A crostata is nothing more than an Italian version of a free form pie made with a variety of fillings usually fruit or cream based. My Fresh Mango & Raspberry Crostata is always requested by both friends & family alike. Sweet ripe juicy mangoes combined with the subtle tartness of the raspberries in a light flaky crust – will have your taste buds singing for sure.

Best of all, this lovely & delicious dessert is so simple to make. It’s perfect for entertaining & can made in advance. I often serve it simply with a dollop of whipped cream or you can add a scoop of ice cream or gelato if you prefer. Regardless, this is the perfect ending to absolutely any meal.

The crostata dough is known as “pasta frollo” and it’s easier to make than you think but if you are pressed for time, feel free to buy ready made pie dough or even the ready made pie crust if you wish. You could substitute the raspberries for any fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, guava or kiwi also pair nicely with the mango).

I also highly recommend baking the crostata on a pizza stone, otherwise a baking tray will work just fine.


FRESH MANGO & RASPBERRY CROSTATA

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup all purpose flour, maida
2-2½ tbsp granulated sugar, to taste
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tbsp ice water, or more if needed


For the filling:
2 ripe but firm mangoes, peeled & thinly sliced
½ pint of fresh raspberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour, maida
juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange zest, very fine
¼ tsp ground cardamom powder
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 lightly beaten egg with 1 tbsp of water for an egg wash
½ tbsp sugar, optional

METHOD:

Using a food processor, combine the flour with the sugar & salt. Pulse a few times to mix the dry ingredients together. Then slowly start adding the butter into the dough while pulsing the food processor. Keep pulsing the dough until it looks like coarse crumbs. Now with the food processor running, very slowly, steadily drizzle in the ice water until the dough starts coming together. Then remove the dough from the processor and shape it into a flattened disk. Then cover the dough with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor – the dough could also be made by hand.

When you are ready to make the crostata, remove the dough from the refrigerator & let it rest for about 10 minutes before use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes with the pizza stone on the center rack.

The easiest way to do this is to roll out the crostata dough between two pieces of parchment paper till it’s about 13 inches round. Then carefully remove the top piece of parchment paper, but leave the bottom piece intact. Now using the help of the bottom piece of parchment paper, transfer the crostata to a baking tray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar with the lemon juice & vanilla extract. Stir well & add the flour, along with the orange zest, cardamom powder & nutmeg. Mix well & then carefully add the mango slices & raspberries. Toss gently to combine.

Now care fully spoon the mango mixture into the center of the crostata dough, leaving 1½” or so border around the edge. You could also arrange the mango slices if you prefer. Now carefully fold the dough over the mango mixture creating an open faced “pie”. You could “pleat” the dough if you like. Gently pinch & seal the dough if you find any tears.

If you are using a pizza stone, carefully transfer the crostata with the parchment paper underneath to the pizza stone. If you are not using a pizza oven, simply leave the crostata on the baking tray with the parchment paper underneath. Brush the edge with a little egg wash, sprinkle a little sugar over top you like.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the crust is light golden brown. Remove from the oven & let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, gelato or ice cream.