Fresh peaches abound during the months of July and August, and I love coming up with ways to use the fruits of the season. I add chunks of peaches to salads, sauce up grilled entrees with peach salsa and crank out peach pies en masse. These Peach-Mascarpone Crostatas are a delicious way to serve individual free-form desserts. Their rustic form makes them especially appealing, and they are quite simple to prepare with prepared pie crust from your grocery’s dairy case.
When peach season comes to an end, prepare the crostatas with other seasonal fruits. The surprise mascarpone filling will delight your guests.
- 1 15-ounce package refrigerated pie crust dough, at room temperature
- 3 large, ripe peaches
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 egg white, beaten
- Additional sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove pie crusts from packaging and squeeze both crusts together. Roll into a 12-inch long, 3-inch wide, 1/2-inch high rectangle and cut into 6 2-inch pieces. Roll one piece into a ball, and then roll out into a 5-inch circle on parchment paper. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and continue with remaining pie crust dough. Set aside while you prepare the peaches.
Peel peaches, slice in half and remove seeds. Place peach halves in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice and stir gently. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar, the flour and cinnamon over peach halves and stir gently to coat all peaches with dry ingredients. Set aside.
Place mascarpone cheese in a bowl and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of sweetened mascarpone cheese into the hollow of one of the peach halves. Center peach half filled-side down on one of the pastry circles. Brush dough with the beaten egg white and crimp dough around the peach. Continue with remaining peaches. Brush outside of all 6 crostatas with remaining egg white and sprinkle outside crusts with granulated sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold.
Makes 6 crostatas.
