We finally have delicious strawberries at a good price. This year I felt like eating the first ones with something slightly more elaborate than a spoonful of cream. So I decided to make these crostatine, adding, more or less subtly, some ingredients that pair perfectly with them. As you might remember, I already told you where crostate come from, with a very simple and equally delicious recipe. But in this case, the dough has almond, which goes great with the custard.
Speaking of custard, instead of the usual one, I felt like having a touch of orange, also because they form a more classic duo with strawberries, but one appreciated by every generation, unlike this one. (What, did you think I was going to post this other one?) If you don’t like cinnamon or you’ve grown tired of it for life after trying that crazy trend of swallowing a spoonful to see what happens, then don’t add it, but you’ll be missing out on a great touch, even if it seems like just a detail. (I refuse to post a video of the cinnamon challenge, because the last thing I need is for you to feel like trying it because of me. It seems it’s not only dangerous for one’s dignity, but also for people’s physical integrity.)
I used “favetta” strawberries from Terracina. If I ever go back to Sabadell, that will be one of the things I’ll miss most about Italy. Unlike regular strawberries, they are round, smaller, and sweeter. Obviously, you can make them with regular, nice and ripe strawberries. If you are among those lucky ones who know where to find wild ones, I won’t even mention it. By the way, the geeky mug behind the crostatine, I bought it at a very legendary shop here in Rome, Profondo Rosso. Any Dario Argento fan will have immediately realized that the shop’s name is the same as one of the most well-known horror films by this director. He founded it himself in 1989, and besides film memorabilia of all kinds related to his work, they have a quite interesting arsenal of science fiction and horror cinema in general. So, if by chance you are fans of these topics, if you pass through Rome and haven’t done so already, take a look, because it’s worth it. Oh, and above all, head straight to the Gelateria dei Gracchi, which is literally two steps away from the shop. Their ice creams are among the best you can try in Rome.
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The card
- For the custard
- 500 ml milk
- 125 g sugar
- The zest of one orange
- The juice of half an orange, or one if it is very small.
- 2 egg yolks
- 50 g flour
- For the dough
- 150 g almond flour (if you don't have any, grind the almonds yourself)
- 150 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 250 g flour
- 150 g butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- The grated zest of one lemon
- For the caramelized strawberries
- 100 g sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 14 strawberries
- Cinnamon powder.
- Preparing the custard
- Heat the milk with the pieces of orange zest. Careful, it must be peeled very thinly, without the white part underneath the skin, because this white layer is bitter.
- Remove from heat when it is about to boil.
- Whisk the two egg yolks with the sugar until they become an almost fluffy, very light yellow cream.
- Gradually add the sifted flour, stirring constantly.
- Add the juice of half an orange, passed through a strainer, little by little and stirring.
- At this point, start incorporating the milk, also little by little, from which you must have previously removed the pieces of orange zest.
- When the milk is perfectly combined with the eggs, heat the custard over very low heat.
- It is important to stir it constantly from the very beginning, because at the slightest distraction, it starts to thicken at the bottom and if it is not stirred constantly it could end up full of lumps.
- Once it has thickened, let it cool in a deep plate or flat container, covered with plastic wrap directly in contact with the custard. This way, a skin will not form.
- Preparing the crostate
- Mix the sugar, eggs, a pinch of salt, and the almond flour.
- Form a mound with the flour on the counter, make a hole in the middle, and incorporate the flour mixture, eggs, etc., and the rest of the ingredients.
- Knead quickly until you get a compact dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least an hour in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is 0.5 cm thick.
- Cover the inside of the molds with the dough.
- Place pieces of parchment paper on top of the dough and fill with chickpeas or beans. This way, the base of the crostatine will not puff up while they bake.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and let cool.
- Preparing the strawberries
- Pierce the strawberries with a toothpick or a skewer stick. They will serve as a handle when we dip the strawberries into the melted sugar.
- Heat the sugar and the tablespoons of water in a non-stick pan until the sugar has dissolved.
- Dip the strawberries and let them cool on parchment paper in the fridge.
- Fill the crostatine with the custard, place a strawberry in the center, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Leave the crostatine in the fridge for a while before serving.
- Note: The molds I used are 10 cm in diameter. If yours are larger or smaller, with the quantities I have indicated, you will naturally get more or fewer crostatine.
- Note 2: If you are feeling lazy, it is not necessary to caramelize the strawberries.
