Apple Blackberry Crostata

For the crust:

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet. If preferred or if you are short on time you can use one store-bought prepared sheet of pie dough.

For the filling:

In a small bowl toss blackberries and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside.

Peel, core and cut apples into 8ths. Cut each apple wedge into 3 chunks. Put the chunks into a bowl Toss the chunks with the orange zest (or orange peel).

Place apples in the center of the pastry circle, leaving a 1 1/2″ border all around. Dot the apples with the sugared blackberries, gently drizzling any juice that has formed over the top.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, nuts, cinnamon and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Carefully pour mixture on top of the apple/blackberries keeping the crumb mixture centered over the apples.

Gently fold the pastry crust border over the apples to enclose some of the filling, pleating it to make a circle.

Brush top of pastry with milk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake the crostata for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook’s Notes:
Pillsbury ready-made pie crust works well for this recipe.

After 25 minutes, check apples with fork to make sure they are cooked. An additional 5 minutes or so may be needed, depending on the size of your apple chunks.

This recipe was inspired by Carmen at bakingismyzen.com who adapted it from an Apple Crostata recipe by Ina Garten, foodnetwork.com.