Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata – Rustic Pie

RRhubarb Raspberry Crostata is a free form pie – delicious served warm with ice cream. Read, Cook & Share!

Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata

Crostata, Italian for baked tart, is essentially an easier-to-make, free-form rustic pie. In fact, two things make this crust more approachable than your standard scratch pie crust. Using a food processor does the work of cutting in the butter – a much easier and more uniform way to make crust. Then the dough gets rolled out on floured parchment paper. After adding the filling, slide the crostata, parchment paper and all, onto a baking sheet. No need to wrangle the dough into a pie plate hoping you don’t destroy it in the process. 

Pie Goes Way Back for Me

Pie has been one of my favorite desserts since I was a little girl. I have the fondest memories of sitting at the end of the kitchen counter watching my mom make pies for our Sunday dinner. They were almost always berry-based pies with flaky perfect crusts. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the Sunday meal!

I confess that while I love to cook, I never gained the same level of confidence with pie crust that my mom possessed. Like many, I have been going the ready-made Pillsbury pie crust route for years. I knew crostatas were easier to make and was intrigued by whole wheat flour in this recipe, so I decided to give it a try. It was easier to make and turned out perfectly!

Frozen vs. Fresh Rhubarb

I used frozen rhubarb which my friend Tracey had generously shared from her garden last season. I thought it would be fun to incorporate this into a dessert when she and Rick came for dinner recently. Because the rhubarb was already softened from being frozen, I only cooked it briefly (a minute or two) with the raspberries, water and sugar, before adding the cornstarch mixture. Based on how well this turned out, I think you can safely use fresh or frozen rhubarb for this recipe. Be sure to first thaw the rhubarb overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata

Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata is a delightful rustic pie which bursts with the flavors of Spring. Try it warm with ice cream or top with whipped cream.

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Keyword: pie, Raspberry, rhubarb

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Chill dough: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Karen DeMasco Locanda Verde New Your City, published by bon appetit May 2011

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 c. 1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. whole milk

Special Equipment

• food processor you could use a pastry cutter to combine crust ingredients but a food processor makes the job much easier and the dough more uniform.

Filling

• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 4 c. fresh or frozen rhubarb cut into 1/2″ slices – Note: thaw frozen rhubarb before using
• 1 container raspberries 6 oz.
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 large egg beaten

Finishing Crostata

• coarse sugar
• sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

Crust

• Combine both flours, sugar and salt in a food processor; blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl to blend; add to processor and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 1/2 hours. Do Ahead Option: Can be made 2 days ahead.

Filling

• Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tbsp. water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine rhubarb, raspberries and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and juices are released, about 4 minutes (1-2 minutes if using previously frozen rhubarb.) Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil (fresh rhubarb will not be tender and slices will still be intact.) Transfer to a bowl. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.

Crostata Assembly

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 12″ round; brush with beaten egg. Mound filling in center of crust; gently spread out, leaving a 1 1/2″ border. Gently fold edges of dough over filling, pleating as needed. Brush border with egg; sprinkle with raw sugar. Slide parchment with crostata onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let crostata cool on baking sheet on rack. Transfer crostata onto a platter, cut into wedges. Serve slightly warm with ice cream or at room temperature with whipped cream. Or if you’re like my dad – both!