Crostata with Pastry Cream

This delicious Crostata with Pastry Cream and sugared blueberries is an easy-to-make dessert that will win you rave reviews.

*Disclaimer - This recipe was originally published in 2010. I'm working hard to update all my older recipes with recipe cards, new photos, and additional recipe information. But, getting to all of them will take time. Please bear with me. In the meantime let me assure you that this recipe is still a winner and one I'm sure you'll be well pleased with when you make it at home.

This was my second challenge since joining The Daring Bakers in October 2010.

I had never made a crostata before but was anxious to give it a try and see how mine would turn out.

I decided to fill it with pastry cream (we were given many options to try) but since I had never made pastry cream before either, I opted for that.  Here are the recipes I used and my final outcome.

CROSTATA WITH PASTRY CREAM AND SUGARED BLUEBERRIES  {PRINT THIS RECIPE}

Pasta Frolla:  The dough

½ c. minus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 and ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated zest of an orange
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl.

-Whisk together sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl.
-Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs.  You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips.  (I used the bowl method).
-Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the beaten eggs into it.
-Add in the orange zest.
-Knead lightly until the dough comes together into a ball.
-Shape into a flat dish and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

VANILLA ORANGE PASTRY CREAM  (recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse)

2 cups whole milk
½ cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (I used 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup cornstarch, measured, then sifted

-In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, vanilla, orange zest and juice.
-Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until pale yellow, about 2 minutes.
-Slowly add ½ cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly until smooth.
-Add the egg yolk mixture to the pan of hot milk and whisk to combine.
-Return to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
-Remove from the heat and strain into a clean container, scraping the bottom of the strainer with a spoon. Discard the vanilla bean (if using).
-Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

SUGARED BLUEBERRIES

1 egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon water
1-pint blueberries
½ cup granulated sugar

-Gently toss the blueberries in a bowl with the egg white and water mixture until completely covered.
-Remove the blueberries from the egg and place them in a bowl with the sugar. Toss to completely coat.
-Place the sugar-coated blueberries in a single layer on a baking sheet and allow them to dry completely (1-2 hours) at room temperature.

When everything has been sufficiently chilled and dried, here's what you need to do to assemble and bake your crostata con la crema:

-Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9-inch fluted tart pan (with removable bottom).
-Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, and unwrap it. *Note - To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in.  This can help roll the dough and can also help when transferring it to the pan.
-Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface with flour.  Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.
-Roll the dough into a circle about ⅛th inch thick.
-If you used the plastic wrap as a rolling surface, flip the dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered.  Peel away the plastic wrap.
-Trim away the excess dough and make sure your dough is even all around the pan.
-Prick the bottom with a fork to avoid puffing the bottom crust.
-Fill the crostata with the chilled pastry cream and smooth it as evenly as possible before baking.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and will try it for yourself sometime.  I'd love to hear back from you if you do.

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