Plum and Raspberry Crostata With Mascapone Cream

By Dana Sims on January 6, 2022 in Food

Synonymous with Summer. Photo: Dana Sims @stone_and_twine

The colours alone should be enough to make anyone want to create this delicious Italian pastry! Stone fruit is synonymous with summer and these plums and raspberries are a perfect blend of tartness and sweetness, with a jammy texture once cooked. This sweet pastry is rustic, simple and fun to make. I added accents of fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest to the fruit, all sweetened with some sugar for a delicious filling.
Try draining a little of the juice from the fruit when you’ve mixed it together in the bowl so it doesn’t create too much moisture as the pastry bakes, and be sure to get good colour on your pastry. Here’s to an impressive, entertaining recipe!

Ingredients
Pastry
1½ cups plain flour
125gm chilled butter, cubed
50gm caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tbs iced water
(egg wash and 1 tbs raw sugar for brushing pastry before cooking)

Filling
4-5 firm blood plums, cut into segments and deseeded
1 punnet fresh raspberries
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, extra for garnish
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp plain flour
40gm caster sugar

Mascarpone Cream
150ml thickened cream
2 tbs mascarpone cream
2 tbs icing sugar

Method
1. To make the pastry, place butter, flour and caster sugar in a food processor and process until mixture is the texture of breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and water and combine.
2. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and knead until it’s smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, fan forced.
4. Place all ingredients for the fruit filling in a mixing bowl and toss to combine.
5. Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper into a circle approximately 1cm thick, then transfer onto a lined baking tray.
6. Place the plum and raspberry mixture in the centre of the dough, leaving a 3-4cm border. Carefully fold in the edges of the dough up and around the filling.
7. Brush the pastry with some beaten egg and sprinkle with the raw sugar
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes. The crust should be golden brown.
9. For the mascarpone cream, whisk the cream until thickened well, fold in the marscapone and sift in the icing sugar. Gently combine well.
10. Remove the crostata from the oven, sprinkle with some fresh thyme leaves and serve with the mascarpone cream on the side.

Dana Sims is a Sydney-based food and prop stylist who has grown up in the Eastern Suburbs and loves to create delicious food for entertaining and family. She is inspired by the fresh produce we have access to here in Sydney. For ideas, recipes and styling inspiration, check out her Instagram, @stone_and_twine.