Classic Italian Apple Crostata
My take on the classic Italian Apple Crostata is the perfect dessert for your holiday dinner parties! Sweet and tangy apples wrapped in a crumbly and buttery crust and can be made the night before! When it comes out of the oven it is gorgeous and warm and just begging for some ice cream to ooze all over it!!!
On a cold and windy night myself and 14 of my other “students” warmed up the kitchen and our souls in my Rustic Tuscan Cooking Class at a commercial kitchen I rent out.
One of the more difficult tasks was making the choice of which recipes to introduce to my loyal apprentices. I wrecked my brain for weeks and came to the conclusion that every rustic cooking class needs to have something as simple and incredible as a crostata!
A crostata is essentially a very rustic and quickly thrown together pie, perfect for demonstrating with an apple crostata recipe. It does not require much technique in rolling out the dough or cutting out any intricate shapes. Even a mess of a baker like me can manage to make them look gorgeous. Ahhh I love the rustic style 🙂
Technique
While it does not demand much effort, this recipe for Italian crostata does necessitate very cold ingredients and a food processor. Flour, cold butter and cold water are pulsed together in a food processor to create a beautiful dough.
The beauty of it is that the dough can be made the night before, even a few days before! Just keep wrapped up in plastic in the fridge and then use it when ready! Oh and the apples can also be made ahead! Then the day of the party just assemble and bake as you start serving your appetizers. Then they will be perfectly cooked and warm right in time for dessert! Can you think of anything easier for your next dinner party? I did this for Thanksgiving last year and it was a WIN!
A few simple steps later, a beautiful crumbly flower emerges from the oven, enveloping your whole being in sweet and buttery goodness.
Our cooking class finished on a very sweet note when these beautiful warm apple crostatas emerged from the oven all golden brown and crumbly. We finished the decadent dessert with a scoop of vanilla gelato and savored each and every morsel.
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Classic Italian Apple Crostatas
- Total Time: 130 minutes
- Yield: 8 people 1x
Description
My take on the classic Italian Apple Crostata is the perfect dessert for your holiday dinner parties! Sweet and tangy apples wrapped in a crumbly and buttery crust and can be made the night before!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup butter (cold)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces ice water (may need more if dough does not come together)
Filling
- 3 Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Dough:
- With a knife, cut the butter into 1/4″ cubes and keep cold.
- Mix flour, sugar and salt together in the food processor.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients in the food processor.
- Pulse or mix briefly, until butter is in small pieces, the size of peas.
- Add the ice water and mix. Stop before it is a solid mass.
- NOTE: It is better to be a little crumbly.
- Press the dough together and form into one large ball. Wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate at least one hour.
-
Filling
- In large sauté pan, melt butter until foaming and add sugar. Cook about 5 minutes over medium heat until light brown. Add the apples.
- Cook until apples are slightly soft, and add spices and zest – mixing well with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the cornstarch and mix well, cooking one minute.
- Remove filling and cool completely.
Assembly
- Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Cut the crostata dough into 4 equal balls.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into about a 9 inch circle.
- Place the rolled out dough onto the baking sheets lined with parchment paper
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill with 4-1/2 OZ. apple filling.
- Fold the dough onto the filling creating a rustic looking flower.
- Place into refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Baking
- Brush the crust of the crostatas with heavy cream.
- Sprinkle crust with crystallized sugar
- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until brown and crisped (about 35-40 minutes).
Notes
- Serve this with ice cream and homemade caramel for an extra delicious bite!
- Nutritional information should only be used as a guide.
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
Apples and pastry make up my favorite desserts, I have to give this a try.
Awww thank you so much!!!
These look amazing!
Thank you so much Julie!!!
does this dough makes 4 crostatas since you are dividing the dough into 4 parts?
Looks delicious. I LOVE your recipes!
It does! And the best part is each of those crostatas easily serve 2!!! And thank you for wonderful comments! Xo
what kind of apples did you use?
Granny Smith. They have just the right tartness! Macintosh would work too.
oops! didn’t read properly
No worries that’s what I’m here for 😉
This is right up my alley – going to pin, and definitely make this fall!
Amy thank you so much! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!
What a wonderful looking crostata Mila! I made one once but the filling was too liquid. I should try again! 😀
If you do it with the cornstarch it absorbs the extra liquid!!!
I just picked a variety of gorgeous apples so am looking forward to heading into the kitchen. Just perfection.
Yay!!!! So excited! Let me know how it turns out!
I love rustic foods too! And this crostata looks absolutely wonderful! Any dessert with apples has my name written all over it!
That’s how I feel 🙂
These are so pretty Mila! And totally begging for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I am so with you there. Your class sounds like a lot of fun – at least for me, anywhere I got to make these would be a good time!!
Thank you!!!!! I love my cooking classes!!! They are just the best!
Hi Milla, what can I use instead of cornstarch or can I skip it all together?
Renata
Hey Renata, you can skip it altogether if you need to. What it does is tightens the apple mixture a bit so that its not as runny. But I have managed to forget it at times and it was still great!!!
Oh Mila, I just love all of your food! And I particularly how your love and knowledge of food is so evident in your writing and your recipes. We so need to have a kitchen dance party 😉
Awwww I love this comment 🙂 Dance away lady!!! I’ll bring the pole 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m a big fan of crostata and how gorgeous is this one!? In my opinion it’s the perfect low-fuss dessert for the holidays.
I totally agree Marissa!!! It’s the best because it looks so important but it’s so easy 🙂
I want to come and dance with you and Kathleen, Mila! I love dancing in the kitchen while I cook (sipping on some wine is nice, too!). I love this recipe, and it makes me want to be sitting in a fabulous restaurant in Italy chatting with friends while we devour it. Love your new look, too! Fabulousness everywhere 🙂
Haha yes that’s exactly where I wanted you to be transported to with this dish 🙂 And you can come dance with us anytime darling!!!