The Italian version of apple pie is a little more rustic and easier, especially if you are not into fluting, which some find difficult. This recipe is for a large crostada, 12 inches in diameter, or two smaller ones.

Crostada
Filling:
5 or 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored and sliced into one half inch slices
Juice of a large lemon
Zest of a large lemon
Scant ¾ cup of sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Optional: Any one of the following: dried cranberries, walnuts, white raisins, about a third cup of each, a tablespoon of chopped crystallized ginger and a mixture of fruit is nice, too.

Pastry:
3 cups of all purpose flour
18 tablespoons chilled butter (2 sticks plus two tablespoons)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoon ice cold water

Preheat oven to 350

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and process a few seconds. Add the butter and process 30 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. With the machine running pour in the ice cold water in a steady stream and pulse on and off at the end until a ball forms. Do not overwork pastry as it will become tough.

Without processor, by hand, blend the dry ingredients in a bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Using a fork, moisten the dough with the ice water until it holds together when gathered into a ball.

Shape into a large disc or two smaller ones, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or as long as three days.

When you are ready to roll it out, allow the dough to soften a bit at room temperature. Dust your rolling surface and your rolling pin very lightly with flour and trace a large circle in the flour and let that be your guide.

Roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness and fold it carefully into thirds, and place it on a lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Toss the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Don't do this significantly in advance, because the sugar will cause the apples to weep. However, you can prepare the apples and lemon a little in advance. The lemon will keep the apples from turning brown. Pile the apples mixture high onto the dough, allowing about four inches of dough all around. Fold over the edges of the dough to enclose the apples leaving a three or four inch circle of apples showing in the center. You will have pretty folds of pastry.

Brush the dough with beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of milk or cream and bake directly on a baking stone for 40 minutes, or until the apples, when pierced with a fork, are tender.

Cool slightly and slide onto a large plate or serving dish. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Serve with Mascarpone that has been slightly sweetened with honey, ice cream or creme fraiche or whipped cream sweetened with vanilla and confectioner's sugar. May be served warm or at room temperature.

It can be made a week in advance and frozen in a deep dish pizza box, thawed in the morning of the holiday and heated in the oven until warm.

© 2002, The Providence Journal.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.