Strawberry Crostata Is So Last Season

For the last night of my sister's visit, Hubs grilled bratwurst and I made polenta topped with roasted vegetables. Sis opened up a bottle of local Syrah that went with the food like Cinderella and fragile footwear.

Dessert was to be a crostata, so earlier that day, while the frozen dough was thawing, we went to the store to pick out some fruit. We pondered over apples, pears, peaches, plums... and strawberries. Strawberries? In October? She wanted the strawberries. I knew they wouldn't be anywhere as good as they are in July, but then again, they would be baked in a hot oven and their flavors would concentrate. It had never occurred to me to make a crostata with strawberries, but why not? You can use virtually any fruit. My biggest fear was the amount of liquid they would let go of. I decided not to worry about any of that and just go for it. Even if it totally botched up, it would probably still taste good. It did.


It tasted like summer, which was pretty ironic as the heatwave we'd been "enjoying" had just ended the day before and it was suddenly 58° and raining. These radical weather swings are why I don't bother packing away my seasonal clothes anymore... and why strawberries in October weren't quite as weird as I thought they'd be. Certainly no weirder than soup in June.

My Notes: I hulled the strawberries and sliced them in half, then tossed them with a tablespoon of sugar and a splash of Grand Marnier. I arranged them cut side up, radiating out from the center. I baked the crostata according to the directions for the peach version. After it had cooled a bit in the pan, I carefully transferred it to a cooling rack (easier said than done) and sifted some powdered sugar over it. It was, as I had predicted, very liquid-y. Next time I'll try: less sugar, draining the berries before arranging them, and maybe even combine them with a little flour. It's definitely worth figuring out.