Blueberry Crostata-A Rustic Pie Alternative

Blueberry Crostata is a dessert that is super simple and easy to make without the fuss of making a classic pie. This fruit crostata is a great pie for fall or even in the spring and summer.  Really, all year round it can be enjoyed.

Blueberry Favorite

Blueberry, by far is my favorite pie.  I’m not sure when I started to have such a fondness of this flavor of this fruit pie but as I think about it, I just have to chalk it up to my love for everything blueberry.  I’m a huge fan from fresh fruit, smoothies, yogurt, and the dried versions.  And by the way, blue is my favorite color, maybe that plays into it too.

Speaking of blueberry, another one of my favorite blueberry desserts is the white chocolate blueberry cookie.  Those flavors are so awesome together where white chocolate chips meet the dried blueberry in a buttery cookie. Boy those are great to munch on with a cup of hot tea.

Italian for Pie

You ask yourself, what is the difference between a Crostata and a Pie? Crostata’s hail from Italy which is their version of a baked fruit pie. Much like an open-faced pie but what I love so much about this is you only need one pie crust and a little folding action.  That’s it.  You can also use your favorite recipe for apple, peach, cherry, or other pie filling recipe instead of blueberry.

Recipe:

You can use your favorite pie crust or if you are in a hurry, the store bough refrigerator ones work wonderfully too.

Blueberry Filling

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a bowl, toss the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  If using frozen fruit, allow to defrost a bit so it is able to fully mix with the dry ingredients.  Add the mixture into the center of the pie dough leaving an 1″ border around the perimeter of the dough.

Assembling

I take the pie crust and roll it out enough to cut a 10″ circle.  A really cool tip here is I use a 10″ ring cutter as a pattern to cut the perfect circle. Save those scraps for an extra decorative touch as seen below.

The filling is then mixed and added leaving a 1″ border around the perimeter of the crust.

The crust is then folded inward all the way around.

Added Decorative Touch

I like to really dress up this by using small leaf cutouts with the leftover pie crust to use as garnish on the perimeter of the crostata for a real gourmet look.  Since it’s fall, these are perfect!

Just take some egg wash and brush around the perimeter of the crostata and lay the cut-outs on top.  Brush the leaves with the egg wash mixture.  I make the egg wash with one egg and a 1 TBS of water mixed together well.

Additionally, I bake off separately a few extra leaves to place in the middle of this fruit crostata for a great finished look.

Depending on the season, you can use other small cookie cutters or pie cut outs to garnish with.

This Blueberry Crostata bakes up quicker than a pie making it super quick to whip up for a home baked pie.  I really like the rustic appeal this pie gives.

If you love Blueberry desserts, check out this amazing Blueberry Pear Pie, and Blueberry Lemon Cookie Tart, both to die for!

Crostata’s make a great gift to friend, family, or neighbors.