The word ‘crostata’ appears in the earliest dictionaries of the Italian language, and the baked fruit tart is a mainstay of Italian dessert tradition, featuring different fillings according to the region and season. For Marchesi 1824, the crostata is all about simplicity and quality.
The popularity of the crostata in Italy is unrivalled, and its status as a historic Italian delicacy is indisputable. Crostata recipes are included in both Martino da Como’s famous ‘Art of Cooking’, written in the mid-15th century, and the monumental Renaissance cookbook of Bartolomeo Scappi, chef to cardinals and popes.
The Marchesi philosophy is to keep every recipe as simple as possible, and the crostata is a perfect example. After all, as Angelo Marchesi likes to say, “why tinker with a recipe that is already excellent?”
Biting into the shortcrust pastry base and savouring the delights of its light, crumbly texture and sweet, subtle flavour, one can easily forget how simple its ingredients are: flour, butter, sugar, eggs and not much else. But all of them are of the highest quality and the utmost freshness - the other cornerstones of the Marchesi ethos.
For fillings, a variety of delicious, high-quality fruit preserves are used - from peach and apricot to cherries or forest fruits - as well as pastry cream with natural vanilla and fresh pine nuts.
Once you put fresh, high-quality ingredients into the experienced hands of the Marchesi patissiers, the rest is simple. Delicious for breakfast, as a mid-afternoon snack, or at the end of a meal, a Marchesi 1824 crostata is the perfect way to inject a sweet slice of heaven into any day.
