Rustic Nectarine Crosata Recipe

Homemade rustic crostata with sweet and juicy nectarines, a touch of cinnamon, over a buttery and flaky crust. 

Perfect dessert for the summer!

Have you ever eaten at GJelina? It's a popular restaurant on Abbot Kinney in Venice, California. So popular that it's always quite hard to make reservations. Even a month ahead! I know, this is L.A. ... what would I expect, right?!?
Anyways, I went there last week with my husband for our special anniversary lunch. And we got lucky. No reservation, and there was a table for two available right away. Woo hoo!
After eating there, now I know what all the fuss is about. Lunch was truly amazing! The menu is fun and interesting. Not really expensive. All the dishes were phenomenal, from start to finish. And without the kids at the table I could really focus on my food. Mmmm... I really want to go back. Soon!

Now it's a week after, and I'm still thinking about that lunch. Especially our dessert. We had a nectarine crostata with olive oil ice-cream. And as you can see from my pictures, I had to try and make it myself right away. 

I searched on line and found a great recipe on Bon Appetit Magazine for a  rustic fruit crostata. As usual, I made modification to the recipe. You know me: I can't help it :)
The result: NOT exactly like the crostata from GJelina. Probably it's impossible to re-create it without getting the secret ingredients from the chef. But mine, we all agreed, came out excellent nonetheless.

This rustic crostata is super easy to make. Much easier than baking a pie. And it tastes just as good, with a flaky and buttery crust, and a juicy and fruity filling. And let's not forget the delicious aroma of cinnamon.
I made the dough by hands, which takes a little longer than using a food processor. The dough needs to be chilled in the refrigerator for an hour or longer. Once chilled, you can roll the dough, pour the filling, fold the edges up, and stick it in the oven. It's rustic, and it needs to look homemade. So anybody can do it and it doesn't have to look perfect.
You will need to wait a few minutes for the tart to cool down a bit, before cutting yourself a big slice. And if you are anything like me, you will eat it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the side!!
As usual, I'm not just going to tell you how to prepare this dessert, but I will show you in this short video. Enjoy :)

Ingredients: to make a 10 inch (25 cm) tart, serves about 8                       PRINTABLE RECIPE

For the crust:

• 1 2/3 cups (250 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (50 gr) of corn meal
• 3 tablespoons (45 gr) of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• grated zest of an orange (organic)
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz, 170 gr) of unsalted butter, chilled
• 5-6 tablespoons (75-85 ml ) of cold  water

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus a bit to sprinkle on top (optional)
• 3 large nectarines (mine were about 1 3/4 lb = 850 gr) ripe
• 2 tablespoons of milk, for glaze (or one beaten egg)
• sugar crystals (optional) for decoration

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour inactive and 1 hour baking
Directions:
1. Combine the flour, the cornmeal, the sugar and the orange peel in a large bowl.

2. Add the butter, and using the tip of a knife, cut the butter and reduce it to small (pea-size) pieces or as small as you can. If you have a processor, the job is a lot faster. Pulse only for a few seconds. Do not over mix.

3. Add 4 tablespoons of water. Mix with a spoon until the dough comes together. Add one or two more tablespoons of water if necessary. I used about 6 tablespoons total (85 ml) but that can vary.

4. Move the mixture to a large piece of plastic wrap. Make it into a disc. Wrap it in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight if needed.

5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour, and turn the dough often to make sure it doesn't stick to the counter. Roll to about a 14 inch (36 cm) circle (diameter). Place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, helping yourself with your rolling pin. Refrigerate again while you prepare the filling

6. Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C). In a bowl mix the sugar with the cornstarch and the cinnamon. Add the nectarines cut in slices (about 16 slices each) and mix with a spoon.

7. Place the fruit in the middle of the dough and distribute evenly. Make sure to leave an edge around the border of about 2 inches (5 cm). The tart will come out to be about 10 inches in diameter. Brush the edge with milk.

8. Fold the edge over the fruit as shown in my picture. If the dough breaks at any point, don't worry! Pinch the dough to seal.

9. Brush the border (outer part now) with more milk. Sprinkle with sugar crystals and more cinnamon if you wish.

10. Bake at 375º F (190º C) for about 55-60 minutes, until golden on top. Let the crostata cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve at room temperature, or warm ... and how about  with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream?! Delicious!!

Peach Roses with Nutella and Hazelnuts

Beautiful rose-shaped baked dessert made with thin slices of sweet juicy ripe peaches 

wrapped in crispy pastry,  filled with creamy Nutella and crunchy crushed hazelnuts

Sinfully delicious!

Remember my rose-shaped apple dessert?  I know you do! It has been posted, shared and viewed in so many places that you think I'd be sick by now just thinking about it. But no, think again :)
I love this recipe. And what's brilliant about it: it opens up so many possibilities and combinations of ingredients, both sweet and savory, that it makes you want to experiment with something new and different. Why limit yourself to apple slice and apricot preserve, anyways?!

So, how about a filling of creamy and sweet chocolate spread?!?  You know I love Nutella! Yes, I really do. So I thought about incorporating it in my roses, combined with crushed hazelnut (of course!) for a crunchy and nutty addition to the heavenly chocolate filling.
And for the top: peaches. I found these delicious peaches at the store yesterday. They look amazing and taste even better! Ripe to the right point, and super sweet.
Rather than using the frozen puff pastry, as I did for the apple roses, I tried the Pillsbury crescent dough. Many of you asked me about it. You find it in the refrigerated section, with cookies, pizza dough and other similar things. I never buy these things ...not sure why. I rather make everything from scratch. But given that this recipe is supposed to be easy and quick, this is the place to look. And I bought the "big and flaky" dough. For thick dough and extra crispiness ... I think!
This dough bakes more quickly than the frozen dough. So watch out for the cooking time. Before removing from the oven, make sure it's fully cooked.

 Beautiful, delicious, and easy to make. Am I going rose crazy?!? Yeah, I think I am :)


Ingredients to make 8 roses

• 1 roll of Pillsbury "Grands" Crescent Big & Flaky
• 2 or 3 ripe, organic peaches, based on the size
• 8 teaspoons of Nutella (or other chocolate spread)
• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts (2.5 oz,70 gr)

Preparation time: 20 minutes plus 25 minutes baking
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to  350° F (175° C). Cut the peaches in half, remove the pit, and slice as thin as you can.

2. Open the Pillsbury roll. This is divided into triangles. Keep each pair of triangles together. We want to make two long strips out of each pair.

3. On a slightly flour counter, stretch out the dough to make a long rectangle, about 4 inches by 10 inches  (10 cm x 25 cm). Cut in half lengthwise. So that in total you will have 8 strips 2 x 10 in.

4. Spread about one teaspoon of Nutella on  each strip, and sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts.

5. Place the peach slices along one edge, as shown.

6. Fold the dough in half, and roll.

7. Place the roses into a silicone muffin. Remember to grease the muffin cups if you are not using silicone.

8. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for about 25 minutes. If the top of the peaches are getting burnt, cover with aluminum foil, and place the pan at the bottom of the oven. Make sure the roses are fully baked before removing from the oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

This dessert is better served immediately, but can also be stored for up to 48 hours in an air tight container. Delicious when served warm ... maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream :)

Enjoy!