Crostata di marmellata

It’s been raining buckets and buckets, so instead of enjoying a Saturday afternoon out and about on our Vespas or in our Alfa Romeo Spider, yesterday we were stuck inside the house.

Stefano took the opportunity to tackle our upstairs project – new flooring and paint in the bedrooms. I, on the other hand, decided that the warm, sweet, and buttery fragrance of something baking in the oven would bring some cheer to the gloomy, gray day.

I thought about making a torta della nonna, but while I had plenty of pine nuts, there was no ricotta, and I had no intention of going out in the pouring rain to buy some. I did have a jar of cherry jam, though. A crostata di marmellata would do just fine.

What is a crostata?

Crostata is sometimes called a tart in English, other times as a pie. Neither translation is quite right, though. Crostata is a class of desserts made from pasta frolla, a shortbread-type pastry crust made with flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. Crostatas are filled with jam, pastry cream, and fruit, or a sweet ricotta filling, and they are often topped with a lattice crust.

Marmellata means “marmalade” or “jam,” and a crostata di marmellata, or jam crostata, is the simplest and most unassuming crostata. Easy to make with pantry staples, it is served for breakfast, with afternoon coffee, or even as a dessert. Crostata di marmellata is as common to Italian households as the chocolate chip cookie is to American ones, but it is still elegant enough to be found on restaurant dessert menus. Crostata di marmellata is traditionally made with apricot, mixed berry, or strawberry jam, but in Rome, you will also find crostata alle viscole, made with wild cherry jam.

Before you start baking

Crostata di marmellata is simple to make but requires a few items that may not be common in kitchens outside of Italy. Before getting started, let’s run through what you will need:

• Lievito Pane degli Angeli is an Italian leavening agent used in crostata di marmellata and many other Italian baked goods. If you don’t have any, you can substitute baking powder.
• Farina doppio zero, or 00 flour, is preferred for Italian baking. We use Antimo Caputo Chef’s Flour. However, standard all-purpose flour will work just fine.
• Adding lemon zest gives the pasta frolla crust a lovely touch of citrus, so it’s helpful to have a zester.
• We make crostata in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. If you don’t have one, a ceramic tart dish or even a pie plate will work.
• While not necessary, a fluted pastry wheel allows you to make a pretty lattice for the top of your crostata.
• When we bake, we measure ingredients in grams using a digital kitchen scale. Volume measurements are provided in the recipe below for readers who don’t have a kitchen scale, but we encourage you to try measuring in grams – it’s so much more accurate. To illustrate, try Googling how many cups are in 300 grams of flour and see how many answers you get.

How to make a crostata

A crostata is a simple, forgiving treat you can whip up in a heartbeat. It starts with a pasta frolla crust made with flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and a teaspoon of lievito Pane degli Angeli, the quintessential Italian leavening agent. Let your stand mixer do the work, place the dough in the fridge while you prepare your tart pan, and then get to work assembling your crostata.

Preserve one-third of the dough, and roll out the rest until it is just larger than the tart pan. Transfer it to the pan, and use your fingers to press it up around the edges. Spread a layer of your favorite jam on top, and set aside. 

Retrieve the dough previously set aside and divide it into two pieces. Roll the first piece into a rectangle just longer than the diameter of the tart pan. Use a fluted pastry wheel to cut the dough into five strips. Place the strips over the crostata, evenly spaced.  Repeat this process with the second piece of dough, arranging the strips onto the crostata in a lattice pattern. Pinch the edges of the crostata together, and bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes. 

Wine Pairing

Crostata can be paired with Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine with a thick, viscous texture and nut, toffee, caramel and raisin flavors. Vin Santo has a crisp acidity that balances the sweetness of the jam and goes well with the crostata’s shortbread-like crust.

Vin Santo, which means Holy Wine, reportedly acquired its name during the 14th century in the Tuscan countryside near the city of Siena when wine left-over from mass was used to cure illness and disease. A favorite of our is a Vin Santo by Fattoria del Teso.