10 November 2011 Crispy Chewy Triple Chip Cookies

Crispy Chewy Triple Chip Cookies

November 10, 2011 By

I’m sort of picky about cookies.  Some cookies I like crispy and crunchy and some I enjoy soft and chewy.  This past weekend, I decided to combine two of my recipes to create a crispy AND chewy cookie.  My tasting panel (ten warehouse workers at my office) really liked the results.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating well after each one, until fully combined, about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture – do not overmix.  Add the chips and mix until just combined.
  4. Line four cookie sheets (see notes) with parchment paper.  For each cookie, scoop one tablespoon of batter, place on a cookie sheet and flatten gently with the palm of your hand.  Eight cookies will fit on one each cookie sheet.
  5. Bake, two sheets at a time, until golden, about 13 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets then transfer cookies to a cooling rack and continue baking cookies using cooled cookie sheets.

Makes 32 cookies.

Notes:  Don’t have four cookie sheets?  No sweat, cookies bake two cookie sheets at-a-time, so simply bake the first two sheets of cookies and bake a second batch of two sheets once the first ones are done.  You can use 1 ½ cups of light brown sugar if you don’t have dark.  Feel free to use different chips combinations based on your preferences.  You could also replace ½ of chips with ½ cup of chopped nuts to create texture.

 

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts, Eggs Tagged With: , , , , ,
8 November 2011 Raspberry Croissant Bread Pudding

Raspberry Croissant Bread Pudding

November 8, 2011 By

I recently attended a berry virtual tasting hosted by Driscoll’s and WineTwits and created the following recipe to share with the group.  The results are just as tasty when blackberries are used.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cup half and half
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
  • 4 croissants, cut into1/2” cubes
  • 1 6-ounce container of fresh raspberries

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Heat cream and half and half in a saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla until well combined.  Add a ladleful of hot cream to the egg mixture and whisk well to bring up the temperature of the eggs.  Add the rest of the cream to the egg custard and whisk well.
  4. Add the cubed croissants to the custard and gently push down the cubes into the liquid to ensure they absorb as much custard as possible.  Set aside for 20 minutes.
  5. Lightly coat four 10-ounce ramekins with cooking spray.  Add two raspberries to each ramekin then divide the bread and custard mixture between the four dishes.  Divide the remaining raspberries amount the dishes and sprinkle each with the rest of the sugar, about one teaspoon each.
  6. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for about 35 minutes, until puddings are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.  Serve while still warm with a drizzle of Blackberry Balsamic Coulis and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Desserts, Eggs, French, Fruits Tagged With: , , , ,
26 October 2011 Heavenly Cheesecake with Bruléed Figs

Heavenly Cheesecake with Bruléed Figs

October 26, 2011 By

It felt very Fall-ish outside this weekend and while looking for inspiration for my dinner party dessert in the produce aisle of the grocery store, I found beautiful, ripe figs. 

This Heavenly Cheesecake with Bruléed Figs is delectable with its creamy/velvety consistency and the slight crunch from the crackly sugar coating on the figs.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups Graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 5 8-ounce cream cheese packages, softened
  • 5 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • Drop of almond extract
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Fig Topping Ingredients:

  • 8 fresh figs
  • 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Cheesecake Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, ½ cup sugar and the melted butter.  Press the mixture into the bottom and ½” up the sides of a 9” springform pan.  Set aside for later use.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs then the yolks, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add the cream, remaining sugar, the almond extract and the flour.  Blend until just smooth – do not overbeat.  Pour cream cheese mixture over the cracker crust in the pan.
  4. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Lower the oven to 250 degrees and bake for an additional 90 minutes or until center of the cake is set but still a bit jiggly.  Cool the cheesecake in the pan for 45 minutes.  Run a small knife between the ring and the cake to loosen any bits from the pan, then loosen the ring and cool another 15 minutes.  Remove the ring and refrigerate up to a day prior to decorating and serving.

Fig Topping Directions:

  1. Quarter each fig from stem to end.  Place fig quarters, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
  2. Sprinkle sugar lightly over the fig flesh.  Using a kitchen torch, brulée the sugar onto each fig quarter.
  3. Place figs, bruléed side up onto the cheesecake.

Makes 10 servings.

Notes:  Don’t have a kitchen torch?  No sweat – simply broil the figs on high for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar begins to melt onto the figs.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , , , ,
9 October 2011 Please Meet Gâteau St Honoré

Please Meet Gâteau St Honoré

October 9, 2011 By

I’m sure you’ve noticed through my posts that I entertain quite a bit.  I love cooking, baking and having friends over – it’s sort of my ‘thing’.  The tough part is being creative with my menus so that friends who visit often don’t have the same meal multiple times.  That’s why I’ve relied on my friend Lisa to make suggestions based on the blogs she visits or recipes she finds interesting.  Two weeks ago, she shared a recipe for a Gâteau St-Honoré she saw in Bon Appétit magazine and suggested I make it for a dinner party I hosted last weekend.  Little did I know how much work it would take to put my own spin on this very traditional recipe that I grew to enjoy with my Grandma at a local French bistro when I was a little girl.

Although I felt the presence of St Honoré, the patron saint of French pastry bakers (pâtissiers), with me as I baked this cake for 7 hours, I’m not sure I’d recommend novice bakers attempt this recipe, but it’s darn tasty if you put in the effort.

Pastry Base Ingredients:

  • 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry from a 17 ¼-ounce box, thawed
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour for dusting when rolling out the pastry

Choux (Cream Puffs) Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 5 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp. coarse salt
  • I cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs

Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream) Ingredients:

  • 3 egg yolks
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ¼ heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Salted Caramel Mousseline Ingredients:

  • 9 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2/3 of the Creme Pâtissière recipe above, chilled
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
  • ½ tsp. coarse salt
  • ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Caramel Ingredients:

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cold water

Pastry Base Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Spray an unrimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet, ensuring it adheres to the cooking spray.
  3. Unfold a puff pastry sheet on a floured work space.  Unfold the second pastry sheet and place directly on top of the first to create a double layer of pastry.  Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the pastry to enlarge the rectangular sheet by 2 inches in each direction.
  4. Using a 10-inch cake pan or a paper guide, cut the pastry using a sharp knife into a 10” circle.  Place the circle on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  Can be made the day before if stored in a sealed container at room temperature.

Choux Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degree.
  2. Spray an unrimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet, ensuring it adheres to the cooking spray.
  3. In a heavy, medium saucepan, bring the milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and add the flour.  Stir with a wooden spoon to combine well.  Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and stir briskly until the dough pulls apart from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 2 minutes.
  4. Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Turn the mixer to medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.
  5. Add the dough to a pastry bag fitted with #2 tip.  Pipe 1” rounds on the parchment-lined baking sheet – should yield 25-30 rounds.  Dampen fingertips and smooth down the pointy tops of the rounds.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 15-20, or until choux are golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes.  Remove the choux from the sheet and poke a small hole on the bottom of each one to let steam escape.  Let cool completely with bottom sides up.  Can be made up to 2 months ahead of time if stored in a sealed container in the freezer.

Crème Pâtissière Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until well combined.
  2. In a heavy, medium saucepan, scald the milk, cream and vanilla.  Add a couple of ladleful of the hot liquid to the egg mixture and whisk to fully incorporate.  Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream mixture in the pan and whisk vigorously for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
  3. Pour 1/3 of the crème in a small bowl and 2/3 of the crème in a medium bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap on each of the crème’s surfaces and refrigerate until completely cool.

Salted Caramel Mousseline Directions:

  1. Stir 2 tablespoons of water, the sugar, and the cream of tartar in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until a deep amber color forms, about 7 minutes.
  2. Remove the caramel from the heat and gradually add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until any caramel bits dissolve and mixture is smooth.  Let cool.
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the chilled 2/3 of Crème Pâtissière and the cooled caramel sauce at medium speed.  Gradually add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until fully incorporated between additions.  Add salt and vanilla then chill until ready to use.

Caramel Directions:

  1. Place the sugar and water in a heavy, small saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over a medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until a light to medium golden color forms, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and use within 5 minutes.

To assemble:

For the choux:  Spoon the remaining 1/3 of the Crème Pâtissière into a pastry bag fitted with a #2 plain tip and pipe a small amount into 12 of the choux from the hole in the bottom of each.  Using tongs, carefully dip the tops of the 12 choux into the warm caramel to form a glaze.  Place caramel-coated puffs on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and allow caramel to set.  Dip the tines of a small fork into any remaining caramel and drizzle 4-5 lattice-style shapes onto a baking sheet coated in cooking spray to use for decoration later.

For the base (to be done no more than 3-4 hours prior to serving):  Using a serrated knife, cut the puff pastry base horizontally into two circles.  Place one of the circles on a serving plate and spread 1/3 of the caramel Mousseline over it.  Top with the second pastry circle then another 1/3 of the Mousseline.

Final decorations:  Add the 12 caramel-coated choux to the top pastry circle in a circular pattern.  Add remaining Mousseline to a pastry bag fitted with a #2 plain tip and pipe small rosettes between each choux to fill any gaps on top of the cake.  Add hardened caramel decorations to the top of the cake.  Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Serves 8.

Notes:  Many components of the cake can be made in advance, so take advantage of that.  Final assembly should not be done prior to 3-4 hours before serving or the pastry will become soggy.  To save time and efforts, you could easily skip the Mousseline and just use Crème Pâtissière to make the cake (in the choux and to top pastry circles).  Remaining, unfilled choux can be used as profiteroles by cutting each choux tops, filling with ice cream and topping with chocolate sauce.

Filed Under: Desserts, Eggs, French Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
3 October 2011 Fleur de Sel, Caramel and Chocolate Shortbread

Fleur de Sel, Caramel and Chocolate Shortbread

October 3, 2011 By

One of my favorite flavor combinations is salt and caramel.  These bars can be created in a snap, and can be made using store-bought caramel if time is of the essence (or if you simply cannot wait to sink your teeth into the salty, caramel, chocolaty treats).  Splurge with high-end sea salt for this recipe.

Shortbread ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Assembly ingredients:

  • 1 cup homemade or store-bought caramel
  • 12-ounce bag of milk chocolate chips
  • ½ tsp. fleur de sel, or other coarse sea salt

Shortbread directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and the salt.  Set aside for later use.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the paddle attachment for 1 minute.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix for 2 minutes, or until smooth.  Incorporate the vanilla extract.  Add the flour mixture on low speed and mix just until crumbly – do not over mix or tough shortbread will result.
  4. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil, allowing for extra foil to overhang on each end of the pan for easy unmolding later.  Coat the foil with cooking spray, or butter the foil well.
  5. Press the dough into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the shortbread is just lightly browned.  Cool for about 20 minutes.

Assembly directions:

  1. Spread the caramel over the cooled shortbread and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  2. While the caramel shortbread is chilling, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for about 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure every chips is melted.  Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer then spread evenly using an offset spatula.
  3. Put the pan back in the refrigerator to cool the chocolate slightly, about 5 minutes.  Chocolate should be cool enough so that the salt won’t “melt” into it, but soft enough that the salt is able to adhere to it. Sprinkle the fleur de sel evenly over the chocolate.
  4. Unmold the shortbread by pulling the foil out of the pan using the excess foil.  Cut into 18 bars using a sharp knife.

Make 18 bars.

Notes:  I have been using LaSalamandra Dulce de Leche for a few years as it is delicious and perhaps better than any caramel I have made.  Caramel found in the produce section of most grocery stores can also be used.

Inspiration for this recipe is based on Salted Chocolate and Caramel Shortbread Bars by Barbara Kiebel of Creative Culinary.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
17 August 2011 Lobsterfest in the Comfort of My Home

Lobsterfest in the Comfort of My Home

August 17, 2011 By

I’m always looking for new themes for the dinner parties I host and this weekend, I decided to do a lobster party for some friends.

Although a perceived luxury item, lobster can be relatively affordable if purchased in season.  I made sure I held this party while lobsters were on sale at my grocery store and the cost per person was the same as when I buy nice steaks for everyone.  The difference – lobster’s fun and special!

Once of the downfalls of doing lobsters at home is the smell of the crustaceans cooking and the lingering smell in the house for the next week.  I resolved this issue by buying a turkey fryer at my local hardware store.  The turkey fryer comes with a huge metal pot, a strainer basket insert and a burner that can be connected to any standard propane tank.  I set the cooking station outside thus eliminating the mess in the house.

The trick to making a perfectly-cooked lobster is to carefully time how long you have it in the water.  This is the technique my dad’s passed on to me for solid results:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Plunge the lobsters, head first, into the boiling water.
  3. Bring the water back to a boil (should take 3-5 minutes).
  4. Let the lobsters cook for exactly 15 minutes then immediately remove them from the water and serve.

This technique is for lobsters up to two pounds.  For lobsters over two pounds, cook for 20 minutes.

The beauty about doing this type of party is that the side items served with lobster can be very affordable and simple.  Boil some red-skinned potatoes, roast some corn, make a tomato salad or cole slaw and prepare a terrific lemon butter dipping sauce for the succulent, tender lobster and you’re set!

Here’s a simple yet delicious recipe for lemon butter sauce that my family’s adopted from Rolande, my step-mother:

Lemon-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound (2 sticks) salted butter
  • Juice of 3 lemons
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions:

  1. Bring the butter to a simmer in a medium heavy pan over medium-low heat.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until the milky solids have mostly evaporated.
  2. Add the lemon juice and reduce heat to low.  Whisk in the cream and keep warm until ready to serve.

For best results, serve in a small dish over a candle burner to keep warm.

To finish the evening on a last Maine note, serve a blueberry cobbler like the one I prepared for my guests.  It’s an easy dessert to prepare and a real crowd pleaser.

There’s truly no need to go to a seafood place for lobster.  A fun and affordable dinner party can be prepared in a jiffy that your friends and family will enjoy and appreciate.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Desserts, Entrees, Seafood Tagged With: , , , ,
16 August 2011 Lemony Blueberry Cobbler

Lemony Blueberry Cobbler

August 16, 2011 By

Lemony Blueberry Cobbler

This weekend, I hosted a Maine-themed dinner party and for dessert, I couldn’t think of anything more representative of the beautiful northern New England state than blueberries.  To keep with the rustic feel of the party, I opted to create a comforting, biscuit-topped cobbler that I paired with Tahitian vanilla ice cream.  The result was outstanding.

Biscuit Batter Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Blueberry Filling Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 64-ounce bag of frozen blueberries, thawed (or 8 cups fresh blueberries)
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch diluted with 3 Tbsp. water

Biscuit Batter Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form.
  3. Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the flour mixture and stir gently just until a biscuit-like batter forms – do not over-stir as tough dough will result.  Keep the batter in the refrigerator until ready to use, no more than 30 minutes.

Filling Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 13×9 baking dish.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, maple syrup, zest, lemon juice and water.
  3. Add half of the blueberries to the pan and cook, partially covered, for about 10 minutes until hot and bubbly, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the cooked blueberries, raise the heat to high, bring the mixture to a boil and cook 1 minute or until thickened.
  5. Gently stir in remaining blueberries and pour the mixture in the prepared baking dish.

Biscuit Topping Directions:

  1. Drop eight 1/4-cupfuls of the biscuit batter, evenly spaced, over hot filling. Sprinkle biscuits with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
  2. Bake the cobbler for 20 minutes then turn the broiler on high and bake for 3 additional minutes to brown the tops of the biscuits.
  3. Cool the dish for 5 minutes and serve warm over vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8.

Notes:  Want to shake things up a bit?  Replace the blueberries with mixed berries or straight raspberries.  For the filling, if you don’t have maple syrup, simply use 1 cup of granulated sugar instead of ¾ cup.

Recipe inspired by Woman’s Day Blue and Blackberry Cobbler.

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , ,
15 July 2011 Strawberry and Nutella-Stuffed Crepes

Strawberry and Nutella-Stuffed Crepes

July 15, 2011 By

My Niece Maude

I recently spent the weekend in my native Quebec where I got a chance to breakfast with my two young nieces.  Like their mom, my sister Josée, they love the combination of strawberries and Nutella, the chocolate hazelnut spread.

On the first morning of my weekend back home, the girls enjoyed Strawberry Nutella Treats.  On the second morning, I brought the Basic Crepe Batter I’d made the evening before and fixed Strawberry and Nutella-Stuffed Crepes.  The crepe batter is prepared in advance in a jiffy and the stuffed crepes are simple to fix for the whole family, even on busy mornings.  On this occasion, I added a few freshly-picked blueberries to the strawberries.

Ingredients:

  • Basic Crepe Batter
  • 4 Tbsps. butter
  • 8 Tbsps. Nutella
  • 1 pint of ripe strawberries, sliced
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet (or crepe pan), melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until golden.
  2. Add ¼ of the crepe batter to the skillet and spread it evenly over the entire surface of the pan by tilting the skillet around.  Cook the crepe until the surface is mostly no longer wet, about 45 seconds.  Flip with a spatula and cook the second side for about 30 seconds.

  3. Strawberry Nutella Crepe

    Remove the crepe to a plate.  Spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella over the crepe then top with ¼ of the slices strawberries.  Roll the crepe, jellyroll-style and served with whipped cream, if using.

  4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the three remaining crepes.

Makes 4 crepes.

Notes:  The batter can easily be doubled or tripled if serving more guests.  The crepes can be stuffed with any berries, and another favorite of mine is stuffing them with a combination of raspberries and blueberries.

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Canadian, Chocolate, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With:
13 July 2011 Strawberry Nutella Treats

Strawberry Nutella Treats

July 13, 2011 By

Strawberry season’s in full force and I can’t think of anyone who loves the little red gems more than my sister, Josée.  When her and her family visited me in New Jersey last, I, of course, had bought strawberries for her.  To my delight, my two nieces have inherited her love for strawberries and here’s a quick but special treat she fixed them one morning.

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices white bread (could use whole wheat)
  • 2 Tbsps. Nutella, hazelnut spread
  • 4 large strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

Directions:

  1. Toast the bread.
  2. Spread 1 tablespoon of Nutella on each slice of toasted bread.
  3. Cover each Nutella-coated toast with the slices from 2 strawberries.

Makes 2 treats.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Canadian, Chocolate, Desserts, Fruits, Sandwiches Tagged With: , , , , ,
23 June 2011 Simple Greek Yogurt and Berry Tart

Simple Greek Yogurt and Berry Tart

June 23, 2011 By

It’s strawberry season here in New Jersey and I was looking for a simple, refreshing dessert to serve on a warm summer day.  I came up with this tangy tart that features a crust which can be made a day in advance and a filling that’s a snap to prepare.  The addition of blueberries to the ripe strawberries makes it patriotic-looking enough to serve for your 4th of July party.

Ingredients:

  • 1 17.6-ounce container of plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 3 tbsps. powdered sugar
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • ¾ cup black currant jelly
  • 2 cups of blueberries
  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • Simple Tart Crust

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, the honey, the powdered sugar and the lemon zest.  Set aside (can be made up to 4 hours prior to assembling the tart if kept refrigerated).
  2. About 30-60 minutes before serving the tart, in a heat-proof bowl or measuring cup, microwave the black currant jelly for 1 minute, until liquefied. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries and strawberries.  Add the warm black currant jelly to the berries and gently stir to coat each fruit. Set aside.
  4. Spread the yogurt mixture over the tart crust forming an even layer.  Gently top the yogurt layer with the berries and spread evenly in an attempt to completely cover the yogurt.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8.

Notes: The tart crust can be made the day before if cooled then covered in aluminum foil and stored at room temperature.  Try not to assemble the tart more than an hour prior to serving to keep the crust from becoming soggy.

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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