Three Layer Cake

A Calabrian school teacher shares her recipe.

I had decided to swear off crostatas (and still have) as essentially marmalade-glazed pie crust until I visited a friend of mine at his mother's house in S. Marco Argentano, in Calabria near Cosenza, ten years ago.  Packing up to return home, Carmelina made me a lunch for the train.  Included in the package were her signature 'milangiane e pipazzi sott'olio' (eggplant and spicy red peppers in olive oil), various cold cuts, a piece of fresh caciocavallo, two frese (a big piece of toast essentially, like a giant bagel chip), and a piece of chocolate crostata.  I can still taste that chocolate crostata today.  When I got back to Bologna and told my friend Enrica about the crostata she said, "Of course that crostata was good, those women down there are professionals!!  It doesn't get any better than that.  Get me the recipe!!"  So I got the recipe, and here it is.  (Carmelina was actually the person who introduced me to Enrica and her family, once neighbors before Enrica & co. moved to Bologna.)    (Enrica, an amateur baker who baked for private parties, gave me her recipe as well-- see the (F)ood Section.)

Carmelina's Recipe

                For the crust:

For the Chocolate filling:

26cm/10" diameter pan

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF

To make the crust:

Mix everything together, form into a ball, let rest for thirty minutes.

Put a small ball aside that you will use to make the strips to decorate the top after filling with the cream. 

Roll out the base and line the pan.

In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients of the chocolate filling, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens and becomes rather dense.

Add filling to base, cover base with a lattice type decoration.

Place in the oven on the middle rack.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crostata starts to pull away from the side of the pan.

The finished crostata will have a very thick creamy filling.