Triple Berry Tart

I found this recipe on the internet and the photos made my mouth water. Although we have a 9.5 inch tart pan, we also have an 11 inch model. Since I had enough fruit, I decided to do the math and increased the recipe for an 11 inch tart. That recipe follows the original 9.5 inch version.

I changed the cooking temperature for the recipes because my effort resulted in a charred tart.  It instructed that to cook the tart at 400 degrees F, which seemed awfully hot. It was. Next time I will use 350.

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (use some sort of processor)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
12 tablespoons cold butter, diced
1 egg yolk
1 cup each of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
1 teaspoon sugar (optional) (seems pointless … the crust has so much sugar)

1. Preheat the oven to 400  350degrees F.
2. Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with a mixer until crumbly. I felt like mine was too dry, but it turned out perfect, so don’t stress if it seems too “crumbly.”
3. Press 1 1/2 cups of the mixture into an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch springform or tart pan.  Using a measuring cup works well to press the mixture into the sides/bottom.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the berries and lightly toss until evenly dispersed. Pour the berries on top of the crust, spreading evenly across the entire surface.
5. Sprinkle to remaining crumb mixture evenly over the berries. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve warm or at room temperature.

11 inch version:

2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (use some sort of processor)
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
16 tablespoons cold butter, diced
1 egg yolk
1 cup each of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
1 teaspoon sugar (optional) (seems pointless … the crust has so much sugar)

Note: I mistakenly used 12 T of butter instead of 16. Oops.

Panna Cotta

Panna Cota is about as simple a dessert as you can imagine to make. However, if you want fluted molds, instead of ramekins, you better start shopping early for them. We went to several stores and came up empty handed. We finally found fluted tin molds in an antique mall.

I made a Panna Cotta, based on a recipe I found on a Polish recipe blog, for New Year’s Eve dinner 2012. It was a Panna Cotta “lite” recipe and it proved to be a disaster. So today I made a second batch as follows. I didn’t include the vanilla extract because we plan to serve it with kinoto marmalade drizzled over the Panna Cotta.

1/4 cup cold milk
1 package gelatin (2.5 teaspoons)
2-1/4 cups of half and half (or heavy cream, if you don’t care about your waist line)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract (optional)

Spray or lightly oil your mold or ramekins. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and allow to sit. It will soak up the milk and “bloom.” Meanwhile, heat the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan until it’s very hot. Remove it from heat right at the point it is about to boil.

Add the gelatin and whisk the liquid until it is completely dissolved in the milk. You can put the pan over a medium heat, as you whisk.

Pour the liquid into your ramekins or molds. Place into the refrigerator for about 2 hours to cool and set. Serve.

Gâteau Anna

A Pear and Apple Cake

This recipe came from the Capital Times, a Madison, WI, daily newspaper, in the early 1980’s.  It was the first cake I ever tried making.

2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup all purpose flour
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced thin
2 pears, peeled and sliced thin (not too ripe; not too firm)
1-1/2 tablespoons light rum
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
powdered sugar

In a bowl, beat 2 large eggs (using an electric mixer) with ¾ cup sugar until the mixture is light and lemon colored.  Add flour, butter, salt and baking powder; mix well.  Add the rum and mix.  Stir in apples and pears.  Spoon the batter the batter into a well-butter and sugared 9-inch springform pan, 2-inches deep, and bake it in a preheated moderately slow over (350 degrees F.) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes.  (Note:  Best if served the same day as baked, otherwise the crisp edges soften.)

Olive Oil Cake

 

8 to 10 servings. 

This coffee cake is very easy to make and lasts several days.  It’s terrific for breakfast, with some fruit. 

1-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk (1% works fine too)
½ cup olive oil (mild flavor)
2 -3 teaspoons finely grated orange peel (I used 1 Mandarin orange)

Preheat oven to 325 deg. F.  Oil and flour a 9x5x3 inch metal loaf pan (i.e. bread pan).

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, olive oil and orange peel.  Gradually add egg mixture to dry ingredients, whisking continuously.  Whisk until well blended.  Pour into the loaf pan.

Bake cake 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove pan from oven and cool a rack for 20 minutes.  Use a cake knife or other tool to loosen cake edges from pan.  Invert pan to remove cake.  Place top side down on a serving dish and allow to cool completely.

Coffee Cake with seasonal fruit

 

Any seasonal fruit can be used in this simple coffee cake.  Blackberries were used in the cake in the photo above.  My favorite version is with peaches and blueberries.  Although I haven't tried it, I think this cake would be perfectly good without any fruit at all, but the fruit adds a bit of moisture to an otherwise dry cake.

The dough is incredibly sticky.  Use a bowl with curved sides, if possible, and a spatula to get all the dough transferred into the springform pan.  Slightly press the fruit into the dough.  The cake will rise around it as it bakes. 

note:  when I set the oven to "convection bake," it slightly overbaked the bake.  Use the regular bake setting.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
zest from one fresh lemon
1-1/4 cup self rising flour
2 peaches & handful of blueberries (or other fruit)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup of butter in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add ¾ cup sugar and beat until blended.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then the lemon juice and the lemon peel.  Beat in flour until smooth.  Spread batter evenly in buttered pan.

Arrange peaches in circles and lightly press in blueberries between the peaches.  Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sugar over the cake and bake until cake is golden, about 40 minutes.

Optional:  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

note: photo at top taken 1-23-10 during a visit by Diane, Troy, Rachel and Kevin.  This cake was made with peaches and blueberries.

 

Simple Coffee Cake With Seasonal Fruit

This cake is particularly good with apricots and blueberries.  I haven’t tried it, but I imagine it would be perfectly good without any fruit.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/4 cup self rising flour
Seasonal fruit (such as 2 peaches, sliced  & handful of blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup of butter in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add ¾ cup sugar and beat until blended.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then the lemon juice and the lemon peel.  Beat in flour until smooth.  Spread batter evenly in buttered pan.

Arrange peaches in circles and lightly press in blueberries between the peaches.  Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sugar over the cake and bake until cake is golden, about 40 minutes.

Optional:  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Mint Layer Cake

Although this is a relatively simple cake, it can be made to be an elegant cake with the addition of some fresh flowers or mint leaves. It's perfect for a birthday or other celebration. It's a relatively fool-proof cake, but you must have three 9-inch cake pans. If you like mint, this is the cake for you!

1 3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Mint Whipped Cream
3-1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Makes about 6 cups.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper.

Sift first 5 ingredients into a medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each, beating until well blended. Divide batter equally among prepared pans (~ two heaping cups for each); smooth top of batter.

Bake all three cakes at once until tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs still attached, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a rack (out of oven) 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off parchment paper. Cool completely. The cakes can be made a day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

Prepare whipped cream: Beat cream, sugar and peppermint extract in large bowl until stiff peaks form.

Assemble cake: Place one cake layer on a round platter and spread with 1-1/4 cups Mint Whipped Cream over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 1-1/4 cups Mint Whipped Cream over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining Mint Whipped Cream over top and sides of cake. Using a pastry knife, smooth the whipped cream so the top is flat and sides are smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Garnish with fresh flowers, such as nasturtiums, or mint leaves. Alternatively, use a peeler to make chocolate curls and sprinkle over the cake.

Panetonne Bread Pudding

6 servings

Panettone -- A 15th century legend credits the invention to a Milanese nobleman, falconer Ughetto Atellani, who fell in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of a poor baker. To win her heart, Atellani disguised himself as a baker and cooked up a extravagant bread that included butter, eggs, and bits of raisins, candied lemon and orange peel. Nice story, but just one of numerous legends that surround this wonderful bread.

Bread Pudding – Bread dates back to the Neolithic era (~ 9,500 BC). Nobody knows when bread pudding was invented. Unfortunately, no romantic legends.

If it’s not the holiday season you can substitute ordinary white bread for the panettone to produce a standard bread pudding, which is worthwhile. We occasion a café in Chicago that makes theirs from day old croissants. I’ve also heard of bread pudding made from day old glazed donuts, which sounds interesting. Experiment! Add some dried cranberries, lemon peel or orange peel for fun. Some alternatives follow the recipe.

Note about rum sauce: Many people serve bread pudding with a rum sauce, but I haven’t tried it yet. Personally, I like drinking the rum while I prepare the bread pudding.

The recipe . . .

2-1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus some for greasing baking dish
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus some for sprinkling
6 tablespoons sugar, plus some for sprinkling
Pinch of salt
2 large or extra-large eggs
½ of a large Panettone (equal to six slices of white bread)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.

Combine milk, butter cinnamon, six tablespoons of sugar and salt in a saucepan and cook over low heat. Grease a baking dish with butter. Cut bread into large pieces (~1-1/2” x 1-1/2”) and place into the baking dish. Pour the milk over the bread and let soak for 10 minutes. Beat eggs and pour over the bread; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Place baking dish into a larger dish or pan and add water to the large pan to one inch of the top. Bake 1 hour. Test with a toothpick for doneness. The center can be fairly moist. Place under broiler to brown. Serve either warm or room temperature.

Egg Nog Bread Pudding

During the Christmas holiday substitute egg nog for the milk. Cut sugar back 1/3 to ½ or it will be quite sweet.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Combine 2 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate with the milk.

Apple Bread Pudding

Combine 1 cup of peeled and grated apples (drained) with the milk.