Where does the much loved “crostata” come from? It is not easy to trace the origins of this pastry, which is by far one of the oldest in the tradition of the Italian pastry. Its history is not easy to be traced in time. However, it seems that this tart goes back as far as the precristian era.
Many people believe that crostata, as we know it today, was invented by a nun from the convent of San Gregorio Armeno. It is said that the famous version with sugar-bread strips on top was made to resemble the shape of the grates through which the cloistered nuns used to witness religious functions.
Today, we are going to show you a different version of this delicious cake: a tart filled with chocolate ganache and topped with fresh berries. Simplj delightful!
This our easy peasy recipe, for you. Enjoy it!
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
2 eggs
80g of sugar
120 of butter
250g of flour
For the chocolate ganache
250ml of whipping cream
300g of dark chocolate
For the topping
Berries of your choice
PREPARATION
Start with preparing the base by beating one whole egg and one yolk. Add 80g of sugar and 120g of softened butter. Keep mixing until you get a foam. Add 250g of flour. Mix the flour in until you obtain an homogeneous dough. Wrap it in plastic in film and store it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Work the dough with a rolling pin to 3mm thickness. Place it onto a baking pan. (Tip: I place a sheet of parchment paper between the pastry and the baking pan so that when it’s easier to pull out the tart when it’s cooked!). Cut and refine the edges. Pierce the surface of the pastry with the fork. Place a disk of parchment paper at the bottom of the pastry with a layer of rice or dry beans over it and cook in the oven at 180C (355F) for 30 minutes. When it’s cooked, remove the rice or beans let the base cool down before extracting the tart from the pan.
Meanwhile, pour 250ml of whipping cream in a sauce pan at medium heat. When the cream is simmering turn the heat off and add 300g of dark chocolate. Keep stirring until the chocolate is fully melted. Let it rest for a few minutes.
Chop a few strawberries or other berries of your choice. Place them at the bottom of the tart. Pour the chocolate ganache over the layer of berries and store in the fridge for at least one hour.
Decorate the tart with berries of your choice.
You can serve with with whipped cream or ice cream on the side.
Buon Appetito!!