Roasted Pear-Apple Crostata in Wood-fired Oven

Makes one crostata, serving 10-12

Pastry Dough:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour or almond meal
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
6 oz. (one and one-half sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
3/4 cup or so ice water

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until butter pieces are the size of a pea and still visible. Slowly add 1/2 of the ice water , then more until the dough comes together and forms a ball. You may not need the full amount of water. Do NOT overwork the dough! Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour or overnight.

Preheat wood-fired oven to about 375 degrees. Leave a small fire off to left side when ready to bake. Make filling.

Filling:
2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup Muscato
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
8 oz. apple jelly
2/3 cup blanched almond slices

Toss the apples and pears with the muscato and sugar and place on a sheet pan. Place on the floor of the oven and roast for 10 minutes or so or until the fruit is slightly softened. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve any juices.

Roll out each dough disk between sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick in a round, approximately 12 inches across.

Warm the apple jelly over low heat to make spreadable. Add up to 2 tablespoons of the reserved roasted fruit juices. Spread 1/3 of the jelly on the bottom of the crust. Leaving a 1 1/2 inch border, cover the center with the roasted fruit, fanning and overlapping each slice slightly. Top with the blanched almond slices, then the remainder of the jelly. Sprinkle with more turbinado sugar.

Place on double sheet pan and set in the center of the oven, on the floor of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with Muscato Crème .

Mary Karlin © 2007

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