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Italian grape crostata for Halloween

Here’s a very particular Italian grape crostata recipe: a nutty pie crust filled with juicy, sweet grapes revolutionized by a hint of chili. Pure Halloween Italian inspiration!

red grapes crostata
grape crostata for Halloween

AN ITALIAN GRAPE CROSTATA RECIPE WITH MANY CONTAMINATIONS

My Halloween nut-crust grape crostata recipe is made with the Austrian Linzer torte base (hazelnuts and almond meal). The crostata’s grape filling is very sweet; that’s why I added a pinch of chili: it obtains a more exciting flavor. 

To decorate the red grape crostata, I cut out bats from the crust dough: it matched the dark color of grapes and made it a perfect Halloween dessert!

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chilli grape crostata pie recipe #gourmetproject
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Italian grape crostata recipe

Course cake
Cuisine Italian
Author Claudia Rinaldi | Gourmet Project

Ingredients

  • ¾ cups sugar
  • ½ cup ground or floured hazelnuts
  • ½ cup ground or floured almonds
  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour plus something more to work the dough.
  • 1.5 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • enough black grapes to fill in your pie mold seeds scooped out
  • 1-2 pinches of ground chili

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Clean the grapes: cut them in two and remove the seeds.

  3. Place the sugar, hazelnuts, almonds, flour, butter (diced), eggs, cinnamon, and one teaspoon of salt into the mixer - kneading hook on. 

  4. Mix until you get a dough you can work with your hands. 

  5. With your hands, work the dough a few more seconds and form a ball. You might need to add a little flour. 

  6. Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate it for at least an hour (20 minutes in the freezer).

  7. Roll out half of the dough between two parchment paper sheets, giving it the round shape of your pie mold. 

  8. Butter the mold, then sprinkle it with a couple of tablespoons of flour, shake and remove the excess. 

  9. Remove the upper parchment paper and use the other one to transfer the dough to the mold. Cut out the excess dough and give a nice corrugated shape to the borders - use your fingers. Pierce all the bottom surface with a fork. 

  10. Bake for 10 minutes.

  11. Roll out the remaining dough and use a Halloween (or else) cookie cutter to cut it out. You may have some leftovers: bake them as cookies or freeze them for another occasion.

  12. Place the grapes to cover the bottom of the semi-baked pastry and sprinkle them with the other teaspoon of salt and the ground chili. 

  13. Cover them with the cutout dough. 

  14. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

  15. Voilà. Serve your grape crostata hot or cold.

Enjoy your grape crostata!

Claudia