I Heart Cooking Clubs
Monthly Featured Ingredient Cranberries!
A crostata is an open-faced fruit tart, often with a decorative lattice top. I have not made a crostata before but I have made plenty of tarts. This crostata caught my eye in Ruth Reichl My Kitchen Year and I was glad that cranberries were this month’s featured ingredient.
The tart dough is made with butter, sugar, egg, ground pecans, vanilla, flour and the zest of one lemon. It is a very tender dough and hard to work with. Ruth warns bakers that the dough will tear and she is right. Make the refrigerator and/or freezer your friend. She equally warns you about the lattice top tearing and I had lost my patience by then so I skipped a traditional lattice and just lay my strips five one way and five the other. I went for the rustic look.
The cranberry filling was easy. Fresh cranberries, juice of one orange, apricot preserves, and sugar are cooked for five minutes on the stove. Ruth is pretty loosey, goosey with her instructions but I cooked mine over medium heat for five minutes just until the sugar melted.
The results were delicious and a crowd pleaser. The crust continued to be a problem for me as it stuck to the pan. I thought it was a bit too tart but my guests all liked it, many having seconds. Ruth states that “this tart is as good on day two as day one” and she is right. We had leftovers from the refrigerator the next day and it was still delicious.
Cranberry Pecan Crostata page 43 or Ruth’s website.
CafeMomCooks 
I have noticed that the My Kitchen Year instructions are a bit loose. Makes one wonder if she is missing her editorial assistants or if this is just her style. (I like to think it's just her style.) I think your crostata looks perfect!
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I'm impressed! I think you definitely have a way with dough because you have latticework. Congratulations on that! It looks delicious. I did really enjoy this! Especially with vanilla ice cream.Reading Debra's comment above, thinking about your post, and my experience with Ruth's recipes and I'm thinking she's definitely loosey goosey.I have to say that while I love her, and her writing style, I am not a fan of loose instructions. For example, I made the creme brulee oatmeal last week. Her instructions said to pour the custard directly onto the hot oatmeal. You and I both know what they will do to the egg in the custard. I knew to wait for the oatmeal to cool, but she didn't include that in her instructions and it bothers me for beginner cooks. I feel strongly that all recipes should be written for beginner cooks.
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Kim I agree with your sentiments on her recipes. You really do need to be a seasoned cook to figure them out.
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Who wouldn't love a cranberry crostata like this one? I usually stick with my old trusty tart dough recipe from, guess who, Dorie's that you and I have made multiple times and it works.
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