We used to spend a lot of our time between Umbria, Italy and New York... Italy was our second home for a long time and really where our personal love story deepened as did our appreciation for incredible food and comfort cooking. 

We were living in a tiny village called Torgiano where we began manufacturing our collection with some of the most amazing makers in Italy. Not only did they give us the gift of producing our collection with passion, they opened their homes to us and taught us how to cook "The Italian Way." A retired sewer from one of our factories, used to bring home made crostata to the owners' home every weekend where we were invited to Sunday lunch. Late last night as we made this crostata and finished it at 3am this morning, the smells that came out of the oven brought us back to our village in Umbria and the incredible gratitude we have for the time we spent there. 

We hope you enjoy making this delicious pastry and the taste and smell bring you back to a place of comfort and love. 

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CROSTATA DI MARMELLATA

Ingredients

Makes 1 Crostata

• 300g of Plain Flour 
• 150 g of Granulated Sugar
• 150g of Unsalted Diced Butter
• 1 Egg
• Apricot Jam
• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Bean Extract 
• Pinch of Salt

THE KITCHEN ESSENTIALS 

• Pie Dish
• 1 Large Bowl
• Cling Film
• Rolling Pin
• Baking Paper

TIMING

Approx. 3hours 45 mins

• Prep 30 mins
• Rest 2 hours
• Prep 30 mins
• Bake 45 mins

PREP 

1. Sift flour in mixing bowl
2. Add in sugar + salt
3. Mix
4. Add in diced butter - make sure the butter is cold from the fridge
5. Mix + rub mixture together with hands
6. Mix until you have a “crumbly” texture
7. When butter is evenly mixed in, make a well in the center
8. Add in vanilla extract and egg
9. Mix with your hands for 3-4 mins to create the dough
10. Avoid kneading too much
11. Create a square of 30 x 30cm
12. Cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 2 hours or more

ROLL DOUGH + BAKE 

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C
2. Take the dough out of the fridge
3. Leave it to rest at room temperature for 20 mins
4. Lightly sprinkle flour on your kitchen counter
5. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other
6. Roll the larger piece of pastry on your counter using a rolling pin to approx. 3-4mm thick to cover the base of your pie dish
7. Roll out the rest of the pastry to 3mm thick and with a sharp knife cut long strips to 1.5cm wide
8. Warm up your jam slightly on the stove - we recommend using enough to lightly cover the surface of your dough
9. Place the pastry in the pie dish and trim the edges
10. Spread the jam (after letting it cool) on the base of the pastry
11. Criss cross your strips over the top
12. Bake in the oven for 45 mins or until the pastry is golden brown and the jam is bubbling
13. Using some more of the jam, dilute with water and warm up again over the stove, brush gently over the top of the pastry after removing it from the oven