blueberries

Peach, Blueberry & Lemon Thyme Galettes

07.08.2010 43 Comments

If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be home in France in two weeks. It’s been four years since I have not been back and it was not for lack of planning or trying. Just happened that way. But now, as we get closer to the date, I buzz about even faster. As B. said "now you’re like a buzzy bee on a sugar high"… There is so much to do, straighten out, finalize, revise…Things I don’t want to do while away. People to see, places to be, milestones to celebrate. Life. Family. Time. Away.

I am already thinking about all the flavors of my childhood. Lavender fields, apricot jam and cherry clafoutis, cantaloupe with a splash of port wine, nectarines, barbecues and Champagne and cassis cocktails. Picking berries on the side of the roads by the Durance river. The juice of fresh peaches trickling down my chin, and my arm, and ruining my dress. But always leaving me happy happy.

I’ve always thought my little corner of Provence has some of the best stone fruit until I tried a Southern peach here. I can’t even compare they are so different. South Carolina peaches are a treat for sure. Think about your favorite peach scented anything and there you have it. It sounds like it has magical powers doesn’t it? Well it does. Right now, it makes the perfect dessert. Breakfast. Snack. I am even tempted to call it dinner tonight.

Imagine how giddy I was this week when I found myself the recipient of over 10 pounds of just ripe, just perfect peaches. Yeah. Giddy. It did not take me long to figure out what I wanted to do with them. Instincts kicked in and once back in the kitchen I started the little dance I’d do everytime at the restaurant. I started poaching, roasting, peeling, dicing…Pots and pans filled every corner of the stove and countertops. From savory to sweet, salsa to sorbet. Truly a good day.

The first thing I made though was galettes, free form tarts. I poached four peaches in jasmine tea, let them cool completely, peeled, pitted and sliced them thin. I used half a peach per galette, some I left all peach and some had a small handful of blueberries added to them. All were sprinkled with sugar infused with lemon thyme like I did previously in these Fresh Berries Tartelettes. Simply rub herbs and sugar together, can be citrus zest too, it works wonders!

I love how packed the summer gets. I love the epic heat of a day spent outdoors followed by stormy winds and thunderstorms. Summer. When rules are bent and time extends following the sunset. And mostly, right now, I love summer because of peach galettes….

Peach and Peach Blueberry Galettes With Lemon Thyme Sugar:

Makes 8 individual galettes (we share but you don’t have to)

Notes:
– I use lemon thyme a lot this year because our one little plant is going wild. Our lemon balm and mint have suffered from the heat but you could definitely use those flavor.
Rosemary, oregano, chocolate mint and sweet basil work beautifully too. The sky is the limit!

– we are not fond of the taste of tapioca flour so I use cornstarch instead but feel free to use either or.

– If you are not baking gluten free, replace the rice, millet, sorghum flours and cornstarch with 1.5 cups of all purpose flour and omit the xanthan gum.

– you can make this as one large 9-inch galette if you want to.

For the pastry dough:
5 tablespoons (70gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 egg yolks
pinch salt
1/2 cup (80gr) superfine sweet white rice flour
1/2 cup (60gr) millet flour
1/4 cup (30gr) sorghum flour
1/4 cup (40gr) corn starch (or tapioca flour)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup cold milk

For the fruits:
4 peaches
1 tea bag jasmine tea (or your favorite)
2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup blueberries

For the lemon thyme sugar:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon thyme finely chopped

Prepare the crust:
In a mixer, whip the butter on medium speed until light and airy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. Add the salt, and all the different flours, and the xantham gum and mix briefly. Add enough milk to moisten it. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured (use more rice flour) board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Prepare the fruits:
While the dough is resting, place the peaches, tea bag, sugar and enough water to cover the fruit in a large saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and poach the peach until just fork tender. Remove from the heat and let them cool on a clean kitchen towel. Once cooled, peel and halve them, remove the pits and slice the peaches thin.

Prepare the sugar:
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and lemon thyme together with your fingertips and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic. If the dough tears while you roll, just patch it with your fingertips. Cut eight 4-inch rounds, rerolling and using the dough as you go (ig it gets too soft, just refrigerate for a few minutes as you fill the other galettes with fruit).
Arrange the slices of half a peach in the center of each round and gather the edges, pleating as you go with your fingertips (don’t worry about being even – these are free form. Imperfections are wonderful anyways…). Add blueberries on top if desired and sprinkle with some lemon thyme sugar.

Place all the galettes on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 30-35 minutes.

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Props:
– bike and handlebar basket: ours
– basket on bench: Dollar Store (yes…)
– wooden bowl: Star Provisions, Atlanta
– linen last picture: Cicada Studio, etsy
– wooden forks: Sprout Home
– enamel pot: ebay

Rhubarb And Red Berry Crumbles

23.02.2010 69 Comments

I get giddy pretty often. I can’t help it. It’s my self defense mechanism against discontent, routine, hardship. My heart does a happy dance reading a friend’s book feeling so proud of her as I realize the depths of her talent. My toes start moving in my shoes while listening to a perfect piece of music. I get giddy pulling out a perfectly moist and tender gluten free banana bread out of the oven. The little things deserve inner celebrating. I get giddy.

This week it was finding rhubarb for the first time this year. Yes, I know. I am easy. Making Rhubarb and Red Berry Crumbles was even easier.

It’s a bit early still to have outdoor cultivated rhubarb over here (April/May) and I knew by the intense red color that this one was hothouse rhubarb (grown in heated greenhouses). I also knew it would be sweeter than its outdoor sister which was perfect on so many levels mixed in with berries in a crumble. B. wondered if he would have to drown his crumble under a mound of vanilla ice cream to offset all that tartness. Nope.

As I was mixing the crumble topping, I started going over my reasonning with him and that’s when my husband looked at me as if I were the biggest baking geek out there. This type of rhubarb would be tart enough to make you notice it but would round the tartness of the raspberries while boosting up the flavor of the blueberries. Add a gluten free crumble topping with a pinch of cardamom and you have the perfect dessert to brighten any day.

Come to think of it we are big geeks. We start on a topic and bounce off ideas, questions and solutions all the time. Can be his trombone playing, my baking, writing, photography, vintage car fixing, the moon, the stars and everything in between. Absolute fun but it drives my parents insane when they come visit as they are trying to keep up.

Speaking of which…I know I will be making these crumbles again very soon when my parents come to visit. They will be here in just three weeks! They arrive 2 days after my return from teaching baking and photography workshops in Los Angeles and Seattle. Talk about timing! No time to noodle around to get the house ready and the fridge full! It’s been over a year since they have come to visit. Oh! I just can’t wait!

My mom loves stewed fruits of any kind. That’s the fate we usually reserve for over ripe fruits back home. Growing up it was my breakfast and dessert of choice: stewed fruits over her homemade yogurt and a sprinkle of muesli for crunch. I guess that’s why I love crumbles so much. Similar in texture, contrasting soft fruits and crunchy topping. Yet a tad more decadent with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. One night I even got fancy and candied some rhubarb peel on top. Inner happy dance…

One more thing: my friend Valentina who is an insanely talented photographer is teaching young kids the art of photography but the school needs a little help either in the form of used cameras or donations to purchase cards. It would only take 150 of us giving $10 each to help them meet their goal. That’s not much. I love the idea of teaching children such crafts and arts at an early age. They can learn so much more than just how to take a picture: architecture, technology, discipline, community, etc… Click here for more information on how to help.

Rhubarb and Red Berry Crumbles:

Serves 6-8

Notes: I start by preparing the crumble first so I can freeze it while I prepare the fruit and preheat the oven. This way, I can easily grate it over the ramekins or baking dish before baking and not get it too soft in between my fingers as I top the fruits with it. If you tolerate gluten, replace all the gf flours with 1.5 cups of all purpose or soft whole wheat flour.

For the topping:
3/4 cup (90gr) millet flour
3/4 cup (120gr) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (65gr) tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1 stick (115gr) unsalted butter, cold, in small pieces
1/4 cup (80gr) honey

For the fruits:
3 cups (365gr) rhubarb, fresh or frozen
1 cup (125gr) raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup blueberries (150gr) fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons (16gr) cornstarch
juice and zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons (40gr) honey

Prepare the crumble topping:
In a large bowl, stir together all the flours, cardamom and pinch of salt. Add the butter and honey and start mixing everything together with your fingertips. You want to form a few large clusters of dough. It will be easier to grate once cold. Freeze the mixture while you prepare the fruits.

Preheat the oven at 350F and position a rack in the middle.

Prepare the fruits:
If you are using fresh rhubarb, peel it first then cut it in small pieces (about one inch). Use frozen as it is.
In a large bowl, mix together the rhubarb and berries along with the cornstarch, lemon juice and zest and honey. Stir the whole mix delicately as not to break the raspberries too much. Divide the mixture into lightly buttered ramekins or one 13×9-inch baking pan.

Assemble:
Grate the cold crumble mixture right over the fruits with either a cheese grater or a microplane with large holes.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the fruits start to bubble and the topping is golden brown. Handle with care – bubbling juices are very sneaky!

If you desire to candy and twirl some rhubarb strips, it’s pretty easy actually:
Start by heating on the stove on medium high, equal parts sugar and water until the sugar dissolves (simple syrup.
Preheat the oven at 200F.
With a vegetable peeler remove long strips from the rhubarb stem. Dip them in the simple syrup and lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone mat and let dry in the oven for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and quickly twirl the rhubarb strips around wooden spoons, skewers, etc..let cool completely.

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Le P’tit Coin Francais:

Crumble Rhubarbe Et Fruits Rouges:

Pour 6 a 8 personnes

Notes: je prepare le crumble avant les fruits car je le mets au congelateur pour pouvoir le gratter a meme les ramekins avant la cuisson. Une gratte a fromage ou une "microplane" a grands trous suffisent. Si vous ne desirez pas utiliser de farines sans gluten, remplacer les par 190gr de farine normale.

Pour le crumble:
90gr farine de millet
120gr farine de riz brun
65gr farine de tapioca
une pincee de cardamome
pincee de sel
115gr beurre non sale, froid, coupe en petits morceaux
80gr de miel

Pour les fruits:
365gr rhubarbe, fraiche our surgelee
125gr framboises, fraiches ou surgelees
150gr myrtilles, fraiches ou surgelles
16gr maizena
jus et zeste d’un demi citron
40gr miel

Prepare le crumble:
Dans un grand bol, melangez les farines, cardamome et le sel. Ajoutez le beurre en des et le miel et melanger le tout du bout des doigts. Formez de larges boules de pate et mettez les au congelateur pendant que vous preparez les fruits.

Prechauffer le four a 180C et positionnez une grille au milieu.

Pour les fruits:
Si vous utilisez de la rhubarbe fraiche, epluchez-la d’abord et coupez la ensuite en petits morceaux.
dans un grand bol, melangez la rhubarbe et les fruits rouges. Ajoutez la maizena, le zeste et jus de citron et le miel. Melangez doucement pour ne pas casser les framboises. Repartissez les fruits dans des ramequins legerement beurres ou dans un plat rectangular de taille moyenne.

Assembler:
Sortez le crumble du congelateur et grattez le au dessus des fruits pour bien les recouvrir. Cuire le tout 20 a 30 minutes ou jusq’a ce que le crumble soit d’une belle couleur doree.

Pour les accordeons de rhubarbe: faites un sirop simple en diluant la meme quantite d’eau et de sucre a feu moyen. Trempez dedans de longue bandes d’epluchures de rhubarbe et les mettres sur une plaque recouverte d’une feuille de papier sulfurise ou de silicone. Faire secher a feu tres doux pendant une heure. A la sortie du four, les tortilloner autour de cuillieres en bois ou autre les laissez refroidir completement.

Plum Watermelon Soup With Lemon Balm Ice Cream and Toasted Blueberry Pound Cake

20.08.2009 46 Comments

I must start this post with shout out to my dad that has nothing to do with the recipe and story below. A couple of weeks ago, my awesome Papa took pity of my completely DIY portfolio page created a few months back and asked if I could please shop around for a professional hosting site and he’d help. After pouring over countless forums, domains, templates, I decided to go with Photobiz (and no they are not paying me to say how great they are). They’re affordable and super pro. Once I had uploaded my pictures, the revamped portfolio was up and running almost overnight! Thanks dad!

It never fails. Every summer here, I want to be there. I know I have been in South Carolina long enough to handle the scorching summers but I really think that unless you are born and bred here like Bill, there is a "heat acceptance gene" missing in most of us. Actually, the humidity is the bigger problem. It wilts you the minute you step out the door and it looks like I do not have the "A/C acceptance" gene either.

What to do to keep fresh and refreshed? Eat a serving or two of this Plum and Watermelon Soup with a scoop of Lemon Balm Ice Cream and a couple slices of Toasted Blueberry Pound Cake. I am a soup kind of gal. Hot, cold, room temperature…I just love soups but I admit I would have never tried to make this if it had not been for Asheville, and our dinner at Zambra.

We were full to the brim and when dessert arrived we all thought "I can’t anymore". Then came chef Adam’s rhubarb – watermelon soup and basil ice cream. The only thing heard at the table was the rattling of our spoon against the bowls. What I could not get enough of was the side of toasted black sesame pound cake he served the soup with. What a brilliant addition! I put it all in the dessert memory bank hoping to make it for us one hot summer day.

This day came with Bill’s birthday and I figured it would be a perfect ending to his "birthday dessert feast" of lemon donuts, goat cheese tarts, chocolate covered marshmallows and cupcakes. I took full advantage of all the wonderful summer produce around here and used watermelon and tart plums (to mimic the tartness of the rhubarb), lemon balm from our garden to infuse a simple vanilla bean ice cream. Bill’s mom often goes blueberry picking in the wee hours of the morning and loves to give us a few buckets full. They were put to good use in a pound cake that Bill loves all year round.

When it gets passed 95F, I have no desire to turn the oven on and if I must, you can bet it better be quick and for something as good as blueberry pound cake or apricot financiers! But I could not resist the idea of thin slices of pound cake slowly toasted in the oven to be served with the soup. You don’t even need to make soup to fall in love with the idea or the taste. It’s just plain fun! We had leftover soup after the party and we had the remainder as cold shots one hot afternoon. Perfect!

One year ago: The Transatlantic – Chocolate and Salted Butter Caramel
Plum – Watermelon Soup With Lemon Balm Ice Cream And Toasted Blueberry Pound Cake:

For the soup:
1 cup (150gr) watermelon, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup ripe plums (160gr) (about 3-4 depending on size), cut into 1-inch pieces
zest and juice of a lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar

For the ice cream:
4 egg yolks
1 cup (100gr) + 2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split open and seeded
1/3 cup chopped fresh lemon balm (can use lemon verbena, basil, mint, etc..)

For the cake:
1 stick (113gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (120gr) powdered sugar, unsifted
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup (155gr) flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk (or whole milk)
1 cup (145gr) blueberries

Prepare the soup:
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree until very smooth. Refrigerate until very cold. (how hard was that?!)

Prepare the ice cream:
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and one cup of sugar until pale and thick. In a saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and lemon balm to a simmer, without letting it come to a full boil. Slowly pour the hot cream over the egg yolks mixture while whisking to temper the egg yolks. Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream coats the back of spoon. At this point you have made a custard sauce, also known as "creme anglaise". Let cool completely and refrigerate until cold.
Once the custard is cold, strain the vanilla bean and lemon balm and process the base according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.

Prepare the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the center. Slightly coat a loaf pan with cooking spray, place it on a baking sheet and set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk and mix well until combined. Turn the mixer off and fold in the blueberries by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes (tend with foil midway if the top seems to brown faster than the cakes bake). Let cool completely and cut very thin slices of cake. Place them on a parchment paper line baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown.

Blueberry Swirl Vanilla Ice Cream

09.07.2008 58 Comments

Usually, when I get up first in the morning, I turn the coffee machine on, put a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster and hop right back into bed. Takes us an extra 10-15 minutes before we are fully awake during which we might tell a joke, talk about our schedules, etc….normal. Except the other day… B. opened up one eye and sleepily said "what the heck is that noise? What is wrong with this coffee maker?". I had to fess up "That’s not the coffee, that’s the ice cream maker!". He had this look, a perfect mix of fear that I had blown a fuse this early in the morning and of giddy happiness that he might have ice cream for breakfast. "At 6 o’clock in the morning? What got into you?!!"

"Nothing! That’s work!". He straighten out on the bed and gave me a huge smile "Oh! Then I love it when you go to work!"… Add the dog to the mix who does not miss an opportunity to lick whatever edible falls on his snout and you have a pretty good morning. Don’t be fooled though, I usually hit the snooze button a couple of times, ok…maybe three. The day before, I had started to work on the ice creams recipes that were starting to create a big mess in my head when I decided to take a break. That break turned out in yet another custard ready to be churned but one I know by heart from the restaurant, vanilla bean ice cream. Plain, simple, so satisfying… so yes, I’ll take that as a break.

I wanted to give the ice cream maker the chance to stretch out its limb too that morning by starting with the vanilla but when I reached for another vanilla bean in the freezer the night before, I bumped into a jar of cooked blueberries. I have this habit of cooking or roasting fruit that is getting over ripe and freezing it so I can throw it into ice cream or cheesecake when I need to. And this is how my simple vanilla ice cream became Blueberry Swirl Ice Cream.

I prepared the vanilla bean custard the evening before, and let the blueberries thaw at the same time. In the morning, I let the custard churn for about 20 minutes, (soft serve consistency), poured the blueberries in and let it swirl for a couple of times before pouring the ice cream into a container and freezing. The vanilla base was smooth and soft mixed with the tartness and natural sweetness of the blueberry juice and fruit.

I admit, I love my ice cream maker…but it can take some space in my small freezer and some of you have complained they did not have one so they could not try ice cream recipes….Let’s stop with the nonsense right now…I want you to have ice cream!! If you want ice cream, you will have ice cream! A stand mixer, handheld electric beaters or an immersion are ok substitute. When your custard is cold, pour it into a freezer safe container and freeze it for about one hour, take it out and give it a good whip with the Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment, your hand mixer with the paddle beaters (not the balloon whisks ones), or your immersion blander. Put the ice cream back into the container and back in the freezer and repeat two more time (freeze one hour, whip, freeze,…). It won’t be as smooth as professionally churned ice cream but it is a great substitute. See…..you can do it!

Blueberry Swirl Vanilla Ice Cream:

4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean or 1 Tb vanilla paste
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup sugar

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Run a knife through the center of the vanilla bean, not cutting all the way through, split it open and with the tip of a pairing knife, scrape the seeds. Place them in a saucepan over medium heat, add the milk and cream to boiling point but do not let it boil. Slowly pour the hot cream onto the egg yolks mixture and stir to combine (tempering). Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream coats the back of spoon. At this point you have a thick custard sauce. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, refrigerate until cold, or overnight.
In the meantime prepare the blueberries: in a small saucepan, combine the berries and the sugar and cook over medium low heat until the berries start to pop and release their natural juices. Let cool completely.
Process the custard according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions and towards the last couple of minutes of churning time pour in the cooled blueberries and give it a couple of swirls. Pour the soft ice cream into a freezer safe container until it reaches your preferred consistency.
If you do not have an ice cream machine: take care of the vanilla ice cream first, during your last whipping, add the blueberries the same way and freeze.

Sweet Melissa Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pie & Winners

18.03.2008 38 Comments

Not only does Melissa Murphy’s latest book satisfies my cravings for bakery sweets but it also fulfills my love for all things citrusy. I wish I could show you how good her Lemon Squares are but I am afraid I only have the crumbs on our plates to show for it as they were devoured faster than I could take a picture. I had to hide the Lemon Blueberry Tartlets pictured to avoid the same "problem" (eating is never a problem in our neighborhood). I bookmarked the original recipe Lemon Blueberry Pie the first time I flipped through the book for plenty of delicious reasons: it had lemon, buttermilk, blueberries (the freezer is stock full of them) and I could make minis for a dinner party. They lasted for about 5 minutes and then our guests asked to come back next week for another try-out from the book (Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte anyone?)

Before I give you the recipe, I know you are awaiting to read if your name got pick to receive one of the 5 copies the publishers were giving away and this is great news for the winners. Thank you all for your participation, I know Melissa must be thrilled about it! I have got even more good news for the 250-ish of you who showed up for the event….keep on reading…..

I need the following people to send me their mailing address at mytartelette(@)gmail(dot)com so we can get the books on their way to ya’ll’s kitchen!
Congratulations to:
– Steph from Stephanie’s Kitchen
– The Coffee Snob from Eat and Be Happy
– Merav from A Tasteful Journey
– Kevin from Closet Cooking
– Ginny from Just Get Floury

The good news? Ariela from Baking and Books is also holding a giveaway for another 5 copies!! So…if your name did not get picked this time around, run to her blog and put your name in the hat once more! Who knows?!

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pie
Reprinted with permission from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy.

Blueberries really need to be offset by something tart to taste their best. This pie
is so delicious because the rich tang of buttermilk and fresh lemon juice shows off
plump ripe blueberries. This one is really fun and easy to make.

Makes one 10-inch pie (or 8 minis)

For The Pie:

1 prebaked 10-inch piecrust made from All-Butter Pie Dough (1/2 of the recipe below)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, sifted
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For The Blueberry Topping:

1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 dry pints fresh blueberries, picked through, stems discarded

All Butter Pie Dough:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tb sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6-8 Tb ice water

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar baking powder and salt. Add the butter pieces, tossing with your figers to coat them with the flour. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter ito the flour util it is the size of large peas. Sprinkle 6 Tb of the water over the mixture and toss with a fork. The dough whould hold together when you squeeze it in your hand. If it is too dry, add the rest of the water.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat it together in one piece. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, flatten each into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. When ready to use, roll it out and fit a pie pan with the dough, prick with a fork. Cover with parchment paper and fill with beans or pastry weights. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or so.

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, butter, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the prebaked pie shell.
Place the pie plate on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the custard is set. Remove to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before topping with the blueberries.

To Make The Blueberry Topping

In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the apricot preserves and the water until melted. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer into a medium bowl. Add the blueberries and, using a rubber spatula, stir gently to coat. Pile the blueberries on top of the pie.
Serve the pie chilled or at room temperature. It keeps tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Blueberry Heart Cheesecakes For My Valentine

05.02.2008 45 Comments

Since I just asked you to vote for me in the Death By Chocolate contest so that you would be sending me and B. on the mini honeymoon we never had, I thought it would be fitting to share a tad more mushy sentiments with you all. If you are not a softie today….skip to the previous post…or the one before….February seems to be a love fest around here!!! Anyways…

You all know him as B. and sometimes "The Cookie Monster" but I usually call him "my better half" and I would be the first one to tell you how fitting the phrase is. When I am wild and crazy or childish as only a woman can be, he is the mature one keeping me grounded and putting things in perpective. When I am the nervous one or the mature one, he becomes the childish one and relieves tension by cracking up a joke or coming up with something fun to do. He never said a word to me along the lines of "grow up" "stop playing" or "relax"…all he has to do is to hold me. He has got my heart beating inside his.

Here is one of the many examples that makes it "why it’s working for us". One thing that used to get to me in our early years together was the fact that I would never get flowers, chocolate or trinkets…When I asked him why and that I was expecting at least some flowers for my birthday, he would always say "expectations will ruin your life". He would wait a day or two and give me the mot thoughtful and hip present. I would feel completely stupid of course and over the years I have known to set aside my expectations and apprehensions; he will take care of things, of people, with a lot of thought and care. I have learned not to have expectations because in the end things would work themselves out, and in the process he would allow me to grow and mature and never feel like I really was 19 years his junior.

At the same time, I let him be the 15 year old he is at heart. He is constantly fixing things he finds on the side of the road: we could probably give you a couple of chain saws, electric drills and vacuum cleaners that we found while walking the dog and that he fixed back up. While I get dinner ready, he goes down to the garage and unscrews, solders and plugs things in…and puts them in the "garage sale" box. We have never had a garage sale and I don’t foresee us having one soon either! I let him work through his piles and stuff because I know how giddy his little heart gets when something is plugged and actually works. Eh! I am all about free vaccum cleaners with a long haired dog!!

Allright, Tartelette…we get it…ya’ll luuuuurrrvvvve each other….but what is the link to the cheesecakes?!! This:

My dear friend Zorra is hosting a Valentine’s Day event and she got me thinking about what I wanted to make B. to tell him how thankful I was that he had said "I do" to the whole Tartelette package 10 years ago. We don’t really do anything special on Valentine’s Day, mostly because of the whole commercial aspect of it, but all the red and hearts seen everywhere lately can’t but make us a little softer. I usually make him a giant heart shaped chocolate chip cookie and when he saw I was cranking the mixer one evening he asked if I was going to make him a treat for Valentine’s Day. I replied "nothing that you migh expect!"…ahahaha! I learned that trick from the master himself!! Instead I made simple lemon scented cheesecakes (4 inches round) and cooked some blueberries that I placed in a heart shape on top. He loved it…Unexpected, light and refreshing….and not chocolate!!

Blueberry Heart Cheesecakes:

Makes 4 4 inch cheesecakes

16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tb lemon zest
2 Tb lemon juice
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Blueberry Topping

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter. Divide among 4 mini springform pans and pat with your fingers until evenly distributed. Bake 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 325. In a large bowl, with the electric mixer or by hand , mix the cream cheese, butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Add the vanilla,lemon zest and juice. Divide between the springform pans. Wrap each pan with heavy duty foil. Set them in a roasting pan, fill with water and bake at 325 for about 40 minutes, or until they wiggle just a tiny bit in the middle. They will set more after an overnight trip in the fridge. Remove the foil, let cool, and refrigerate.When ready to serve, run a hot knife on the inside of the pan and release the cheesecakes.
To decorate, place a cokkie cutter on top of each cheesecake and fill with the cooled blueberry topping. Let set in the fridge for an hour and slowly remove the cookie cutter before eating.

Blueberry Topping:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tb lemon juice
2 Tb corntarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

In a heavy saucepan, heat the blueberries with the sugar and the lemon juice until the sugar melts and the berries strat to release their juices. Stir the cornstarch in the pan and cook until the liquid becomes clear again and starts to thicken. Let cool to room temperature.

We laughed that night while eating them with my mother as she exclaimed that we were indeed easy to satisfy "give him a broken drill and you a block of cheesecake and you guys are happy as pie" and to my huband The Professor to add "would not be bad if the drill was an antique?!"…and there you go…we are indeed happy with very little. It would however make our day if you voted for me in the Death By Chocolate contest so we could say all that from Napa! Don’t forget that they will also send a reader to the chocolate festival!!

Lemon Blueberry Tartlets…Such A Steal…

13.06.2007 32 Comments

Why were these cute little tartlets a steal? As soon as Meeta posted the round up for her Monthly Mingle Birthday Bang, I started going through each post, each time more tempted than the next, (such beautiful creations), until I stumbled upon Asha's Strawberry Yogurt Pie.
I don’t particularly like baked or cooked strawberries, unless in jams or preserves, and I had an abundance of blueberries and plenty of yogurt, so the decision to include them into our sunday brunch spread was easy.
Old Chef liked them so much that he wants "plenty" , which in his world means anywhere from 100-200, for an event next week….arghhhh!

The pie is easy to put together, has great flavor and very versatile as far as ingredients used. I made mini tartlets instead of mini ones since we already had plenty to share and the cute factor certainly helped make the table a little bit more inviting but feel free to make one large pie. Either way you will not be disappointed!

Lemon Blueberry Tartlets, adapted from Asha:

For the crust:
6 Tb butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
grated zest of one lemon

In a food processor, combine the butter and sugar. Add the egg and blend well. Combine the flour, lemon zest and baking powder and mix them into the wet ingredients to form a soft dough.With flour-dusted fingers, pat the sticky dough into the bottom of a pie pan or individual tartlet molds. Push the dough up to cover the sides of the pan.
Refrigerate until you make the filling.

For the filling:
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen.

Mix all the filling ingredients except the blueberries until smooth.
Put the berries into the pie shell or mini ones and gently pour the fillings so the berries are coated and evenly distributed.
Bake for 50 or 60 minutes, at 350 until the crust is lightly golden and the custard has set.
For the mini ones, 30 minutes were plenty.