Frangipane Fruit Tart

This, my friends, is one of my favorite things I've ever made. Ever.

It's the epitome of desserts I love because it is both rich tasting and refreshing at the same time! Plus, it has custard and of course, anything that has custard in it is a win in my book. Let me just emphasize again that this fruit tart is amazing; not only does it taste amazing, it's literally breathtaking to look at. It starts with a chewy and sweet sugar cookie crust, which is then filled with the most fragrant and delicious frangipane filling. On top of that is a layer of creamy vanilla custard that helps keep the whole tart moist and enables the fruit to stick to the tart. If you can imagine anything more this tart needs, it is then topped with a medley of fresh fruit and beautified with an apricot glaze that makes it even more stunning to look at!

I know this sounds really tedious, having five components and all, but the way I make this tart (using shortcuts) makes it do-able and when you take a bite of this gorgeous thing you just made, you'll start thinking of when you're gonna make it again and again! I've made it almost 10 times already... not joking!

French Fruit Tart

Yields: 2 9" tarts

Original frangipane recipe here.

http://gourmeted.com/2010/07/28/blueberry-frangipane-tart/

For the crust:

1 package dry mix sugar cookie dough

1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

+ the ingredients needed to make it, according to the package

For the custard layer:

1 small package of French vanilla pudding

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla 

 For the frangipane layer:

8 tbsn. unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup almond meal or ground almonds

4 tsp. cornstarch

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. almond extract

For the glaze:

1/4 cup apricot jam or orange marmalade

2 tbsn. water

For the filling (any assortment of the below will work):

raspberries

golden raspberries

blueberries

strawberries

blackberries

kiwi

peaches

mango

mandarin oranges

First, prepare the frangipane filing. Combine the butter and sugar in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the ground almonds and pulse to blend. Add the cornstarch and pulse. Mix in the egg, egg yolk and almond extract. Scrape into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the sugar cookie mix according to the directions on the package. Option to add vanilla for some extra flavor, if desired. Divide the dough among two 9" tart pans with removable bottoms. Spread evenly along the entire surface and up the sides (don't worry if it looks thin - it will puff up during baking). Bake for 10 - 13 minutes until just barely golden. Once out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to gently press in the center to create a well, while maintaining the edges. This will make room for the frangipane layer. Set aside to cool a bit. Once room temperature, divide the frangipane filling among the two par-baked tart shells and bake for 10 - 15 minutes until slightly puffed and golden brown. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

To prepare the custard, combine all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk for 3 - 5 minutes until thickened and smooth. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to chill and thicken up some more. Once thickened, use a offset spatula to divide the custard among the two tarts, spreading the custard over the entire surface in a smooth layer. Top with your assortment of fruit in any manner that you like. To make the glaze, heat all of the ingredients over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Once thinned, remove from the heat and use a pastry brush to glaze the entire surface of the tart. Chill the tart for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!

Farm Fresh Berry Silver Dollars

When you come home from the farmer's market with an abundance of perfectly ripe and sweet berries, your mind becomes swamped with ideas of how to use them. Of course, me being the pancake lover that I am, I had to make fresh berry silver dollars. After a reader sent me the recipe for Clinton St. Baking Company's pancakes, I knew I had to try it.

I've never tried a pancake recipe where the whites were separated from the yolks, whipped and then folded back into the batter, but when I thought about it... it made perfect sense. We all relish in the fluffiness of pancakes and whipped whites would make the fluffiest pancakes ever! No wonder I fell in love with Clinton St. Baking Company's pancakes immediately.

These pancakes were so lovely. Fluffy, bursting with bites of juicy berries. I topped them off with even more fresh berries and a bit of maple syrup. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that day, I was in heaven.

Clinton St. Bakery's Pancakes

Yields: 9 - 10 3" pancakes

Original recipe here.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/neils-pancakes

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tbsn. sugar

pinch of salt

1 large egg, separated

1/4 + 1/8 cups whole milk

1 1/2 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tsp. unmelted for cooking

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups blueberries or sliced bananas (optional)

1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

maple butter, for serving

Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, milk, melted butter and vanilla until combined. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined; the batter will be slightly lumpy. Place the egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or whisk by hand, until medium peaks form. Gently mix half the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in the remaining whites - the whites should not be fully incorporated into the batter. Heat a griddle until hot, about 350 - 375 F. Add the remaining unmelted butter to the hot griddle. Add 1/4 cup pancake batter and let set. Sprinkle with 1 tbsn. blueberries or sliced bananas, if using, over pancakes. When bubbles begin to form, lift the pancake, if golden brown, flip it. Cook until golden brown on the remaining side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple butter.

A Dinner to Remember, Plus Things I Want to Forget...

I think we all have this problem that I continually find myself having. Gift finding and gift giving. I love giving people meaningful gifts or at least gifts that someone will actually enjoy and actually use, but for someone like your father or mother, after 22 years of giving them gifts multiple times in the year, it gets well hard...

I cannot for the life of me think of what to get my dad anymore, so for the past couple years, it's become a tradition to just cook an extravagant, coursed meal. Anyways, isn't a great meal shared between loved ones the greatest gift of all?

First, we started off with appetizers. I looked no further than Smitten Kitchen for inspiration. She makes the best things, and I can always trust her when she tells me that I have to make something. Everything has always reached expectations. These eggplant salad toasts and creamed mushroom toasts were excellent in every way. Easy, simple to prepare and delicious. The eggplant was deliciously smokey from the roasting and the feta added this nice bit of zippy tang. The creamed mushroom was decadent and awesomely creamy, we could not get enough of either!

Eggplant Salad Toasts

Yields: about 8 toasts

Original recipe here.

1 medium eggplant, about 3/4 lb., cut into 1/2" cubes

2 tbsn. olive oil, plus more for oiling baking sheet

1/4 tsp. salt

hfreshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 scallion, thinly sliced

8 1/2" thick slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil

1 small clove garlic, peeled and halved

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet, set aside. toss the eggplant, olive oil, salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, moving pieces around occasionally so they evenly brown. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and toss in the vinegar, feta and scallion. Broil or toast the baguette slices then rub them with a garlic clove, top with the warm eggplant salad and enjoy!

Creamed Mushrooms on Chive-Butter Toast

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe here.

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms

2 tbsn. unsalted butter, more for toast

1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped

2 tbsn. dry white wine or white vermouth

1/4 cup heavy cream

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

slices brioche or good white bread, crusts cut off if desired

1 tbsn. fresh chopped chives

coarse sea salt, for garnish

Clean any excess dirt from the mushrooms, then slice in half lengthwise and brush away any grit. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and saute until very limp, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook, for about 5 minutes more. Uncover the pot and continue cooking, siring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, simmer until slightly thickened, 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toast the bread and spread with butter. Cut each slice diagonally and sprinkle lightly with chives. Top each toast with some of the mushroom mixture, sprinkle with additional chives, garnish with sea salt and enjoy!

For our main course, we decided to make lamb kabobs. Lamb isn't something we eat often, so when we eat it, you know it's a celebration! This lamb was easy to prepare, and although it is kind of a pain to heat up the grill to cook them, it's well worth the process. The stunner of this entree was definitely the couscous though. This couscous is something I will make over and over and over again because it's beyond simple and quick to prepare the and flavor is DIVINE. I wrote that in all caps because I was blown away by how delicious this couscous was! The sauce, simple though it looks, was really great too.

Lamb Kabobs with Couscous

Yields: 4 - 6 servings

Original recipe here.

For the kabobs:

lbs. top round lamb

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsn. minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

good olive oil

1/4 cup dry red wine 

2 tbsn. red wine vinegar

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 - 3 small red onions

2 pints cherry tomatoes

For the sauce:

1/2 cup good chicken stock

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 tbsn. freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of minced fresh rosemary leaves

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the couscous with pine nuts:

4 tbsn. unsalted butter

3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 - 4 shallots)

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups couscous

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup dried currants

2 tbsn. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cut the lamb into 1 1/2" cubes - you should have about 20 cubes. Combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine, vinegar and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Add the lamb cubes, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for up to 2 days. Toss occasionally. Heat a grill with coals. Spread them out in one dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Cut the red onions in quarters and separate each quarter into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 - 4 pieces of lamb onto the skewers, alternately with sections of the onion. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper. Next, place the cherry tomatoes on the skewers, threading them through the stems of the tomatoes. Brush the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place the lamb skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, turning 2 - 3 times until the lamb is medium-rare. Approximately 5 minutes before the lamb is done, place the tomato skewers on the grill, turning once, until seared on the outside but still firm inside. For the sauce, bring the chicken stock, olive oil and lemon juice to a boil in a small pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper. 

To make the couscous, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook them over medium-low for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir in the couscous, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts, currants and parsley and fluff with a fork to combine. Serve the couscous alongside the lamb and tomato skewers, with the sauce on the side. 

On to things I want to forget... these lemon souffles. We wanted a stunner, but something light to finish the meal, what better than a souffle right? That was the plan anyway. Souffles are pretty tricky, they require love, patience and care. In the midst of chaos in which we were preparing dinner, the souffle process kind of got pushed to the side and I shouldn't have been surprised with the results I was faced with. Out of the oven, they showed such promise, they actually rose!  

When we digged in... oy vey. Something had definitely gone awry. They weren't lemony enough, they weren't cooked through, and near the bottom they actually tasted kind of like scrambled eggs. No, no, no. Definitely not what we had planned on ending our fabulous dinner with at all. In the end we just enjoyed our fabulous homemade blueberry compote with some vanilla bean ice cream and all was well again.

Lemon Souffles

Yields: 6 servings

Original recipe here.

1 tbsn. unsalted butter, plus more, room temperature, for dishes

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for dishes

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1 tbsn. flour

3 tbsn. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsn. finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup whole milk

powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter 6 12-oz. souffle dishes, then dust with sugar. Whisk together the yolks, flour, zest and 2 tbsn. sugar. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Slowly pour the milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent yolks from cooking. Return mixture to the pan and whisk until thick like a pudding, about 1 - 2 minutes. Strain through a sieve and whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Beat whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup + 2 tbsn. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture and gently fold in. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula. Fill each prepared souffle dish to the top and smooth. Run your thumb around the edges to remove batter from the rims. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until the souffles rise and are golden, about 16 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.  

Blueberry Compote

Yields: about 1 1/2 cups

2 cups blueberries

2 tbsn. sugar

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the blueberries have opened and the sauce has reduced. It should be the consistency of maple syrup.

Berry-Yogurt Parfaits + Homemade Granola

It's a simple formula: granola and yogurt, but it seems to work so well together huh? In the mornings I just love the creamy-sweet-tartness of yogurt mixed with the crunchiness of homemade granola. I brought home a whole load of fresh berries the other day and I was just inspired to make some granola to crunch along with it. I love summer and it's welcome wagon of sweet berries! 

Anyways, I love my granola simple as can be. I don't like to add in too many add-ins such as dried fruit and nuts because I love adding fresh fruit instead - and why wouldn't I when I have fresh berries as beautiful as these? Making homemade granola is so simple and so easy - it really takes very, very little effort. Using it in yogurt-granola-berry trifles is just how I like to enjoy it, but I imagine it'd be excellent over ice cream or oatmeal as well!

Maple Pecan Granola

YIelds: about 2 cups

Original recipe here.

1 cup pecan halves

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 stick butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until toasty and brown. Butter a rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper, set aside. Toss together the oats, coconut and wheat bran into a large bowl. Crunch up the pecan halves to break them up and add them to the mixture. Add the maple syrup into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat for 7 - 10 minutes to reduce it by 1/4. Add the butter and salt and stir until the butter is melted. Immediately pour into the oat mixture and mix thoroughly to make sure everything is coated. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven and scrape the outer edges towards the center and the center to the edges. Repeat this two more times for a total of 30 minutes. Allow the granola to cool completely on the sheets - this will allow clusters to form. Once the granola is cooled, stir in the dried fruit. 

Berry Yogurt Parfaits

Yields: 2 servings

1 cup vanilla yogurt (non-fat or low-fat)

1/2 cup homemade granola

1/2 cup fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)

In two short glass, add 1/4 cup of yogurt to the bottom of each glass, sprinkle with some fresh berries and most of the granola. Top each with 1/4 cup more of the yogurt, sprinkle with the remaining granola and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Bill Granger's Ricotta Hotcakes

After my trip to New York, I've been desperately trying to re-live my glory days. Glorious food days that is. I miss everything about the city from the stuffy subways to the gorgeous foliage but of course the one thing I miss most is all of that food!! One thing I'll always remember fondly are the pancakes from Clinton St. Baking Company, ohhh the pancakes...

I made Eggplant Parmesan the other day (recipe to come soon) and I had some extra ricotta left over. I decided to make these precious little hotcakes. The eggs are separated and the whites are whipped to airy perfection and then gently folded into the batter. If that isn't enough, ricotta is just barely mixed into the batter, leaving little chunks of ricotta goodness all throughout. Yep, it's true.

To top it all off, and to fully re-live my Clinton St. days, I made a maple butter syrup. The saltiness of the butter and the sweetness of the maple was enough to drive me over the edge. Make these and you'll be looking over the ledge soon yourself!

It's not so obvious, but that little white blob is a chunk of ricotta goodness!!

Bill Granger's Ricotta Hotcakes

Yields: about 12 large hotcakes

Original recipe here.

For the hotcakes:

1 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup milk

4 large eggs, separated

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsn. sugar

dash of salt

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. baking powder

1 - 2 cups blueberries or other berries, if desired 


For the maple butter syrup:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup salted butter

Pour the milk into a mixing bowl, then add the egg yolks; mix until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix well. Add the lemon zest and mix. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry peaks form. Gently fold throughout the batter, leaving some streaks of white. Lastly, add the ricotta and mix gently (take care not to overmix as you want it to be slightly chunky). Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat, then grease lightly with butter or oil. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter (per hotcake) into the pan. If using berries, sprinkle the top of the hotcake with a few berries. Cook on one side until little bubbles appear, about 2 minutes, then flip over and cook on the other side for about 1 minute. Serve with more fresh berries. 


To make the syrup, combine the syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the butter is melted and everything is thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and serve alongside the hotcakes. 

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

There's nothing more summery than a pie! Well, that's what I think at least. A nice cool slice of pie topped with mounds of fluffy whipped cream or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, doesn't the thought of it sound dreamy? Dream no longer folks. Make this pie and the reality is yours!

This is quite possibly one of the easiest, but most delicious, pies I have ever made. You could even do without making your own crust and buy a pre-made crust (don't worry, I won't tell). What I love about this pie is that only 1/4 of the berries are cooked while the rest are folded in later, untouched and impossibly fresh. This pie isn't too sweet, and bursts in your mouth with every bite. It really is spectacular! Oh, and the filling to this pie stands really well! After letting the pie rest, the pie slices soooo nicely and doesn't goop and gush all over the place, which is nice for a change!

I didn't have enough blueberries on hand so I used a mixture of blueberries and blackberries, and by gosh was it fantastic! This was a new pie crust recipe I tried, which though I did like, I prefer the one I used here better. This pie crust was not as flaky and more cookie-ish. So depending on your preference, you can use either one.

Had to have that gratuitous innards shot!

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

Yields: 1 9-inch pie, about 6 servings

Original pie recipe here.

Original pie

crust recipe here.

For the crust:

1 1/8 cup flour

1 tbsn. sugar

1/8 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 - 4 tbsn. water

For the pie:

4 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup + 2 tbsn. water, divided

2 tbsn. cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups whipped cream, optional

To make the pie crust, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal or large peas. Add 3 tbsn. of water and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball; you may need to add more water if dry. Turn out into a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough in half and gently pat each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Roll out the crust, large enough to fit your pie tin. Transfer to the pie tin, cutting off the excess and crimping the edges. Let chill in the refrigerator before baking for 15 - 30 minutes to prevent shrinking. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the pie shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes covered, then remove the pie weights and liner and bake until lightly golden, about 10 - 15 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

To make the filling, measure out 1 cup of blueberries, choosing the softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan with the 1/2 cup of water. Cover and bring them to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tbsn. water, set it aside. When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 - 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries. Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie, leaving the center unadorned.

Blueberry dreams...