Crostata di Cugna

The Italian equivalent of English tea at 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon is the merenda, when most children eat a slice of what every Italian mother can make—jam tart. It is usually filled with a good home-made jam such as peach, apricot, cherry or prune. Here Confettura di Pere Cotogne, also known as cugna, is used. It can also be made with fresh or cooked fruit on a blind-baked shortcrust pastry base.