Pluot Crostata with Lemon & Thyme

Aren't crostatas the best? The lazy (wo)man's tart, as I like to call them. Just whip up a quick pie crust (or use a store bought one for even easier preparation), toss in some slices of your favorite seasonal fruit, bake, and poof! Dessert è finito. 

 For this occasion I chose some gorgeous crimson pluots I came across at the farmer's market earlier that day. Pluots, a hybrid of plums and apricots, are best eaten over the sink with the juices running down your chin, but they're not too shabby as the stars of a free-form tart either. And I think I just wanted an excuse to say the word "pluot" a few times...it makes me giggle. 

To accent the stone fruit flavors I added lemon juice to the filling and scattered fresh thyme sprigs from the garden over the top- a completely optional step, but I enjoy shaking things up a bit and adding some complexity to this rustic treat. Lemon zest would have been divine as well, but my microplane was dirty at the time, and remember what I said about this being a lazy man's dessert? I included it in the recipe anyway, in case you are feeling slightly more ambitious than I was that day...I hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know in the comments what fruit you would choose to put in a crostata!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup ice water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 pound firm but ripe pluots, pitted and thinly sliced
4-6 sprigs of thyme
1 egg yolk

Instructions
1. In a food processor, combine flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar and the salt and pulse. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Slowly add the ice water and pulse until the dough just barely comes together. Gather the dough and pat it into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out the disk of dough to a 12-inch round and transfer to the baking sheet. Chill the dough until firm, 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cornstarch, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the pluots and toss well. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes.
4. Arrange the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Fold the edge of the dough up and over the pluots. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, brush the rim of the crostata with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Sprinkle thyme over the fruit.
5. Bake crostata for about 45-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender and bubbling. Let the crostata cool completely before cutting into wedges and serve.