Crostata di Marmellata

In early October, open-bed trucks appear on the country roads of Abruzzo, carrying great mounds of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes that will become the region’s best-known wine. A few of those dusky blue grapes, however, are destined for something else: they are cooked down to a thick, full-bodied grape jam known as “scrucchiata” or “schruccjata” (pronounced skrook-YAH-tah). The dialect name, as far as I’ve been able to determine, translates more or less to “squished.”

The jam is appreciated almost as much as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine itself, and the Abruzzesi use it as a filling in cookies and in crostatas. Montepulciano grapes aren’t grown in the U.S., but with the proliferation of vineyards and wineries across the country, it’s gotten easier to find good grapes (beyond Concord) to turn into jam. Of course, you aren’t limited to grape jam; any good jam will do here, and all the better if it’s homemade.

I used a mix of grape and fig jams in this crostata and it pretty much disappeared soon after I snapped the above photo. (The recipes for both jams can be found in Preserving Italy.)

CROSTATA DI MARMELLATA {Jam Crostata}
Makes one 9- to 10-inch crostata

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnishing the crostata
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (optional; see NOTES)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks (reserve the whites for another use)
1 1/2 to 2 cups good-quality grape (or other fruit) jam

Instructions
1. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder (if using), salt, and zests into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process briefly to combine. Distribute the butter around the bowl and process until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and egg yolks and process just until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a disk. Wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until well chilled.

2. Heat the oven to 350° F.

3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Rewrap the smaller piece and set it aside. Roll the larger piece into an 11-inch circle. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin and drape it over a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim the overhang to about 1/2 inch adn fold it in, pressing it against the inside rim to reinforce the sides of the tart shell. Use the rolling pin or the flat of your hand to cut off any excess dough (see NOTES).

4. Spoon the jam into the prepared shell and smooth it out with the back of your spoon. Roll out the remaining piece of dough and cut it into strips or use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes (flowers, stars, whatever you like). Arrange the strips or cut-outs on top of the jam.

5. Bake the crostata for 35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Let cool on a rack to room temperature. Remove the rim and transfer the crostata to a decorative serving platter. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve.

NOTES:
Baking powder gives the pastry a lighter, more tender texture. Leaving it out produces a crispier pastry more like shortbread. Both are delicious, so use whichever version you prefer.