I’m a HUGE fan of picnics—perhaps, I’m the most enthusiastic “picnic-ER” you’ll ever meet and I have tons of good memories from past family outings. When I was little, I used to love singing in the car with my parents. Then, as I grew older, the excitement was mainly for the games we’d play all together, or the places we explored and hiked. These days, it’s simply about enjoying each other’s company in the middle of nature. Food definitely plays a good part in making the whole event more pleasant.
Ever since I got back to Italy, I’ve been wanting to go on a picnic with the whole family SO badly. Unfortunately, not everybody’s schedule seems to line up (at least for this month)…so I tried to compensate. A few days ago, despite the chilly weather, I decided to gather whomever was around, grab a table and a few chairs and set out an impromptu picnic in my dad’s orchard, a few steps beyond our fence. It’s definitely not a wild or picturesque mountain scenery, nonetheless a nice and enjoyable place–conveniently located next door! I’m surprised it took us so many years to realize it’s more than just a place for foraging or taking walks.
My mom and I teamed up and prepared all the food in the morning. We made a farro salad with sautéed veggies, a nice and soft focaccia bread, a few crispy eggplant fritters, and a beautiful rustic peach crostata. Not bad for an improvised get-together! We also quickly boiled a few eggs (a must for any picnic) and we packed them up in our cute picnic basket (I love that thing!). I made coffee as well, as I really wanted to use this tacky-but-kinda-adorable coffee thermos I found in the basement. Then, I loaded a couple of folding chairs, a little table and a couple of blankets on a wheel barrel and I carried everything to the orchard. The rest of the group followed me with the food.
We had a fun and relaxing lunch and it was so nice to be together, under the shade of my dad’s trees. It’s a meaningful place for my family as those trees were planted by my dad and grandfather. They were little twigs and now they’re full sized trees! Amazing.
Everybody raved about my crostata. The crust was nicely colored and perfectly textured: it was buttery, delicate, and flaky. I used Saturn peaches as filling and was able balance their very sweet flavor with a good amount of lemon juice and the tartness of a few cherries. Visually speaking, the crostata is colorful and imperfectly beautiful…in a word: rustic!! This recipe is absolutely a keeper and I’ll definitely make it again soon, before peach season is over.
- -CRUST
- 1⅔ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (42 g) polenta flour (coarse cornmeal)
- 3 Tbsp (42 g) sugar
- ¼ lemon peel, grated (use about ½ lemon)
- ¾ tsp (4 g) salt
- 14 Tbsp (200 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) ice water
- -FILLING
- ¼ cup (57 g) sugar
- 1½ tsp (5 g) cornstarch
- 4 medium saturn peaches, each pitted and cut into slices
- a handful of cherries, pitted
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- Raw sugar crystals
- Peach preserves, heated
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in a processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add butter and blend just until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Add ice water. Blend until dough comes together in moist clumps (adding more water if dough is dry). Form a ball (adding more flour, if necessary) and flatten into disk. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Let dough soften slightly at room temperature and roll it on lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, turning it occasionally to prevent sticking. Transfer onto a round baking pan (the edges will probably stick out). Chill until dough firms slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Mix fruit, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl. Let stand until juices are released, stirring fruit occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Take dough out of the fridge. Spoon fruit and juices into center of dough leaving out the edges. Lift about 2 inches of dough border and fold it down over fruit. Brush folded border with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and brush fruit with peach preserves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
