Crostata di Visciole

a crisp lattice-topped short-pastry tart filled with dark, winey, sugar-stewed wild sour cherries, the cherished sour-cherry crostata of the Roman Jewish kitchen

Origin: Italy

From the journey of Cherry.

Italy has loved the cherry since the Romans first planted it, and the dark wild sour cherries of the centre, the visciole and amarene, are the heart of its baking. The crostata di visciole, the sour cherry lattice tart, is one of the glories of the Roman Jewish kitchen, the cucina ebraica romanesca that is among the oldest continuous culinary traditions in Europe. A rich, crisp short pastry (pasta frolla) is filled with visciole, the small dark wild sour cherries of Lazio, stewed slowly with sugar until thick, dark, and intensely flavoured, somewhere between a jam and a compote, and then latticed over with more pastry and baked until golden. In its most traditional form the filling was sometimes bound with a little of the cherries' own wine, and in the old Roman Ghetto the tart was made with a layer of ricotta beneath the cherries, the visciole e ricotta. Sharp, sweet, winey, and rich, the crostata di visciole is a dish of the Roman Sabbath and festival table, and a direct descendant of the very fruit that Lucullus is said to have carried home to Rome.

Ingredients

The Pastry

300 g plain flour
150 g cold butter, cubed
120 g sugar
2 egg yolks (plus 1 egg, beaten, to glaze)
1 lemon, zest of
1 pinch salt

The Filling

700 g visciole or other sour cherries, stoned (fresh, frozen, or good bottled amarene)
200 g sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

First stew the cherries: simmer them with the sugar and lemon juice for 25 to 30 minutes, until thick, dark, and jammy with little free liquid. Cool completely.
Make the pasta frolla: rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest until sandy, then bind with the egg yolks into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and line a 23cm tart tin. Spread the cooled cherry filling evenly over the base.
Roll the remaining pastry, cut into strips, and lay them over the filling in a lattice. Crimp the edges and brush the pastry with beaten egg.
Bake at 180°C for 40 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling bubbles. Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Visciole are the small dark wild sour cherries of Lazio; bottled amarene or Morello cherries, or frozen sour cherries, all make an excellent filling. The ricotta-and-cherry version (crostata di ricotta e visciole) layers sweetened ricotta beneath the fruit. A splash of the cherries' syrup or a little red wine deepens the filling. Use a crisp pasta frolla and stew the fruit thick.

The Gastrographer

Name: Crostata di Visciole
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 300 g plain flour; 150 g cold butter, cubed; 120 g sugar; 2 egg yolks (plus 1 egg, beaten, to glaze); 1 lemon, zest of; 1 pinch salt; 700 g visciole or other sour cherries, stoned (fresh, frozen, or good bottled amarene); 200 g sugar; 1 tbsp lemon juice

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control