Rustic Apple Crostata

Here it is! The first (of probably many) apple dishes/desserts of the season. Using the Virginia apples we just picked, of course! About that apple picking trip. I was really looking forward to the Saturday afternoon drive to Charlottesville, cruising through the hills blanketed in the colors of fall. And the drive was enjoyable. But the minute we pulled off of the freeway to wind our way up to the orchard (Carter Mountain is situated on the top of the mountain and comes with a stunning view of the valley below), the fun was over. All of a sudden we found ourselves stopped in a endless line of cars. What?! We weren't even off the freeway ramp and we were stuck in several miles of traffic. I was desperately hoping that there was a reason for this mess. Some huge accident on the other side of the bridge (selfish and morbid, I know) or the President flying in to visit Monticello (also just up the road). Something good. But no. It was the apples. All these people had come from apparently everywhere wanting some apples. I can't blame them. But it was frustrating. Who knew that apple picking was so popular? (To further explain my surprise, we have picked apples here for several years now and never experienced any delays.) It took us another hour to reach the top of Carter Mountain. I hate to admit that on the way up I was seriously questioning my commitment to this outing. Had turning around even been an option, I might have succumb.

So I guess the secret's out. The whole world knows about our apple orchard. But I suppose I can share. Once I'd taken my first bite of a Golden Delicious right off the tree, I had already forgotten about the traffic. I'm willing to endure that drive many times over if it means months of local fresh apples and desserts like this. This crostata made it worth it. A crostata is essentially a free-form pie crust, topped with fresh fruit and a spicy-sweet crumble. This is another awesome Ina Garten recipe. I loved the buttery, flakey crust and that the filling is not overly sweet (which is why I used a sweeter variety of apple- which I recommend). Definitely don't skip the orange zest. And serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
2 Tbsp. ice water

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs. (3 large) Fuji apples (or another crisp and sweet variety)
1/4 tsp. freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced

DIRECTIONS
1. For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

3. Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.

4. For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

5. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.

6. Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool several minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Food Network)