This recipe is a way of crostata-ing that I prefer over the classic rolled-tin, lattice-topped versions. I gently amend my polenta genovesi cookie dough and add some almonds. The dough is then grated. With a good jam inside, this tart is impossible to keep out of hands.
Jammy crumble crostata
Serves 6-8
- 240g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 80g fine polenta
- 50g flaked almonds
- 70g demerara (or other coarse) sugar
- 2g (¼ tsp) fine sea salt
- 2g (¼ tsp) baking powder
- 170g unsalted butter, cool and pliable
- 60g egg yolk (from approx. 3 eggs)
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon, orange or mandarin
- cooking oil spray
- 300g jam
- sea salt flakes
Make the dough by mixing all the dry ingredients, then rub the butter in until you have a breadcrumby texture. Loosen the egg yolk with a fork and stir in the zest.
Add to the bowl with the dry ingredients and butter, massaging to a stiff dough. Divide the dough into two equal portions of 360g each, form each into a rough log and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight.
When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 180°C and place a heavy baking tray in the oven to heat up. Lightly spray a 24cm round, 4cm deep loose-bottomed tart tin or 23cm square tin with cooking oil.
Start grating the first log of dough on the coarse side of a grater onto the work surface, then pile into the tart tin. Level out the grated dough pile, then start to press down firmly. Push the dough a little higher on the sides to form a shallow dish for the jam. Re-spray the sides with cooking oil.
The slight shallow will hold the jam, preventing it from touching the sides and fusing to the tin during baking. Scrape the jam onto the base dough and smooth, leaving a clear 1 cm border so the jam stays hidden.
Grate the second dough log on the coarse side of a grater for flossy flakes. When the inside of the box grater is two-thirds full, lift the grater off and start a new pile so the flakes don’t get compacted. Pick up handfuls and, starting around the edges first, place gently and evenly on the top. Let it fall from your hands and remain fluffy.
Even out the grated dough with light fingers, but don’t compress – it will settle when baking. Place on the preheated tray in the oven.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is toasted sandy brown. Cool for 30 minutes before unmoulding. Sprinkle a few salt flakes on top. Always perfect with ice cream.
Macadamia and white chocolate chonky chip cookies
Makes 9 huge cookies.
- 330g raw whole macadamia nuts
- 160g unsalted butter, cold (5°C) and diced
- 120g light muscovado (or brown) sugar
- 120g demerara (or raw) sugar
- 15g vanilla paste
- 325g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 7g (1 slightly heaped tsp) baking powder
- 6g (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 6g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
- 330g good-quality small white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- 100g egg (approx 2 eggs), fridge-cold
- cooking oil spray
- sea salt flakes, for sprinkling
Heat the oven to 130°C (265°F). Chop each macadamia in half. (If you bought macadamia halves, skip to the toasting.) Place on a shallow baking try and toast in the oven for around 30-40 minutes until the colour of pale honey. Cool the nuts quickly in the fridge.
Low and slow toasting is imperative with macadamias, given their high oil content. I like the toasted nuts to match the dough colour for maximum cookie aesthetic.
Place the cold butter, sugars and vanilla in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on speed 2 (above low) for about 5 minutes, until the mix looks like sugary mash – no need to go to pale and fluffy. Scrape the sides down once during this process.
I keep this base mix cold and mashed rather than warmer and fluffier so my cookie dough texture is closed and dense rather than porous with air. They will also spread less when baked.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a small bowl and set aside. Weigh the white chocolate chips with the cooled chopped nuts and set aside.
Keeping on speed 2 (above low), add the egg to the butter mix in one go and beat for 5 minutes, scraping once or twice during this stage. The butter/sugar/egg mix will be brown and have a wet porridge consistency.
Reduce to speed 1 (low), then add the dry ingredients and mix just until no flour is visible. Tip the chocolate and nuts in and mix until only just incorporated. Take the bowl off the mixer, scrape the dough off the paddle and tip the dough onto your work surface.
Give the dough a thorough mix so any buttery seams from the bottom can be mixed in well. (Buttery seams can cause funny spreading cookies. Good to eat, just not a nice round cookie.)
Lightly grease a baking tray with cooking oil spray. Weigh nine balls of dough to 165g each, or a slightly heaped half-cup measure. (It is a huge cookie.)
If the size perplexes or horrifies you, that’s cool, just make the balls smaller and bake for less time. You’ll just have to do a little test bake to get the timing right.
Roll each ball gently but don’t compact the dough – it should be a lumpy sphere. Place closely together on the tray. I like to cover and chill for a minimum of 12 hours, but you can also bake these straight away.
The overnight hydrate/rest makes a better-textured cookie (a little less spread, more hump and no external greasy feel post-bake), but you can bake these straight away, too. If you do, they’ll need only 18-20 minutes and will be a smidge flatter.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Spray a flat baking tray with cooking oil and line with baking paper.
Arrange the dough balls on the tray, spacing them a roomy 5-7cm apart, then sprinkle the tops with salt (totally optional).
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cookies have settled with a mild dome, have a crisp butterscotch-coloured upper crust and soft sides, but are squidgy just under the top crust. Because these are big ‘uns, and you may be nervous, take an internal temperature – 75°C (167°F) will give you doughy interior perfection.
Cool the baked cookies on the tray for 10-15 minutes for optimal eating – the warmest, stickiest, softest cookie dough joy! When the cookie cools completely it is also good, just not GOOD good.
This is an edited extract from Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice, by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books, RRP NZ$60)
