Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Prepare crostata dough: Sift 2 1/2 cups flour.
  2. Place flour, butter (minus 1 tablespoon), sugar, salt, and lemon zest in food processor.
  3. Pulse until mixture is moistened and crumbly.
  4. Add egg yolks and pulse until mixture just begins to form a ball of dough. (Crust can be mixed by hand if you do not have a food processor).
  5. Remove dough and flatten into a disk.
  6. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  8. Unwrap dough and place it on a floured work surface.
  9. I have a little better luck rolling out the dough if I let it come back to room temperature a bit.
  10. Roll out crust into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
  11. Transfer circle to a parchment lined baking sheet.
  12. Using a fork, prick holes in the crust about 5 or 6 times.
  13. In saucepan over low heat, warm cherry (or strawberry) jam with remaining 1 tbsp butter.
  14. Spread warm jam in a thin layer over the crust, leaving about 1 1/2 to 2 inches around the edges for a border.
  15. Spread fresh cherries over the jam.
  16. Fold the outer edges of the dough over the fruit, leaving about a 6-8 inch circle of the cherries showing in the middle.
  17. I turned the halved cherries that were visible in the middle skin side up to make the crostata look a bit more uniform.
  18. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
  19. Let cool.
  20. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, and serve.