Strawberry Crostata

 ATTENTION: The Pink Lady Slippers Have Arrived  

STRAWBERRY CROSTATA

Cook's Notes: What’s a crostata, you ask? Essentially, it’s the Italian name for a rustic, free-form pie, where the dough edges are folded up around the filling. It’s also known as a galette in French. So, whether you call it a crostata or galette, it's delicious full of juicy, fresh berries lightly tossed with sugar, lemon, and cornstarch. A strawberry crostata is the perfect quick dessert for a weeknight or a dinner party.
Recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Cooking Tips:  This recipe is incredibly versatile, allowing you to create it with a wide range of fruits, including berries, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, plums, and more. Really, the possibilities are endless. You can also use frozen berries or fruit, but a word of caution. Make sure to thaw and drain berries before assembling this dish, so it doesn’t come out soupy. Also, you can definitely substitute a ready-to-use store-bought pie crust instead of a homemade pie crust.
Baking Tip: A refrigerated pie crust will take less baking time as the crust is thinner rolled out then when using a homemade pie crust.
Strawberry Crostata
Ingredients:

• 1 homemade or store-bought pie crust
• 1 lb strawberries
• 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar or more if your berries aren't super sweet
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Milk wash
• Sugar and cinnamon mix

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Wash, dry, and dice the strawberries, then place them in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the sliced strawberries and stir. Taste them. If they need more sugar, add another tablespoon. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to the strawberries. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch.
• Roll out the pie crust into a 12-13″ diameter. It should be at least 1/4″ thick. I used a frying pan cover for tracing my circle.
• Roll out the crust on 2 sheets of floured wax paper. Then flip the crust and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

• Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the strawberries to the center of the dough circle, discarding any excess juices. Leave about a 1½” border all the way around the edge. Fold the border around the strawberries to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Ensure the corners are pinched closed to prevent the filling from running out while baking.

• Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
• Bake the crostata at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or 25 minutes if the crust is really thin. The crust should be golden brown and crisp. Allow the crostata to cool for 15 minutes before slicing, making sure the filling is set. Use a serrated knife to cut.
• Serve warm, with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream, if desired.