Raspberry and Frangipane Tart

:

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been working my way through the raspberries we picked last weekend. Earlier in the week, I used a portion of them to test tonight's featured recipe, which comes from Family Circle magazine. It's pretty good and if you are a fan of berries I think you'll like the tart. Raspberries, lightly tossed with lemon sugar, are piled into a buttery pastry shell and then covered with frangipane, an almond flavored pastry cream. While I liked the tart filling, I found the pastry detailed in the recipe below to be tough. Next time I make this, and I'll do that soon, I'll use my favorite pie crust to line the tart shell. If you are looking for something a bit different to serve on Father's Day, you might want to give this tart a try. It is not hard to make and the freestanding shell gives the dessert a decidedly European air. The tart should be chilled before eating, so make sure to have it ready and in the refrigerator several hours before you plan to serve it. It unfortunately, is not a good keeper, so it should be made the day it will be eaten. If you use your favorite pie crust recipe rather than the one below, I know you will be pleased. Here is how the tart is made.

Cherry Berry Buckle

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While many folks save warm berry desserts for the dead of winter, I tend to serve them whenever our favorite fruits appear in the market. More often than not, I'll make a crisp or crumble, but every so often I'll break ranks and make a buckle. A buckle layers a more traditional, cakey batter underneath the fruit rather than on top of it. As the dessert cooks, the cake rises around the fruit, which tries its best to sink to the bottom, making the whole thing buckle inwards. When it's served warm with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of cream, it is a memorable, if simple dessert. Although they were not grown locally, I saw some gorgeous sweet cherries in our market and couldn't resist buying them. In truth, this dessert could be made with any combination of fruit, but it is especially good when made with the cherries. The only trick to making this buckle is to keep the quantity of fruit used to 3 cups. If you go too much over that quantity, the cake will be damp and soggy and you'll be disappointed with the result and unhappy with me. I found the recipe for the buckle in Eating Well magazine, and if you skin through the ingredient list, you'll see it is marginally better for you than others of its ilk. I hope you'll keep this recipe in mind when local berries hit the market. The buckle is a lovely old-fashioned dessert that I know your family will enjoy. Here is how it's made.

Brewster Berrie Smoothie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We normally are restrained breakfast eaters, but when we travel, bacon and eggs and hearty breakfast fare become the order of the day. The Silver Fox and I did not follow that pattern this year. We were on Cape Cod during a period of really high heat and humidity. We were prepared for the heat, but the humidity caught us, and I might add the locals, completely by surprise. The weather was not conducive to a trencherman's breakfast, so I quickly substituted a series of smoothies that our peckish appetites would be better able to handle. While the smoothie that I'm featuring today has a hint of sweetness,  I honestly would have to describe it as tartly refreshing rather than sweet.  We enjoyed it and I think those of you who give it a try will like it as well. It is extremely easy to make, and your breakfast will come together in about 5 minutes, if you have all the ingredients at hand. The cranberries add gorgeous color and flavor to a smoothie that would be quite ordinary without them. I freeze quantities of cranberries every year, so I always have a supply of them on hand for recipes such as this one. I have noticed that our local markets now carry cranberries in their frozen fruit section, so I suspect they are  available year round in most areas.I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. I think you'll enjoy this refreshing smoothie. Here is how it is made.

Brewster Berrie Smoothie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Carol Berrie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1/4 cup frozen cranberries
1-1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup cranberry juice
6-oz. raspberry yogurt
1 large scoop vanilla frozen yogurt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender jar and process until smooth. Serve in tall glasses while still frosty. Yield: 2 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Mixed Berries

Two Years Ago Today: Frenchified Meatloaf

Three years Ago Today: Curried Egg Salad

Four Years Ago Today: Warm Sausage and Potato Salad

Lemon-Scented Ice Milk with Berries and Wine Sauce

This is an absolutely beautiful dessert. It's inexpensive and relatively simple to make, though it must be prepared well in advance of serving. The only special equipment you'll need is a stand mixer. The operative word for this recipe is cold. The milk, chilled icy-cold, will whip like cream and produce a delightful lemon-scented iced milk. If you are watching calories, pureed cottage cheese can be used in place of heavy cream and Splenda can replace the sugar in the wine sauce. A quick aside about sugar substitutes - don't use them in meringue; the end product will lack volume and be sticky. Use pasteurized or reconstituted egg whites if there are very young or very old diners at your table. This is an All-American dessert; you'll love the ice milk and the wine sauce is really delicious.

Lemon-Scented Ice Milk with Berries and Wine Sauce

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream or pureed cottage cheese
1-2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
Zest of 1 large lemon cut into thin strips
1 cinnamon stick
4 large egg whites
1 cup water
2 cups frozen unsweetened mixed berries
1/2 cup port wine or grape juice
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1) Combine milk, cream, 2/3 cup sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour into a nonreactive container and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours. Remove lemon strips and cinnamon stick; transfer to freezer for 1 to 2 hours, or until mixture is icy cold and edges begin to freeze.
2) Place egg whites in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until frothy; add 3 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
3) Place milk mixture in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk; beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold in meringue. Scrape into a chilled pan and freeze for 2 hours.
4) Meanwhile, bring water and remaining 1 cup sugar to a boil. Add frozen berries and wine or juice; return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Mash and strain berries, reserving juice. Return juice to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup. Chill.
5) About 1/2 to 1 hour before serving, move ice milk from freezer to refrigerator. When ready to serve, place a scoop of ice milk on a dessert plate. Surround with berries and top with wine sauce. Garnish with a mint sprig. Yield: 6 servings.