We’ve come back around to the time of year where we gather around the table with people we cherish and realize how grateful we are for the things we have in our life. We also realize how great it is to have a day to gourge ourselves with amazing food. And if you are anything like the members in our family, we do love our food. Especially desserts. As I’ve said before, I’m not much of a sweet tooth. But this time of year isn’t just when some of the desserts I do love emerge, but ones that I love baking too. For those of us who love to bake, this is our season. This is the playoffs. The big game of baking. It’s game time! And I am here for it! I’m basic, so I love pumpkin things and warm apple pie is another one of my favorites. Overall, we like our traditional desserts for Thanksgiving. But this year, I wanted to switch some things up.
My Mother is hosting our Thanksgiving this year, but with me being a Chef, I had to contribute something. Plus, that’s just the way we were raised. So I said that I would take care of desserts. There is a specific cheesecake that I am known for during this time of year that always has to make an appearance. But I wanted to do something different this year for our apple based dessert. I had always wanted to do a Tart Tartin, but that’s a very a la minuet dessert, meaning I would have to make and prepare it right there in that moment because it’s not one that will hold up to be made ahead of time. So not the best for timing with Thanksgiving. A Crostata was another thought that crossed my mind, and one that even my Mother had said she always wanted to try.
I knew I also didn’t want to do a basic apple crostata. So you might be asking, what is a crostata anyways? Well, it’s a rustic open faced tart that originated in Italy. It can be baked in a pie pan to help with stability but normally it is created and baked free form, therefore lending itself to a more casual approach for baking. This makes it less time consuming like a lattice topped pie would normally be. I knew I wanted to incorporate some other elements into this though.
Cranberries are an ingredient that normally shows up on the savory end of the Thanksgiving dinner. Now what state that exists in on your table is something I’m going to avoid as the great “Canned or Homemade” debate does exist in our family. But dessert wise, they are a bit misunderstood and definitely underrated. So why not put a few in this dessert idea of mine. And why not put some pears in there too, another favorite fruit of mine that shows up occasionally during the holidays but not nearly as much as it should.
The crust is vital here as it needs to be not too thick and not too thin. Sure the store bought crust will work and that’s fine too. But to me, nothing beats homemade crust. To me, you can taste the difference of store bought and homemade crust. And if you have a food processor or a stand mixer, it’s super simple to make.
Let’s get that crust started as it is going to need time to rest before we use it. So make sure your butter is super cold as that is the key to getting a really flakey and buttery crust. Add your flour, salt and sugar to the food processor or stand mixer and give it a few quick pulses the get everything incorporated. If you are using a stand mixer, you want to use whisk to get this going. Then, drop your ice cold cubes of butter into the processor/mixer one at a time, letting each one get incorporated in appropriately. Then slowly pour your ice water in. After it’s all in, let the processor or mixer run until your dough starts to come together into a ball or larger pieces.
Remove it from your device and make sure it is in one large piece. Flatten it slightly into a disc like shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. This will also the butter to firm up as well as making it easier to work with.
While your dough is chilling, peel those apples and pears and get them sliced. Grab those fresh cranberries and get everyone into a bowl. Let’s get them sugared up with some granulated sugar as well as some lemon juice. Now, here’s where I did a little something different. While I have mentioned Saltopia many times, and why shouldn’t I when my dear friend Kimarie Santiago has done such an amazing job creating one of my favorite food product lines? Well out came some new fun seasoned sugars this year and I knew I had to get my hands on this Cranberry one for Thanksgiving.
So I used half regular granulated sugar and half of this amazing sugar creation. If you don’t have this sugar, you can buy it here or if don’t want to get it, use the full amount of regular granulated sugar. Add your spices and toss everything thoroughly. Now I had originally toyed with the idea of adding brie to this recipe but it did not work out flavor wise at all. If you are feeling adventurous and want to give it a shot, by all means.
Now it’s go time for that dough! On a clean, cold surface, sprinkle flour and flour your rolling pin up. Unwrap your dough and start slowly rolling it out. You should get it completely rolled out to a 1/4 inch thick all around. Carefully transfer to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
Next, load your apple, pear and cranberry mixture into the center of the dough, leaving about a 2 inch thick ring around the outside.
Carefully start folding the outside dough up, you can either do this in a none pattern type manner or fold it similarly all the way around. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake this bad boy until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool and then carefully remove from pan and place on a serving platter. This is best served warm and of course you can add vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel or anything else you’d like to this.
This is a simple but lovely switch up from the normal, but very much loved, apple pie. Easy to make, not as much technique required and absolutely delicious!
Rustic Apple, Pear and Cranberry Spiced Crostata
Serves 8
- 12 ounces All purpose flour about 2-3/4 cups
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 8 ounces Butter, cut into cubed and very cold
- 4-5 ounces ice cold water about 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice cold water
- 2 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 large ripe Bartlett Pear, peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh or defrosted cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar or divide if you are using another sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- Flour for work surface
- 1 large egg, beaten well
- Sanding sugar for garnish (Optional)
- Add the dry ingredients into a food processor or your mixer. Give a couple of pulses or turns to incorporate ingredients. Start the machine and add your cold butter pieces one by one into the machine, allowing each one to incorporate. Once butter is all mixed in, slowly pour in water. Let mixture go until it starts to come together to form a ball or a few large pieces.
- Remove from machine and combine into one piece. Flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine apples, pears, cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and spices. Toss to combine thoroughly.
- On a clean, floured surface, roll out pie dough using a rolling pin to about a 1/4″ inch thick circle. Pile apple mixture in center, leaving a two inch border around the outside.
- Carefully fold up outside pieces all around the circle. Carefully transfer to a parchment paper lined sheet tray.
- Brush crust with beaten egg and sprinkle sanding sugar on crust if desired.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Carefully remove and serve warm.