Recipe: Lemon Berry Mousse Tart

Whoa!  Where has summer gone?  I have been so very busy, but I've still been cooking!

This is a recipe I made for the 4th of July (see, told you I've been crazy busy!  At least it's still July when I get to blogging this!) My sister's birthday is July 1, so I usually make a dessert of some sort to celebrate.  She loves citrus and berries, so I came up with this recipe for her.

And wow, is it great.  Seriously.

You could make this mousse separately and just serve it as part of a trifle or a parfait, too!

The crust I used was a variation on King Arthur Flour's Citrus scented tart dough - except I added a LOT more lemon.  A lot.  It had a real citrus punch, and was really wonderful.

So, if you want to make a really special dessert, try this one!  It is going onto the list of "Make Again" recipes, for sure!  I used a jar of pre-made lemon curd from Trader Joe's, but you could make your own if you desire.  BUT - try the stuff from Trader Joe's if you have one near you.  Great stuff.

Lemon Berry Mousse Tart

Lemon Mousse
1 (10.5 oz) jar lemon curd
1 c whipping cream
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Lemon Tart Dough

1 c sugar
3 Tbsp lemon zest
4 3/4 c All-Purpose Flour (adjust if dough is too sticky or too dry)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c  unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 to 2 Tbsp water (adjust if dough is too sticky or too dry) 

1-2 cups assorted berries (I used blueberries and strawberries)

To make mousse:

Whip cream until it forms peaks.  Fold in the lemon curd until well incorporated.  Add extra lemon (zest and juice) - adjust to your taste.  We like it super lemony, so we went all out.  Set mousse aside in fridge until the crust is ready.

To make crust:
Mix together sugar and lemon zest in a food processor.  Add the flour and salt, and mix until well combined.  Add the butter, one small chunk at a time, until the texture of the dough resembles rolled oats.  Add the egg and egg yolks and mix well.  Add water until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers.  Separate into two parts, pat into disk shapes, and wrap in saran wrap or parchment paper.  Cool for at least 30 minutes.

After cooling, place each disk into the bottom of a 11"-13"tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom - I used 1x13" tart pan and 2 rectangular tart pans.  Press dough down evenly around the shell - really press it down so that it bakes up evenly.  If you have a tart tamper, this is the perfect time to use it.  You can also use the bottom of a heavy glass (put parchment on top of the dough to make it easier to press down)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line the tart shells with parchment paper or waxed paper filled with pie weights, or dried beans.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tart crust is golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

Assemble Tarts:

Once the tart shells are completely cool, fill with the mousse (I piped it in to make sure it was even).  Top with assorted berries, and chill until ready to serve.

Recipe: Nutty Chai Custard Pie

I almost forgot to share my new pie recipe from Thanksgiving!!  It was something to remember, for sure, so though it is past "pie season" for me (aka Thanksgiving), I can't let this one slip into a distant memory!

I was thinking about how pistachios are highly underused, and then I started thinking about some other underused nuts - hazelnuts and macadamia nuts.  How about I make a pie with all of these lovely nuts?

Nutty Chai Custard Pie was born!



I based my recipe off an old recipe for Jefferson Davis Pie, which I have never made, but which is a custard pie with nuts, raisins, and dates.  Sounded about right.

This pie elicited goose bumps from some that tried it.  I may have did a little dance and clapped a bit.  Yes, it is worth trying.

Unless you are allergic to nuts.  If you are allergic to nuts, stay away from this pie.  It is chock full of them.  I bought my nuts roasted.  If you purchase yours raw, just give them a quick toast first to bring out their flavor.

Nutty Chai Custard Pie

1 pie crust

1/2 c pistachios
1/2 c hazelnuts
1/2 c macadamia nuts

1 1/2 c cream
2 chai tea bags (or loose tea) to steep
1 Tbsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
3 Tbp flour
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a pie plate with your pie crust, and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork several times.  Line the entire crust with tin foil and fill with dried beans or a pie weight.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, carefully remove foil and beans, and set aside to cool.  Reduce heat in oven to 325 F.

Put the cream in a measuring cup along with spices, and then steep with the tea.  Allow to steep while working on the rest of the pie.

Chop all nuts coarsely (I used my food processor).    Pour half into the pie crust, lining the bottom of the crust well.  Don't worry about getting them too closely packed - you want the custard to go between the nuts.  Set aside the remaining nuts.

This is too many nuts.  I made two pie, and the second pie, I didn't do just half the nuts, but all.  Don't be like me.  Only go half-nutty.  At least at first.

Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add egg yolks, one at a time.  Finally, remove tea bags from the cream and mix that into the custard mixture, along with the flour, beating until just combined.

Pour the custard over the nuts (there may be leftover custard - do yourself a favor and put it in a little custard dish to bake separately!  You can't taste test a pie, but making a little extra filling on the side?  Totally taste-testable!).   Top the custard mixture with the remaining nuts.

Put foil around the edges of the crust to protect it from burning.  Bake in the oven for 55-65 minutes, or until the center of the pie jiggles just slightly.  Remove, cool, and enjoy at room temperature or chilled.

Recipe: Green Tomato Mincemeat

This weekend, the kids and I went to my mom's house with a trunk full of apples from our trees.  fresh apple cider.  We made some fresh applesauce from the peels and cores of the apples.  And ... we made Green Tomato Mincemeat.

When the cold rains of October spell the end of tender garden plants, it’s time to harvest that bounty of tomatoes that never got the opportunity to ripen. There are probably as many different ways of handling green tomatoes as there are gardeners in Vermont.

We always have a green tomato mincemeat pie at Thanksgiving, but personally, I prefer it as a condiment for meat, or even as a spread for sandwiches!

This recipe is my mother's, modified from a 1943 edition of Joy of Cooking.  It was developed, no doubt, during meat rationing in World War II, and harkens back to traditional British mincemeat, made with real meat and suet.  This is much more tempting, if you ask me!

I wish you could smell this!  Make it yourself, so that you can!

My Mom's Green Tomato Mincemeat
(Modified from Joy of Cooking, 1943 edition)

1/2 peck green tomatoes (about 6 pounds.)
1/2 peck tart apples (about 6 1/2 pounds.)
2 1/2 lb brown sugar
1 lb raisins
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp nutmeg
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c butter

Chop green tomatoes and scald them with two rinsings of boiling water. Pare and chop the apples and place in very large pot and add other ingredients, except for butter. Very gently bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

Spoon into jars, adding about a Tablespoon of butter per pint (the butter makes them perfect!), cover with sterilized lids, and process in a boiling water bath.

Makes about 6 quarts.

The best apples for this are probably Northern Spy - tart and flavorful. And naturally you shouldn’t throw out the peels. Add a few extra apples, if you want, and make applesauce.

Recipe: Summer Strawberry Pie

I was inspired to buy some strawberries the other day, and began fantasizing about strawberry pie.  The Hubby loves strawberry rhubarb pie (and who can blame him?), but I've never made a plain strawberry pie.

I based my pie on this recipe that I found on The Little Epicurian.  I admit, I used store bought pie crust.  I was very tired when I made the pie, and it was very hot... this was a night when we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.  I was set on making this pie, though.

It's a wonderful pie, and I think it would be even better a la mode.  I may or may not have had a piece for breakfast, with my cup of coffee.  That was pretty delicious, too.

Summer Strawberry Pie
(modified from The Little Epicurian)

2 lb (5 c) strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 c sugar
3 Tbsp Instant Clearjel powder (from King Arthur Flour - can also use cornstarch)
1/2 tsp salt
2 pie crusts (9", store bought or homemade)
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp sugar, for dusting

Mix strawberries with sugar, clearjel, and salt, and set aside to macerate while preparing the pie crust.

Roll bottom pie crust out so that it is slightly larger than the pie plate.  Transfer to pie plate and cut excess, crimping edges slightly (the decorative edging will happen with the addition of the top crust, so don't worry about it at this point).  Chill the crust at least 5 minutes.

Spoon filling into crust and spread out evenly.  Roll out second crust and place on top of the pie.

Crimp edges decoratively, and cut several air vents into the top.  I have a tiny strawberry cookie cutter, and The Boy helped to cut the decorations.  Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar on top of the pie.  Chill the pie while preheating the oven to 450 F.

Cover the edges of the pie with foil and bake at 450 F for 10 minutes.  Lower temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, rotating halfway through, until crust is lightly golden brown.

Let cool and enjoy!

International Cooking Challenge: Turkey - Imam Bayildi & Lahmacun (with Bonus Dates stuffed with Almond paste)

We love Turkish food.  For Mother's Day, we went a local Turkish restaurant for dinner.  I knew I wanted to cook some Turkish food in honor of our International Cooking Challenge.

While I was looking for recipes, I found this delicious looking eggplant recipe on NPR - Imam Bayilda, which  translates to "the priest fainted" because it was so tasty... that's a good recommendation!

I also wanted to make a version of Lahmacun, a Turkish take on pizza.  Yum and yum.

The Lahmacun especially is a keeper - we'll make this again.  I used a shortcut and made the pizzas on Middle eastern flatbread, so it was very quick.

I loved the Imam Bayilda, and the kids ate it, but I don't know if it would be a repeat dish.  It is worth trying, especially if you like eggplant.

I also make some dates stuffed with almond paste with some orange blossom water and a little cinnamon.. then read the recipe was Moroccan.  Oops.  I was the only one in the family who liked them, which was disappointing to me.  I'll bring some to work... they'll get gobbled up quickly, for sure!

Imam Bayilda
(modified from npr.org)

2 eggplants
8 Tbsp olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
3 Tbsp dill
3 Tbsp parsley
3 Tbsp basil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Halve eggplants lengthwise.  Brush with just a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Preheat grill pan and cook, cut side down, for about 5 minutes (working in batches)  Place in large baking pan, cut side up.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl, then scoop on top of the eggplant.   Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened.

Lahmacun
(modified from TastyKitchen.com)

8 pieces Middle Eastern flatbread (you could make your own - see original recipe)

2 Tbsp ghee or butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef or ground lamb (I used beef - lamb would be delicious)
1 tomato, chopped
2 c parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground sumac (optional)
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.

 

Melt ghee in a saute pan.  Add onions and garlic and cook over medium high heat until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. 

 

Stir in the ground meat and cook until browned.  Cook with the tomatoes, parsley, and spices for an additional 3 minutes.  Scoop on top of flatbread and bake for about 12 minutes, or until slightly crispy around the edges. 

International Cooking Challenge: Sweden - Smörgåstårta and Rhubarb Soup

In case you didn't know yet, I am half Swedish.  My father was first generation American.  I lived in Sweden in high school for a year, with my father's cousin, and I am fluent in Swedish.

I don't cook Swedish food often, though.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it is because when I was living in Sweden, and I asked what Swedes cooked when they wanted to cook fancy food, they told me they cooked French food...

I decided it was time for a good Swedish meal.  I have seen pictures of Smörgåstårta all over the internet.  It looks delicious, beautiful, and intriguing.  You can modify it to have all sorts of fillings.  It's whimsical, because who doesn't want to have cake for dinner?  It would be lovely for a party.  Midsommar is coming soon - maybe I'll revisit it then!

I also decided to make some rhubarb soup for dessert, as the rhubarb is coming at us now (my mother has a nice patch and is willing to share.  Bonus!)  Cake for dinner and soup for dessert?  We all found this amusing.

We had my best friends over for dinner, along with one of my best friend's mothers.  This was absolutely a great company meal.

The Smörgåstårta is, literally, a sandwich cake.  The first thing you need to do is make bread in the shape that you want the cake to be in.  I've seen it both in loaf shape and round.  I decided to go with round, because I like that better.  A loaf might be better for a party, because slices would be more uniform, and could be smaller more easily.  I used smoked salmon, shrimp, and hard boiled eggs for my filling, along with cucumbers and radishes, and plenty of dill.  I've seen recipes calling for herring mousse as filling, and that would also be delicious.  You can modify as you see fit.  I am only including bread machine instructions for the bread, but you could always modify it to make by hand or using a stand mixer.

Swedish Smörgåstårta

Bread

2 c milk
1 tsp honey
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
6 c all-purpose flour (add more if necessary to get the dough to the right texture)
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast

Filling

1 c creme fraiche (could use sour cream)
1 c cream cheese
1 c plain Greek yogurt

6 - 8 oz smoked salmon
1 c small cooked shrimp
1 cucumber
2 radishes
3 hard boiled eggs
1/4 c dill
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp pepper

For the bread:  

Combine the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine on dough setting.  Allow to continue through cycle, adjusting texture so that the dough is not too sticky by adding more flour, or a little water.  When the dough cycle is complete, punch down and transfer to a 9" springform pan.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise for about 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 F, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until bread is golden brown, and sounds hollow when you knock on it.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

To assemble the Smörgåstårta, whip together the creme fraiche, cream cheese, and yogurt - this will be your "frosting."

Slice the cucumber and radishes very thinly, with a mandolin if you have one.

Slice the bread into three equal layers with a sharp bread knife and separate carefully.  Spread a thin layer of "frosting" onto bottom layer and top with a layer of fresh dill, followed by a layer of smoked salmon, reserving a piece of two of salmon for decorating the top of the cake. 

Spread the next layer of bread with more "frosting," and carefully place, "frosting" side down, on top of the first layer.  Spread the newly exposed bread with more "frosting" and top with some more dill.  Toss the shrimp with the lemon juice.  Reserve a few shrimp for decorations on top of the cake, then chop the rest coarsely.  Spread the chopped shrimp over the second layer of the cake, and sprinkle with some of the pepper.  Add a layer of radishes and cucumbers, along with slices of hard boiled egg (reserve one egg for topping).

Finally, spread the final layer of bread with more "frosting," and carefully place, "frosting" side down, on top of the second layer.  Use remaining "frosting" to cover the top and sides of the cake.  Decorate with remaining salmon, eggs, vegetables, dill, and shrimp.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hr before serving.  It will benefit from sitting for several hours, to allow flavors to meld.  Slice and serve, as you would a cake.

**********

Swedish Rhubarb Soup
(modified from Boniers Kokbok)


500g fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces
4 c water
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cornstarch

Serve with:
4 strawberries, sliced thinly
1 c vanilla ice cream

From one of my Swedish cookbooks

Bring water and sugar to a boil and add rhubarb.  Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until rhubarb dissolves when stirred. 

Add vanilla and stir until no more rhubarb chunks remain. Mix corn starch with a small amount of cold water until it is dissolved, then stir the mixture into the rhubarb.  Simmer until slightly thickened.

Serve the rhubarb soup with slices of strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

International Cooking Challenge - Morroco: Chicken Tagine with Lemons, Moroccan Mint Tea

For our Moroccan meal, I decided to make a stewed chicken "tagine," though I do not have a tagine itself.  I used a large Dutch oven, and that worked out well.

I also made Moroccan mint tea, which was a hit all around.

I invited my mother over for dinner, and she was able to join us.  She has been to Morocco, so I was excited to share our meal with her.

While we ate, we listened to some traditional Moroccan music.  I showed the kids where Morocco is on the globe.  My mom visited Morocco when she and my father were in Portugal and Spain.

Chicken Tagine with Lemons
(Modified from Saveur)

1 chicken, cut into parts (I bought mine already cut up)
5 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp tumeric

4 yellow onions
1 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1 c water
2 lemons, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp olive tapenade (or fresh olives)
1/2 c coarsely chopped cilantro

Marinading chicken

Chop garlic coarsely and combine with cumin, paprika, and tumeric.  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and make a paste.  Rub over the surface of the chicken and put into a large bowl or baking dish.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4-8 hours.

Stewing onions with saffron

Remove chicken from the fridge, and heat remaining oil in a large dutch oven or a tagine.  Brown chicken on both sides and remove to a plate.  Chop onions into small wedges (10-12 per onion), then cook them over medium high heat in the same pan that the chicken was browned in, stirring to coat them with the spiced olive oil.  Add the saffron and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.

Put chicken back into the pan with the onions.  Add the water and lemon slices, then cover and cook on medium heat until the chicken is cooked through (about 30-40 minutes).  Stir in the olive tapenade and cilantro before serving over rice or couscous.

Reflections in tea

Moroccan Mint Tea
(modified from Saveur)

6-8 plain green tea bags
5 c water
1/3 c sugar
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Boil water and add sugar, stirring until well dissolved.  Add the tea bags and mint and allow to steep for at least 10 minutes before straining and serving.  This is a sweet tea, typical of Morocco.

International Cooking Challenge: Italy - Panzanella

Finally, we are back to the International Cooking Challenge!

The last time that I chose countries for the International Cooking Challenge, we chose randomly.  We ended up with places that I wanted to cook cold weather food for (I'm looking at you, Czech Republic!), and it was hot out... I had no motivation to follow through.

This time, The Boy and I sat down and looked at recipes, doing some brainstorming about where we would want to cook from.

We decided to go with Italy first.  I looked around, and I saw that Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan summer dish.  I have always wanted to try panzanella, but have neither prepared nor prepared it before.  What an opportunity to expand our horizons!

The Boy loved most of it, but thought there were too many tomatoes (though he ate them).  The Girl was not a huge fan of the basil.  I don't know where I've gone wrong with her.  lol.

Personally, I loved it, and I would absolutely make it again.

Panzanella
(Modified from CupOfJoe.com)

4 c cubed stale bread (I used a ciabatta baguette - this was wonderful!)
1/4 c olive oil
sea salt to taste
3 c (or more) halved cherry tomatoes (I used heirloom rainbow cherry tomatoes)
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 c coarsely chopped basil

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Toss the bread with about 2-3 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until the croutons are lightly browned and crunchy,

Halve tomatoes and combine in a large bowl with the remainder of the olive oil, vinegars, garlic, shallots, and basil.  When croutons are cooled, add them to the salad.  Allow to sit a couple of minutes before serving.  

A Map Themed Birthday Party

The Boy's birthday was last week, and he asked for a map themed birthday party.

For food, we went simple, with frozen International appetizers, cooked up easily, and fruit and vegetable platters, so that I could focus my attention on the cake.

Chicken Shu mai, pork gyoza, mini chicken tacos

Lemongrass chicken sticks, spanikopita, vegetable gyoza, and chicken samosas

Marinated mushrooms, because yum

The kids arranged this beautiful vegetable platter

Plenty of melon

Assorted cheese

Deviled eggs

Cherries, blackberris, strawberries

A Global Spread

We decorated the walls with maps, taken from The Boy's bedroom walls - it was basically wallpapered with the maps, and they will be returning to their spots soon.

For the cake, I used the same modification on a Dunkin Hines mix that I used for The Girl's birthday - one cake mix (in this case, vanilla), made with 1/2 c oil, 1/2 c water, 1 c sour cream, 3 eggs, and one box pudding mix.  This makes a moist and sturdy cake.

I made Swiss Meringue buttercream to use as a crumb coat, and as a filling (which I mixed with leftover lime curd).

I covered the cake in marshmallow fondant.

For the globe, I used a spherical pan.  It came with almost no instructions.  I basically just cooked it until it looked done - this was much longer than a standard cake pan.  It took maybe 40 minutes to bake through.  After cooling entirely, I filled the cakes with lime curd buttercream, applied a crumb coat of plain Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and then covered with fondant.

My spherical covering skills could use some work.  My continents are highly representational, and I am very optimistic about the arctic ice shelf.

For the "painting," I used some food coloring and water, to make a kind of water color.  I dusted the map on the bottom (the Vermont) with gold edible shimmer dust, per The Boy's request.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with this party.  Sure, the globe could have come out smoother, and the continents could have been more accurate, but The Boy loved the cake, and it tasted delicious.  That's a win, I'd say!