Cranberry almond crostata

About a year and a half ago I had the good fortune to take a trip to France and Italy. My last few days were spent in Italy with my friend, Valentina, in the company of her generous and welcoming family and friends. Our last afternoon in town, Valentina's mother had everyone over for an amazing feast. She spent the whole day preparing a multi-course meal like I had never experienced before- I still remember waking up to the smell of braising meat. Amidst the many pleasures of the day was a crostata with raspberry jam. Both Valentina and her mother have mastered this Italian pastry. A crust like a cookie and a jam filling, it dances in the mouth with elegance. As good for breakfast as it is for dessert.

Hidden in the back of the November issue of Gourmet magazine this year was this recipe for a cranberry almond crostata. It would be easy to overlook, socked away in the back as it was. But on seeing it, my mind wandered back to that summer by the Italian beach, when I was listening to stories told my entertaining old men who speak as much English as I speak Italian. The combined forces of their inflections and gesticulations and my wine consumption held us engaged in conversation. I knew I'd bake this dessert.

My go-to excuses for baking were tapped out, what with Thanksgiving over, no parties on the horizon, and the lab recently fed with pumpkin bread (I like to leave the window of opportunity open for them to believe that some of my free time might be spent reading scientific journal articles). But I love everything this recipe has to offer. Cranberries. Almonds. Butter. Jam. What's not to love? Staring into my fridge one night, bathed in cool light as a heap of veggies stared back at me, the "my cranberries are going to go bad soon!" excuse leaped at me. Relieved, I set about toasting almonds.

The result? A pleasant tart-and-sweet filling ensconced in a buttery, slightly nutty crust. I used half apricot jam, half orange marmalade, and would use all apricot next time, and I'd be sure to roll the crust as thin as possible such that it doesn't overwhelm the delicious insides. The crostata shelf life is relatively short, so be ready with a reason if you go to the trouble of making it. But with a brief oven-revival before serving, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream you might stretch its opportunity to please a few extra days. It's too fancy to be every-day comfortable, and not quite as cookie-like as Valentina's family crostata. It has its place and time, and was a good experiment, but apparently my work is not done yet.

Adapted from November 2007 Gourmet

1. The Almond-and Butter Crust

Toast and cool 1/4 lb almonds, then pulse them in a blender with 1/4 c. flour.

Beat together 3/4 c. softened butter and 1/2 c. brown sugar with a mixer for about 3 mins. Beat an egg in a little cup and scoop out 1 T of the egg, the dump the remainder of the egg into the butter-sugar mix. Return that reserved 1T egg to the cup and refrigerate it, covered, for later.

Next, add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp almond extract, and mix it well. Finally, add the zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp salt, the almond mixture, and 1 3/4c. flour. Mix it on low speed or by hand with a big spoon until it just forms a dough. Phew... divide the dough evenly in two, shape into disks with a diameter the length of your hand, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm (at least 30 min, according the the experts).

2. The Sweet-and-Tart Filling

Start with 10 oz of fresh, washed, and picked-over cranberries and bring them to a boil with 1/4 c. orange juice, 1/2 c. apricot jam (or marmalade), 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium pot, uncovered. Simmer and stir until the cranberries plump up and some of them burst with a complete loss of integrity and the whole mixture starts to thicken up. This should take 5-7 min. Once you're satisfied, cool the filling to lukewarm by putting it in the fridge for a bit.

3. The Assembly

Preheat the oven to 375F with a foil-liked baking sheet on the middle rack.

Butter your springform pan.

Roll out one round of dough and try to cut it into even strips, 1/3 - 1/2 inch wide. Freeze the strips to firm them up for easier handling while you work on the bottom crust.

Roll out the other half between 2 sheets of parchment or between sheets of saran wrap. Transfer it to the pan and arrange it such that it covers the bottom evenly and comes up about 1/2" in the pan.

Pour your filling into the dough shell and arrange about 5 strips, spaced 1" apart, across the top, then arrange more strips diagonally across the first set. Brush the lattice top with the egg you saved from the crust preparation and sprinkle with 1T granulated sugar.

Bake on the hot baking sheet "until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling, 50-60 min." Keep an eye on it and cover loosely with foil if the crostata is browning too quickly.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, 1.5-2 hr, to let the juices thicken, then serve.
I mentioned the ice cream, right?