Plum-Cherry Crostada

I'll admit it. I'm bored.

When I'm bored... I cook.

This is probably not a good thing. By the time I'm 30, I'll probably be big as a house, but until then I will enjoy every minute of it.

MEANWHILE... It's cherry season!!!! 👯👯👯

I have been putting cherries in everything... rum.. chicken.. scones.. now CROSTADA!

The trouble is, pastry dough has always been illusive to me and I have never made it gluten free.

So... as always: find a recipe, use something fresh and in-season and GET STARTED.

Start with your pastry ingredients... that's the part that will take the longest.

Start with your dry ingredients, whisk them together. Then add in the wet. Mold that bad boy into a disk.

Once it's chilled out in the fridge for a bit, pull it out, roll it out, and slap on that cherry preserve!

Sprinkle on those stewed fresh cherries. Make sure you mix up your filling, then layer on your plums into a pretty pattern.

Fold up the edges of the pastry to cover up the edge. Be careful!! That gluten free dough is soft.

Brush those edges with some buttermilk and dust with sugar for a beautiful crust. Then put it in the oven.

Are you drooling yet??

Cause... my mouth is watering... just looking at it. The crust on this joint is flaky, crunchy, flavorful... the plums are cooked to perfection with just a hint of tart and sweet.

Do yourself a f(l)avor, and make my créme fraîche ice cream to go with it.

Enjoy folks!

Plum-Cherry Crostata

Pastry

2 cups Bob’s Red Mills Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour

1 TBSP Cornstarch

4 tsp Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

1 stick plus 2 TBSP Unsalted Butter, cubed and chilled

3/4 cup Whole Milk with 1 TBSP white vinegar (substitute for buttermilk)

1 tsp White Vinegar

Filling

1 lb Black Plums - halved, pitted and cut 1/3-in wedges

3 TBSP Granulated Sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 1/2 TBSP Cornstarch

Zest of 1 Lemon, finely grated

1/4 cup Cherry Preserves

2 TBSP NW Fresh Cherries, chopped, cooled
(microwave for 1 min with 1 tsp Cointreau, 1 tsp Dark Rum, & 2 TBSP Sugar)

Buttermilk, for brushing

Créme Fraîche Ice Cream, for serving

Make the pastry: First we make the pastry! In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, cornstarch, & salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until pea-size pieces form. Add in the milk & vinegar mix with the additional vinegar and the flour mix. Using a rubber spatula blend the ingredients together until a dough forms. (If there’s a remainder that doesn’t mix use plastic wrap to help form the dough.) Pat into a 1 inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

On a sheet pan lined with foil, spray with cooking spray, and then sprinkle with flour. Lightly flour the rolling pin, then roll out the pastry dough to a 14-in round that’s about 1/8 inch thick. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Make the filling: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the plums with the 3 TBSP, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Toss to coat.

Preheat the oven to 425. Spread the cherry jam in the center of the dough, leaving about a 3 inch rim on the dough. Scatter the chopped stewed cherries, on top. Layer the plums, slightly overlapping, over the jam and cherries. Fold the edge of the dough over the filling, leaving the center exposed, making either a round or square crostada. Brush the edge of the dough with the buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 375 and bake for about 30 minutes longer, until the pastry is golden brown in color and the filling is bubbly and slightly runny. Transfer to rack to let cool. Using a brush, lightly top the crostada with reserved cherry sauce (from fresh cherries) to glaze the crostada.

Serve with créme fraîche ice cream and a glass of port wine. Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from a 2016 article on FoodAndWine.com