Easy Italian Crostata Recipe (Jam Tart)
Calling all Italian cuisine lovers! This easy jam tart recipe (Italian crostata di marmellata) is the perfect Italian dessert. With the easiest olive oil shortcrust pastry, this tart recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes and you don't even have to roll out the pie dough. Perfect for the holidays, especially Christmas!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 424kcal
Equipment
- 1 9-inch (22cm) tart pan or pie dish.
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest or orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder use 1 ¾ teaspoons if you want sharper decorations
- 1 cup jam of your choice such as strawberry, cherry, peach, apricot, quince
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease and line with baking paper a 9–inch (22cm) tart pan.
- Transfer the olive oil, the sugar, the vanilla, the cinnamon and the lemon zest to a large bowl and stir well with a whisk or a fork until homogenized.
- Add the egg and mix well until the egg is fully incorporated into the olive oil mixture. You will notice that the mixture will slightly thicken.
- Transfer the flour and the baking powder to a bowl and stir to mix. Then add the flour to the olive oil mixture.
- Mix until the flour is absorbed. Then knead by hand until you get a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle with some extra flour.
- Take approximately the two thirds of the dough and transfer it into the tart pan. Press it with your hands to spread and cover the bottom and the sides of the pan (you don't have to go all the way up to the sides, half an inch is enough).Level the surface with the back of a spoon and then fill it with the jam.
- Take the remaining dough and place it between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll to about ¼ inch thick and cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. Transfer the dough on a sheet pan and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.Once the dough is chilled, transfer the decorations to the tart (a small offset spatula or a butter knife is great for this). You can knead the remaining scraps and roll them again to make more decorations.
- Bake the tart for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Take it out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool.Optionally, sprinkle it with icing sugar just before serving.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer the tart crust more browned, brush it with some egg-wash before baking (to make the egg wash, whisk one egg yolk with 2 tablespoons milk and a pinch of sugar).
- For an even easier jam tart recipe, put the remaining dough (for the topping) in the freezer for 10 minutes and crumble it with your hands over the surface of the tart or use the coarse side of a box grater to shred it.
- Any leftover dough makes delicious crispy cookies that keep very well for a lot of days.
Nutrition
Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
