In this Rustic Crostata the extra virgin olive oil, the rosemary, the almond meal and almonds, the brown sugar and the grapes, spread an intense, delightful bouquet of aromas in your mouth and nose.
This Rustic Crostata was deliziosa! (delicious in italian). I'm writing this post when it's already gone, and it did not take long. The flavors were beyond good, the light, crumbly crust that resembled so much ofΒ a shortbread but was made with extra virgin olive oil and water, the juicy sweetΒ filling of the concord grapes, the crunchy tosted almonds for the topping, the secret hidden flavor of the rosemary, everything blended and melded perfectly in your mouth. But did I spoil the post by revealing the end at the beginning?
Okay, let's take a step back.
I've always loved baking, more than cooking, since I was a kid. More often than not I would entertain my schoolfriends withΒ my baked goods, prepare desserts forΒ my family, bring my sweets to work, to friends's dinners and family gatherings, andΒ fill my Facebook page with my baking creations. I frequently followed a foodblogger, italian by adoption, and the wonderful stuff that she made, both savory and sweet,Β would often become my lunches, suppers and desserts. All very much appreciated. I still follow her and it's also from her foodblog that I gotΒ the inspiration to start this bustling, excitingΒ adventure. She is Sigrid, from Cavoletto di Bruxelles.
This crostata was inspired by one of her latest recipes, with a few modifications here and there. Instead of plums, I had beautiful Concord Grapes bought on our saturday visit to the Strathcona Farmers' Market, almond meal and slivered almonds in lieu of hazelnuts, rosemary still alive and kicking in our backyard and a great organic extra virgin olive oil that you can always find in our pantry.
As it happens in libraries andΒ bookstores with books, it happens the same with recipes. TheyΒ choose me and not viceversa. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but there's something thatΒ pulls me to them. The picture, at first, but then something in the list of ingredients and method of preparation is the defining factor. I don't make recipes that just look good. Sometimes I see some incredible looking food but I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks.
This crostata is rustic because it is not perfect, or perfectly shaped, the dough is so tender and delicate that when you fold it over you have to be very gentle or it will tear (and mine did). But the flavor...oh my... So simple, yet so extraordinary. Once again, a sweet that pleases your taste buds as well as your sense of smell. The extra virgin olive oil, the rosemary, the almond meal and almonds, the brown sugar and the grapes, all spread such an intense bouquet of aromas in your mouth and nose that will leave you wonder why you did not make it before.
You can try making itΒ with other fruit, too. I bet it is fantastic anyway! I am going to make it again, that's for sure!
Soundtrack: Marvin GayeΒ "Heard It Through The Grapevine". What better π ?
Adadpted from a recipe found on Cavoletto di Bruxelles.
PrintRustic Crostata with Concord Grapes, Almonds and Rosemary [V.]
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
Crostata
- 120 g all-purpose flour + 30 g amaranth flour (or all all-purpose flour)
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Β½ tsp fine sea salt
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 60 ml cold water
Filling
- 1 cup concord grapes
- 1 little sprig rosemary (about 10 leaves), finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp almond flour
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Topping
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, at room temperature, for the topping
- 2 Tbsp slivered almonds, tosted
- dusting of icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360Β° F and line a round baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl put flours, sugar, salt and extra virgin olive oil. Start mixing, then add cold water a bit at a time. Work the dough fast until it forms a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic and refrigerate for half hour.
- After that time, put the dough on the parchment paper and spread it with your hands (it is very light and workable) to form a disk 1 cm thick.
- In a small mixing bowl combine 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, the almond flour, al-purpose flour, and the rosemary leaves finely chopped.
- Spread the mixture on the base of the crostata, leaving a thick border empty.
- Wash the concord grapes, drain them well and put them on the mixture. Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoon of brown sugar and butter (or coconut oil) flakes.
- Fold the border on the filling so as to cover it a little bit.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes.
- Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle with the tosted slivered almonds.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5-6 portions
Ricetta in italiano:
PrintCrostata Rustica con Uva Fragola, Mandorle e Rosmarino
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
Per la crosta allβolio dβoliva
- farina 00 150g
- acqua freddissima 60ml
- olio dβoliva 60ml
- zucchero due cucchiai
- sale mezzo cucchiaino
Per il ripieno
- prugne o susine una decina (o uva fragola)
- rosmarino un rametto
- zucchero 4 cucchiai
- farina di nocciole o mandorle 2 cucchiai
- farina 00 2 cucchiai
- burro 20g (io ho usato olio di cocco)
- nocciole o mandorle tostate 2 cucchiai
- zucchero a velo
Instructions
- Preparare la pasta allβolio dβoliva: lavorare tutti gli ingredienti tranne lβacqua, poi aggiungere lβacqua poco a poco. Lavorare velocemente fino a formare una palla, avvolgere con della pellicola e tenere al fresco per mezzβora.
- Stendere la pasta. Mescolare 2 cucchiai di zucchero con la farina di mandorle o nocciole, la farina e una decina di foglioline di rosmarino finemente tritate. Cospargere la base di pasta con questo preparato, lasciando un bordo libero di 5cm.
- Lavare e affettare le prugne (o l'uva fragola), sistemarle sulla crostata, cospargere con altre 2 cucchiai di zucchero e fiocchi di burro, poi piegare i lembi di pasta sopra il ripieno in modo da coprirlo in parte. Infornare 180Β°C per 40 minuti. Lasciar intiepidire prima di servire. Cospargere con le mandorle o nocciole tostate grossolanamente tritate prima di servire e spolverare di zucchero a velo.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 persone
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Sabrina says
Oh, how I wish I could have local grapes at a reasonable price to make this beauty! The store-bought ones here just don't live up to the fresh picked ones - so this recipe is a keeper π until I get my hands on some 'proper' grapes!
Thank you so much, Sabrina! You're right, with store bought fruit it just wouldn't taste the same. You can try other organic, local fruit, but I have to say that it was amazing with concord grapes! Thanks for stopping by!
Katie | delightfulvegans says
This sounds like an amazing combination of flavours! I'm drooling looking at those pictures ????β€οΈ
Thank you so much! It is! The Concord grapes marry so well with the almond and rosemary π .
Amy L Lyons says
This sounds delicious :)! Concord grapes are my favorite :)!
john says
What a delicious sounding treat. But I'm curious. Did you somehow find seedless Concords, or does one simply ignore them as a worthwhile sacrifice?
Hi John, I wasn't aware of seedless anything before coming to Canada π . In Italy, we eat grapes and watermelon that have seeds, for example. So yes, we simply ignore the fact that Concord grapes have seeds but are delicious π . After all, they say that grape seeds contain a lot of nutrients π . Thanks for stopping by!
john says
Fall can't get here soon enough! Maybe before then, I'll try it with the original plums. Thanks so much for your creativity, Nicoletta!
You're very welcome! Hope you try it with plums and let us know! I've been wanting to try and never have π .