One of my favorite things about summer is all the seasonal fruit--cherries, watermelon, varieties of berries. The local weekend farmers market has stands with crates full of strawberries, and I love seeing the rows of baskets filled with those plump red, juicy, pointy berries with crowns of green leaves. They look so inviting and striking, calling out to be bought and consumed. On my last trip to the farmer's market, I decided to make a dessert out of them, so I got three baskets and was happily on my home to make something fabulous out of them.
Flipping through some cookbooks at home, the strawberry tart with custard caught my attention. After all, nothing says summer like a strawberry tart. I used the pastry dough (pate brisee) recipe from the Joy of Baking, which I've tried before, and decided on the custard recipe from the Bouchon cookbook. After preparing the pastry dough, and during the chill time, I went to work on the custard.
I noticed that the custard recipe called for what seemed like an excessive amount of corn starch (1/4 cup for a recipe that yields 2 cups of custard), but entirely trusting Thomas Keller, I followed the directions anyway. The last time I tried a Bouchon recipe, it turned out pretty splendid, so there was no other reason to doubt this one. I think I should have trusted my instincts--or maybe it was my own error, I'm not sure. The custard thickened quickly and became gelatinous. I think a custard should be smooth and creamy, but it could also be a matter of personal preference.
Though my friends thought it was good (maybe they were being nice), I personally could not get over the texture and was disappointed with the results. Once assembled, the strawberry tart came together just fine--the strawberries and crust covering up the slightly odd texture for custard, but I still felt something creamier would complement the strawberries better than the kind of milky jello custard. For that reason, I'm only providing the recipe for the pate brisee. Once I figure out the custard, I'll post the recipe.
Pate Brisee
Makes enough for two 9" inch tarts
1. In a bowl, sift together:
- 2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 t. salt
- 1 T. sugar
2. Using a pastry blender, blend in the following until the mixture has a coarse meal texture:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut in 1" pieces
3. Add about 1/4 cup ice water, and turn the dough using your hands to incorporate the water. Form the pastry dough into a ball.
4. Divide the ball of dough in half and shape into 5" disks. Wrap each of them in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, until ready for use. The dough can also be frozen for about a month.
5. When ready to bake, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Continually lift and rotate the dough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. When it reaches a size large enough to cover a 9" tart pan, gently roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll the pastry over the tart pan. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan.
6. Place the tart pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Bake the pastry shell for about 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
7. For the strawberry tart, allow the pastry shell to cool. Fill the shell with a layer of custard, then assemble the strawberries (which have been hulled) in a circular pattern, starting in the center of the tart. Use strawberries cut in half to fill in gaps. Chill before serving.
I think my mind is still on Italy and I am pretty much drawn to all things Italy. Sometimes I'll scroll through my photos and relive the sites and sounds (and tastes!). It's still hard to believe I was actually there, and stood where Michelangelo painted his incredible Sistine Chapel and walked through the halls of the Uffizi.
And I remember how fashionable everyone dresses over there--love the fashion! There is nothing like it where I live, and no one here dresses like they do there. Maybe if I were in, say, New York City, I wouldn't have noticed such a difference, but I'm pretty much in suburbia and work in corporate America, where Banana Republic seems to be more of the norm. Perhaps being around the product of so much talent in Italy inspired the more creative side of me, and since I've been back, I'm more interested in exploring photography...and wanting to shop even more than I normally would, trying to be a little more adventurous with my sartorial choices. Both are not inexpensive pastimes.
Though I haven't been baking and cooking as much recently, especially with traveling and then an increased devotion to some other "hobbies", that hasn't fallen away completely. A girlfriend organized a girls' night this past weekend, and I was designated to bring a dessert. Hooray, it was an opportunity to get back in the kitchen. As I scrolled through epicurious.com (my default recipe repository), I came across an "Italian Strawberry Tart". That was the winner, for sure. For one, it said Italian--never mind that I didn't recall seeing anything like it while I was there; and for another, it was easy. Easy is good, especially if it looks impressive and tastes as good as it looks. The tart generated some oohs and aahs, and the girls loved it. I like that it looks like there are little hearts blossoming throughout the dessert. Kind of like how I still feel when I think about Italy...
Italian strawberry tart
Adapted from epicurious.com
Serves approximately 8
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
1. In a bowl, mix together:
- 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together until the color turns light:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar
3. Continue to mix into the bowl from #2:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 T. milk (whole or 2% lowfat)
4. Slowly pour the flour mixture from #1 into the mixture from #3 and mix until just combined.
5. Transfer the batter to a round 9" spring form pan. The batter will be sticky. Press into the batter in concentric circles:
- 2 to 3 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (save any extras for garnish).
6. Bake the tart for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream and fresh strawberries (optional).
I've been trying to get this post out but I've been at the mercy of my fickle internet service, which is back up again this morning (yay!). It's Saturday now but it's been feeling like one long Monday, and not because I couldn't get on line (though that probably didn't help). A long, long, looong Monday, that, now that I think of it, started somewhere last week, actually. It's one of those times when life just, well, sucks the life out of you. And Spring seems to have taken its own vacation around here and the clouds have rolled in again--perhaps somewhat appropriately. I really did have grand plans for this post, like cute little stories from my childhood and reflections on the joy of youth--you know, something terribly profound and thought-provoking, but I've lost the inspiration even before I've begun so maybe another time will do but not today.
The highlight in my long "Monday", though, was that I managed to do one of my favorite things on a Saturday morning this last weekend, and that was to go to the local farmers' market. Farmers' markets are really the place to be for a weekend morning, to leisurely stroll along the vendor stands and watch people with baby strollers and reusable shopping bags, as they mull around the organic produce laid out in crates and boxes. Gone is any affectation, replaced by a little more sincerity. I usually go not really with a shopping list in mind, but just to see what's in season and what looks enticing and to people watch or spend quality time with a friend, but this time, I had purpose: I was going to buy a plant for my new apartment. I have never bought a plant, never had any inclinations toward cultivating a green thumb, but decided I needed one just to brighten up my place and make it more homey and welcoming. But I didn't know what to get ("a wise bowl of sage"? maybe too clever...only at a farmers' market), so instead I saw a table of lovely, fresh strawberries beckoning, and I could not resist. Instead of a plant, I came home with the lovely strawberries, which then later turned into some not-nearly-as-lovely-but-they'll-do strawberry cupcakes (I found the recipe at pickycook.com; I didn't get enough air into the butter so they baked up a little heavy and my frosting didn't come out so smooth, but the taste, it was what you would think a fresh Spring day would taste like if you could put it into a cupcake...mmm).
And my mission to get a plant? I got daffodils from Trader Joe's that were so cute when I first picked them up it was enough to dispel any blues momentarily, but they have only since wilted considerably, in just a matter of days. What could I have done wrong? I watered it faithfully, put it by the window for light, and all I can think of that was that maybe, just maybe, I didn't talk to it enough--or at all. My very first plant ever and I have already almost killed it in record time. Another thing to chalk up to the blues. But tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and that is always a marker of hope.
Strawberry cupcakes
Adapted from the recipe at pickycook.com (thank you Picky Cook!)
Makes about a dozen
For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350F and line the cupcake tin.
1. Puree in a food processor or blender:
- 1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries (hulled) (there will be extra for the frosting)
2. Whisk together with a wire whisk:
- 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. kosher salt
3. In a cup, combine:
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup strawberry puree from #1
4. Cream together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup of sugar
5. Add to the mixing bowl and mix to combine:
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
6. Mix into the butter and egg mixture from #5 on low: the flour mixture from #2 and the milk and strawberry puree from #3, alternating between each but beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
7. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then cool on a rack completely.
For the frosting:
1. In a mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment, cream:
- 2 sticks (or 1 cup) of butter
2. Mix in, until smooth:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/3 cup strawberry puree
