Apple Crostata

We buy most of our groceries at a little neighborhood market a few blocks from our apartment. Although the store isn’t very big, they manage to fit a surprising variety of food inside.

A few weeks ago, they had Hidden Rose Apples on display. I’m a sucker for new foods I’ve never tried before, so I had to grab some. They are called Hidden Rose, because while they look like a regular apple on the outside, they are a pretty pink color inside! I knew I had to come up with some fun use for them. Fast forward to last night and apple crostata. I loosely followed Ina Garten’s recipe for guidance.

For the pastry dough:

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 6 tablespoons oat flour
• 2 tablespoons potato starch
• 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
• tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick very cold butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 3 Hidden Rose apples
• zest of one orange
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 stick cold butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped

1. Start the pastry dough by mixing the flours, sugar, and salt in a bowl. (Make sure the flours are well combined.) Add the butter and cut into the flour using a kitchen knife until the mixture is fairly blended. Add the water, again cut into the mixture. Finishing combining ingredients by hand, being careful not to overmix.
2. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to an 11 inch circle, using a floured rolling pin. Move to a baking sheet.
5. Slice the apples into 8ths, remove the core. Cut each wedge into 3 sections. Toss the apple chunks with the orange zest. Spread the mixture on the dough, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.
6. Make the topping by combining flour, sugar, allspice in a bowl. Again add the butter by cutting it into the flour mixture using a kitchen knife. Once mixture is crumbly, spread on top of the apples.
7. Spread the pistachios evenly over pastry. Roll the edges of the dough to form the crust.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

(Serves 4 Mikes or 6 Kalindas)