Crostata ◔‿◔

Yesterday I got my hands in to making a crostata. For those who are unaware a crostata is an Italian baked dessert tart, and a form of pie. It can also be blind-baked and then filled with your favorite filling.


For the crust:

70 g flour30 g cocoa powder74 g powdered sugarPinch of salt115 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces1 egg plus one egg yolk, lightly beaten


For the filling 
Dark chocolate: 150g
Milk 100g (ie a glass)
1 egg yolk
30g butter
4 spoons of sugarAlmonds (preferably blanched) 100g 

Pre-heat oven 177 C

Method:

Preparing for crust:

In the food processor whiz together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and powdered sugar. Add butter and pulse until the butter the size of peas. Pour onto your counter top and make a well in the middle. Pour eggs in the middle of the well and start to mix together with a fork. Once the eggs start to get incorporated, start kneading and mixing by hand. Wrap your completed dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour.


Remove from fridge and turn out your dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to ¼-inch thick and transfer to a tart pan. Blind bake shell for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, remove from the pan. 
Remove from heat. 

Preparing the filling:

While the pastry dough is getting cooled, heat in a pan in water bath, make the chocolate into small pieces with a little 'milk until the chocolate melts. 

Chop the almonds and incorporate them with the sugar, egg yolk and butter in chocolate. It must be a mixture quite thick but fluid. If necessary add milk to make it so. Allow to cool.

Pour chocolate ganache over crust. Put your crostata in the

fridge and allow ganache to set completely.

Best chill overnight. Sprinkle with coarse salt, nuts (caramel)and serve!