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Strawberry Crostata

by Savoring Italy

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Strawberry Crostata-A buttery Italian crust filled with strawberry jam and a layer of fresh and juicy strawberries. It makes the most perfect Italian breakfast or sweet treat for an afternoon coffee break.

overhead image strawberry crostata

We just can’t wait for strawberry season to arrive in Florida, and lucky for us, it lasts for months. This Strawberry Crostata is the perfect spring dessert filled with sweet strawberries.

There are usually 2 pints of strawberries in the refrigerator on any given week. I made a strawberry sauce for our flax seed pancakes (I just did this yesterday!). I make strawberry panna cotta  and even pop them into smoothies in the morning. I make this cake once a week.

If you follow my blog for a while now, you know we make all sorts of Italian crostatas. In case you are wondering what is the difference between an Italian crostata and my American pie recipes,  it is just that I sometimes add shortening and butter to my pie crust recipe. My Italian crostata recipe is all butter!

The base of an Italian crostata is pasta frolla or a sweet short crust pastry (or sweet tart dough) made of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Pasta frolla can be used for so many different things: it provides the base to make crostata with fruit preserves, pastry cream, fresh fruit, ricotta, and other ingredients, and, by itself, it makes very nice cookies.

overhead image of a strawberry crostata on a baking sheet

You know that this is my son’s favorite crostata! He told me he doesn’t like when I make “random” cakes and other desserts. He’s pretty traditional and very picky with my baking. He likes things that are usually just how his nonna Teresa makes them. And this happens to be a crostata she makes for us sometimes when we visit in the summer. 

I kept it simple the way he likes it for fear of having him call it another “random dessert”.

When I make my crostata I usually add jam (it’s not always homemade, but a good quality jam with not a lot of sugar) and sometimes I add a layer of fresh fruit on top. For this crostata, I added a thin layer and some fresh strawberries on top. We enjoy it as soon as it cools down out of the oven for a quick afternoon snack after school. It’s perfect for breakfast with a hot cup of tea or your cappuccino and if there is any left, it makes a perfect dessert!!

Here are some more delectable Italian crostata recipes you have to try!!
Cranberry Crostata
Blueberry Crostata
Strawberry and Apple Crostata
Ricotta and Chocolate Chip Crostata
Mango Crostata
Apple and Orange Marmalade Crostata
Nutella Crostata

Make sure you wait until the crostata cools down a little bit before taking that first slice. I hardly ever get a photo of one sliced because once you start a slice, it disappears pretty quickly!

I hope you are finally enjoying some beautiful cool temperatures and appreciate you stopping by! Happy Monday and Happy baking! xo

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slightly updated from Sept 2016

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5 from 6 votes

Strawberry Crostata

Strawberry Crostata-A buttery Italian crust filled with strawberry jam and a layer of fresh and juicy strawberries. It makes the most perfect Italian breakfast or sweet treat for an afternoon coffee break.
Prep Time40 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time1 hr 10 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: crostata, Strawberries
Servings: 1 11-inch fluted tart
Author: Lora

Ingredients

Pasta Frolla

  • 300 grams 10.54 ounces pastry flour
  • 200 grams 7.025 ounces unsalted butter
  • 100 grams 3.512 ounces sugar
  • 1 whole egg and 1 yolk 60 grams eggs

Filling:

  • 1 cup strawberry jam
  • 1 ½ cups strawberries hulled and sliced

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and sugar and process a few times to mix together.
  • Next add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like wet sand.
  • Add the egg and yolk and process a few seconds more until the dough forms (this should be about 5-7 more pulses). Be sure to not overprocess the dough.
  • Dump the dough from the food processor bowl onto a lightly floured counter. Form the dough into a disk and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F with a foil-lined large baking sheet on middle rack.
  • When dough is nicely chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 13-inch round about 1/8 thick.
  • Spray an 11-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom with baking spray.
  • Gently wrap the dough over the rolling pin and place it over the tart pan; release the rolling pin and let the dough fall into the tart pan.
  • Press the dough softly into the bottom of the tart pan. If some of the dough breaks while you press it into the tart pan, that’s not a problem. Simply piece the dough together.
  • Press the sides of the dough about 1/2 inch up the side of the tart pan. The rim of the tart should be lined with a slightly thicker layer of pastry than the bottom (about 1/4-inch thick).
  • Cut off the extra dough from the sides and keep these excess pieces to make the lattice topping.
  • Place this tart pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or even longer if necessary) to chill.
  • When the dough is chilled and ready to fill, remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and prick the pastry bottom with a fork a few times.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  • Spread the strawberry jam on the bottom of the crostata.
  • Place the strawberry slices on top of the strawberry jam.
  • Roll out the remaining piece of dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
  • Cut out the lattice strips. Place the strips on top of the crostata in a lattice pattern (or whichever pattern you like)
  • Bake on 375 F for approximately 30-45 minutes. You want the crust to be a nice golden brown.
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  8. Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says

    This is gorgeous, I love how ruby red the filling is! I absolutely don't blame your son – I wouldn't want anything but crostata, either. 😉

    Reply

  20. Allyson Zea says

    5 stars
    I can’t believe how gorgeous this turned out but it was so easy! I am so not a baker, so I appreciate this easy recipe!

    Reply

    • Lora says

      Thank you, Allyson! It is easy to put together and worth the little effort to make your own crust!

  25. Jackie says

    5 stars
    This looks almost to pretty to eat… almost 😉 I can’t wait to throw it together and then into the oven.

    Reply

  26. Angie says

    There’s no better season here in Florida than strawberry season! This crostata looks so perfect too!

    Reply