Having recently received a package of Bonne Maman jams (best surprise ever!) I decided that I would put them to good use and make some delicious Italian breakfast tarts known as Crostatas. If you ever find that you have lots of jam in your fridge and you are looking for ways to use them up this is a great idea. The recipe is really easy and forgiving, and can be a fun activity to do with kids. Although Italians typically serve this tart with breakfast it can easily transition to an after dinner dessert with the help of a scoop of ice cream. Buon appetito!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups of flour
1/2 Cup of granulated sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of baking powder
1 Egg + 1 Egg yoke (throw out whites for just one egg)
1/2 Cup of butter (softened!)
3/4 Cup of jam of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

Using a large bowl add in your flour, sugar, and baking powder - whisk until fully incorporated together.

Make a well and add in your eggs and butter, and start to incorporate it all together. I like to start with my whisk and then move to using my hands as it gets more clumpy.

Kneed the clumps together until they form a dough (this may take some time but the butter will eventually spread and help form the dough).

Once dough is formed wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Take dough out of fridge after 30 minutes and roll out using a rolling pin to about 1/8 of an inch thickness.

Spread the dough out over your pie dish and get rid of any excess dough. You can kneed the excess dough together again and roll it out again to create strips of dough which are equal in thickness to decorate the top of the crostata with a lattice later if you want.

Add in your jam and spread out evenly. You want just enough jam where you don't see the crust below.

Add your decorative stripes of dough to the top now. I like to form a lattice but some people cut out shapes instead. You can turn down the edges of the pie to hold the lattice strips in place.

Place in oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until top is golden.

Once ready remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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Since strawberry season is upon us I thought it would be perfectly fitting to make a strawberry pie last weekend. Since I was at the cottage and there is a lovely organic strawberry picking farm close by, off I went to pick my own strawberries! The result of that adventure was of course this delicious strawberry pie recipe. What is so clutch about this recipe (and can easily be used for any pie recipe) is the shortbread cookie crust bottom! WOW it's good! The best part is that even for a non pie maker/baker like me this recipe was so easy. Not to mention that the pie got devoured in one sitting and I had to make three more - I didn't mind.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST
1/2 Cup of Butter (Softened)
1/4 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup of All Purpose Flour

STRAWBERRY FILLING

1 Quart of Strawberries (divide into two portions)
1 Cup of White Sugar
3 TBSP of Cornstarch
3/4 Cup of Water

DIRECTIONS:

Beat the soft butter with the sugar until fluffy.

Add in flour bit my bit until crumbly cookie dough starts to form. Press dough into a 9 Inch pie pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to harden

Preheat Over to 400 degrees (200 Celsius). After pie crust has been in the fridge for 10 minutes let bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden and firm. Set aside to cool.

Separate the strawberries into two parts - you are going to mash half to create the filling and keep the other half to place on top for decoration.

Take the mashed strawberries and place in a sauce pot and bring to a boil, add in sugar and stir often for 10 minutes.

Mix cornstarch and water in a bowl and add into the boiled strawberry mixture - reduce heat to a simmer and allow to thicken.

Once ready remove from heat and let cool.

Once your strawberry sauce is cooled pour into shortbread crust and top with remaining strawberries.

Keep in fridge until ready to serve! It is great on its own or with some ice cream!

Enjoy!