Authentic Italian Crostata Recipe (Jam Tart)

This Crostata recipe is an old Italian jam tart recipe made with a soft crumbly sweet pasta frolla dough. It is a sweet shortcrust pastry pie made with baking powder and filled with fresh fruits or jam. It is easy to make and it keeps fresh for a long time. It is often eaten at breakfast, as a snack, or served at the end of an informal meal as a dessert. In Italy, you can buy it in most bakeries and pastry shops, but homemade is so much better.

Jump to:

• What does Crostata mean?
• Ingredients
• How to serve and store jam crostata
• Why Crostata is easy and handy
• When to eat crostata
• More fruits desserts you may like
• 📋 Authentic Italian Crostata Recipe (Jam Tart)

What does Crostata mean?

Crostata in Italian means crispy crust, it is a crumbly pastry pie filled with fruit or jam.

Crostata means pie or tart, so you should always specify its filling: Crostata di frutta, fruit crostata; or Crostata di marmellata, jam crostata.

Fruits and jam are the most common fillings, but Crostata can also be filled with chocolate, nutella, ricotta or custard.

Jam crostata is the most commonly made as everyone has a jar of jam in their pantry they can use up. It is very easy to make, it can be stored for a long time and it is easy to eat on the go.

Ingredients

This crostata is made with a very crispy, crumbly, and fluffy pastry, an old classic recipe that uses baking powder.

The ingredients for the pasta frolla pastry are:

• 1 cup - 200 gr sugar
• 4 cups - 500 gr flour
• 2 tablespoon baking powder
• ⅔ cups - 160 gr butter at room temperature
• 3 eggs

2 cups of jam for the filling.

Making the dough

1. First mix all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and baking powder
2. Then add all the wet ingredients
3. Mix until the dough is formed
4. If the dough is too warm, wrap it in cling and store it in the fridge for few minutes. Cold dough is easier to roll.
5. Put the dough on a well-floured surface and cut ½, keep ½ of the pastry aside for the top
6. Roll the rest of the pastry to make the base of the pie

Preparing the base

This quantity of dough is enough for a 9 in - 22 cm D / 1 in - 2.8 cm H baking pan with removable bottom.

7. Butter and flour the baking pan
8. While you roll the dough, check the size of the pastry vs the size of the pan
9. Once the pastry is large enough, lay it on the baking pan
10. Press the dough into the pan
11. Trim the edges
12. Pierce the pastry with a fork
13. Pour the jam and spread it evenly

Preparing the top of the Crostata

1. Cut the remaining pastry into 8 parts
2. Make 8 strips with each part.
   • 2 Longer strips
   • 4 Medium strips
   • 4 Shorter strips

Baking the Crostata

1. Place the 2 long strips as a cross in the center
2. Place the 4 medium strips next all around
3. Last place at the end the 4 short strips
4. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes at 355 F - 180 C

How to serve and store jam crostata

Jam Crostata is served at room temperature. It can be cut into small slices or squares and eaten with your hands.

It will last for a week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

It is not necessary to store a jam crostata in the fridge. Fresh fruit crostata should be stored in the fridge during the hot summer months.

Why Crostata is easy and handy

Crostata is very easy to make at home and does not require any planning.

As long as you have the ingredients to make the shortcrust pastry (pasta frolla) and some jam, it can be made at the last minute and will last for the week.

It is the perfect dessert to use up opened jars of jam or marmalade.

You can use any jam you like, here, I am using my homemade caramelized peach jam.

When to eat crostata

Jam Crostata is a practical snack for children going to school or served for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

It is also very handy to offer as a dessert for a buffet, bring to a potluck or a picnic as it can be easily carried and eaten with your hands like a biscuit.

Crostata is the perfect dessert to serve with your homemade liqueurs. You can find a selection of liqueurs in the article: Homemade Italian liqueurs

More fruits desserts you may like

You can find more desserts made with fruits and jam here below:

• Peach Tarte Tatin
• Pear crumble recipe
• Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Mousse
• Lime sorbet
• Apple cupcakes
• Apricot jam cake with marshmallow topping
• Strawberry shortcake
• Magic lemon cake

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