Sweet Solutions III: Local Strawberry Tart with Basil-Infused Mascarpone Custard and Cracked Black Pepper

Last Saturday after the farmer’s market Jaime and I decided to walk down to the il laboratorio del gelato on Houston St. We were already in need of a cool refresher, but the walk escalated the effects of the sticky summer afternoon– at least we were heading to the perfect spot. Picking out which flavors we were going to get was probably the most difficult decision of the day. With so many fruity, sweet, and even savory options– the combinations seem endless!

I was immediately drawn towards the honey-lavender, but at the last minute I decided on the basil gelato with raspberry sorbet. The mix of puckering tartness from the raspberry and the mild, creamy, herbal finish of the basil was everything one could hope for on a humid day. Not too sweet, but amazingly refreshing, cooling, and my favorite summer colors– pink and green.

My inspiration.

The treat inspired my own take on the flavor combination later that weekend, with my farmer’s market purchase of some tiny (more tart than sweet) local strawberries. I sliced the berries and tossed them in just a bit of sugar and freshly ground black pepper, and let them soak while I made pate brisee tart shells, and the basil-infused mascarpone custard.

For the custard I brought 1 cup of heavy cream to a boil, and then removed it from heat. I added 1/2 cup of roughly chopped basil to the cream, covered it, and allowed it to steep until the tart shells were baked-off and cooled. When I was ready to fill the tarts, I strained the basil cream and set it aside. Then, over low heat, I combined 2 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan, and whisked them until they were light yellow in color. I slowly added the cream, whisking well until the mixture was thickened, and then I folded in one container of mascarpone cheese. I filled the tarts, and let them chill overnight, before I topped them with the sliced strawberries. The syrup from the strawberries makes a beautiful decorative and delicious sauce for serving with the tart, top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

Martha Stewart also has an excellent strawberry galette recipe in her Pies and Tarts cookbook if you don’t have any tart molds on hand. She pairs the rustic tart with a basil whipped cream. This elegant flavor combination is really something special to share over the summer when fresh ingredients are available.

Sweet Solutions II: Strawberry Rhubarb & Ginger Pie

Slightly over-baked, but still oh-so-delicious

Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are a classic combination, and one of my all-time favorites– but the addition of ginger makes this pie stand out from the crowd. With an ultra-flakey lard and butter crust, and ingredients right from the farmer’s market, this summer treat is one that your friends and family are sure to love. It was difficult not to cut right into this pie as soon as it came out of the oven with it’s delicious red juices bubbling up out of the lattice-top, but I brought it into class to share instead.

Strawberry Rhubarb and Ginger Pie

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 stick cold butter, cubed
1 cup lard (or shortening)
1 T salt
1 T sugar
1/4 cup ice cold water

In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients a few times just to mix. Add butter and lard or shortening and pulse until dough begins to come together, adding water as needed. Divide into two, and flatten dough into discs. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:

1 q strawberries, hulled, and cut in half or in quarters if large (small local in-season strawberries are best!)
5 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, grated
2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon juice
1/2 cup sugar
pinch cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch or tapioca

Combine all ingredients.

For the Pie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough into an 11″ circle, place in a 9″ pie pan, and fill with mixture. Roll our other cylinder of dough, cover pie, and crimp edges with fingers. Brush crust with a mixture of 1 egg yolk and 1 T cream if desired, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden-brown and juices are bubbling.

Sweet Solutions I: White Chocolate Lime Cake with Watermelon Sake Sorbet

After deciding on a sorbet flavor to work with from David Lebovitz‘s Ready for Dessert (Watermelon-Sake), Chef Anna and I had to think of what we would serve it with for the dessert special at L’Ecole. Angel-food and sponge cakes are already featured on the menu, so we were originally thinking of a pound or tea cake, but Chef Anna had an even better idea. We used her recipe for the classic Austrian Sachertorte cake— an airy chocolate cake with warm apricot preserves under the frosting– and lightened it up for summer by using white chocolate in place of milk or dark in the batter. I also mixed in lime zest and lime juice, which really complemented the intense sweetness of the watermelon. I served the sorbet on a thin sliver of the cake with candied lime slices. It was light, cool, refreshing, delicious, and very pretty (not to mention my favorite summer color combination– pink and green). As my friend David from class described it, it was really “summer on a plate.” Try this one at home to add an elegant finish to even the most casual summer dinner party, whether by the beach, air-conditioner, balcony, rooftop, or window.

Watermelon-Sake Sorbet (From David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert)
Makes 1 quart

4 cups (1 1/14 lbs) seedless watermelon, cut into small chunks
2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups sake
fresh squeezed lime juice

In a food processor or in a blender, puree the watermelon with sugar and sake until smooth. Pour into a medium bowl, add lime juice to adjust the sweetness to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Freeze in an in ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Also try freezing it in popsicle molds if you do not have an ice cream maker.

White Chocolate Lime Cake

165 g butter, room temperature
130 g sugar, plus another 130 g sugar
9 large eggs, separated
150 g flour
160 g white chocolate, melted and cooled
zest of 4 limes
juice of 1 lime

-Cream butter and 130 g sugar with paddle attachment of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. This step is very important in achieving the proper texture of the cake. Especially if the butter is still cool, make sure it is mixed enough.

-Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add chocolate. Mix just until combined. Set mixture aside.

-Beat egg whites with whisk or stand mixer on med-high. When mixture begins to turn white/opaque add 130 g of sugar. Continue to beat until stiff glossy peaks form.

-Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to over mix. Sift in flour.

-Spread into a 9×13 cake pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes turning once. Cake will form bubbles, and should be golden brown.

A Few Sweet Solutions for Surviving Summer in the City: Introduction

Find out about my dessert special at L'Ecole or as David called it, "Summer on a Plate."

While I am fortunate enough to have parents that live in a desirable summer destination, that does not necessarily mean I have the time to get out to Shelter Island to enjoy it. While many of my friends (along with what seems like most the city) empty out to the Hamptons on Friday nights, I’m still in class at the French Culinary Institute. But don’t feel bad for me (I’m sure you didn’t anyway), I only have 3 weeks of school left, and I just went through what has become in many ways probably my favorite station, pastry.

This past week I had a short break from work, and a rare amount of free time for just having fun in the kitchen, and focus on school. I looked at a lot of books for ideas, but I brought in one of the most beautiful cookbooks in my collection, David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert to share with Chef Annamaria Kosa, to get some inspiration for specials at L’Ecole. She loved the book as much as I do, David has some really great recipes, but the photos are absolutely incredible. Every single dish is nothing short of drool inducing. Bright colors, varying textures, shiny, sugary, sticky– these are desserts that you want to eat, not just look at in a bakery window.

While sometimes hot days and nights– and the looming possibility of being seen on a beach– can sometimes turn people off of dessert for the summer, it is prime season for utilizing fresh fruits in their peak. Pies, tarts, cobblers, shortcakes, ice creams, and sorbets are all easy ways to use fruit in sweets, and can be surprisingly light and refreshing. While I can’t say a good pie is either of those, I also can’t trust anyone who refuses even the smallest sliver of a strawberry-rhubarb or cherry pie, dripping with fruits vivid ripe cerise syrups, covered in flakey tender crust. Summer berries, melons, and peaches are so beautiful and flavorful on their own, it doesn’t take a lot of fuss to enjoy them, but combined with new and unexpected flavors, they can be the star of some very sophisticated dishes.

Could you resist a bite?

I have been experimenting with different fruits over the past few weeks and plan to share the recipes I have come up with over the next few days, including strawberry-rhubarb lattice-topped pie, rhubarb-ginger linzer cookies, and a basil-infused mascarpone tart with strawberries and black pepper. Tomorrow I will start with the dessert special Chef Anna and I came up with inspired by David’s recipe for Watermelon Sake Sorbet, so stay posted!

Stephen and Jaime’s 4th Annual Pig Roast

Check out my post on the Martha Stewart Everyday Food Blog here.