Peach Crostata

I had some girlfriends over for dinner last week. I hadn't planned well for dessert but had a bunch of gorgeous summer peaches on hand. I also keep frozen pie crusts in the freezer at all times. This would be enough to throw together a crostada. What I love about a crostada is that it's done in free form. Since I'm not a great baker, "free form" is right up my alley! I was able to put it together in just a few minutes. The results were rustic and delicious!!!

Peach Crostata

Ingredients

• 1 good frozen pie crust, thawed out (still cold but soft enough to handle)
• 1 egg
• sugar

Filling:

• 4 large ripe peaches, pitted and sliced into eighths
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the filling, gently toss the peaches, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and flour in a large mixing bowl until fruit is coated evenly. Set aside.

To make an egg wash, beat the egg in a small bowl with a tablespoon of water. Set aside.

Transfer the thawed out pie crust to a baking sheet. Spoon the fruit mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Then brush the border with the egg wash and lift the edge of crust over the filling, leaving the fruit exposed in center. Pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar.

Bake the crostata for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbly and tender.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.