Sunday, June 28, 2009

stop and smell the strawberries

Putting some of those local strawberries to good use, before they slip away, was top priority this weekend. After my friend Chris and I grabbed lunch at St. Honore, we drove out to Sauvie Island where there are plenty of U-pick farms offering up their fresh fruits. After taste testing several varieties, I settled on a flat of sweet berries at a small stand. No picking required.

Three things calling for strawberries were then created in my kitchen.

Freezer jam. After much trial and error, Sure Jell pectin wins hands down.

strawberries

These delicious strawberry tarts (with a few blueberries thrown in)...

strawberries

and a summer favorite around our house...

strawberries

Strawberry tarts
pastry
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, mix the flour and sugar. Add butter and blend for 10 seconds or so. The butter should be in small pea-sized pieces. In a separate bowl, mix together egg yolks, sour cream and ice water. Add egg yolk mixture into processor and blend just until a ball forms. Place the ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Once the dough is chilled and easy to handle, divide it into 8 portions. Roll these out into 6 inch circles and place them on baking sheets. Silpats work great. Any baked on juices will easily wash off. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

filling
Combine 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour
6-8 cups fresh fruit, slice and mix with 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons or so of the sugar and flour mixture on each pastry circle to within 1/2 inch of edges. Combine the fruit and 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar and mix gently. Place 3/4 to 1 cup of the fruit mixture onto the pastry. Fold up edges slightly. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Here's the tart making process, photographed in the wee hours of the night...

tarts

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5 comments:

Susan said...

Very yummy looking! All three of them, especially the ice cream.

Cindy said...

Strawberry ice-cream is the best! Are you still having a heat wave Susan?

jazgal said...

Everything looks fabulous! I made a fruit tart myself last weekend - fresh nectarine, apricot, Oregon strawberries and bing cherries on a pastry cream base. mmmm. I haven't ever done the pastry with egg, but I'm thinking that would be good to try next time - the dough is so soft, it is nearly impossible to keep a rim on the tart. My guess is that the egg adds more body to it. I found a lovely little half-sized tart pan at William Temple House on NW Glisan - often good bargains on used cookware there. It will be good for tarts for two.

Cindy said...

Hi Jazgal, your fruit tarts sound wonderful! The trick with any pastry dough is to keep it cold until it goes into the oven. It sounds like this upcoming weekend will not be one for baking anything around here. If it can't go onto the bbq or eaten raw, it won't have a place on my table. Have a great 4th!

jazgal said...

True enough - This last round I put the rolled out crust in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before it went into the oven, and I always use a foil liner weighted with dry beans - but those edges still tend to slump. Doesn't affect the flavor though - and there's no problem getting it eaten! I appreciate the free-form roll-outs - there's no need to get too fussy!
No baking this weekend, for sure - We're getting Tennessee Red's BBQ supplemented with fresh corn and berries. It seems to be the tradition these days. then, fireworks in the driveway.

Happy 4th to you and yours too!
K.