Apricot Almond Crostata with Vanilla Ice Cream

Jun 21

Jun 21 Apricot Almond Crostata with Vanilla Ice Cream

Almond Shortbread LIke Crust and Baked Apricots -
not too sweet and extra crumbly.

serve with sweet vanilla ice cream!

What is a crostata? My best description is a rustic pie without the pie plate. My first introduction to the crostata was a Barefoot Contessa Apple Crostata recipe and it was fantastic! I wanted to create my own take with this apricot almond version.

This is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa recipes I have tried. My version is a messy hands approach with the mixing and assembling of the crostata. I added almond meal to the crust which is more difficult to fold, but creates a very crumbly shortbread like texture. I also used less filling and switched up the fruit to apricots. Rather than adding a crumble on top, I piled on the vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with toasted almonds after baking. I also baked at a slightly lower temperature. The apricots are a bit tart and not overly sweet and the almond shortbread is very crumbly so be sure to serve with plenty of sweet vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!

To Make the Almond Crust

3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus more for shaping the crust
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons ground almonds (I use Trader Joe's "Just Almond Meal")
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons sugar
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb), softened

To Make the Apricot Filling

3 or 4 apricots - each sliced into 8-12 wedges each
2 teaspoons cane sugar
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
2 teaspoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon orange zest

To Serve (this easily serves 3)

Vanilla Ice Cream
Toasted Almond Slices (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Almond Crust - in a medium sized bowl mix flour, almond meal, sugar, and butter until combined (I just used my hand to mix and work into a ball). Place dough in the freezer to chill while working on the filling.

Apricot Filling - combine apricots, sugar, flour, orange juice and orange zest in a bowl. Toss to combine and let sit at room temperature while working the dough into the right shape.

Crostata - lay parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Flour, the working surface and the top of the crostata and with your hands, work the crust into a flat round circle about the size of a large salad plate. I used my palm and fingers to press this out into the right shape - it's rustic and much more fun. Add the apricot filling to the center - leaving at least 2 inches of crust around the edges - I placed my apricots in two slightly overlapped spiral circles to fill the crostata. Working carefully, fold the edges over toward the center, a little over an inch at a time - (this crust is crumbly so you may need to press it together again slightly to make sure you have sealed the edges along the bottom of the crostata. This is very rustic and messy - and that is part of why I enjoy making these so much!

Bake for 18-22 minutes checking for light brown edges along the crust. In my constant battle not to set off the smoke detector in my tiny studio - this only baked 20 minutes - you can bake it a little longer.

Served warm with lots of creamy vanilla ice cream. I also added toasted slivered almonds.