Sour Cherry Crostata
Featuring a sweetened crust that is a cross between shortbread cookie and pie dough, this Sour Cherry Crostata is a delicious dessert for a warm summer day!
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At first glance, this crostata looks like a pie. And in many ways, it is a pie. It’s got a delicious pie crust at the bottom, and extra dough is used to make a classic lattice decoration on top. And of course the cherry filling totally lines up with what you might use for a pie. But this is a crostata.
Crostata vs. Pie
Ok, David. Pie…crostata. Crostata…pie. What’s the difference? Is there a difference? Glad you asked! A crostata comes from Italy – and it’s origins can be traced all the back to the mid-1400’s. (That’s young in Italian years!) Crostatas are typically more rustic than a traditional American pie. Think of crostatas as an open-faced PB&J sandwich. Same delicious ingredients…just in a bit more rustic in style.
To be fair, many pies also feature an “open-faced” lattice crust on top. However, a key difference with crostatas is the crust itself. Crostatas typically use a shortcrust pastry dough – in fact, this version would actually be called a pâte sucrée (French) or pasta frolla (Italian). It’s a sweetened, enriched pie dough that lands somewhere between a classic pie dough and a shortbread cookie.
When it comes to a classic American-style pie dough, I usually use this one – it’s delicious! The dough used in this Sour Cherry Crostata recipe is different – you’ll notice an egg and an additional egg yolk in there. You also might notice the higher amount of sugar. (It’s almost double the sugar from that classic American-style dough.) The result is a sweetened dough that truly is a cross between pie dough and shortbread cookie. It doesn’t fall into either category, but it’s quite delicious!
Sour Cherry Crostata
When it comes to fillings, crostatas (like pies) can be either savory or sweet. In this case, we went sweet. I had an extra bag of pitted sour cherries in the freezer, and I really wanted to play around with making a crostata. So here we are!
The filling in this crostata is quite similar to one that you might use in a classic pie. I opted for sour cherries partly because I already had them in the freezer, but also because the combination of the sour cherries pairs so well with the sweetened crust. I snuck a bit of cinnamon and cardamom into the filling because those flavors go quite well with cherries. Feel free to adjust to your own personal preferences there! (A tiny bit of almond extract in the filling or the dough would be tasty.)
I can’t wrap up a chat about this Sour Cherry Crostata without mentioning the sparkling sugar on top. If you like to bake desserts, then you should absolutely keep a bag of sparkling sugar in your pantry! Bob’s Red Mill sells sparkling sugar in 16oz. bags, or you can pick up 8oz. containers of it on Amazon. Topping desserts with a generous sprinkling of sparkling sugar before they go into the oven yields an attractive finished product…and that layer of coarse sugar tastes delicious, too! (Pssst…sparkling sugar is great on top of muffins, too!)
I hope you enjoy this Sour Cherry Crostata as much as we did here in our house! It made for a great dessert on a warm summer evening. Happy baking!
Did you make this Sour Cherry Crostata at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Sour Cherry Crostata
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 2 cups pitted sour cherries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the Topping
- 1 large egg
- course sugar such as sparkling or turbinado, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
For the Dough
- Using a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest; pulse until well combined.
- Cut butter into small cubes and add to the food processor; pulse until a crumbly mixture forms. Transfer mixture into a large mixing bowl.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the egg, additional egg yolk and vanilla. Pour mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients; stir until dough comes together in a ball. (Note: If dough seems dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of cold water.)
- Divide dough into 2 equal portions and shape each piece into a disc. Wrap each piece separately in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Note: Dough can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight.)
For the Filling
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Using a large bowl, add cherries, sugar, flour, cinnamon and cardamom; toss until well combined. Set filling aside.
- Working on a well-floured surface, roll one piece of dough into an 11” circle.
- Transfer pie dough into a 9” tart pan with removeable bottom. Gently but firmly press dough into bottom and sides of pan; leave ~½” of overhang on all sides. Fold overhang over itself against the inner sides of the pan.
- Spread cherry filling evenly into the pan; set pan aside.
- Working on a well-floured surface, roll remaining piece of dough into a 9” circle.
- Using a pastry wheel or knife, cut dough into (10) ½” strips.
- Lay half of the strips on top of the filling, leaving ~1½” in between each strip. Turn the pan a quarter-turn and repeat with the remaining strips to create a lattice pattern. (Note: If desired, feel free to weave the strips together!) Pinch edge of each strip against the dough around the sides of the pan to seal. (Note: You will likely have a little bit of pie dough leftover. Just sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar and bake it for a few minutes for a quick and easy snack!)
For the Topping
- Using a small bowl, whisk the egg together with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash on top of the dough. Sprinkle the tops of the dough generously with course sugar.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until dough is golden brown in color.
- Let cool in tart pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove the outer ring and let cool until warm before serving.
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Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegan butter i never had sour cherry crostata before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Yes! Vegan butter should work well in this recipe, Ramya. Let me know how it turns out!
I have never ever seen sour cherries in any grocery store. Black sweet cherries, yes, but never sour.
Maybe it’s a regional thing? They aren’t common, but they do appear on occasion. Either way, the frozen version will work just as well in this recipe, Colleen!
I love crostatas for their visual appeal – their rustic elegance is quite cozy and inviting! But generally I prefer less sweet crust (I’m not against the crostata though; the more pies, oh I mean options, the better!) I think using sour cherries
for the filling was a smart move. It’s not that easy at all to find them here, so please eat a slice or two for me 🙂
Can you find sour cherries in the freezer section? Fresh are rare here, too, but I feel like I can always find a frozen bag. And the sour cherries really work well with the sweeter crust on this crostata!
I love sour cherries David and this crostata looks just lovely. I like the idea of sparkling sugar on top too! This makes me think of a French galette, as that is a rustic kind of pie/thingy too. Cheers Sherry
Yes! Crostatas remind me of galettes, too. I love a good rustic pie – that way you don’t have to make them look all perfect. They’re rustic after all! 🙂
Interesting tidbit: I spend the summers in one of major US cherry-growing regions, and as you can imagine, in mid-summer, you can find sweet cherries at every farmer’s market, fruit stand, and little curbside turnouts. But although the amount of sweet cherries is dwarfed by the number of tart that are grown, I’ve found only one pint in about 10 years of looking. All the tart cherries go directly to commercial purposes. So, in the midst of several counties of nothing but cherry orchards, I also have to buy frozen tart cherries! I have a bag in the freezer right now, and I think it has crostata written all over it.
Tart cherries are definitely on the rare side here, too. I can find them on occasion – once or twice a year maybe – but never when I’m actually looking for them. If they’re on the grocery list for the week? Nope. But the good news is the frozen version will work just fine for this recipe. The sweeter dough combined with the tart cherries is pretty darned delicious!
This is one beautiful summer dessert, David. To me it looks and sounds even MORE mouthwatering than a typical cherry pie (which I can not resist).
I’m with ya, Marissa – I can’t resist a good cherry pie, either!!
A beautiful cherry crostata, and such a great way to use the cherries that are in season! My favourite part has to be the crunchy coarse sugar that’s studded on top!
The crunchy sugar is a small little addition, but I do think it’s what takes this recipe over the top! Thanks, Michelle!
That is just gorgeous! Love sour cherries. You did an amazing job.
Thanks so much, Mimi! I know you don’t bake much, but you should put this one on the list! 🙂
Whatever you want to call it-I’ll just call it good! I love sour cherries and always try to procure a bucket to freeze from the farmer’s market. There is nothing like a cherry pie for George Washington’s birthday! Or perhaps next year, it will be a crostata!
Yes! Give the crostata a chance. 🙂 This is a fun twist on the classic cherry pie – and it’s absolutely delicious. Thanks, Abbe!
The use of sour cherries as a filling is a great choice, and the addition of cinnamon and cardamom for flavor complexity sounds delicious. Loving this recipe.
The dough for this crostata is absolutely delicious, Raymund – I could probably eat it by itself!
Thanks so much for the deets on crostata versus pie! Though, whatever you call it, this dessert looks absolutely scrumptious!! Paired with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream and I’m set. Perfect to kick off the weekend with!!
I’m with ya, Dawn – you can call this whatever you want as long as I get a slice! 🙂