Fig and raspberry crostata

Trust the Italians to come up with the world’s easiest pie.

A crostata is simply a single piece of pastry folded around a filling. It’s half tart, half pie and all delicious. 

Some versions put a frangipane on the base, but my option is designed for the cook with high expectations and a small amount of time. Simply roll the pastry and add the fruit. Use your favourite shortcrust recipe for the crust, or cheat with a quality frozen product.

Photo - Anna Kurzaeva/Shutterstock.com

What you need

Short crust pastry

10 figs

½ cup raspberries

5 tablespoons sugar

juice of half a lemon

1 beaten egg yolk, to glaze

icing sugar, to serve

cream, to serve

What to do

Heat the oven to 180.

Put the pastry between two sheets of cling wrap and roll the pastry to about 5mm. Remove the top layer of cling film and trim the pastry to a circle about 30cm in diameter. Place the pastry circle on to baking paper on a baking tray.

Remove the stems from the figs and cut them in quarters. Mix them with the raspberries, lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of the sugar.

Pile the fruit mixture on to the centre of the pastry circle, leaving a border of about 5cm.

Fold the pastry border over the fruit, pleating as you go.

Brush the folded border of pastry with the egg yolk and sprinkle over the last tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the fruit is bubbling.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Text: Robin Powell