"I use this pastry with sweet and savoury cooking," says Jaclyn Koludrovic. "And sometimes I make it with vegan butter." The pastry and fruit mince can be made two days ahead. Crostata can be baked six hours ahead.
Jaclyn Koludrovic's gluten-free fruit mince crostata
The pastry chef's dietary-inclusive take on a Christmas treat.
- 1 hr preparation
- 45 mins cooking (plus resting, chilling)
- Serves 8 - 10
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Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 300 gm gluten-free plain flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (see note)
- 50 gm caster sugar
- 70 gm almond meal
- 200 gm chilled unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
- 1 eggwhite
- 2 tbsp raw sugar
- Grated nutmeg and icing sugar, for dusting
- Cream, ice-cream or brandy custard, to serve
Fruit mince
- 1 green apple
- 250 ml (1 cup) sparkling wine
- 110 gm golden raisins
- 85 gm (¼ cup) orange marmalade, plus extra, warm, to serve
- 60 gm dried cranberries
- 40 gm brown sugar
- 35 gm dried apricots, coarsely chopped
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 25 gm unsalted butter
Method
- 1Whisk eggs and vinegar in a bowl until frothy. Sift combined flour, xanthan gum and 1 tsp salt into another bowl, then stir in sugar and almond meal. Rub butter into flour mixture until a fine crumb, then add egg mixture and combine to form a dough. Shape into a flat rectangle, cover and refrigerate to chill (1-2 hours).
- 2For fruit mince, grate unpeeled apple and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Combine apple with remaining ingredients, except butter, in a bowl. Heat butter in a frying pan over low heat, add fruit mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated (20-25 minutes). Remove from heat, cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
- 3Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to a 45cm x 35cm rectangle, 3mm thick. Trim to make a 40cm x 20cm rectangle, reserving trimmings. Slide pastry, still on paper, onto a large baking tray and refrigerate to chill (20 minutes). Re-roll pastry trimmings between sheets of baking paper to 3mm thick and cut 34 stars with a 4cm star cutter. Spoon fruit mixture evenly over pastry leaving a 3cm-4cm border. Fold pastry edges over filling and brush with eggwhite. Decorate border with pastry stars, brush with more eggwhite, sprinkle with raw sugar and bake until golden (25 minutes).
- 4Dust crostata with nutmeg and icing sugar. Brush fruit mixture with extra marmalade to glaze and serve with cream, ice-cream or brandy custard.
Notes
Xanthan gum is available from select supermarkets or online from
The Essential Ingredient.
