Goodies By Anna

Fresh Berry Tart with Cornmeal Pate Brisee Crust

With all the beautiful berries in season I decided a fresh fruit tart would be the perfect dessert to kick off summer! I used a combination of fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries to top off a delicious vanilla pastry cream filling.

 

 

 

The crisp rustic style crust is a cornmeal pate brisee that I rolled out and placed into a 9" tart pan. The combination of the rich, smooth pastry cream and the crisp buttery crust create the perfect backdrop to the ripe berries. A simple glaze made of heated and strained strawberry jelly creates a sweet shine of the berries. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

Cornmeal Pate Brisee: Start by making the cornmeal pate brisee crust. This recipe makes enough for two crust so just save one in the freezer to use at a later date. You can find the entire recipe here. After you make the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place one in the fridge (the other can go into the freezer in a ziplock baggie) to chill for a few hours or over night. When the dough is completely chilled, roll out to fit a 9" tart pan. Place the rolled dough into the pan, pressing in firmly and evenly around the sides and the bottom. Prick bottom of shell with fork. Trim off the excess and wrap pie shell in plastic wrap. Chill the pie shell in the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. While pie shell is chilling, place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

 

 

Line chilled pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on preheated pan in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment and continue baking pie shell until browned and crisp looking, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let pie shell cool completely on wire rack before filling with pastry cream.

 

 

 

Pastry Cream:  While the shell is cooling start the pastry cream. You can find the entire recipe here. In a medium sauce pan whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until thick and pale.  In a small sauce pan bring the milk to a boil. Drizzle a 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture and continue whisking until completely combined. Put the pan over medium heat and while whisking vigorously, bring to a boil.

 

 

 

Keep the mixture at a boil for 1 to 2 minutes then remove pan from heat and scrape into a clean bowl and let set for 3 minutes. Add the butter and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, mixing until the butter is completely melted and combined. Place plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream and chill until completely cold- 3 hours to overnight. When pastry cream in completely chilled, remix and pour into pie shell.

 

 

 

Assembly: Top pastry cream with berries. In a small microwavable bowl, heat up 1/4 cup of strawberry jam until liquid. Brush and dab the jam over the berries to cover. Keep tart refrigerated until ready to serve.

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa always has terrific recipes and these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies are no exception! Peanut Butter and Chocolate are the perfect pair and these cookies end up tasting a lot like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

 

 

 

All that is needed is a big glass of cold milk. Make sure you use chocolate chunks, not chocolate chips, as they really give a nice, rich chocolately flavor to the cookies. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well mixed. Mix in the vanilla and the peanut butter. Quickly mix in the dry ingredients until a dough just starts to come together then mix in the chocolate chunks.

 

 

 

At this point I like the let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. I think this chilling process lets the dry ingredients absorb the wet ingredients and creates a more flavorful and tender cookie.

 

 

 

Scoop out the dough using a #24 scoop. Place the dough balls, evenly spaced, onto the prepared baking sheet. I placed 6 dough balls per baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until slightly underdone looking. Do not overbake. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frozen Strawberry Souffle

I first came across this recipe is an old Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine but it made 16 small frozen souffles and I only needed four.

 

 

 

My dad scaled down the recipe for me and I decided to place the mixture in larger sized 3 1/2" ramekin cups for a larger dessert and left off the parchment wrap because I wanted an easier dessert!

 

 

 

These cool, creamy, refreshing fruity souffles are a terrific way to use in-season strawberries. Top with freshly whipped cream and a fresh strawberry. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the recipe for 16 servings here and I have included the scaled down version for four servings below.


Frozen Strawberry Souffle  (adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 pint fresh strawberries (plus four whole berries for decoration)
3 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup whipping cream (plus more for piping on top if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

In a food processor puree the strawberries, lemon juice and 3/4 cup sugar. Stain mixture thru a sieve to remove seeds and set aside. Prepare an ice water bath, set aside.

 

 

 

In a heat proof bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons of cold water. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and continue to stir the gelatin until completely dissolved. Remove bowl from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree. Pour in remaining puree and mix well. Set bowl into water bath until mixture is chilled and slightly thickened, stirring frequently. This will take around 20 minutes.

 

 

 

In a separate bowl whip the cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled strawberry mixture then divide the mixture between the four 3 1/2" ramekin cups. Place filled cups into the freezer for up to three hours or until the mixture is set. When ready to serve, top with extra whipped cream and a fresh strawberry.