Fresh cherry crostata *jb

8 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 cups + 1 T all-purpose flour
¼ cup Granulated sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
1½ Sticks (6 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4\" dice plus 1 T melted butter
½ cup Ice water
2 tablespoons Blanched almonds, very finely chopped
3 pounds Fresh cherries, pitted

Directions

In a bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the salt. Add the cold butter and cut it in briefly using a pastry blender. Add the water and stir just until the dough begins to come together.

Gather up the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.

Knead briefly until it forms a smooth, cohesive mass. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out.

Mix the almonds with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Preheat the oven to 400F. On a lighlty floured surface, roll out the dough to a 15-inch round; transfer to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the almond mixture all over the dough to within 1½ inches of the edge.

Arrange the cherries on top. Fold the edge of the dough up and over the fruit.

Brush the melted butter over the pastry border and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the whole crostata. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crostata is deeply browned. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Dip a brush into the crostata and glaze the cherries with some of their juices. Serve warm.

Reprinted from Food and Wine Magazine, April 1996.

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