This seasonal showstopper is a take on the Italian jam-filled Crostata, and is the perfect mix of sweet, tangy and spiced flavour to round off any family meal. Homemade conserve of blackberry, fig, and almond is spread atop a melt-in-the-mouth pastry base, with a beautiful lattice finish. Best served with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Makes 1x 9” crostata
For the pastry
- 300g 00’ flour/all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 90g butter, chilled and cubed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 70g caster sugar
- 1tsp baking powder
For the fruit filling
- 100g caster sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Pinch salt
- 280g figs, finely sliced
- 225g blackberries
- 70g ground almonds
- 1tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
Equipment
Method
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, lemon rind, and baking powder. Tip the dry mix onto a clean work surface and create a well in the center with your fingers. Crack the eggs into the well, along with the cubed butter. Bring the mixture together with your fingers, working quickly to avoid warming up the butter too much. Form the mix into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, add the fruit, sugar, and lemon juice to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Add the spices, ground almond, and salt. Stir continuously for 10 minutes, until the fruit has reduced and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Fire up your Ooni pizza oven. Aim for 500˚C on the baking stone inside. You can check the temperature inside your Ooni quickly and easily using an infrared thermometer.
Grease your Ooni Cast Iron Skillet with butter.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and lay it on a floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it's around 5mm thick. Cut a 10” circle (you can use the skillet as reference, cutting 1” around the edges of the pan.) and lay it in the centre of the pan. Push the dough lightly into the corners of the pan, pushing overlapping dough up around the ridges. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the pastry.
Spoon the jam mixture evenly across the base, you may not need to use the entire mix – stop once the jam reaches about the same level as the crust.
Re-ball the remaining pastry and roll out again in a rectangle shape. With a paring knife or pastry cutter, cut 2cm wide long strips. Lay the strips across the pie in a lattice pattern, pinching the ends with a fork. Garnish with flaked almonds round the crust.
If using gas, turn the oven completely off. If using wood, reduce the flame as much as you can. Place the skillet inside the oven with the door off to cook in the residual heat. After 2-3 minutes, rotate the pan. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes, then spike/turn the flame back for a final burst of heat. Once the top is a golden brown, remove and let cool for a couple of minutes.
Slice and serve warm with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzle of cream!
