Crostata integrale con marmellata di pere - Wholemeal Crostata with Pear Jam

Crostata is one of the post popular Italian tarts, made with shortcrust pastry and jam, usually homemade. It's a domestic tart we mainly serve either for breakfast or for tea, but it could also become a  perfect family dessert. Traditionally, we never pair it with any cream.

Here, as a change, I make my crostata pastry with wholemeal flour combined with the fine white 00 one - half and half -, which is essential to give softness to the tart.

As for the jam, pick up your favourite one and be generous: the more, the better. I choose the pear jam, more delicate than the apricot one to me.

Crostata integrale con marmellata di pere 

Wholemeal Crostata with Pear Jam

For the pastry
150 g wholemeal flour
150 g white flour 00
150 g brown sugar
150 g butter, cold
2 large egg yolks 
1 large eggFor the filling 
450 g of good-quality pear jam
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Serves 8

Preparation time: 65 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

1. Mix the flour and the sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse into a coarse mixture. Incorporate the yolks and the egg and mix into a smooth dough. 
2. Wrap it in cling film, flatten into a disk and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
4. Butter a 24 cm tart tin with a loose bottom and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour. Shake off the excess flour.
5. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Put aside one third. On a floured surface, roll out the remaining dough into a round shape, ½ cm thick. 
6. Line the prepared tin with the dough and press it down firmly into the angles between the base and the side. 
7. In a bowl stir the lemon juice into the jam and spread it over the dough. 
8. Roll out the reserved dough into a sort of rectangular shape and cut out several strips about 1 cm wide. Place these strips over the tart to form a lattice pattern, securing at the rim with a little water
9. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry turns light golden brown.
10. Remove from the tin and leave to cool in a wire rack.