Season: Spring
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45-55 minutes
This rustic Crostata crust has the distinctive flavors of nutty Almond flour, along with Thomas Keller's perfectly blended Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour.
Pastry
1 cup almond meal flour
1-1/2 cup (Cup 4 Cup) gluten free flour
1/4 cup coconut, maple, or pure cane sugar
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 stick cold unsalted grass-fed butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla paste, or extract
3 tbsp. ice water
Filling
1-1/2 cups fresh rhubarb (cut into 1/2 pieces)
8 oz. fresh raspberries
1/2 cup scant, pure cane, or coconut sugar (more for dusting crostata)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp. tapioca starch or arrowroot
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 1/2 tbsp. fresh orange juice
Zest from 1 orange
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven 350
Pastry
Place flour, salt, and sugar in bowl of a food processor or kitchen-aid mixer. Pulse the mixture a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Add butter into flour, in small pieces until mixture looks like small peas.
Add the egg, vanilla, and the ice-water a tablespoon at a time into flour mixture. Pulse a few times until mixture holds together. Do not over mix.
Place dough on lightly floured surface. Gather dough in hands to form a ball. Flatten dough into a 6-7 inch disc. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
Rhubarb Filling
Place 3 tablespoons of water in small bowl, whisk in tapioca starch and set aside.
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine rhubarb, 2 tbsp. pure cane sugar and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until some of the juices are released. Stir in cornstarch and bring to a low boil then, lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Let cool.
In a large bowl combine the cooled rhubarb, raspberries, remaining sugar, brown sugar, almond extract, spices, orange zest, and orange juice. Let sit for 5 minutes.
To assemble the crostata, place the chilled dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Lightly dust with flour on both sides of parchment.
With rolling pin, roll dough out into a 14-inch circle. Gently peel the parchment away from dough to make sure it isn’t sticking. If it does stick, add a little more flour.
Place rhubarb and raspberry mixture on top of the the dough. Leave a 3” border. Place small pieces of butter around the top of rhubarb and drizzle with wildflower honey.
Fold the dough border up and around the rhubarb pinning the dough to create pleats.
Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle almonds on top of dough.
Bake for 45-55 minutes. Use a metal spatula to lift the crostata gently and check the bottom. You want it to be golden brown, like the top.
Cool for 15 minutes.
Serve warm.