Homemade Italian Cherry Pie

Recipe for a Delicious Crostata from Food Festivals of Italy

Jan 25, 2009 Rebecca Ford

If you want some delicious homemade cherry pie, try this recipe for Cherry Crostata. A crostata is a sweet Italian tart: basically a pie with a lattice pastry top.

This recipe for Cherry Crostada comes from Food Festivals of Italy by James O. Fraioli and Leonardo Curti (Gibbs Smith $35). It is a recipe associated with the Cherry Festival of the Veneto, just one of 50 festivals described in the book. Other festivals mentioned include the Strawberry Festival, also from the Veneto; the Lemon Festival of Campania, and the Prickly Pear Festival of Sicily. This recipe for homemade Cherry Crostata appears here with permission.

Cherry Crostata – Recipe, Serves 8

Crostata di Visciole

Ingredients

For the Pasta Frolla

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup butter, cold and cubed
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Cherry Filling

• 5 cups pitted fresh cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Method

1. Spray an 11-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick spray and then line with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder; whisk to blend. Add butter and pulse about ten times. Turn mixer on and add eggs, vanilla, and zest and then pulse until it looks grainy. Turn out on a clean surface and knead into a ball; cut in half and shape into two 5-inch disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Remove dough 5 to 10 minutes before rolling time.
4. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface, into a 12 inch circle. Trim edges, slightly, before lifting and placing over pan. Let edges hang over loosely. Roll out second dough into an oblong shape at least 12 x 14 inches. With a fluted pastry wheel, make 1-inch-long strips lengthwise to make twelve 1-inch strips.
5. In a bowl, mix together the Cherry Filling ingredients and then pour into tart pan with the dough. Brush the dough strips and edge of tart with egg wash, then in a lattice design, lay 6 strips down in one direction, 1-inch apart from each other. Then on an angle, lay the remaining 6 strips on top of previous strips. Press down to seal edges and remove any dough hanging off sides of pan.
6. Place tart on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly; let cool. Garnish with powdered sugar before serving.

Read a review of Food Festivals of Italy, and try another recipe from the book for Baked Macaroni Pie.

The copyright of the article Homemade Italian Cherry Pie in Italian Cuisine is owned by Rebecca Ford. Permission to republish Homemade Italian Cherry Pie in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cherry Crostata from Italy