Pasta frolla-Daring Bakers Challenge November 2010

The November Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Simona from Bricole. Simona chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make the pasta frolla for a crostata.She used her own experience as o source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi s Science in the kitchen and The Art of eating well.
I make crostatas quite often. I usually fill them with fresh fruits depending on season; apples, peaches, plums, strawberries...This time I made two tarts; chocolate and coconut and Crostata di Marmellata (tart with jam filling).It sounds much better in italian doesn t it?

Crostata di Marmellata

Ingrediens:

90 g powdered sugar
235 g flour
a pinch of salt
115 g cold butter, cut in small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon
1 egg
600 g jam ( I used my homemade apricot jam)
Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. you can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice. Make a well in the center of mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it. Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours.Heat the oven to 190 C. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away 1/4 of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base. Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.Roll the dough into a circle about 3 mm thick. Flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places. Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into stripes. Spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the crostata. Use the prepared strips of rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface. Put the tart in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, check the tart and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue. When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool.

Printable version

Chocolate crostata

Ingredients:

60 g powdered sugar
65 g flour
65 g whole-wheat pastry flour
28 g coconut
28 g unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
85 g cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

320 g chocolate
150 ml milk
250 ml cream
2 eggs lightly beaten
Coconut for decoration

Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into mixture and then use your fingertips. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours.Heat the oven to 190 C. Take the dough out of the fridge. Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.Roll the dough into a circle about 3 mm thick. Flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
In a small saucepan heat milk and cream just until it boils. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts.Remove from heat and incorporate lightly beaten eggs. Strain the cream through the colander and spread it on the bottom of crostata. Bake for 30 minutes. While the crostata is still warm sprinkle with some coconut.

 Printable version