Apricot and Almond Crostata

Cooked On A Grill

by LEON BOUTEILLER

Whoa, a tart cooked on a grill?! Wait a minute, is that even possible? You betchya! We cooked pizza on a grill a few weeks back and it inspired me to think about what other unusual things to cook on the grill in an effort to get out of the kitchen this summer.

What adaptations need be made and what types of food might lend themselves to a common backyard grill, whether gas or charcoal. First of all, my focus is a dessert. It seems that it should cook in a short period of time and not be too sensitive to temperature fluctuations. A cake might fall if lifting the cover shocks the batter and a double crust pie might not cook in the interior. A tart form seems appropriate and yes, we could grill fruit directly on the grate or cook something in a pot. With the use of a pizza stone we can get the job done and add a new ability for the cook, a little adventure along the way. When one masters this technique, one can experiment - bake cookies or tarts with different fillings or maybe a quiche.

Important to remember - be sure to have enough gas if using a gas grill. Prolonged heat interruptions can be a big snafu as I learned through personal experience! Preheat the grill and the pizza stone to the desired temperature and have all of your tools at hand.

APRICOT AND ALMOND CROSTATA
Cooked on a Grill

Ingredients:

Pastry:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup confectionery sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
16 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon, give or take, of ice water
semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water (egg wash)

Filling:

1 1/2 pounds fresh, ripe apricots, (or substitute plums or peaches)
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
5 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup apricot preserves mixed with 1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur

Method for the pastry:

In a food processor, put the dry ingredients for the pastry and pulse for a time or two to blend
add the cold butter and pulse two or three times until it appears to be a coarse meal
add the egg and the yolk and pulse again, then add ice water, a teaspoon at a time, pulsing after each addition until the dough starts to come together
dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press together until it holds its shape. Do not over work. Form into a disk about an inch thick, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or more to hydrate the flours

Method for the filling:

put all of the ingredients for the filling, except the apricots and the apricot preserve mixture, in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and set aside for an hour
cut the apricots in half, remove the pit, then cut each half into four equal wedges, set aside

Assembly:

remove the pastry from the refrigerator and let temper for 15 minutes or so. Then place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a circle about 14 inches in diameter
scrape the almond filling into the center of the pastry and pat it out to about 2 1/2 inches from the edge
starting at the outer edge of the filling, place the fruit pieces in concentric circles until you’ve covered the filling
then lift the bare part of the dough up and over the outermost ring of the apricots all the way around the crostata
lightly brush the exposed dough with the egg wash

To Bake:

have the grill with pizza stone in place preheated to 350 degrees F
dust your pizza peel with semolina flour or cornmeal
carefully, slide the peel under the prepared crostata and transfer to the heated pizza stone. Close the lid and set a timer for 20 minutes
check the crostata after the 20 minutes and be sure that the temperature is still about 350 degrees. If it doesn’t appear to be quite done, bake it for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the fruit is tender
remove the crostata from the grill to a serving platter or large cutting board
microwave the apricot preserves with the remaining tablespoon of Amaretto, stir to combine and then distribute over the exposed filling while it is still hot
cool to room temperature then cut your portions and enjoy, And if you have the desire, plunk some vanilla ice cream on it or some whipped cream with a little Amaretto or apricot liqueur added and, once again, you’ve kept the heat out of the kitchen and prepared something different and delicious. Enjoy!