What could be more wonderful than summer fruit? I am talking about the organic summer fruit grown in the United States, not fruit shipped in from South American or Mexico. Right now the fruit is spectacular; peaches, nectarines, blueberries, strawberries, plums. I can’t seem to get enough of these sweet, delicious, juicy delicacies. When I go to the market and see all of the fruit beauty in front of me, my eyes become bigger than my stomach. I can’t resist because I know as fast as the fruit arrives, the season will be gone even faster. So I buy a lot and make as many wonderful fruit concoctions as possible. I have a refrigerator full of preserves, a freezer full of fruit gelato and containers of blueberries (I am a blueberry squirrel, saving some for the non-blueberry months). On my counter sits a bowl full of peaches, nectarines and plums some of which will be turned into a Summer Fruit Crostata.
What I like the best about this Summer Fruit Crostata recipe is that it cooks for just enough time to get the crust brown and super crispy but the fruit is still firm and holds its shape. The time in the oven lets the fruit produce just enough juice to keep it from being mushy and runny. I love that I can feel the texture of the fruit between my teeth. I also love the rustic look of this tart. It is a perfect dessert to end a light lunch on the veranda or a casual dinner such as a BBQ.
Hints and Tips: Let the tart cool the whole time recommended in the recipe and use two wide off-set metal spatulas to move it from the pan to your serving dish. If you try to lift it without the help of the spatulas it will break and you really don’t want that to happen. If you are not going to serve this to company, it is purely for your pleasure and you don’t have the spatulas to help you move it don’t bother. Just leave it on the baking pan.
When I make a tart such as this I use my pizza pan with holes on the bottom. This type of pan helps the bottom of the Crostata cook and become crispy. The parchment paper will catch any juices that may drip from the Crostata.
As you can see by the picture, the Crostata looks beautiful. I am doing all I can to keep from diving into it before it cools. But I will wait and have a great dessert tonight.
Enjoy!
(Click on Summer Fruit Crostata or the photo for the recipe.)