Crostata is the quintessential Italian dessert.
This tart is simple, as it uses few ingredients, and it’s rustic thanks to the presence of spelled flour, but above all, it is easily made and preserves all the autumn flavors.

Mirta's Autumn Tart

  • Preparation time: 90 minutes
  • Ingredients for a 24 cm-diameter pan
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • For the spelled crust pastry:
  • 200 g of spelled flour
  • 150 g of all-purpose flour
  • 100 g of butter
  • 100 g of cane sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 g of baking powder
  • Grated orange and lemon zest to taste
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the filling:
  • 250 g of quince jam
  • 150 g of coarsely chopped almonds
  • 150 g of coarsely chopped walnuts
  • Cinnamon powder to taste
  • For decoration:
  • Powdered sugar to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. In a food processor, mix the butter (cut into cubes) and the sugar. Add the eggs, citron zest, baking powder, and both flours (previously sifted). Mix until you obtain a uniform dough which will be wrapped in clingfilm and left to rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes.
  3. In the meantime, chop the dried fruit and mix it with the quince jam and a pinch of cinnamon.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  5. After the resting time in the fridge, take out the shortcrust pastry, and divide it into two. Roll out the first half, trying to obtain a disc of about 4 mm. Once you have transferred the first disc into the buttered and floured pan, prick the bottom with a fork, and fill it with the jam and dried fruit. Roll out the other half of the dough, and place it on top of the filling, taking care to seal the edges well.
  6. Bake in the oven for approximately thirty-five minutes or until the surface is golden.
  7. Once the tart has cooled, dust the surface with icing sugar.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • If the shortcrust pastry dough appears loose, add a spoonful of water.
  • The dough is very crumbly, so the advice is to roll it out on a lightly floured sheet of baking paper. This will make it easier to transfer the disc to the pan.
  • If you can’t find quince jam, and if you don’t have the time or desire to make it at home, a valid alternative is fig jam.
  • The cooking time depends on the oven you have.

 with Mirta