Strawberry Tart with Jam (Italian Crostata alla Confettuta di Fragole)

Which is the classic homemade dessert par excellence in Italy? It's definitely "la crostata". A genuine, simple and incredibly appetizing cake that everyone loves. There are a few different ways to make the dough, but to get a dough of crumbly consistency, you have to follow some rules. In the last two years of studying to be certified to teach Italian food, I made and tried different types of dough to find the right balance between all the ingredients. The pastry business is an accurate science. If you do not follow the correct order or have the right balance of ingredients, you will get different results: a fantastic cake or a total disaster.

wheat flour 00 (250 g)
unsalted butter, room temperature (125 g)
sugar (125 g)
3-4 egg yolks (50 g)
1 tsp. lemon peel, grated
1 pinch sea salt
strawberry jam (170 g)

Mix the butter and sugar well in a bowl. Add the lemon zest and salt.

Put in the egg yolk and stir well.

Add the flour and work quickly together to form a nice and even dough. Give the pulp a low round shape and wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Take the dough out of the fridge. Roll it out on the flour table to a spoon, approx. 4-5 mm thick.

Dress a greased and floured mold with the dough, make a few dots with a fork and fill it with the jam. Roll out the rest of the dough and cut into thin strips. Place the strips in grid pattern on top of the jam.

Fry the pie in the middle of the oven for approx. 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

Let the pie cool.

The pie stays good for several days if wrapped in plastic.