Blueberries: puff-pastry crostata, the smart tart

I don’t care for pie. There, I said it.

It’s a crust thing. I don’t enjoy making it. In my hands, crust is finicky and unpredictable. To me, crust is just more trouble than it’s worth because—as long as I’m confessing all sorts of un-American thoughts—I’m really not even all that crazy about eating it. I’d rather just scrape off the filling and donate my crust to someone who appreciates it. This is probably why I’ve never spent the time to perfect my technique. I have no game where piecrust is concerned.

I do, however, enjoy puff pastry. To me, it’s the prettier, hipper sister in the dough family. Puff pastry is Marcia Brady; piecrust is Jan. Puff pastry begins like piecrust, with cold butter, flour, salt, and water. But the ingredients somehow work together differently, for a lighter, more buttery result with an almost croissant-like flake. Puff pastry is also tricky to make well, which is (Shhh…) why I let Pepperidge Farm do it for me.

While I realize that piecrust and puff pastry are not always interchangeable, I try to switch out crust wherever I can, in places such as pot pies, turnovers, and, more recently, this Italian-style blueberry crostata—or galette, if you’re feeling French. Frozen pastry makes this dessert fairly quick and easy, especially if, like me, you consider yourself a non-baker.

Most important, a rustic tart allows the fruit to be the star of the show, as it should be in summertime. So, when I found blueberries at the high-season price of just 99 cents a pint, I simplified this recipe from Chow.com. If you really love to make your own crusts, by all means go check out their version. If you aren’t above pulling pre-made pastry out of the freezer, come sit next to me.

If you can do a little rolling pin work, dump on a pile of blueberries, and employ rudimentary folding skills (No origami. I promise.), you are about 10 minutes from putting a crostata in the oven. You won’t even have to wash a pie plate when you’re finished because you transfer the whole shebang, on parchment, to a baking sheet that’s been preheating in the oven. About an hour later, a gorgeous dessert is served. The next morning, eat the leftovers drizzled with plain yogurt, lightly sweetened with honey. It blows away a Pop-Tart.

Now go buy some blueberries while they’re still cheap.

Blueberry Crostata

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 pound fresh blueberries (About 1½ dry pints. Do not use frozen.)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Small bowl of water, for brushing crust

2 teaspoons coarse sugar, such as turbinado (optional)

Thaw frozen puff pastry according to package directions.

While the crust is thawing, heat the oven to 400°F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Put a baking sheet on the rack to heat with the oven (don’t skip this step, or your crostata will suffer from soggy bottom).

Cut one piece of parchment paper about 14 inches long. Place it on a work surface and dust it lightly with flour. Place the thawed dough on the floured parchment, then dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. 

Roll out the dough into a shape that approximates a 12-inch circle, repairing any cracks around the edges. You will most likely be starting with a rectangle, so your circle will not be perfect. That’s ok because we’re going for rustic here. In fact, you will probably still have pointy edges when you’re finished rolling. Just trim those off to form a shape that is more circular.

Slide the dough, still on its parchment, onto a large platter or cool baking sheet (not the one from the oven). Put it back in the refrigerator while you mix the filling. 


Place the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the blueberries and lemon juice and gently fold to coat the berries.

Remove your pastry, parchment and all, from the fridge, and pile the blueberries and sugar mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a border of about 2½ inches all the way around the fruit.

Fold the edges of the dough over the blueberries, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the inside of the fold and the edge of the filling. This will allow your fruit some room to ooze as it bakes. 

Pleat the dough about every 2 inches as you go, to maintain the crostata's circular shape. Repair any rips by dabbing a little water on them and gently squeezing the dough back together (make sure to seal any holes in the dough, or the juices will escape and burn while the tart bakes).

Gently push the blueberries down to slightly flatten. Brush the pastry edge lightly with water and sprinkle just the top edge with the coarse sugar, if using. 

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and transfer the tart and its parchment onto it. Bake until the pastry is golden and the blueberry juices are bubbling, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the tart cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove the tart and parchment from the baking sheet and return them to the wire rack to cool, about 20 minutes more. 

When cool, slide the tart from the parchment onto a large cutting board. Slice into wedges and top with whipped cream or ice cream. Both, if you’re feeling frisky.