We love pie, especially blueberry. Since our blueberry bushes blessed us with a bunch of fruit this year, a pie or two is in order. However, we are not really good pie makers. There’s definitely a skill to making a beautiful pie with a melt-in-your-mouth flaky crust. For those of you who lack the pie making talent, try a crostata.

A crostata means pie or tart in Italian. It has similar ingredients to what is used in a pie crust, but no pie pan is needed. Instead, it’s a free form pie that uses every bit of crust. There’s no guilt in trimming away the extra buttery goodness for it to fit in a pan. The best part is, its rustic free-form style makes it look sophisticated. Your guests will swear you got it from a bakery!

For the Dough

• 1¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• ¼ cup ice cold water

For the Filling

• 3 cups fresh blueberries, washed (you can use frozen too)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Make the Dough

Place the flour and sugar in a food processor and blend for a few seconds. Add butter and process until the butter is all broken up. It should resemble wet sand.

Add about half the ice water and pulse.  Keep pulsing until the dough gathers together into a ball. If it doesn't, add a little bit more of the water and pulse.You may not use all the water.

Place the dough on a floured piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc.  Dust the top with some more flour and wrap it up. Place it the fridge for 30 minutes.  You can make this dough a day ahead and keep it in the fridge.

Make the Filling

Place the blueberries in a bowl. Add the cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest to the blueberries and mix. In a smaller bowl, mix together the lemon juice and cornstarch. Mix until it forms a smooth paste. Pour the cornstarch mixture over the blueberries and toss to coat thoroughly.  Place the filling in the refrigerator until the dough has chilled.

Make the Crostata

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat on a baking sheet. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap it and let it sit for a few minutes on the plastic wrap. Flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a 12-13 inch disk. It’s fine if it’s not a perfect circle. Wrap the rolled out dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to the baking lined sheet.  Place the filling on top of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Dot the filling with the small pieces of butter.

Fold the dough over the filling, leaving the center open.

Brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.  Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit and cool completely before serving it.  

Serve with whipped cream and a cup of tea.