Fresh fruit crostata

This Italian fruit tart is traditionally made with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of jam spread over it; but like a pie crust, it’s versatile and can be made with fresh fruit, too. Use what you have on hand! The butter content is usually twice as much, but substituting half the butter for low-fat yogurt makes it soft, moist, and that much healthier.*

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose white flour
1 cup white whole wheat, whole wheat, or buckwheat flour
5 T butter, softened
2 1/2 T low-fat yogurt, as thick as possible
1/2 cup + 2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
2 medium eggs
About 4 cups nectarines, sliced

Preparation:

1. Knead all the ingredients together except for the fruit and eggs, adding eggs once the dough is already well-mixed. Once the dough is smooth, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 355°F. Add brown sugar to the mixed fruit, quantity depending on how ripe or green it is (from a tablespoon to 1/3 cup), plus 2 to 3 teaspoons of cornstarch. Add a dash of cinnamon and dried ginger.

3. Toss nectarines in an oven-proof container, cover with tin foil, and bake for about 45 minutes. Timing may vary; the nectarines I used were rock-hard. Stir the fruit every once in a while, and remove when done.

4. Grease a 9-inch cake pan. Dust a surface with flour and roll out half of the dough to max 1 cm thickness, then transfer to the cake pan. Pluck pieces of dough from the leftover and stick them to the sides to make sure the edges come up an inch.

5. Pour the fruit in the tart, leveling it out. Roll out the second half of the dough and cut into strips, laying them across the top. Use any extra dough for an extra cookie dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

6. Bake at 355°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden.

*For yogurt-butter substituting, remove half the butter and use half as much yogurt. So, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup butter + 1/4 cup yogurt.