Blueberry Crostata with Lemon Ice Cream

Photo Courtesy of Fine Cooking Magazine. All rights reserved.

Once again, I am sharing one of

Andrew’s great summer desserts. Surely

one of summer’s great pleasures are its fruits and berries, especially when

they are local. And what can compare to

any fruit dessert coupled with ice cream, especially when it is homemade. I like to think that Andrew ought to be

getting a cut out of the sales of Cuisinart Ice Cream Makers he has recommended

to friends. At $60, you can’t imagine

how much pleasure you’ll bring to summer when you buy one. It’s the best possible rainy-day activity for

young children. It’s not a bad one for

grown-ups either. And the creamy perfection

of pure, simple homemade ice cream makes anything else taste somehow not as

good, and truly store-bought.

This

combination came from our friends at Fine Cooking who seem to have provided us

with a bumper crop of great things to eat this summer. This is best started early in the day since

the lemon ice cream will need a minimum of 4 hours in the freezer, once it’s

churned. Then you make a free-form canvas out of pastry

on which you mound the berries. You can

be as rustic as all get out with this one.

It’s so much simpler to achieve than a regular pie. You’ll note that

this recipe makes 2-8 inch crostatas to serve 8 people. If you are serving a

smaller crowd, still make the full amount of dough. You can freeze it and make

another one later in the week. While you chill the dough is the perfect time to

make the ice cream. Once that’s done you

can turn your attention back to the making of the crostata. Note that Andrew uses a French rolling pin

which he swears by because you have more control than the old-fashioned

American kind. The berries go on, the

edges get folded over the berries. The

Turbinado (or sugar in the raw) gives the pastry a wonderful crunchy sweetness.

Then the pastry goes into the oven. It

takes about an hour for the cake to cook.

• You can either wait another 15 minutes and serve it then. Or you can
• cool it completely. You can even reheat
• it in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes and then serve with a scoop of your
• homemade ice cream. Now take a bow. Here are the recipes:
• Blueberry Crostata with Lemon Ice Cream from Fine Cooking Magazine
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into
• 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 1/8 tsp. table salt
• 1-3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1. In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a boil over
• high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer. In a stainless-steel bowl that fits
• over the saucepan without touching the water, combine the sugar, lemon juice,
• eggs, egg yolk, butter, lemon extract, and salt.
• 2. Whisk vigorously until the
• mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, 7 to 8 minutes.
• 3. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whisk in the cream and
• milk.
• 4. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and refrigerate until
• thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day, covering with plastic wrap
• once cool.
• Stir the lemon mixture and churn it in an ice cream machine
• according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it’s the consistency of
• soft-serve ice cream. Serve or pack into a container, seal, and store in the
• freezer for up to 1 week.
• 3 cups (15 oz.) fresh blueberries
• 6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) plus 3 Tbs.
• all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs. yellow cornmeal
• 4-1/2 oz. (9 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter,
• cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 Tbs. ice water; more as needed

1 large egg white beaten with 2 Tbs.

water until foamy

1 Tbs. turbinado or other “raw” sugar

1. Mix the blueberries, 3 Tbs. of the flour, and the confectioners’

sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat

the oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

2. Combine the remaining 1-1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, and

cornmeal in a food processor and process until the consistency of fine sand.

Add the butter and pulse until there are no visible pieces of butter.

3. Add the

egg yolk and water and pulse to form a soft dough, adding more water 1 tsp. at

a time as necessary. Gather the dough into a ball and divide into 2 even

pieces.

4. On a well-floured work surface, roll each piece of dough into an

11-inch circle and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.

5. Divide the blueberry

filling between the circles, mounding the berries and leaving a 1-1/2-inch edge

around each circle. Sprinkle any remaining sugar-flour mixture around the berry

mounds. Try to get an even amount of blueberries and dry ingredients in each

crostata. Fold the edges up over the filling, pleating as you go, to partially

cover the filling. Brush the exposed dough with the egg white wash and sprinkle

with the raw sugar.

6. Bake for 25 minutes. Rotate the sheets top to bottom and back to

front. (If there is any white flour mixture showing, carefully spoon a little

of the blueberry juices over to cover.) Continue baking until the crusts have

browned and the filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes more. Cool on the baking

sheets on a rack for at least 15 minutes or to room temperature. Serve.

Slice each crostata into quarters and serve with scoops of the

ice cream on top.

The crostatas can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored on their

baking sheets at room temperature, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel.

Just before serving, warm the crostatas on their baking sheets in a 200°F oven

for 10 minutes.

In order for the ice cream to readily melt and mingle with the

crostata, either the crostata should be a bit warm from the oven or the ice

cream should be slightly soft. If you’ve made both elements ahead and the ice

cream is very hard, let it sit briefly at room temperature.