Double Blueberry Crostata

This dessert, much like its creator (me), hovers between two heritages, Italian and American. It began life as a typical Italian jam crostata, made with tender, buttery pasta frolla (pastry) and filled with good blueberry jam.

But since I was making it for the 4th of July, I decided it needed to be more American in character, so I topped the jam with a mound of fresh blueberries tossed with a little flour and lemon zest. I decorated it with a lattice crust, a classic presentation for both pie and crostata. Then I baked it. It was both juicy and jammy. The double hit of blueberry makes it special.

DOUBLE BLUEBERRY CROSTATA
Makes one 9- or 10-inch crostata

Ingredients

For the pasta frolla:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (1/2 pound) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large whole egg
2 large egg yolks

For the filling:
One 10-ounce jar blueberry preserves
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
Grated zest of 1 small lemon

Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Make the crostata shell:
1. Put the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse briefly to combine the ingredients. Distribute the butter around the bowl and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the whole egg and egg yolks and process until the mixture just begins to clump together in the work bowl.

T2. urn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it together into a thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until well chilled.

3. Cut the dough disk into 2 portions one slightly larger than the other. Rewrap the smaller portion and refrigerate. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion into an 11-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick or slightly thicker. 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 and fold it in, pressing it against the inside rim to reinforce the sides of the shell. Use the rolling pin or the flat of your hand to press around the perimeter of the pan to cut off any excess dough. Put the lined tart pan in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

4. Heat the oven to 350° F.

Fill and bake:
1. Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator. Spread the jam on the bottom of the shell. In a bowl, toss together the fresh blueberries, flour, and lemon zest. Pile them on top of the jam.

2. Remove the smaller piece of dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a 10- or 11-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick or slightly thicker and cut it into 3/4-inch-wide strips with a fluted pastry wheel. Place the strips over the filled tart shell in a lattice pattern, gently pressing the ends of the strips into the sides of the tart shell. Cut out two or three more strips and arrange them around the perimeter of the crostata to form a border. With the flat of your hand, press around the perimeter to cut off any excess dough.

3. Bake the crostata for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove the crostata from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the rim from the tart pan and let the crostata cool completely on the rack before transferring it to a decorative serving platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar if you like.