Read Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites Online
Authors: Giada de Laurentiis
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Reference
Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (4 page)
A crostata is a free-form tart that can be served as a dessert or, like these two, filled with savory ingredients as an elegant starter.
4 servings
Pastry Crust
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup mascarpone cheese
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons ice water
Mushroom Filling
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces diced pancetta
2 shallots, minced
1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, and button
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup (1 ounce) grated smoked mozzarella cheese
⅓ cup (1 ounce) grated fontina cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the crust:
In a food processor combine the flour and salt, and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is finely chopped and the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the mascarpone and lemon juice and pulse a few times. Add the ice water andrun the machine just until the mixture is moist and crumbly, but do not form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a disk. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
For the mushroom filling:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pancetta to a small bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the moisture has evaporated, about 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked pancetta along with the fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, about ¼ inch thick. Lift the parchment paper and transfer it and the dough to the baking sheet.
Stir the mozzarella and fontina into the cooled mushroom filling and spread in the center of the dough circle, leaving a 2-inch border. Sprinkle the filling with the Parmesan. Fold the dough border up over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the edge of the pastry. Brush the crust with the beaten egg.
Bake the crostata until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Slice and serve.
4 servings
Apple Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch slices
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup chopped walnuts
⅓ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Pastry Crust
made with 1 tablespoon of sugar added along with the dry ingredients, chilled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the apple filling:
Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the apple slices, sugar, and cinnamon and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the apples are softened but not mushy. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese.
Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, about ¼ inch thick. Lift the parchment paper and transfer it and the dough to the baking sheet.
Spread the cooled apple filling in the center of the dough circle, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border up over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the edge of the pastry. Brush the crust with the beaten egg.
Bake the crostata until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing.
I
love
corn muffins, so I’m always looking for new twists on the old standby, which can be kind of bland. These have the surprise of little flecks of sun-dried tomatoes and tender corn kernels, and the garlic makes them so rich they don’t need butter or another topping.
Makes 16 muffins
2 (8½-ounce) packages corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy
⅔ cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (from an 8-ounce jar)
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced
⅔ cup buttermilk
⅔ cup sour cream
2 large eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Insert paper liners in 16 muffin cups or grease the tins.
In a large bowl, combine the corn, muffin mix, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine. Mix in the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs and stir just until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins, filling up the cups about halfway. Bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
