Apple-Walnut Crostata

With a comforting combination of tart apples and earthy walnuts, this winter dessert is rustic and homey. You can prepare the dough a day in advance and cook the crostata early in the day. Serve with whipped cream if you like, but it’s really not necessary. Developed for Molesini Wine Club, the recipe is included in the wine shipment so members can make the dish to enjoy during their virtual wine tastings.

Apple-Walnut Crostata

Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes-1 hour

Dough

1 ½ cups (375 milliliters) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) sugar
¾ teaspoon (3.75 milliliters) salt
¾ cup (185 milliliters) cold butter, diced into small cubes
¼ cup (60 milliliters) ice water, or more 

Apple filling

½ cup (125 milliliters) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) for dusting
¼ cup (60 milliliters) brown sugar
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) flour
¾ teaspoon (3.75 milliliters) ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 medium Granny Smith apples, each cored, peeled, and sliced into 16 slices
½ lemon, juiced
¾ cup (185 milliliters) walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) butter, cut into small pieces

Directions 

1. Make the dough at least 1 hour before baking. Sift flour, sugar, and salt into a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add three-fourths of the ice water and mix with a fork to form a ball. Add additional water as needed, but only enough for the dough to hold together. Use the palm of your hand to smear the dough a few times in the bowl to further blend in butter. Do not overmix.

2. Tear off an 18-inch (46-centimeter) length of waxed paper. Place dough on the bottom half and fold the remaining paper over the dough. Flatten into a disc, tuck under excess paper, place in a plastic bag, then refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and up to 16 hours.

3. Prepare crostata. Preheat oven to 350° F (176° C). In a bowl large enough to hold the apples, combine sugars, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add apples and lemon juice; gently toss. Add walnuts, toss, and set aside.

4. Tear off an 18-inch (46-centimeter) length of both parchment paper and heavy-duty tin foil. Place the foil on a large pizza pan, then the parchment on top. Roll out the dough into a disc measuring approximately 14 inches (36 centimeters) between 2 pieces of wax paper. Carefully remove the top piece of wax paper and flip the dough onto the center of the parchment paper on the pizza pan. Carefully remove the top wax paper.

5. Toss fruit before mounding in center of the dough, leaving at least a 3 ½-inch (9-centimeter) edge. Leave any excess liquid in the bowl. Use your hands to fold the edges of the dough toward the center to create a pouch. Dot the apples with small pieces of butter. Sprinkle apples and dough with sugar.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes until brown and bubbly. If the top is getting too brown, cover loosely with foil. Remove, carefully run a knife or spatula around the edges to release from the parchment. Don’t worry if crostata has leaked and looks like a mess. Let rest for 10 minutes.

7. Gently pick up the crostata, discard the tinfoil, and slide it, using a spatula, onto a plate and stage it to look pretty. Individually plate and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

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About Molesini Wine Club

This recipe was developed for Molesini Wine Club to be included in virtual tasting notes with wine shipments. Molesini Wine Club, based out of Cortona, Tuscany, features Italian wines that are otherwise unavailable outside of Europe. Marco and Paolo Molesini work closely with over 1,000 producers from across the country to ensure they are procuring the top labels from small producers making the finest boutique wines. Explore with them as they lead you through Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily, and many lesser-known wine regions of their country. Members can customize shipments, decide on a tier that fits their palate best, and enjoy exclusive access to the most stunning wines of Italy. As a member of the Molesini Wine Club means becoming part of the Molesini family and we invite you to join us for this experience. For more information, please visit the Molesini Wine Club website.