Monday, March 12, 2007

Upsidedown Berry Crostada




I recently saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on her Everyday Italian show, and knew immediately that I had to try it. Well, today was the day and it turned out wonderfully. She suggested serving it with a marscapone cheese, cream, and honey topping, but I didn't have the cheese or cream, so ate it plain, and it is still a fantastic dessert. My notes follow her recipe.

Upsidedown Berry Crostada

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons ice water

5 cups frozen mixed berries, thawed (about 30 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons honey

To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until moist clumps form.
Gather the dough into a ball then flatten into a disk.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir together the berries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch in a 10-inch diameter round baking dish.
Roll out the crust to a 14-inch diameter circle.
Place the crust over the berries in the baking dish.
Fold the crust over itself until it fits just inside the baking dish.
Cut a 2-inch slit in the center of the dough.
Bake until the crust is golden and the berries are bubbly, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, whip together the mascarpone, heavy cream, and honey.
Cover and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To serve, scoop out the crostada into serving dishes and top with the whipped mascarpone.

My notes:

I used part white flour and part whole wheat pastry, regular table salt, salted butter.
Instead of a 10-inch baking dish, I used a 9 x 13 pan. And I baked it at 375º.

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