Zomerse Vruchtentaart

So we've come to the end.  I'm grateful, the past five or so posts have been hard ones.  Thanks to all that have checked out my blog this month.  I've enjoyed reading all your comments (and I apologize for not responding to each of them).  I'm happy to have started following some of your blogs and reading about your worlds and interests.  Can't wait until next year!

I'm stretching things today, but I wanted to end on a sweet note (I know, puns are the lowest form of humor, but I still love them).  So, I'm using the Flemish name for this Belgian Summer Fruit Tart.  Also, it's not yet summer, so I had to substitute berries for the summer stone-fruit typically used in this recipe.  I'm looking at it as a practice run for when fresh plums, peaches, and sweet cherries are plentiful.

The beauty of this tart is its simplicity.  Fresh fruit is the star, surrounded by a sweet, bread-like crust.  It doesn't take too long to make or bake, and can be served warm or at room temperature.  It's the perfect dessert for a casual get together with friends.

Zomerse Vruchtentaart (Belgian Fruit Tart with Fresh Summer Fruit) adapted from Everybody Eats Well in Belgium by Ruth Van Waerebeek

A quick note: if you do as I did and substitute berries for stone-fruits, you will probably want to decrease the amount of sugar and increase the amount of flour used (my tart was a little sweet for my taste, and very juicy).

Ingredients:

2 lbs of fresh summer fruit: pitted sweet cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, or fresh red currants, all peeled and pitted if necessary.  In Belgium its very common for them to use combinations of fruits in radial sections around the tart.
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 T flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Flemish Yeast Dough (see link for recipe)
egg wash (1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 1/2 T of sugar)

Glaze:
2 T of sugar
1 T red currant jelly
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 T cold water

In a large bowl, mix the fruit with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Transfer the fruit to a colander r set over a bowl to collect juices.  Let sit for 30 minutes.

While the fruit is macerating, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and butter and flour two 8" tart pans or one 12" tart pan.

Roll out the dough (divide in half if making two tarts) into a circle about 1/4" thick.  Press into the pan, trim and crimp edges, and prick bottom all over with a fork.  Brush the bottom of the tart with the egg wash, then cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Fill the tart shell with the fruit, reserving the juices for the glaze.  Brush the sides of the pastry with the remaining egg wash.

Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the pan.

While the tart is cooling, make the glaze:  Place reserved fruit juices, sugar, and red currant jelly in a small saucepan.  (Depending on how much sugar is left in the fruit juices, you may not need the full 2 T for the glaze.)  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water, add to the pan, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until thickened.  Remove from heat, and spoon the glaze over your tart to give it a shine.

Yeast; Taking You Places

Specifically, Flemish Yeast Dough is taking me back to Leefdaal, the small town in Belgium where I spent half my childhood.  Leefdaal had one main street running through it, Dorpstraat.  Everything you need could be found off that street, including three bakeries.  Michotte was our favorite.  My parents would send my siblings and me down on a Saturday morning to pick up pastries and we'd stare at the display cases, fascinated by the cream horns, the eclairs, and the beautiful fruit tarts.

Photo source

Truth be told, it took me a long time to come around to these tarts.  I thought they were very good, but there was something not quite right about them.  They looked like pies, but they weren't pies.  They didn't have that flaky, buttery shell that I expected.  Instead, they were made with a yeasty, sweet, bread-like crust, and once I started to accept them for what they were, I found them utterly delicious.

I love working with yeast.  This crust in particular brings back memories of my childhood and thoughts of another country, but anytime I make a yeast dough I am transported.  It's something in the sweet tangy smell as the dough rises, the promise of great flavor once baked.  It's the limited amount of control we have over the process, and the necessary waiting as the yeast does its natural thing.  Even while I am making it in my modern kitchen, I can imagine bakers from generations past all over the world doing the same thing.

Flemish Yeast Dough for Pie Crusts adapted from Everybody Eats Well in Belgium by Ruth Van Waerebeek

This crust is fairly straightforward, perfect for someone who is not too familiar with working with yeast.  It's the base of many Belgian tarts, one of which is my Z-post.

Ingredients:

1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup of milk, warmed to 100 degrees F
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, plus more if needed
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 T unsalted butter, melted

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over milk.  Let it sit until it gets foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.  Add sugar and salt and then whisk to combine.  Make a well in the middle, and pour in the egg, butter, and yeast mixture.  Using your fingertips, slowly work the flour into the liquids until you have a smooth dough.  Gradually add a little more flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers; no more than 1/2 cup.  Make sure you don't overwork or knead the dough, or your crust will be tough and chewy.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, around 1 hour.

To roll the dough:

Butter and flour a tart pan (preferably one with a removable bottom)

Punch down the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll the dough into a disc, somewhere between 1/4 or 1/8 an inch thick, depending on the recipe for the tart and personal preference.

Transfer the disc of dough to your tart pan.  Trim and crimp the edges.  With a fork, prick holes all over the bottom the tart.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 20 to 30 minutes before filling and baking.

Four Pies

I don't have too many words this time.  Here is what July looked like:

One of my first successful lattice crusts.  I always stay away from blueberry pie, but blueberries were on sale and they looked so pretty.  I am glad I bought them because it turns out, homemade blueberry pie is delicious!  I bought way too many, so that's why I made this:

Not such a great pie.  It was inspired by a Rose Levy Berenbaum pie, but I didn't have her recipe.  It's lemon curd in a flaky crust with blueberry topping.  I tried the crust recipe in this month's issue of Bon Appétit.  It was flaky and buttery but not very tender.  I also found out that I only like lemon curd in small servings.

This pie has a secret.  Under the layer of glazed, raw strawberries, is a layer of cooked strawberries, and under that, is a silky, creamy, white chocolate layer.  The raw strawberries make it easy to convince yourself that leftovers make a decently wholesome breakfast.

There are no photos of the fourth pie; it was devoured before I thought to take any.  This is the pie I want to share with you.  It's a frozen key lime pie, and its advantages are many: the graham cracker crust is one of the easiest crusts to prepare; it has only four ingredients; since it's a frozen pie, you can make it ahead of time and keep it in your freezer for up to three months (how it could remain untouched for that long is beyond me, but you could make two at a time, eat one that night and have one on hand for dessert emergencies).


Frozen Key Lime Pie adapted from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook

Graham Cracker Crust (recipe below)
4 limes (even though it's called a key lime pie, you just use regular limes)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
1 cup of heavy whipping cream

First, zest the limes to get one tablespoon of finely chopped/grated zest.  Then juice the limes so that you have 1/2 cup of juice.

In a large bowl, whisk the lime juice with the condensed milk until smooth.

In a different bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  It should take about 10 minutes.  You then fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture.  Do this slowly, taking only 1/3 of the cream at a time.  Gently mix it in until evenly blended.

Pour into your fully cooled graham cracker crust.  Cover tightly and freeze for at least one hour and up to three months.  Sprinkle some long strips of lime zest in the center of the pie right before serving for a pretty garnish.


Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (basically, one sleeve of graham crackers)
2 T sugar
5 T unsalted butter, melted

Combine the sugar with the graham cracker crumbs.  Stir in the melted butter until it is fully incorporated.  Press mixture evenly into your 9 inch pie pan.

Chill the crust for 30 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes until it lightly colors.  Allow to cool completely before filling.

Pie!!!

As far as the gustatory pleasures go, there is nothing better than pie.  I am a little hesitant making such a definitive statement.  I’m batting a few other things around in my head right now: chocolate, cheese, beer, chicken cannelloni with white and red sauce… Nope, pie still wins.  I had originally thought to make this entire blog focused on pie, but decided against it when I thought of the extra pounds I would end up putting on.

Pie!  Under one name there are endless variations and opportunities for creativity: flaky butter crusts, airy yeast crusts, sweet nut and cookie crumb crusts, flavorful cheese crusts. These crusts can hold flawless fruit-filling, creamy chiffon, indulgent custard, decadent chocolate, and rich, savory delights.  Pie evokes history; a rustic galette stirs imagined memories of being a peasant, eating on an oak table in the French countryside some time in the undefined past.   It’s part of tradition; the three pumpkin pies your father makes every Thanksgiving, even though there are now only three people gathered around the table.  It can be casual and unpretentious, an old-fashioned American apple pie, or elegant and sophisticated, a Tiramisu Black Bottom tart.  From a purely romantic point of view, nothing else showcases Nature’s seasonal bounty so well as pie.

To celebrate the magnificence of pie, we recently hosted a party.  I made four pies, a pumpkin, apple, banana-cream, and a strawberry-rhubarb tart.  I was originally feeling a little bad about making a pumpkin pie for an April party, but since it was hailing and 50 degrees that day, my guilt was assuaged.  Luckily for my husband and me, most of the pie was eaten between the ten or so guests.  The strawberry-rhubarb was devoured before the end of the night, and we sent the last two slices of pumpkin home with a only slightly protesting friend.  It was all too easy for us to finish off the banana-cream the next day.  Only the apple pie did not get completely consumed, and sadly a quarter had to be thrown out. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart – adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum

Thank you, Rose Levy Berenbaum, for the countless pies you must have made to get each one so perfect.  Every pie I made was from your book.  With much regret, I must return it to my local library and I have used all my renewals. But, I will be purchasing it soon.  I will have to check out your Cake Bible next.

Crust

The recipe for this crust is very methodical and a little time consuming, but the resulting pastry is impeccable.  I do feel rather bad about using so much plastic wrap and a freezer bag, so I’m working on a way to get the same result with a slightly different method.  If you want, just use your favorite all butter crust recipe.

8 T unsalted butter, cold

1 1/3 + 4 tsp of pastry flour or 1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour (she advises making your own pastry flour by combining 2 parts all purpose flour to 1 part cake flour)

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking powder – optional (be sure to uses a non SAS baking powder); if not using, double the salt

2 ½ - 3 ½ T ice water

1 ½ tsp cider vinegar

Divide the butter into two parts, 5 tablespoons and 3 tablespoons.  Cut the butter into ¾” cubes.  Wrap both portions in plastic wrap; put the large portion in the refrigerator and the smaller portion in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in a gallon size freezer bag and place in the freezer at the same time.

Chill a medium size mixing bowl.

Empty the flour mixture into a different bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients.  Take out the large portion of butter, and using a pastry cutter or rubbing with your fingers, blend the butter and flour until it resembles a coarse meal.  Put this mixture back in the bag, along with the butter from the freezer, and expel all air.  Next, take a rolling pin to flatten the cold butter into flakes.  These large pieces of butter are what make the crust so flaky and delicious.  Place the bag back in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Empty the mixture into the chilled bowl, being sure to scrape the sides of the bag.  Sprinkle with ice water and vinegar, and toss gently.  At this point, I gently knead the dough by hand, just until it holds together and is a little stretchy.  Then, flatten it into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour but preferably overnight.

Roll the dough and press into a 9 ½” tart pan.  Cover and put back into the fridge for an hour.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes.  At that point, remove weights and foil, prick crust all over with a fork.  Bake for about 10 more minutes or until golden brown.

Filling

1 large egg white, slightly beaten

1/3 cup currant jelly

4 cups rhubarb cut into ½” pieces or 4 cups quick frozen, no sugar added rhubarb, juice reserved

2/3 cup sugar

a pinch of salt

1 T cornstarch (2 T if using frozen rhubarb)

2 cups sliced strawberries

Brush the still warm, pre-baked pie crust with the egg white to moisture proof the crust.

Heat the currant jelly in small saucepan until bubbling.  Strain into a small cup and let cool until no longer hot.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, salt, cornstarch, and rhubarb.  Let it stand at room temperature until the rhubarb gives some juice. (If using frozen rhubarb, add about a 1/2 cup of the reserved juice.  I used frozen and had lots of liquid left over, so just use your best judgment.)

Stirring constantly, bring the rhubarb mixture to boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You want the liquid thick and the rhubarb tender.  Remove it from the heat and let cool.  You can stir during cooling if you would like it smooth, or you can leave it alone for more texture.

Pour the rhubarb into the pie crust and arrange the strawberry slices on top in concentric circles.  Brush with the glaze (you can reheat the glaze to make it liquid again if necessary) within an hour of serving. Don’t expect any leftovers!

Up and Running

Okay, I've decided to start a blog.  And just like every writing assignment I've ever been given, I am having trouble knowing where to begin.  How is this for an itemized exposition:

• I like food.  I like eating food, sharing food, making food.  I also love to read about eating, sharing, and making food, and I thought I might enjoying writing about the same. 

• I love to read, and for me, that typically leads to thinking.  Sometimes I read something so profoundly sad, or funny, or meaningful (at least to me) that I want to share.

• I have two sons, a three-year-old and a seven-month old, two cats, and two dogs.  I feel like I am in constant physical contact with another living thing 24 hours a day.  My plan is to use my blogging time as my alone time.  Not sure how that's going to work because even now my oldest son is telling me that he needs to use the computer to check his e-mail.

So that's mainly it.  All the while trying not to sound whiny and self-deprecating as I've done in my journals of the past.  And since you have been kind enough to visit, I would like to offer you a treat.  I would never invite guests over without offering some sort of refreshment.  And so, I present to you: 

This is a Peanut Butter Mousse Tart from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible.  It is a peanut butter cookie crust, with a light peanut butter mousse inside, topped off with chocolate ganache.  It's  fun and easy to make, and so delicious.  I allowed my son to lick the beater after I whipped up the mousse.  It took him about five minutes, but he got every last bit off.

Peanut Butter Mousse Tart (adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible)

For the crust:

 1/2 cup - all purpose flour

1/2 tsp - baking soda

1/16 tsp - salt

1/4 cup packed - light brown sugar

2 T - sugar

4 T - unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)

1/2 cup - creamy peanut butter

1/2 large egg (beat before measuring,  it should be about 1.5 tablespoons or .8 oz)

1/4 tsp - vanilla

You can make the crust in a food processor, or with an electric mixer.  Both ways follow the same basic steps, the difference being that you will want to soften the butter if using a mixer.  

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Whisk to combine.

In your food processor or in a bowl with your mixer, beat the sugars to combine.  Add the butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth.  Next, add the egg and vanilla.  Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.  You then need to chill the dough for at least an hour.  

Press into a 9.5 " tart pan (I used a 9" pan).  She is amazing and is able to roll the dough evenly and then lay it into the pan.  I am less amazing, so I used the press method.  The dough is fairly sticky.  Once you have it evenly pressed into the pan, cover it and chill it for another hour.  Then, bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

for the mousse:

7 T - cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup - creamy peanut butter

1 tsp - vanilla

3/4 cup - heavy cream, softly whipped (I whipped it with a wire whisk just until soft peaks started to form)

Once the crust is cool, go ahead and make the mousse.  Beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar together until well mixed.  Add the vanilla.  Beat in, on low speed, 1/4 cup of the whipped cream.  Then, with a rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the cream until the mixture is blended, but still airy.  Spoon your mousse into the crust and smooth.  Refrigerate while you make the ganache.

for the ganache:

3 oz  - milk chocolate (finely chopped)

2 oz - bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)

1/3 cup - heavy cream

1/8 tsp - vanilla

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just below the simmering point.  Remove from heat.  Add all of the chocolate and then stir constantly until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Allow to come to room temperature.  Once cooled, pour the ganache over the mousse and smooth to the edge of the crust.  Refrigerate for two hours to set.  Before serving, let the tart sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.