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1
Beat together butter and 1/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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2
Reserve 1 tablespoon beaten egg, chilled, for egg wash and beat remaining egg into butter mixture, then add vanilla, beating well.
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3
Reduce speed to low and mix in flour, salt, and zest until mixture just forms a dough.
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4
Halve dough and form each half into a 5- to 6-inch disk.
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5
Wrap disks in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
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6
Heat butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then add fresh or frozen cherries with any juices and sugar and simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.
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7
(Cherries will exude juices.)
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8
Continue to simmer until cherries are tender but not falling apart, about 8 minutes.
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9
Stir together water and cornstarch to form a thick paste, then stir into simmering filling and boil, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
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10
Cool filling quickly by spreading it in a shallow baking pan and chilling until lukewarm, about 15 minutes.
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11
Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 12-inch round.
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12
Remove top sheet of paper and invert dough into tart pan.
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13
Trim overhang to 1/2 inch and fold inward, then press against side of pan to reinforce edge.
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14
Chill tart shell.
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15
Roll out remaining dough in same manner and remove top sheet of paper, then cut dough into 10 (1-inch-wide) strips and slide dough, still on wax paper, onto a baking sheet.
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16
Chill strips until firm, about 5 minutes.
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17
Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375F.
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18
Spread filling in chilled tart shell and arrange 5 strips 1 inch apart across filling, pressing ends onto edge of tart shell.
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19
Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces.
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20
Trim edges of all strips flush with edge of pan.
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21
Brush lattice top with reserved beaten egg and sprinkle crostata with remaining tablespoon sugar.
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22
Bake crostata in pan on baking sheet in oven until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling, about 1 hour.
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23
(If lattice and edges look too brown after 30 minutes, loosely cover with foil.)
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24
Cool crostata completely in pan on a rack, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, to allow juices to thicken.
