Italian Lemon Crostata
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4.7
63 reviews
Excellent
Italian Lemon Crostata
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Italian Lemon Crostata, a simple and easy Italian Dessert. Made with a flaky pie pastry and a delicious fresh lemon cream filling. The perfect snack or dinner dessert recipe.
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Ingredients
CROSTATA DOUGH
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons butter (room temperature) (140 grams total)
LEMON FILLING
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- 3 large whole eggs (room temperature)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2¾ tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 tablespoon zest (1 lemon)
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
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Instructions
CROSTATA DOUGH
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder, make a well in the centre and add the egg, egg yolk and butter (cubed), mix together (you can also use a food processor, pulse until dough just starts to come together). Move the dough to a flat surface and gently knead until it becomes a soft dough, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C) lightly grease and flour a 9 inch (23 cm) pie / tart pan.
- Remove the dough from fridge, roll ¾ of the dough into 1/8 inch thickness to fill the pie plate, prick the dough with the tongs of a fork. At this point refrigerate the crust in the pan while you make the lemon filling.
- The remaining dough, roll and using a small cookie cutter make cutouts or make strips for the top of the crostata (lattice style)
LEMON FILLING
- In a medium pot whisk together the sugar, egg yolk, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and cooled melted butter, place on low heat and heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens (this can take a while, so be patient and do not raise the heat) (should be thick enough to coat a spoon really well, once it starts to thicken it will thicken very quickly, so be careful not to burn it).
- Remove the pot from the heat, and pour into the prepared crostata dough, top with the cutouts or strips, brush the dough lightly with milk and bake for approximately 30 minutes, after 15-20 minutes you may have to cover around the top of pie crust as it tends to brown quickly, or see notes below for more tips. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- I never blind bake this crust before making this recipe, I don't think it is necessary. But if you think you should or want to, then pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C, prick the bottom of the tart well with the tongs of a fork. Place a piece of parchment paper on top and fill with pie weights, or use beans, rice or even sugar, blind bake the crust 8-10 minutes then remove the paper and beans, let cool then continue with the recipe.
- If the dough becomes too warm/soft, it will be hard to roll out or cut shapes out of. It will become very sticky and won’t do well with the rolling pin.
- The dough is very forgiving, though, so just place it back in the refrigerator to firm it up a bit.I recommend placing the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll the rolling pin on top of the paper until desired thickness.
- Roll the dough (with paper on) up with the rolling pin. Place on top of the pie plate and roll out as you remove the paper. This puts the dough perfectly on top of the pie pan. Press the dough into the pan and make sure to press into the corners. If there are any cracks or thin spots, simply take a small piece of dough and press onto that area.
- It also helps to place foil around the edges of the crust at the start of baking. It is so much easier to put the foil on while the pie plate is still cold, instead of halfway through the baking time when it was hot. You can always remove it towards the end if the edges haven’t browned enough.
- You can make this a day ahead and place it in the refrigerator before serving. You could also just make the dough ahead of time, it will keep for up to 3 days, if you want and then wrap and refrigerate. When it’s time to make your crostata, allow time to let your dough soften up and roll it out to place in your pan.
- The pie can be kept at room temperature, covered. A cool area is best. It will keep for up to one day, if not cover well or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- To freeze the crostata, wrap it well in plastic wrap or foil and place in a freezer bag. It will keep to 3 months in the freezer. Be sure to shaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
326kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
43g
(14%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
15g
(23%)
Saturated Fat
9g
(45%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
4g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
144mg
(48%)
Sodium
133mg
(6%)
Potassium
106mg
(3%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
25g
(50%)
Vitamin A
538IU
(11%)
Vitamin C
3mg
(3%)
Calcium
41mg
(4%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 326 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 326kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 43g | 14% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 144mg | 48% |
| Sodium | 133mg | 6% |
| Potassium | 106mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 25g | 50% |
| Vitamin A | 538IU | 11% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 41mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
63 reviews
Excellent
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