Blackberry Jam Crostata

Name: Blackberry Jam Crostata
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups/340 grams blackberries; 1 cup/125 grams blueberries; 3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugar, plus more as needed; 2 teaspoons minced fresh lemon verbena (optional); 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/3 cup sliced almonds; Demerara sugar, for sprinkling; 1 1/2 cups/190 grams all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup/95 grams whole-wheat flour; 12 tablespoons/170 grams unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened; 1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar; 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Recipe from Elizabeth Minchilli

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Blackberry Jam Crostata — Constantine Poulos for The New York Times

Total Time: 1¾ hours, plus chilling
Rating: 4(489)
Notes: Read community notes

With a press-in-the-pan buttery cookie crust and a tangy jam filling that’s topped with almonds and Demerara sugar, this crostata is simple, homey and utterly delightful. A touch of whole-wheat flour gives the crust complexity and a gentle nutty flavor, while homemade blackberry jam spiked with lemon verbena makes the confection festive enough for guests. This recipe is adapted from Elizabeth Minchilli, a food writer in Rome, who often buys excellent-quality cherry jam for the filling. If you’d like to substitute store-bought jam, use 1½ cups. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: Satisfying as a Pie, but as Easy as Cookies

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

For the Filling

3cups/340 grams blackberries
1cup/125 grams blueberries
¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar, plus more as needed
2teaspoons minced fresh lemon verbena (optional)
1teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
½teaspoon grated lemon zest
1teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓cup sliced almonds
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

For the Crust

1½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
¾cup/95 grams whole-wheat flour
12tablespoons/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened
½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
2large egg yolks, at room temperature
1tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1teaspoon vanilla extract
½teaspoon fine sea salt
¼teaspoon almond extract

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Make the jam: In a medium saucepan, stir together blackberries, blueberries, sugar and lemon verbena, if using. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally at first, then more frequently as the mixture starts to bubble and reduce.
Step 2
When mixture has reduced and looks syrupy (about 30 minutes total), stir in lemon juice and zest. Taste and add sugar if necessary. (This depends on how sweet your berries were to begin with.) Cook for 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent burning. When the jam is thickened and shiny but still slightly runnier than you expect jam to be, take it off the heat; it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Step 3
Scrape jam into a bowl or heatproof container, stir in vanilla and let cool to room temperature. Taste and stir in a little more lemon juice if the jam seems very sweet. At this point, the cooled jam can be chilled for up to 1 week.
Step 4
Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, and set aside. In a second bowl and using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and almond extract until combined, then beat in flour mixture.
Step 5
Scoop ½ cup of the dough into a bowl or container, cover and chill. Transfer remaining dough to a 9- or 10-inch tart pan and use floured fingers to press evenly into bottom and sides. Chill crust in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Step 6
When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread jam evenly into crust, then using your fingers, crumble reserved ½ cup dough over jam. Sprinkle with almonds and Demerara sugar.
Step 7
Bake until golden, 38 to 48 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature before serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5

489 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Bill Hailey5 years ago

Does the tart pan need to be buttered to keep the pastry from sticking?

Steven S.5 years ago

Lemon verbena, which has a distinct lemon lilt, does not taste like any of the other lemon-based plants, like lemon balm, lemon mint, lemon thyme or lemon grass. It has a lighter, less aggressive flavor that can be best described as lemon perfume. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/09/garden/lemon-verbena-from-sorbet-to-soap.html I would recommend lemon zest as an alternative instead.

jo5 years ago

Very similar to the jam tart I’ve been making for years with a lot less sugar in the crust. Sometimes I arrange thinly sliced apples, pears or peaches on the top before baking but I like the almond cookie crust treatment The basic shortbread crust is always a winner. Comes together in a snap and is easy to handle. I add about1/4 cup ground almonds and t. lemon or orange zest, but skip the extracts Makes a slightly sweet, crunchy crust that works with almost anything.

Michael Cameron5 years ago

I wonder if I could use lemon thyme in place of the lemon verbena?

Penzwoman5 years ago

Fantastic dessert, so delicious and easy to make. I had some pints of blueberries in the freezer, so just used four cups of blueberries to make the jam. It didn’t seem like much jam when I put it in the pie plate so I added more fresh berries on top. Used all regular flour and no lemon verbena, and put additional lemon juice in the filling. Otherwise followed the recipe. We are currently fighting the urge to have another piece.

Mia5 years ago

I got rave reviews for this recipe. I used frozen blackberries and only 1/2 cup of sugar and the jam had just a touch of sweetness, which I prefer. Also added cardamom to the dough and it worked really well with the blackberry jam.

Joan Starr5 years ago

"Or, instead of steps 1-3, you can use jarred jam, either plain, or doctored with some chopped fresh lemon verbena, and a squeeze of lemon juice if it’s on the sweet side."

Elena5 years ago

How much jam? : From the beginning paragraph in the recipe, "If you’d like to substitute store-bought jam, use 1 1/2 cups"

SPark01015 years ago

Friends and I really enjoyed this dessert. I doubled the fruit and halved the sugar for the jam, followed the recipe otherwise, and baked in a 9-inch pan. I prefer a looser fruit pie texture, though, so next time, will add some fresh fruit to the jam as was suggested by an earlier commenter.

Luther5 years ago

A great recipe! Turned out picture perfect. Followed the recipe as written with the exception of lemon verbena, which I could not find. Used lemon zest in place but I'm sure it was not the same as the verbena. I really would strongly recommend making the jam as instructed here. Great flavor and the time factor is minimal compared to how much it ups the flavor vs some off the counter substitute. Crust is excellent and yes I did butter the tart pan even though it's non-stick. Thanks Ms. Clark!

DAS5 years ago

Use Bonne Mamman blackberry jam

Sally5 years ago

Would love to hear your opinion on making this crostata with cherries, instead of blqckberries, and how you would make the cherry jam for it if you did. Thank you.

Harriet5 years ago

Nope! lemon verbena is nothing like lemon thyme. I don’t know what Melissa Clark would say. But I say, search out lemon verbena and make tea with what’s left over—add mint.

jamie5 years ago

Cynthia Simon, Yes, Whole Foods does sell Lemon Verbena. I have bought it before from their organic, herb, potted plant selection. I often buy the plants. They are on sale sometimes for, $1.99. I think regular they are $2.99. At the moment, well, our Brooklyn Whole Foods has Basil potted plants everywhere. If you ask a staff member, they should hopefully be able to help. I hope that helps.

Marcia5 years ago

@Bill Hailey, no need to butter the tart pan. The crust contains plenty of butter which will keep it from sticking.

bets1 month ago

4 c berries for Jan w 1 c added in after cooking

dotti4 months ago

Used frozen raspberries and blackberries, made twice as much jam as recipe calls for, rolled out on sheet pan like Joy of Cooking calls for. Added a little KA Instant Clearjel.

kayla7 months ago

SCRUMPTIOUS. greater than the sum of its parts. Melissa Clark strikes again - adding this comment after years of recipe use. My past roommate was Italian and her crostatas were just like this :') Simple and forgiving, perfectly easy with the substitute of bonne maman jams. I'm the world's laziest baker and I've made this on repeat, sometimes only weeks apart. It's great for all seasons and all hours. Ty nytcooking!

Christina1 year ago

For those who used frozen berries, did you thaw them first before making the jam?

Seamar2 years ago

Good way to use up those extra blackberries and the berry flavor really shines. I made it in a 10 inch springform pan which worked well. I would use somewhat less jam next time - may be 3/4 of the cooked down jam.

Ineke2 years ago

Great straightforward recipe. Did not add lemon verbena. Made it with Bonne Maman cherry jam (added 2 T of black currant preserves, 1 T lemon juice and 1 t vanilla). This recipe is now my go-to dessert or birthday crostata. Delicious. Read somewhere about a crostata with a thin layer of Nutella on the bottom with cherry jam on top. Next time :) No need to butter the tart pan.

Anne2 years ago

I used our handpicked, homemake raspberry jam, adding a few individually frozen handpicked raspberries. I've made a few other crostata recipes. Admiring Melissa as I do, I was interested in trying this one. It was enjoyed by all. I really like the addition of the almonds on top. Crumbled crust is a good idea too. Arranging crostata lattice was always awkward for me. Thanks Melissa!!

pat2 years ago

I made this for my book club and we all loved it. I followed the directions as printed an it was impressive and delicious. I did add a dollop of ice cream. Makes 8 generous servings

sumwug3 years ago

Delicious, easy, and different. I made the crust precisely as dictated, but improvised the filling with some extra peaches on hand. The crust is wonderfully cookie-like with a nice crumb, not too sweet, and it worked very well with a peach jammy filling. Will be a go-to dessert for me.

Nell3 years ago

A total keeper. I made this as written—pleasantly surprised that my lemon verbena plant returned this summer although I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be an annual. Absolutely delicious and completely appropriate for breakfast (we decided, the following morning). Plan to try the crust with other fruits, given the current bounty at the farm stand.

HBT3 years ago

I make something similar, more of a shortbread crust, with any type of jarred jam I have... lemon curd + blueberries, plum + sliced plums.... it's all delicious and so easy. From a recipe I saw years ago on Food52, just fooled around with. Breakfast, dessert....it's fruit so it works.

Gayle3 years ago

I couldn't resist - had blackberries and blueberries AND lemon verbena in the yard! I added a little less sugar since I knew I was picking very ripe berries. I didn't add more than a 1/3 cup of crust to the top at the end, and I used light brown sugar instead of Demerara - not sure it was even needed. At any rate, it was delicious and not difficult and it looked as pretty as the NYT Cooking photo! Definitely a keeper.

Colleen3 years ago

This came together well! The jam was awesome, go easy on the lemon or it can become overpowering. The crust was tasty but slightly crumbly, not sure it was better than a regular rolled crust. The almond & vanilla extract provided really nice, complementary notes, and the dough was delicious, but I thought the sweetness of the cookie-style crust competed with the jam.

Miranda3 years ago

Did anyone blind bake the crust before adding jam?

upstateNYeater3 years ago

have lots of jam and am looking for a time hack: could I use store-bought sugar cookie dough for the crust? and if so, would I bake it a bit first or just press into pan and make as instructed here?

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