This Christmas Crostata is an Italian homemade recipe. Made with a simple pastry known a pasta frolla. Simple and delicious. The perfect after dinner treat.
Start by making the dough, it dough can be made in a food processor or by hand, place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a larger bowl or the bowl of your food processor, whisk to combine.
Make a well in the middle (if in the bowl) and add the egg, yolk and butter, cut into small pieces, mix together with a fork, or pulse until almost combined.
Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and gently and quickly bring together to form a compact ball. If you are making it by hand you will need to knead it a bit longer to bring it together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch- (20 – 22 cm) pie plate.
Remove the dough from fridge and knead the dough a couple of times to soften it up again on a floured surface. Dust the rolling pine with a little flour and roll out to 1/8″ thickness. Transfer the dough to the prepared pie plate or tart pan. If you have a hard time with the dough you can use your hands to gently pat it into place in the pan.
Trim the pan of any extra dough. Prick the dough with the tongs of a fork, then spread the cranberry jam evenly on top.
Instead of making strips I used cutouts to make stars, makes it a little more festive. Place the stars on top of the jam, brush the top of the pastry lightly with milk and bake until golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes. If you find the top is browning too much, then cover it with foil (like a tent) and continue baking. Let cool completely before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
With the extra dough I cut out extra stars and made cookies. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
For room temperature ingredients remove from the fridge approximately 60 minutes before using.The pie can be kept at room temperature, covered. A cool area is best. It will keep for 3-4 days. The pastry dough can be made in advance and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days. Make sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap.Cool the crostata completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap, then again in foil. Place in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze. It will last up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.