Spring Pavlova {Lemon Curd, Roasted Strawberries, and Whipped Cream}

I didn't want to bake a cake for my mom's birthday. It was time to switch things up. With the beautiful spring weather, it needed to be light. Fruity. A little refreshing.

Inspiration struck with a lovely Pavlova.

The Patriotic Tart

For those out there who are all about the red, white, and blue- this recipes goes out to you. I recently made this tart for a get-together at my in-laws over the Memorial Day weekend. They're both retired army and their home reflects their commitment to serving the USA. The moment I saw this tart idea, I knew that I had to make it!

The base of this tart is a traditional pie crust; you could easily switch things up with a crumble-base (i.e. graham crackers, cookies, almonds, etc.) crust. This was the first time that I ever deviated form Smitten Kitchen's crust and I was pleasantly surprised with this version from Baked. It's easy to make in a blender and rolls out very nicely. I think we may have a new go-to pie crust! It's flaky, light, and not overly buttery.

The filling extremely simple and quick! It's combination of whipped-cream and cream-cheese to create a smooth base. I split the mix and in one bowl, whipped in a little raspberry jam to help break things up. See the link in the recipe below for my favorite raspberry jam. Throw in a sprinkle of lemon zest to help bring out that fruity flavor! Top with some patriotic fruit and let the tart do the rest.

This dessert is an instant 4th of July rock star for any barbeque!

The Patriotic Tart

inspired by I Heart Baking

Pie Crust (recipe below) - New Frontiers in Baking

Pie Filling (recipe below) - slightly modified from Martha Stewart

6 ounces blueberries (there will be leftovers)

6 ounces strawberries, quartered (there will be leftovers)

13.75" x 4.5" tart pan

Crust

1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
6 tablespoons ice cold water

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss the cubes in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the pieces of butter are the size of hazelnuts. While pulsing in quick, 4-second bursts, drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube.

As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, remove it from the food processor roll into a ball. Flatten to a disk and wrap in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disk until firm, about 1 hour.

Sprinkle clean surface with flour and roll out into a 16 x 6 rectangle, or 1/4 of an inch thick. Gently lay into tart pan, cutting off excess hanging dough. Crimp edges as desired. 

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.

Filling
6 ounces bar low-fat cream cheese or neufchâtel, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup raspberry jam 

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add cream, and beat until soft peaks form.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the cream cheese filling mixture with the raspberry jam. Evenly spread mixture in cooled crust. Spread on top the rest of the plain, cream cheese filling on top to hide the pink layer.

Decorate into with berries and let chill in the fridge. Best served slightly cold to ward off the summer heat!

No Bake Chocolate Ganache and Oreo Tartlette

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. It's an arrow straight to the heart- there's no room for imagination. Pause.  This is Bun, the Hus-Bun.  I believe that there are some pictures that you immediately understand; the picture articulates what you feel in that very instant. You could sit in silence and revel in the small chill from the chemical reaction that your body just experienced.

Or, you could jump around for joy and scream, "I WANT."

Now granted, this isn't exactly what I did when Michele showed me this recipe.  On the contrary, I had a more "negative" reaction.  A tart?  An OREO Tart???  What the heck is a "tarlette?" Umm.  Yeah, these additions didn't really vibe well with my high strung Oreo addiction.  You could say I am a purist, and even though she has done a phenomenal job with all of the Oreo creations she has made for me in the past, by words alone, I wasn't too excited about an Oreo tart.  

That is why ladies and gentlemen, she is a great cook and baker, and I draw pretty peekchurs.  She looked at the image and instantly saw its value.  I looked at it and saw Mac and Cheese sprinkled with A1 sauce.  I like these two things, I just didn't think that they would go together.  

Boy oh boy, was I terribly wrong, terribly, terribly wrong.



I crept in the kitchen and was fascinated by the process.  She let me taste the filling; it was at that moment that I realized I was in trouble. I have a horrible sweet tooth and this was the exact right level of sweetness. It was rich in all the right ways. The chocolate filling ("ganache") was strong but not an immediate punch in the mouth. The texture and taste were smooth, not exactly the word I associate with a desert such as this. Plus, if you want to lure adorable feral beasts into your house, make this tart. It had that much magnetism- even Autumn wanted to check it out.  

This tart has shown me one thing:  I still have much to learn about food and its appeal when developing fusion dishes.  However, I am extremely grateful at the fact that I have someone who is willing to teach me.  Someone who is kind and sweet and oh so smooth in the kitchen.  So remember, while looking for recipes out there in the wild west of the internet, keep an open mind. You never know what amazing treats will catch you by surprise.

For this extremely decadent recipe, check out La Receta de La Felicidad. It's quick, easy, and well worth the calories! Just make sure you have some milk on deck!

Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Pie

Pie. It's divine. 

This pie was a simple thought that became a runaway train. It was supposed to be a cute and easy Sunday evening dessert. The original recipe is from Family Fresh Cooking and it's gluten-free. The crust is almond meal and cinnamon bound together by oil (I used safflower). The filling is whipped cream mixed with mashed banana. That's it. Simple. Innocent. Concise. Crust, bananas, and whipped cream. Fin.

That's when I started thinking too much.

My version has chocolate pudding filling for more weight. Roasted bananas to bring out the fruity flavor. Tiny chocolate chips as garnish. And caramelized bananas on top. Woopsy! How did all that get in there?

Honestly,  this is a pretty quick pie to make. Don't let my extra fluff and stuff deter you. The pudding is based off the Choco-Coco Latte Puddin' recipe so that's already a win. You can use the full Choco-Coco Latte Puddin mix if you want to keep that touch of espresso. I kept mine virgin with almond milk and unsweetened coconut milk. It's smooth, rich, and ready to go in 30 minutes.

Use your favorite whipped cream recipe for the topping. They tend to have the same general formula and delicious taste! I roasted 2 bananas to bring out their natural juices, let them cool, and then added them to the whipped cream to bring out the banana flavor. Smooth it over the sweet, luscious pudding. Don't worry, it's supposed to be off-white in color- that's the banana talking!

The caramelized bananas are thick slices of banana, rolled in sugar and cinnamon, and then toasted in a flat skillet at a medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Just enough to brown them, not burn.

The crust is from the Family Fresh Cooking recipe. It's gluten-free with almonds, cinnamon, and oil. I love almonds but honestly, this was not my favorite pie crust. It keeps the form when cut but crumbles apart in your mouth. Mike commented that it would have been better to combine the almonds and cinnamon, then sprinkle the mix on top of the pie or in between the layers. If you have a favorite gluten-free crust, please share!

Smooth, creamy, and dreamy.

Note: Best served cold; mine was melting by the time we drove to a family dinner so I was quite distraught. Also, make sure those bananas are RIPE. 

Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Pie

makes one, 9 inch pie

Almond Crust
from Family Fresh Cooking

1 1/2 cups Regular or Blanched Almond Meal
1/4 teaspoon fine Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 cup Sunflower, Canola or a neutral tasting oil
1 tablespoon Water

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle. In a bowl whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Break apart any lumps. Add the oil and water, combine with a spoon. Put the dough on a work surface. Knead the dough until well combined with your hands. Press dough into a 9 inch tart or pie pan. Be sure to press it all the way up the sides and evenly throughout the pan.

Put tart on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Take it out of the oven and let crust cool completely on wire rack. To cool the crust quicker place in the fridge or freezer until cool to the touch (about 15 minutes).

Chocolate Pudding
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup coconut sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup almond milk
3.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (60% and higher)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the water of your double boiler. If you don't have one (like me), heat about an inch of water in a small pot just to a nice simmer. Combine the cornstarch, coconut sugar, and salt in a heat proof bowl. Slowly whisk in both milks. Place over gently simmering water and give a it a good whisk occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated. After 10 to 15 minutes, the mixture will being to thicken.  Add the chocolate. Continue whisking just a few more minutes, until the pudding is smooth, thick, and all the chocolate is melted. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Place in fridge t cool, about 30 minutes, and spoon into ready-made pie crust.

Banana Whipped Cream

2 ripe bananas

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
dash of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the bananas on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the skins are black and they have started to seep. Remove from the oven , set aside, and let cool. Mash the bananas in bowl- don't those juices escape.

Whip heavy cream for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until thick whipped cream forms.  Fold in bananas. Smooth over mix on top pudding.

Caramelized Bananas

1 ripe but firm banana

some light brown sugar or white sugar (1/4 cup should do it)

dash of cinnamon

non-stick spray or 2 tablespoons butter (if you're being bad)

handful of mini chocolate chips (optional)

Heat a small skillet on medium heat with non-stick spray or butter. Mix some brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon together. Chop bananas into thick pieces and roll in the sugar mix. Line on skillet and cook on each side for about 4 minutes- making sure they don't burn. Garnish the whipped cream with the caramelized bananas and chocolate chips.

Greek Yogurt-Lemon Tart

Here's quickie but goodie for left over pie dough: mini tarts. This filling is very basic and highly adaptable. The core ingredient is Greek yogurt- from there, sky's the limit. Greek yogurt is wonderful because it's full of protein and very little fat. It provides a very smooth palette to work with. Subsitute lemon with any other juice or berry you so desire, as I did! We loved the subtle sweetness and freshness of the lemon mixed with muscavado sugar.

The left over pie dough is from the Apple, Blueberry, & Ginger pie.  It is simply pressed into 4 5-inch pie tins. If you don't have any pie dough just lying about, I have listed 2 tart crusts that I have found delightful in the past. Just be sure to modify the baking time of the crusts accordingly!

My apologies for the obviously settled blueberry juice and whip cream! The dark spots on the custard is the sprinkled muscavado sugar, absorbed. Got a little distracted when I was supposed to taking pictures.

The original recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks.


Greek Yogurt Lemon Tart
modified from 101's Yogurt Tartlette
makes 4, 5-inch tarts

Filling

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon brown muscavado sugar, plus more to sprinkle on top
handful of mixed berries, fresh or frozen
dollop of whipped cream (optional)

Crust

Leftover shortbread pie crust- I used it from the Apple, Blueberry, & Ginger pie;
or halve the recipe from 101's Yogurt Tartlette
or halve the recipe from Cannelle et Vanilee's Pistachio & Lemon Shortbread Tart

Bake the crust however the recipe requires. If you're not sure how long it takes in a tart tin, simply bake at 350 until LIGHTLY brown, not entirely cooked through. You still need to cook the filling!

Preheat oven to 350. 

Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and muscavado sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Taste. Now stir in the egg until well incorporated.

Fill each tart shell with about 1/4 cup of filling, don't worry if you have a bit leftover. Bake for about 10 minutes. The filling should be set, and no longer jiggly. It may take longer depending on what crust you used. Remove the tarts and let cool for ten minutes. 

Let cool to room temperature or refrigerate for a couple hours. Serve topped with a dollop of whip cream, berries, and a dusting of muscavado sugar.

Galette? Tart? Crostata? Whatever it is... there are apples in it.

A bad tree can yield a good apple....

 

But a bad apple cannot yield a good nom nom. So choose wisely! Apples are refreshing and healthy. They help keep your teeth polished and clean. Now that's all fine and dandy... but we're not here for nutrition facts... we're here for something yummy in the tummy.

Warm, gooey, and just a touch cinnamon. This the lay-man's version of pie. You don't need a pie tin or topping. The sweetness comes from the apples while the crust provides a comforting crisp.

Call it what you want: galette, crostata, tart, blah blah blah. It comes down to two elements.



Buttery dough. Your standard pie crust recipe will do just fine. There is no right or wrong.

Use that dough to hug a ton of apples. Coated in cinnamon-sugary goodness. You're all set! Couldn't be any simpler.

Honestly, this is an incredibly versatile recipe. You can bake ANY fruit combination, the sky's the limits. I cannot wait for summer to make it with peaches. It's all about the FRUIT!

The best part is the rustic feel. Serve with ice cream while it's warm! Vanilla drizzled with maple syrup was the winner in this house. Hope you enjoy and happy hump day! Only a few more days still Christmas!

Apple Galette/Crostata/Tart/Huh?
adapted from Too Much Food who adapted it from Smitten
Makes 1 9″ tart

1 cup (120 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 oz., or 84 g) unsalted butter, frozen, cut into 1/2″ pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water
1 egg white

2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
sprinkle of turbinado sugar

Vanilla ice cream and maple syrup (optional)

Make the dough first: sift together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the frozen butter cubes with your preferred method of choice (food processor, etc.) Do NOT let the butter melt- you want those pea sized bits of butter in there to ensure a light, flaky pastry dough.

Add the chilled water one tablespoon at a time, stirring with your other hand, just until the dough just holds together. Dump the dough out on a mat and pat into a circle about 1.5″ inches thick. Double-wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).

You can prep the apples during this period. Peel, core, and slice as thick you desire. Place them in a medium sized bowl and toss with sugar and cinnamon! Set aside.

After the chilling period, take the dough out and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes; this allows the dough to soften slightly so that when you roll it out, it doesn’t break into a million pieces on you. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured mat into a 14″ circle, about 1/8″ thick. Using a pastry brush, dust off the excess flour. Carefully transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C).

To fill the tart, overlap the sliced apples on top of the dough in a ring 2 inches from the edge and continue towards the center. To complete the tart, fold over the edges of the dough. Don't be fancy- it's meant to be rustic. You can fold and crimp for a nice effect.

Using a pastry rush, dab egg yolk all over the crust. This gives an extra brown to the crust. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top.

Brush pie crust with egg yolk. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake the galette for 45 minutes, or until the apples are soft and have slightly browned edges. Try to rotate the tart every 15 minutes to ensure even browning of the crust.

When the tart is done baking, remove from the oven and slide it (parchment and all) off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes.

Slice and serve immediately! Vanilla and maple syrup are a welcome addition!

Hazelnut Plum Tart

Sunday is kind of like the lotto in this house... you never know what you're going to get. Without fail, one of us comes home with something that our parent's pushed upon us. It's sweet. I love them for it.

A few weekends back, Mike's mom bestowed us with some plums. He insisted he would eat them within the week.

 

Over a week later... I found them in the fridge. Untouched and slightly soft. Okay plums. Rule of the house: no food goes to waste. What the heck do you do with plums though?

It was like the foodie energy aligned. I have a few standard issue blogs I check on the regular. One of which is (of course) Smitten Kitchen. Wouldn't you know it, her most recent entry incorporated plum.

And hazelnut. Hazelnut people... you know- the stuff that comprises nutella.

 

If that's not a sign... I don't know what is.

 

Meet the Hazelnut Plum Tart. Insanely good. You'll rub up against the oven like a purring kitten when you smell this baby baking. I was shocked!  Who knew plums were so amazing to bake? It's a whole new world! Plums, I welcome thee with open arms!

Everyone loved this tart, from mothers, to random office mates, to the boyfriend. It is signed and approved for future use. It's unique and rustic.

Note: Not too keen on hazelnuts because of that bitterness? Do a better job of getting the skins off! That's where the bitter taste resides. A trick from Smitten to get the skins off is toast them well (NOT BURNT) to create a strong flavor and loose skin. Rub them with dry hands until the skin comes off almost entirely.

Hazelnut Plum Tart

from Smitten Kitchen


Crust and crumbs

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), chilled, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
1/3 cup (1 3/4 ounces of 49 grams) hazelnuts or hazelnut flour
1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Filling

1 pound ripe but firm plums (about 4 standard black ones or 12 smaller Italian plums)
1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons) granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Grated nutmeg, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes, then let cool enough to remove the skins (see above). Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until medium fine, about 30 pulses.

Transfer nuts to the bowl of an electric mixer and add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix until just combined. Add butter, and mix on low speed until crumbs begin to stick together, about 2 to 3 minutes. Press 3 cups of crumb into the bottom of the prepared pan and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan to form crust; I like to use the bottom and side of a heavy measuring cup to help press the crumbs neatly down and up the side, forming a nice inner corner. Set remaining crumb mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) aside. Transfer crust to the oven; bake until it appears to be set, 15 to 20 minutes; go easy on this baking time as I found it was easy to overbake the outer corners of the tart base in the final baking. It’s going to slump a wee bit in the oven; feel free to press the sides back up the sides with the back of a metal spoon when it comes out of the oven to get them back in place. Set aside to cool (the fridge will expedite this for you).

Slice plums in half, and remove pits. Slice larger plums into eighths and smaller ones into quarters and arrange in cooled crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg. Pour custard over fruit; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Transfer tart to the oven; bake until custard has set and is slightly golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let rest at least 25 minutes before cutting if serving warm. You can serve this warm or at room temperature but we much preferred it fully chilled.

Yogurt Tartletes & Lucky Dog Adoption

As I mentioned last weekend, there was a volunteer opportunity with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. They have an event every month, so if you're interested, take a moment to sign up! This past adoption was held at Dogma Bakery in Shirlington, VA.

I didn't know what to expect.

Then She walked in.

Rainy.

A recent rescue. Timid and shy. Hates car rides. Trembling with uncertainty. Part border collie, part retriever. High maternal instincts (she reminds me of "Fly" from the movie Babe) and dotes on other dogs. I immediately latched on. She is one hell of a cuddle-bug.

Of course, every dog was a character and unique.

The story of 10 year old Jamba broke my heart. Stoic. Distant. She sat in the same spot and watched the gray sky drizzle. Treats made her eyes light up for a fleeting moment. Apparently, her owner called while she was at doggy day care and said he was suffering from depression- he couldn't keep her anymore. He never came back for her- just left her at day care. Her loyalty and devotion makes me tear up. It was like she is waiting for him. I hope they find one another again when he's in a better state of being.

After the event, hiked out to Baltimore for a break dance jam. My brother from another mother had entered and one must always support those they love. It's hard to get all together, so it does the soul good. It was nice to see familiar faces and meet new people. There were some pretty nasty 1v1's! Breakin is the closest thing to flying without wings.

In keeping with this chill mode, I made these Yogurt Tartlets because they're relatively easy and on the healthy end of the spectrum. Overall- they were okay. If you're looking for sweet, fatty joy- you've come to wrong place. This is a much more polished, sophisticated, and natural dessert. The yummy crust has oats. The filling though....

Very subtle ginger... which requires GINGER JUICE. How does one acquire ginger juice? You grate ginger like zesting a lemon, then push the zest through a sieve. It's a bit time consuming. Next time I make this- I'm opting out of the ginger and putting 3 teaspoons of juice or honey to save time. Plus, I didn't think 3 teaspoons was enough to get that ginger taste. Sprinkled some ginger powder in there but it wasn't the same.

Yogurt Tartletes
by 101 Cookbooks

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon butter, coconut oil, or olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons natural cane sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use low-fat here)
1/4 cup maple syrup
zest of one lemon
3 teaspoons fresh ginger juice*
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

crystalized ginger, dried fruit, or fresh fruit/berries for topping

special equipment: 6 small tart (4 inch) pans or 4 small tart (5 inch) pans

Preheat oven to 350F degrees, rack in the middle. In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, and salt. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup and sugar. Now add the flour and oat mixture to the butter and stir well. Cook a couple minutes - just until you get a bit of a toasted smell. Stir in the sesame oil and remove from heat. Divide mixture into six equal portions, and as soon as it is cool enough, quickly press the mixture into (and up the sides) of each of the tart pans using your fingers and/or the base of a glass. Freeze until completely cooled - 5 or 10 minutes.

In the meantime, to make the filling, combine the yogurt, maple syrup, lemon zest and ginger juice in a medium mixing bowl. Taste. Add more ginger juice if you like. Now stir in the eggs until well incorporated.

Fill each tart shell with about 1/4 cup of filling, don't worry if you have a bit leftover. Bake for about 20 - 23 minutes. The filling should be set, and no longer jiggly. Remove the tarts and let cool for ten minutes. Now refrigerate for a couple hours, and serve topped with chopped crystallized ginger, fresh fruit, or dried fruit.

*Fresh ginger juice: Grate peeled ginger with a micro-plane grater. Press and squeeze the grated ginger against a fine strainer extracting as much juice as possible.

Apricot, Pistachio, and Lemon Shortbread Tart

When I saw these photos on Cannelle et Vanille, my heart stopped. This is a common reaction when I look at her site. The photography is poetry and her recipes entirely out of my league. I don't know anything about tapioca starch or brown rice flour. Heck, I'm proud that I know the difference between all-purpose and bread flour. Sad, no?

I had to make this- if not to eat, just to stare at and know it had been in my kitchen. The crust is phenomenal. Love it. The pistachio's are the perfect touch. There's only one small catch that I forgot... I don't like apricots. The after taste bothers me. When I make this again, I will use a different fruit. Maybe peaches paired with macadamia nuts. Don't let my dislike for apricots deter you though. If you like apricots, carpe diem.

The comment my brother gave- who happens to like apricots- is there's no filling/custard. When he thinks of a tart, he imagines the standard lemon filling with fruits on top. I actually enjoy the lack of custard. It's summery, fresh, and light! You really get to enjoy the fruit.

Makes a 10" tart or 8 individual tarts. I don't have 8 little tart tins so I made one individual tiny tart and then a big 8" large tart.

1 cup unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated shortening
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups superfine brown rice flour
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
pinch of salt
chopped pistachios
sugar for topping
10-12 apricots
lemon thyme leaves, optional
honey, optional

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together. Add the zest and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Note how Bob's Red Mill was kind enough to write "also known as Tapioca Starch" for peons like myself- phew!

Press the dough into tart molds. Use the back of a knife or spoon to help smooth it out if you need to. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

Peel and cut the apricots into thin wedges. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on the bottom of the tarts. I used a food processor to make it easier. Arrange the apricot slices inside tightly packed as they will shrink in the oven. Sprinkle more pistachios on top and some sugar.

Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes until golden. Drizzle honey and add some lemon thyme leaves on top, if desired. Give it a few minutes to cool. You can eat this warm or cold.

Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie

Millions of peaches. Peaches for me. Millions of peaches. Peaches for free. Well not quite. My sister and I have different preferences when it comes to sweet things. I wanted to make something for her birthday that was different and peach tart got stuck in my head. I've never made a tart from scratch. They seem simple enough. In my quest to find a yummy peach tart, I found this from Smitten.

Peaches are good. Peaches in a pie? Even better! The crust was flaky and buttery. It really held together too! You could almost pick it up like a slice of pizza- almost. The sweetness of the fruit is not overpowering. It's a very mature pie.

The filling for this pie is ridiculously easy. Fast and basic. It's the crust you need watch out for. Oh it's easy- but time consuming. You can always go out and buy the crust, but it doesn't have the same love in it. I made the dough the night before so all I had to do the next day was let it thaw in the fridge a little, roll it out into the pan, freeze again, par-bake, and then bake. What is par-bake? It's a little pre-toast so that you don't get a soggy bottom from all the juices in the pie when it's baking.

The key to make the yummy, buttery crust- FREEZE EVERYTHING. I'm serious. Freeze your butter. Freeze the crust. Keep everything cold cold cold so it stays together. Visible butter means visible flakiness.

Note: what the hell is Crème Fraîche? It is a delicious, thinner form of sour cream first developed by the French. It has a slight hold and tangyness. You can make your own at home, there are a couple online recipes like this one. I bought mine at Whole Foods because Safeway didn't know what the heck I was talking about. Also... The quality of pie depends on the quality of the peach. They're in season from late June to September. You be the judge when you pick them out.

I made this in NJ in a foreign kitchen. Don't be jealous of my Dixie paper plates : )

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
9.5x10 inch pie plate (not deep dish)

Streusel

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 to 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling

1 1/2 pounds ripe (4 to 5 medium) yellow peaches, pitted and quartered
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons crème fraîche

For the Pie Crust... fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Dice very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender. Don't have a pastry blender? Me neither. Take 2 knives and cut like a pair of huge scissors. It takes longer but hey, do what you gotta do.

Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — this won’t take long — stop. You want those butter bits!

Start drizzling 1/4 cup of the ice-cold water over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 2 tablespoons cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it gradually. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there. Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

When you do roll it out, it should be 1/8 inch thick. Trim edge to 1/2 inch; fold under and crimp (with a fork) as desired. Pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F right before you take it out. While this is freezing, make the streusel and filling!

For the streusel ... Stir confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, salt and three tablespoons flour together in a small bowl. Add bits of cold butter, and either using a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips, work them into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add additional flour as needed. Don't worry if it's more than the recipe states- just make sure it's crumbly!

Par-bake crust ... Tightly press a piece of aluminum foil against frozen pie crust. From here, fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully remove foil and any weights, press any bubbled-up spots in with the back of a spoon, and return the crust to the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

For the filling ... Sprinkle quartered peaches with sugar (2 more a touch of sweetness, 4 for sweet) and salt. (Easy way to quarter peaches- cut full circle vertically and then twist apart like a bottle cap.) Let sit for 10 minutes. Spread two tablespoons crème fraîche in bottom of par-baked pie shell, sprinkle with one-third of the streusel and fan the peach quarters decoratively on top. Dot the remaining three tablespoons of crème fraîche on the peaches and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

Bake the pie until the crème fraîche is bubble and the streusel is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cover edge of crust with a strip of foil if it browns too quickly. Let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving.

Store in the fridge due to the crème fraîche. Serve warm or cold. I served mine cold because we were out watching the fireworks. This gives the flavors more time to blend.