Crostata di Frutta (Baked Fruit Tart)

Our friend was turning 60 and decided to host an Italian themed party. I made her a birthday card in the style of a vintage Italian liquor poster and made a dessert from Carol Field’s classic, The Italian Baker. Despite it being a runny mess, everyone loved it.

The pastry I used was the Pasta Frolla I recipe. It’s a sweet, short pastry, made with a generous amount of sugar, butter, and eggs. It’s a very soft, sticky dough, and the time-consuming part was chilling, rolling, etc. I used a lot of flour but it was still tricky to work with.

The filling is unusual, in that it’s simply a layer of apricot jam on the bottom, and fresh fruit on top. Our mix of peaches, strawberries, and raspberries released quite a bit of liquid, some of it evaporating through the open lattice top.

Despite the copious amount of liquid that spilled out of the tart, the celebration guests enjoyed it. I found the pastry to be exceptionally tender, and the simple fruit and jam combo to be rustic and straightforward. Not every dessert has to be frangipane or chocolate or fussy!