Lemon Curd French Tart

This is for anyone and everyone out there who has a fear of making pie crust. And even for those who have advanced skills in pie crust making...this crust is amazing!

I read about it here a while back and kind of forgot about it. But then the other day, I got to thinking about my delicious lemon curd and decided to put it into a tart.

 Making a dough from hot butter, rather than ice cold, disputes all the ideas about only using cold ingredients. I don't actually know why it works...but it works...and that's all I need to know!

You can fill the tart with anything you'd like from a curd, like I did, to a pastry cream or custard with fresh fruit. I used my lemon curd recipe to fill the tart and then just piped some whipped cream on top.

It's really the flakiest crust I've ever had and it's also the easiest crust I've ever made. So for all you bakers who are still buying a store bought crust because you're too nervous to try making one from scratch...give this one a try. You'll love it!

Begin by placing the butter pieces, oil, water, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. ( I used my pyrex bowl.)
Place the bowl into the oven for about 15 minutes, or til the butter begins to brown slightly and bubble.

It should look like this, nice and melted.

Then dump in the flour...

And stir til it becomes a ball.
And that's pretty much it! Now, was that so hard?

Dump the ball onto your tart pan (you might want to let it cool a little bit first),  spread out the dough using the heel of your hand. Push it towards the edge and press the edge with your fingers.
Save a little bit of dough, about the size of a marble, to patch any cracks that may occur after baking.
Prick the dough with a fork in about 10 to 12 places.

Bake 15 minutes and use the reserved dough to patch any sizable crack, if you have any.

Fill with your fave filling, then decorate...and dive in!

Lemon Curd French Tart (adapted from here)
Makes one 9" tart or 3 to 4 tartlets( with removable bottom) or 9" pie plate.

Note: My tart pan actually measured 9 1/2" and I think that's why my tart came out on the shallow side. This really wasn't a problem but if you use a pie plate or tart pan with a removable bottom, just know if it's not exactly 9" your tart may come out shallow also. I haven't made this recipe using tartlet pans so I'm not sure if it would make 3 or 4 but I bet they'd be darned cute...and delicious!
Also David says because small cracks in the dough are normal you'd be better to not use a thin custard filling.

3 ozs. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tbsp. canola oil
3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
5 ozs. AP flour
Lemon curd recipe
Whipped cream for decorating top

*********************
Preheat oven to 410.
1. In a heatproof bowl ( I used my glass pyrex), place the butter pieces, oil, water, sugar and salt and place into the oven for 15 minutes, or til the butter begins to bubble and brown around the edges. Remove carefully.
2. Dump the flour into the melted butter mixture and stir into a ball with a spatula.
3. Place the ball into your tart or pie pan and, when cooled enough to handle, press the dough with the heel of your hand to spread out to the edges. Use your fingers to press the sides of the dough .
Reserve a small piece of dough, about the size of a marble, to patch any cracks later.
4. Prick the dough all over with a fork, then place back in the oven for 15 minutes, or til the dough gets a nice godlen color.
5. Patch any large cracks with the reserved dough piece.
Let the crust cool completely before filling with your favorite custart and fresh fruit, pastry cream or, like me, most delicious lemon curd!

Peach Crumb Cake

Still making my way through the load of peaches!

This time we're going from Peach Crumb Pie to Peach Crumb Cake.

 This cake is light and not too sweet...perfect for breakfast or a late night snack. Don't be shy with the peaches on top. I used 4 peaches but they were small. If you're using larger peaches, it's okay to just use 4 but if your peaches are on the small side, I'd go with at least 5 peaches.

Make the topping first by throwing all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse til crumbly.
Then make the cake batter.
Then pour it into your prepared pan and spread evenly.

Place the sliced peaches over top of the batter.
Then sprinkle the topping over the peach slices.

Then bake... and cut yourself a nice big piece!

Peach Crumb Cake ( from "The Best of Gourmet 1994")

Topping:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 stick ( 6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cake:
1 stick ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup AP flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large peaches ( if small, use 1 more)
***************************
Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8" round or square pan.
1. Topping: In a food processor, combine flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon and pulse til the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
2. In mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar til the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and beat the batter til just combined.
5. Spread the batter evenly into you prepared pan, then place the sliced peaches over top.
6. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the peaches and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or til tester comes out clean.
Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Peach Crumble Pie

Peach season is definitely upon us. There were loads of them at the farmer's market yesterday and I grabbed a basket of "seconds" that looked great to me. With all the peach pies I made last summer, I never got around to posting a recipe for a pie ( guess I was just too "peached out" !)

I did make this and this and this was great, too... have to make those again this year.

 But this is the first pie I've made this summer so I figured it's a good time to share the recipe.

I love a crumble topping on a fruit pie. It's all about the crunch with me and a crumble top gives a little crunch and a bit more interesting taste. So go grab some peaches and make a pie!

I made my crust the night before and placed it into the pie plate, wrapped well and put in the fridge to chill overnight.
Then just slice up your peaches and mix the other ingredients together and spoon it into your chilled pie shell.

The topping is easy to make.
Just combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and butter pieces and mix it together with a fork or your fingers.

Then sprinkle the topping over the peaches...

And bake the pie til it's nice and golden and bubbly.

Peach Crumble Pie

Makes one 9" pie

Filling:
8-10 peaches ( depending on size), peeled and sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar ( I don't like a very sweet pie but if your peaches aren't very sweet you can increase this amount a little.)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

 Crumble topping:
2/3 cup AP flour
4 tbsp. light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold butter, cut into very small pieces

Unbaked pie crust for a single crust pie. I use this one every time.
*******************************************

 Make the crust ahead of time and place into pie plate. Chill in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 450.

1. Prepare crumb topping by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside in fridge to chill while preparing the peaches.
2. In a large bowl, combine sliced peaches, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Stir to combine well.
3. Spoon the peaches into the unbaked pie shell, including all the liquid.
4. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the pie and place the pie onto a baking sheet ( just in case any liquid spills over) and bake the pie for 10 minutes on 450.
Then lower the oven temp. to 350 and continue to bake the pie for another 30 to 40 minutes, til it is bubbly and golden in color.
5. Allow the pie to rest at room temperature before cutting into it so the juices can settle.
Grab the vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and dig in!

No Bake Lime Cracker Pie

I'm sure I'm not alone in hating this awful heat. I know everyone else across the country must be as tired of it as I am and staying out of the kitchen, if at all possible, is my goal til things cool down!

So making desserts that don't require turning on the oven can be a challenge...unless ice cream every day works for you! ( Well, okay, ice cream every day does, in fact, work for me but sometimes you want a little bit more!).

So let me just say,  I love the seriouseats.com site and I was so excited when they gave "sweets" a separate category. And when I found this no bake "pie" recipe I knew I had to give it a try.

It really is delicious. It's sweet and salty and there are only 4 ingredients. Around here we've been calling it "faux key lime pie". But, hey, whatever name you give it...it's cool, creamy and perfect for dessert on a hot night.

You'll need lime zest for the top so zest them before you squeeze the limes.

Combine the condensed milk and heavy cream in a large bowl.

Add in the lime juice and whisk til thickened.

Spread one cup of the filling on the bottom of the pie plate or casserole dish.
Top with a single layer of crackers, then repeat til all the crackers and filling are used, ending with the filling.

Then sprinkle the top with lime zest and chill at least 2 hours, but overnight is better.

No Bake Lime Cracker Pie, (from seriouseats.com)

(Note: I halved the recipe and used a 7" glass pie dish)

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup lime juice plus 1 tbsp. lime zest
10 oz. ( about 2 1/2 sleeves) Ritz crackers*
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You will need a deep dish pie plate or 11" oval casserole.

1. Combine condensed milk and heavy cream in a large bowl.
2. Add lime juice and whisk til thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Spread 1 cup of the filling on the bottom of pie plate or casserole.
4. Top with a single layer of crackers, then repeat, alternating layers of filling and crackers til plate is full.
5. Sprinkle top with lime zest and cover and put into refridgerator for at least 2 hours, but it's best to chill overnight so the crackers fully absorb the custard.
* Next time I make this, I'm going to use graham crackers instead of the Ritz crackers. It may taste even more like key lime pie... what do you think?
Please let me know if you make it and how it turns out for you.

Cranberry Upside Downer

There's something so comforting about upside down cakes. Warm fruit on top with a delicious delicate cake underneath. It's the best!

No I know it's a little odd to be surrounded by so much fresh fruit now that summer is in full swing but I came across this recipe and remembered the two bags of frozen cranberries I still had left in the freezer. I could have used fresh pears or apples but I just love the flavor of cranberries...and oh, that beautiful color! Let's think Christmas in July.

I found this wonderful book called " Sweet Times, Simple Desserts for Every Occasion" and guess who wrote it? Dorie Greenspan. It's from 1991 and I didn't even know about this book til I came upon it at a local outdoor art show in the park this weekend. They had a booth of all kinds of books and this one just jumped out at me! Lucky me!

This cake is easy to make and would be perfect for a quick dessert to make for company. It's great just with a dollop of whipped cream. Dorie suggests using pears or apples and I could really see how apples would be ideal since there's a full teaspoon of cinnamon in the batter. Now that would be a great Fall dessert.

I used a round cake pan but I bet you could also use a cast iron skillet like I did for this cake.

Brush the top with red currant jelly ( or really any jelly flavor you have would, I'm sure, be fine).

The cake is delicious warm or room temperature. And don't forget the whipped cream.
Enjoy!

Cranberry Upside Downer, from "Sweet Times" by Dorie Greenspan

6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts ( I used chopped pecans but you can also use halves)
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen ( not thawed)
1 cup AP flour ( I used 4.5 ozs.)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, room temp.
1/3 cup milk, room temp.
1/3 cup red currant jelly
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for garnish
*********************************

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Get ready an 8" round cake pan.
2. Melt the 6 tbsp. butter in a small saucepan, then add the 6 tbsp. sugar and stir til the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this evenly over the bottom of the cake pan.
3. Sprinkle the nuts over this, then the cranberries, in a single layer. Set aside.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
5. Cream the butter, then add in the 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat on medium speed til the mixture is pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.
6. Add in the vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
7. With the mixer on low speed, add in half the dry mixture, mixing only til combined.
8. Gently mix in the milk, then add the remainder of the flour mixture.
9. Spoon the batter over the cranberries and smooth out the top.
10. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or til the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Run a knife around the sides of the pan and turn the cake out onto a cake plate. ( If any berries stick to the pan, just scrape them off with a knife and spread them on the cake).
Warm the jelly, just til it liquifies,  (I warmed in the microwave) and brush onto the top of the cake.
Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Fresh Apricot Upside Down Cake

I know it's the 4th of July Holiday this weekend but I couldn't resist these beautiful apricots in my local farm market. They were calling me! And I just had to respond. So no blueberry strawberry- red, white and blue kind of dessert this hoilday. Nope. Just a delicious fresh apricot upside down cake. Which, by the way, is so so good!

I have to say I've never really given the poor fresh apricot much attention before. I love them dried and I make dried apricot almond scones almost every week, but fresh? Never. Eaten out of hand, they don't do much for me but once baked, they take on a sweet lovely flavor.

Upside down cakes are so fun. And this one is baked in a cast iron skillet so you just melt the butter, add some brown sugar and place the apricots over top. Then spoon the batter over all that and bake it in the skillet.

So please, give this cake a try. It got rave reviews on epicurious.com so I knew it would be a winner. I took note of the remarks about too much butter and sugar for the topping so I cut down the amounts by half and I'm glad I did. This revised amount is perfect.

This cake could be made with some other stone fruits, too. Nectarines or plums, perhaps?

And if you don't own a cast iron skillet yet, you need to buy one! They're the original non stick skillet.

Once the cake comes out of the oven, it looks so pretty, it's almost a shame to invert it...

But then...

Look how pretty the other side is, too!

And don't say I didn't warn you. Once the cake cools down a little...good luck resisting cutting yourself a nice big slice.
But hey, you deserve it, right? After all, you did all the work! Don't forget a big dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for the top!

Fresh Apricot Upside Down Cake ( adapted from epicurious.com)

(The recipe includes my revisions)

Topping:
1/2 stick (2 ozs.) unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
8-10 small apricots, halved and pitted, lengthwise
Cake:
1 3/4 cups ( 8.3 ozs.) AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick (4 ozs.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 large eggs, room temp. for 30 minutes
3/4 cup well shaken buttermilk
***************************
Preheat oven to 375.
Topping:
1. Heat butter in the skillet til the foam subsides.
2. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Cook, undisturbed for 3 minutes.
Not all the sugar will be melted.
3. Remove from heat and arrange the apricot halves, cut side down in the skillet, placing them close together.
Cake:
1. Sift or whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and both extracts on medium speed til pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat til mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating woth the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat til just combined.
5. Gently spoon the batter evenly over the apricots and spread evenly.
6. Bake 40 to 45 minutes.
7. Immediately invert cake onto a large plate.
The cake is best served slightly warm or room temperature, with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Cranberry Almond Bars with White Chocolate

I couldn't wait to try another recipe from this book "Rustic Fruit Desserts" since the other recipe was so delicious. So I decided on this one...with a few changes, that is.
In the book this is really called Cherry Almond Bars but I didn't have any cherries so I switched out and used another red fruit, cranberries.

Since cranberries are tart I had a feeling I should be adding more sugar to the fruit filling but I decided to leave it with the original amount called for. I did switch lemon for orange, since I love the combo of cranberries and orange.

The bars came out great, although there was a half cup of crust dough left over that I didn't use ( pop any extra into the freezer to use as a crumble topping for something else later). I think if I had made this in a little bit larger pan I would have used all the dough...next time!

If you notice the photo below, it doesn't have the white chocolate drizzle. After I cut and tasted the bar, I realized I should have increased the sugar amount to compensate for the tartness of the cranberries. But...I fixed the sweetness problem with melting and drizzling the white chocolate over the top. It added just enough sweetness.

So you can use the half cup sugar amount given and drizzle the white chocolate or increase the sugar and skip the drizzle...or do both! Can't be bad...right?

Begin by making the fruit filling by combining the cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange zest and orange juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Once it boils, stir the mixture and let it cook a few minutes til the cranberries pop and cook down a bit.
Then transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool.

For the crust, combine the flour, brown sugar, almonds and salt in a food processor.
Add in the cold butter pieces and process til crumbly.
Then add the egg and vanilla and pulse ...

Til the mixture comes together.

Press two-thirds of the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan and pour the filling over top.
Press clumps of the remaining crust mixture over the filling.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Cranberry Almond Bars with White Chocolate Drizzle (adapted from "Rustic Fruit Desserts")
Serves 12

Fruit Filling:
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar (or add more, up to 3/4 cup, for a sweeter filling)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
zest of half orange
juice of half an orange

Crust and Topping:
2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ozs.) AP flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used light)
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
3/4 cup (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 oz. white chocolate ( melted over hot water for drizzling), optional
***********************
Preheat oven to 350. Butter bottom of 9" pan.

1. To make the fruit filling: Combine the cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange zest and orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil a few minutes til the cranberries pop and the mixture begins to thicken.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool and set aside.
3. To make the crust and topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, almonds and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process til crumbly.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and pulse just til the mixture comes together.
5. Press two-thirds of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, then pour the filling over top.
6. Press clumps of the remaining  crumb mixture over the fruit filling.
7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or til light golden brown and bubbling.
8. Cool one hour before cutting into serving pieces. Drizzle with the melted white chocolate if you like.

Apple Almond Galette

This weekend I should have stayed out of the kitchen entirely!
I made a chocolate cookie bar and a cake that both turned out to be such a disaster that I had to toss them both..such a waste of time and money.

I guess I should have known better. Most of my weekend was taken up with painting the ceiling in my back porch. As if that's not chore enough. It's such a lousy job to paint a ceiling! But I wanted to get you at least one new recipe this weekend..oh well. Hey, maybe I could blame it on the moon, right? It hasn't been this close to earth in, what, about twenty years, or something like that. Did you see it? It was spectacular...but I digress.

So, needing to make something that was, first, created from what I had in the house this morning and second, something pretty much foolproof, I chose a rustic Apple Galette. Not too difficult to make. Pie crust, chopped apples, spices...and the best part? It's so good!

I created this version from about three different recipes. I took a little from here, a little from here and a little from here. And came up with this rustic and delicious galette. I streamlined some of the steps to make it as quick and easy as I could. This is a perfect galette for a weekday dessert and pretty enough for company! Just add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

First you want to make the crust so it can chill out in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Once the cold butter pieces are added to the flour, just begin working the butter into the flour til you have small pea size pieces.

Then begin adding in the ice cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork til it begins to come together. Feel it with your fingers to be sure it has enough water but not too much.

Once it comes together, form it into a disc and wrap in plastic and put into the fridge for 30 minutes, at least.

While the dough is chilling, make the apple filling by mixing the sliced and chopped apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.

Roll out the dough to about a 1/4" thickness and spread the warmed apricot jam onto the center going only to within about 2" from the edge.

Then sprinkle the almonds over the jam.

Spread the apple mixture over the almonds, still leaving about 2" aound the edge.

Fold the edges over all around and lightly press the dough into the apples.

Dot the apples with butter and brush a little milk over the edges and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake between 50 and 60 minutes.

Apple Almond Galette
Serves 4-6
Crust:

1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2" pieces

3 1/2 tbsp. ice water

Filling:

4 medium apples, such as Granny Smith or McIntosh

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup apricot jam

1 tbsp. milk

raw sugar for sprinkling on dough

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1. Make crust by combining the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add in the butter pieces and work the mixture together with your fingers til it resembles pieces the size of small peas.( Some pieces will be larger than others).

3. Add in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork. Feel the dough with your fingers to be sure it's not too dry. Add in just enough water so it forms a ball. You may not need all the water. It depends on the weather and how much humidity there is).

4. Once you form a ball, place the ball of dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disc shape. Wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5. Make the filling while the dough is chilling. Peel, core and slice the apples into thin slices and cut each slice in half.

6. Place the apples in a large bowl and add in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine well.

7. Preheat the oven to 400.

8. Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan just til it begins to melt and become a more spreading consistency. Take off heat and set aside.

9. Roll out the chilled dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to about a 1/4' thickness.

10. Place the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread the apricot jam onto the center, keeping within 2" from the edges.

11. Sprinkle the almonds over the jam, then place the apple mixture on top of the almonds and jam.

12. Fold over the dough edges and press into the apples lightly. Brush the edges with a little milk and with sprinkle raw sugar.

13. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or til the crust is a nice golden color and the apples are soft.

14. Lift galette off the baking sheet with the parchment paper and cool on a wire rack.

The galette is best served warm with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Powdered sagar dusted over the top would also be pretty. Enjoy!