Comice Pear Dried Fruit And Huckleberry Crostata Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using your fingers, two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Slowly add the buttermilk and cream and gently mix, using your fingers or a fork, until the mixture just comes together. (Alternatively, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the buttermilk and heavy cream and pulse until the dough just comes together.)
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and sprinkle a bit more flour on top. Lightly flatten the dough using a rolling pin or your hands, fold it over and flatten again. Fold it over once more, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
• Make the filling: Combine the fruit and sugar in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature until the juices begin to release, about 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the citrus zest and juice and salt.
• Assemble the crostata: Preheat the oven to 375˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the dough round to the prepared baking sheet. Fill the center with the fruit filling, leaving a 2-inch border. Gently fold the border over the fruit, leaving the center exposed, and pleat the border to make a circle. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the dough.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss fruit with sugar and transfer to a cobbler dish. In a separate bowl, mix flour with the brown sugar. Add butter and mix with a pastry knife until crumbly. Spoon on top of fruit and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• To make the topping, measure the flour, polenta, sugar, salt, baking powder, and anise seeds into a food processor or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse for a few seconds to combine.
• Add the butter and pulse or mix on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the egg into the well and toss the egg and flour together lightly and thoroughly with your fingers until evenly mixed. The mixture will not adhere in the manner of a dough but will clump together if pressed in your palm. Set aside until needed.
• To make the filling, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until well mixed. Turn mixture into a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over the filling in an even layer. Do not press down. Place the dish on a baking sheet to catch the drips and place in the oven.
• Bake until the juices are bubbling up around the topping and the top is crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve warm with gelato, if desired.

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the 1/4 cup ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and form into 2 disks. Wrap the disks with plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Roll each pastry disk into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer them to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• For the filling, peel, core, and quarter the pears. Cut each quarter into big chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Divide the pear chunks between the pastries, covering the dough and leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cranberries over the top of each tart.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the two tarts. Gently fold the border of each tart over the pears, pleating it to make a circle.
• Bake the crostatas for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the pears are tender. Let the tarts cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer them to wire racks.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toast the nuts until fragrant, about 7 or 8 minutes, and chop them medium-fine. Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces. Work it into the flour mixture with your fingers until crumbly. Add the chopped nuts and mix well - the topping should hold together when squeezed. (The topping can be prepared up to a week ahead and refrigerated.)
• Put the diced pears in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and taste; adjust if necessary. Sprinkle the flour over the pears and mix gently. Turn the mixture into an earthenware dish just large enough to hold the fruit, slightly mounded at the center. Spoon the topping over the pears, pressing down lightly. Place the dish on a baking sheet to catch any overflow and bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the topping is dark golden brown and the juices have thickened slightly. Serve warm with ice cream or Armagnac-flavored whipped cream.
• Variations: Other fruits may be substituted with the same general proportions, but some fruits require more or less sugar and flour, depending on their natural sweetness and juiciness. Rhubarb, for instance, requires more of both; apples require no flour at all.