Winter Fruit And Nut Crostata Food

DRIED FRUIT AND NUT CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk egg, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, honey, and 1 teaspoon orange peel in medium bowl. Set aside 1 tablespoon nuts for garnish. Add remaining nuts and all dried fruit to bowl with egg mixture; toss filling to coat. Unroll crust onto prepared sheet. Spoon filling into center of crust; spread out in even layer, leaving 1 1/2- to 2-inch border. Fold crust edges over filling, pleating occasionally. Brush crust with remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter. Finely chop reserved 1 tablespoon nuts. Mix chopped nuts and remaining 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle over crust.
• Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling in center, about 40 minutes.
• Stir yogurt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon orange peel in small bowl. Serve crostata warm or at room temperature with orange-flavored yogurt.

SUMMER FRUIT CROSTATA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using your fingers, two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Slowly add the buttermilk and cream and gently mix, using your fingers or a fork, until the mixture just comes together. (Alternatively, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the buttermilk and heavy cream and pulse until the dough just comes together.)
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and sprinkle a bit more flour on top. Lightly flatten the dough using a rolling pin or your hands, fold it over and flatten again. Fold it over once more, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
• Make the filling: Combine the fruit and sugar in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature until the juices begin to release, about 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the citrus zest and juice and salt.
• Assemble the crostata: Preheat the oven to 375˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the dough round to the prepared baking sheet. Fill the center with the fruit filling, leaving a 2-inch border. Gently fold the border over the fruit, leaving the center exposed, and pleat the border to make a circle. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the dough.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
• For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.
• Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

WINTER FRUIT AND NUT CROSTATA

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the pastry, if necessary. Let the dough soften briefly at room temperature. Place the larger disk of dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll it out to form a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. 2 When the dough is ready, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap. Using the remaining sheet to lift the dough, center the dough in a 9- to 10-inch tart pan, with the plastic-covered side up. Peel off the plastic wrap. Gently press the dough into the base of the pan and along the sides. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan and trim off the overhanging dough. Gently press the dough against the sides of the pan to create a rim higher than the edge of the pan. Refrigerate the pastry shell 30 minutes. 3 In a medium saucepan, combine the prunes, raisins, and water. Cook over low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Let cool. In a food processor or blender, puree the fruit mixture with the orange zest. Add the liqueur, honey, and cinnamon and process until smooth. With a spatula, stir in the walnuts. 4 Spread the fruit and nut mixture in the prepared tart shell. 5 Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 6 Roll out the remaining dough to a 10-inch circle. With a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Arrange the strips about 1 inch apart across the tart pan. Rotate the tart a quarter- turn and place the remaining strips across the top, forming a lattice pattern. Press the ends of the strips against the sides of the tart to seal. Brush the dough with the egg yolk mixture. 7 Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. 8 Let the tart cool in the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove the pan rim and let the tart cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Store covered with a large inverted bowl at room temperature up to 24 hours. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

WINTER FRUIT AND NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears; sprinkle with sugar. Saute until pears are golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to very large bowl; mix in cinnamon. Melt remaining 10 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery; saute until golden, about 15 minutes. Add wine and next 5 ingredients. Simmer until liquid is reduced almost to glaze and mixture is soft and moist, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Mix into pears. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.).
• Mix bread and pecans into fruit mixture. Season stuffing with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Bake uncovered until heated through, about 35 minutes.

WINTER DRIED FRUIT AND NUT CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Line small baking sheet with foil. Melt chocolate chips in medium bowl over saucepan of simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate onto foil, spreading with offset spatula to thickness of scant 1/4 inch. Scatter nuts and dried fruit over chocolate. Sprinkle with ginger. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Peel off foil. Cut chocolate into irregular pieces. Serve bark slightly chilled.