Italian Jam Crostata

Make the crust. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter, egg and egg yolk. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporate the butter and eggs into the flour to form a smooth dough. Refrigerate for an hour.

Prepare the jam. If you are using store-bought jam that is very sweet, mix in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, since the baking process will intensify its sweetness.

If you are making the jam, place the fruit, sugar, water and lemon juice in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then reduce to a simmer and cook until the jam has thickened. To check if it is thick enough, place a small spoonful onto a chilled plate and refrigerate for 3 minutes. When you push the jam with your finger, it should have formed a skin on top. When you reach this point remove pot from heat. Let the jam cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Assemble the crostata. Divide the dough in half, with one half slightly bigger than the other. Roll out the larger half into a 10-inch circle and place on a greased baking sheet. Spread the jam over the dough, leaving a one-inch border.

To make the lattice crust on top, roll the other half into a 10-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the circle into about ¾-inch strips. Lay four strips on top of the jam, parallel to each other and equally spaced. Fold back every other strip, so that those strips are totally removed from the jam but still connected on the edge (see related blog link for a photo if needed).

Lay another strip of dough running across on a diagonal and on top of the two strips that are not folded back. Unfold the two folded strips and lay them down on top of the strip you just added. Fold back the two strips that were not folded over before, lay down another strip, and repeat until the top of the crostata is covered with a lattice.

Roll the edges of the crostata crust towards the center, until they touch the jam, to create a lip.

Bake the crostata for 25-35 minutes, until golden on top. Remove from oven and set pan on a rack. Let it cool until it is warm, then serve.

Shortbread recipe adapted from Tuscan Recipes.