One of the students at my cooking classes, Lou Cameron, brought in a delicious Italian dessert for me to taste. A buttery sweet crust lined a pizza pan and was spread with preserves before being baked. Lou was trying to decide which type of preserve tasted best, and had divided the pie into four sections, each spread with a different type of preserve.
His recipe is a family secret, but it inspired me to come up with a version of my own. I like to spread the crust with a combination of strawberry and blueberry preserves that I mix together in a small bowl. Apricot preserves also can be used.
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 2 egg yolks
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 cup berry flavored high quality jam or preserves
- Special equipment – 1 12-inch pizza pan
Sift flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add butter and lemon zest to food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs and pulse until well combined. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll it onto the pizza pan, using your fingertips to completely cover the pan. Spread evenly with the jam and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Makes 12 servings.
