sylvia’s fruit tart

June 27, 2012September 10, 2017 ~ jama ~ 14 Comments

*Fruit tart with raspberries, blueberries, kiwi and mango.*

Isn’t it a beauty?

My half-sister Sylvia, who is a passionate foodie and chef extraordinaire, recently made this gorgeous fruit tart for her grandson’s birthday. Doesn’t it perfectly capture the essence of summer — all its colors and sweetness with its bounty of fresh fruit that’s ours just for the taking?

Of course when I saw it, I just had to ask for the recipe, which she graciously agreed to share with us. Next time you visit your farmer’s market or grocery store, look for a colorful selection of fruit to make your own tart. This is a nice dessert to celebrate Independence Day or to take to any picnic or cookout, sure to impress all your friends and guests.

Sylvia: To make the fruit tart, bake the crust until golden brown and pour enough of the cream filling to line it well (it doesn’t have to be too thick). Arrange any selection of fruit that appeals to you on top of the cream layer, just keeping in mind contrasting color and design. To finish it off and give it that polished, professional look, melt some currant jelly and brush it carefully onto the tops of the fruit. Bon Appétit!

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11″ TART SHELL

1-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/2 sticks butter
1 T sugar
1/8 T salt

1. In food processor, combine flour, butter, sugar and salt and process until the mix resembles coarse meal.

2. Add one at a time, 3-4 tablespoons of cold water and process until mix resembles small peas. Do not mix until it forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly just until dough comes together. Flatten into a 6-inch dish and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or longer.

3. Roll dough into 15-inch disk. Press dough against the fluted side of the pan and trim off any excess. Prick the bottom, cover with plastic, and freeze for about 30 minutes before baking.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add pie weights and bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is almost dry. Remove foil and weights and bake for 5-8 minutes longer or until the crust is lightly browned.

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VANILLA CREAM FILLING
(for 8″ pie or 11″ fruit tart)

½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla

1. Stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in a sauce pan.

2. Blend egg yolks and milk together and gradually stir into sugar mixture.

3. Cook over medium heat , stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens.

4. Boil and stir for one minute.

5. Remove from heat, blend in butter and vanilla.

6. For fruit tart, pour into bowl and cover with waxed paper or parchment.

7. Refrigerate until at room temperature.

***

Thank you so much, Syl! I’m still hoping you’ll adopt me, so I can pretend it’s my birthday all the time and I can eat treats like this every day ☺.

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farm market walkabout

June 6, 2012September 23, 2017 ~ jama ~ 39 Comments

June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month!

Have you been to your local farmer’s market yet?

Here’s what we saw on a recent trip to Reston Farm Market:

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A Few Take-aways:

Flower vendors are kind and seem to smile more. Bunches of lavender = a dream of Provence.
Giant zucchini prove that bigger is not always better.
Clowns making balloon animals do not like to be photographed when they are coughing.
Eek, leeks!
My love is like a red, red raspberry.
100 Bowls of Soup! Ginger carrot is quite refreshing.
Squash multiply like rabbits. It is highly likely they will take over the world.
Hooray for samples: salsa, cherries, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes!
I don’t care what you say. Cucumbers standing up are obscene.
Rubbery green beans. Boing!
Mmmm, whoopie pies! Pause to worship at the altar of baked goods.
Lettuce entertain you.

So what did we buy? Basil, rosemary and parsley plants. Ravishing raspberries. Cranberry orange scones, apricot linzer cookies, triple chocolate rockies. Vine ripened tomatoes, blushing with vibrant color and oozing summer flavor.

Brought home these babies and had a little Insalata Caprese for lunch. So easy to prepare, wholly satisfying, and quintessentially summer: sliced tomatoes at their peak ripeness, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves seasoned with Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper, extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top. Magnificent in its simplicity, laid back and luscious, with each unadorned flavor taking center stage without an ounce of competition. Ti amo! Ti desidero!

*kisses bunched fingertips*

What summer fruits and veggies are you most looking forward to eating?

Buon Appetito!

*swoons and dreams of tooling around Capri on a Vespa with Al Pacino.*

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This post is linked to Beth Fish Read’s Weekend Cooking, where all are invited to share food-related posts (fiction/nonfiction/cookbook/movie reviews, recipes, musings, photos). Put on your bibs and join the fun!

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friday feast: death by summer strawberries

June 1, 2012September 20, 2017 ~ jama ~ 41 Comments

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” ~ Al Bernstein

Hello there, Cutie Pies.

Happy June! We’re kicking off the summer with some sweet strawberry love.

There’s nothing more beautiful or tempting than a bowl of juicy, fragrant berries. You do like them, don’t you? Strawberry lovers are considered, “health conscious, fun-loving, intelligent and happy.” Non-lovers = “weird, boring, stuffy — picky eaters who avoid healthy foods.” No, that couldn’t be you.

Love the deep red color and all those tiny seeds — did you know each is actually an ovary and considered a separate fruit?

Last weekend, the mustached one and I braved the heat and humidity to check out the Strawberry Festival in Delaplane, Virginia. What’s a little weird is that Delaplane isn’t in a big strawberry-producing area — they have to import strawberries from California to feed the estimated 10,000 people who attend. I guess if you’re busy going on hayrides, playing field games, listening to music, watching puppet shows, browsing craft tables, checking out the peanut roasting machine and petting farm animals, you can work up a big appetite.

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two boys, a splash of summer, and fudge pie

June 11, 2008November 9, 2017 ~ jama ~ 15 Comments

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
(Harcourt, 2008), ages 5 and up, 40 pp.

See those two boys on the cover of this new picture book? Their names are James and Eamon and I officially love them.

Here’s why:

They go to Eamon’s grandparents’ house in Malibu so they can attend nature camp.
They do not like nature.
But they do like playing video games, watching TV, and eating Pam’s (the grandma’s) banana waffles and coffee ice cream icebergs.
They wear the same shorts all week.
They romp, run, jump, dash, tumble, crawl, march, sip and spin through this exuberant and funny summer story.
They do not like nature.
They know what summer is for.
They are clever, creative, and mindful of their elders.
They make penguins out of mussel shells and rocks, touching Bill’s (the grandpa’s) heart.
They like nature in their own way.
They are 100% boy.
They are best buddies, always and forever.

Marla Frazee has captured the essence of summer and friendship in this perfectly pitched picture book, which is part narrative, part scrapbook, part comic book. Based on the real-life experiences of her son, James, and her editor, Allyn Johnston’s son, Eamon, this story will appeal to a wide range of ages because of its accessible humor and oh-so-familiar premise.

Kids will love how the words say one thing, and the pictures another. They will want to visit Bill and Pam at the beach, ride in Bill’s red jeep up and down the mountain, and pounce on the blow-up mattress. They will want, in short, to read this book over and over again.

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever has received starred reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. I guess it’s pretty unanimous, then. This is THE book to jump-start your summer. Better stock up on bananas.

Even more exciting, the one and only Marla Frazee will be dropping by alphabet soup in several weeks for a SOUP’S ON interview! To celebrate this highly anticipated event, here is Marla’s recipe for Fudge Pie, which is included in Writers in the Kitchen, compiled by Tricia Gardella (Boyds Mills Press, 1998). This is one of the most enjoyable recipes I’ve ever read.

People, at this very moment I am wrapping my lips around a warm bite of this death-by-fudge pie. It’s sinful, rich, and has turned me into a totally shameless chocolate pusher. You must try this. Ecstasy never came so easy!

FUDGE PIE

2 squares Bakers chocolate or 3 T cocoa
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
4 pinches salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Melt Bakers chocolate or cocoa and butter in saucepan. Then add remaining ingredients.

Fudge pie is best when it’s already past your bedtime. Your parents are exhausted and staring at the TV. You sneak into the kitchen and begin melting the butter and chocolate in a saucepan.

Your parents call out, “What are you doing in there?”

Say, “Nothing!” Stir until melted.

Add the sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, salt and nuts to the same pan. Quickly pour this goop into an 8-inch pie pan, and put it on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes at 350 F.

Your parents call out, “Hey, what’s all the racket?”

Now you can answer with, “I made fudge pie!”

Of course, they won’t send you to bed now. They’ll make room for you on the couch. You snuggle in next to them, but not for long, because fudge pie tastes best when it’s slightly moist, like a brownie.

Get it out of the oven.

Eat it topped with ice cream, or just plain, along with a glass of milk.

Don’t worry about the dishes.

Your parents wil do them after you go to bed.

**Edited to add: Congratulations to Marla on winning a 2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award for this book! Yay for James and Eamon and Bill and Pam!!