Ingredients

4 servings

　　

Apple Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　4 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

　　1/4 cup sugar

　　3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

　　1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

　　1/2 cup chopped walnuts

　　1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

　　Pastry Crust (opposite) made with 1 tablespoon of sugar added along with the dry ingredients, chilled

　　1 large egg, lightly beaten

　　

For the Apple Filling

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the apple slices, sugar, and cinnamon and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the apples are softened but not mushy. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese.

　　

Step 2

Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 3

Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Lift the parchment paper and transfer it and the dough to the baking sheet.

　　

Step 4

Spread the cooled apple filling in the center of the dough circle, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border up over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the edge of the pastry. Brush the crust with the beaten egg.

　　

Step 5

Bake the crostata until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.