I’m back! I’ve been readjusting to a new job, which didn’t leave much time for photographing and writing about my kitchen adventures.
I can’t wait to tell you about some of the dishes I’ve prepared and eaten over the past two months.
First, spring has FINALLY come to Chicago, and I jumped the gun with a summer fruit dessert: a raspberry-plum crostata.
The idea came from this month’s issue of Bon Appetit, which originally used raspberries and rhubarb. I went to two markets and couldn’t find rhubarb. Plums still lent that tart-sweet quality that makes a great fruit dessert.
Raspberry-plum crostata
Serves 4-6 | Adapted from Bon Appetit
For the crust:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of butter, cubed and chilled
1 egg yolk (save whites for egg wash)
1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk
For the filling:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 plums, sliced (leave skins on)
3 oz. (about half a container) fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 egg white, beaten with splash of water
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Make the crust: Combine both flours, sugar, and salt in food processor; blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Whisk egg yolk and milk in a small bowl to blend; add to processor and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 1/2 hours.
Make the filling: Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine plums, raspberries and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and juices are released, about 4 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Transfer to a bowl. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.
Finish the crostata: Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 6″ round; brush with egg wash. Mound filling in center of crust; gently spread out, leaving 1 1/2″ border. Gently fold edges of dough over filling, pleating as needed. Brush border with egg wash; sprinkle with sugar. Slide parchment with crostata onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let crostata cool on baking sheet on a rack. Transfer crostata to a platter, cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream.
Nicole M. Markle 