Apple-Blackberry Crostata

I hadn’t ever heard of a crostata until Carmen of Baking is my Zen posted this incredible picture for an APPLE CROSTATA.

Turns out a crostata is an Italian baked fruit tart, sort of like a pie. I know there are a bazillion different recipes available for me to make, bake, and blog about. But sometimes I see a picture like this and I just want to TASTE it! 🙂

Looking around my pantry, refrigerator and freezer I had blackberries, Granny Smith apples and walnuts. A great start.

I would have made a pie crust according to Carmen’s recipe, but I had a Pillsbury crust in the frig that needed to be used 🙂 I chopped my apples fairly large and was worried about that while it was baking. Turns out I need not worried, they baked perfectly. I sprinkled the apples with juicy, plump blackberries.

This is an “open-face” pie of sorts. The crust is turned up around the filling forming this pocket. I crumbled my topping in a food processor so it was quite fine. I liked the over-all look and texture after baking.

Carmen brushes her crust with milk and sprinkled on Turbinado sugar … so I did too 🙂

Are you using Turbinado sugar? Oh my gosh, it makes for a wonderful crystal effect on the top of pastries, pies, tarts, and I even sprinkled it across my Baked Oatmeal yesterday instead of the brown sugar topping. It is wonderful with the sweet, large, golden crystals! I’m not selling this stuff — although I should be!

This awesome dessert goes together quick and easy. The fruit filling could be almost anything you have on hand. Peaches, blueberries, apples, dates, nuts, nectarines, raspberries, blackberries, the list can go on and on.

Thank you Carmen for introducing me to this keeper dessert! I will be making it again and again. 🙂