The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.
I followed the advice of some other bakers on the forum and grated and froze my butter for 15 minutes. This was a great tip because my house is very warm and humid (and at the moment it is really hot!). The pastry turned out really light and flaky, it was a great recipe that I will probably use again. The only thing I did not really like was the sweetness, especially because my filling was also sweet. Next time I will try removing the sugar and increasing the flour.
The recipe for the frangipane filling I used was from the Australian Masterchef show. I also found this filling very sweet and quite rich but it was very very tasty, especially when it was hot from the oven. However, only a small slice of the crostata is necessary.
As it is summer at the moment I used fresh raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. It was incredible! The freshness of the fruit means that the richness of the filling is not such a problem. The tartness of the raspberries also cut throught the sweetness a bit.
I really wish I could improve my presentation of the food and photographs which I take. I love looking at all the other daring bakers photos. Everyone is so inspiring with both their flavour ideas, their presentation and focus of their photographs. I really love the group and how everyone is really encoraging and gives tips to others.
I have missed the last couple of challenges (but I promise I will catch them up because they were really interesting!). The reason for this is because most of my cooking appliances and utensils are packed up, as we were in the process of moving house. We have now moved in successfully. BUT...we are renovating the kitchen. It is so exciting! Here is a photograph of the empty shell of the kitchen. I can't wait until they start installing it!! It is going to have amazing appliances and storage as well as lots of bench space and floor space. I will keep you updated.
