Fresh Berry Brown Butter Crostata

This recipe comes as a  special request from my friend Debra. She's an artist who not only appreciates beauty in all forms,  including good food. We've shared some amazing meals with her and her husband, Frank, so I wanted to return the favor. {and she said if I gave her the recipe she would be my friend for-ever!} Now, you can too.

I am not a baker, so you know this recipe has got to be simple and easy.  Have you ever heard of making pastry dough in the food processor then pressing it out into a pan right away? Well, here it is. It's not only easy, but it's incredible delicious: flaky, buttery, melt in your mouth scrumptious.

I've used a mixture of fresh berries, but you can use just about any fruit that's in season at the market. Pear, apples, nectarines, peaches are my favorites.  A topping of lightly whipped lemon cream and you have artistry at its most delicious. Enjoy, Debra. I'll be waiting for my dinner invitation.

{FRESH BERRY BROWN BUTTER CROSTATA}

To make the dough : for two eight inch removeable bottom fluted- edge tart pans.

3 cups flour

1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

12 oz. unsalted butter cut into cubes {keep cold until ready to use}

In a food processor, mix the flour, powdered sugar and salt until blended. Add the butter and process just until dough comes together.  Remove from the food processor and press together into a ball. 

To press into the tart pan,  take a piece of the dough and roll into a cylinder. Press the dough with your fingers into the side of the fluted edges of the tart pan. It should be about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut off the top with a knife so there is a smooth edge. Continue around the edge of the pan. To press in the center of the pan, use the palm of your hand. Press in so that the bottom of pan is covered and dough is about 1/2 inch thick. 

Pre-bake the tart dough in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, or just until the the dough is slightly browned.  Remove from oven.

To make the filling : for two eight inch removeable bottom fluted- edge tart pans.

3  large eggs

¾ cup sugar

1teaspoon vanilla

6 Tbs. flour

6 oz. unsalted butter

Melt the butter over low heat until it becomes a nut brown color. Remove from heat immediately and cool until ready to use.   In a stand mixer or food processor, beat  the eggs,  sugar and vanilla together until thick and light. Add the flour and cooled butter. 

Place about 2 cups of mixed berries evenly in the  pre- baked tart shell. Pour the custard over the fruit evenly. Bake at 375 degrees 40-50 minutes until golden brown.  Make sure it’s cooked in the center before removing from the oven.

Dust with confectioners sugar before serving . Serve with  1 cup whipped heavy cream mixed with 2 Tablespoons Preserved Lemon Cream or Meyer Lemon Spread . 

Makes two 8 inch tarts

Buon appetito! copyright 2010 Alisa Barry

Jam session in the kitchen

When I saw strawberries on sale at the market, making jam immediately came to mind. Fresh berries in season boiling on the stovetop with a hint of meyer lemon zest and juice. mmmm. My sweetie loves jams and jellies. Ok, he loves just about anything sweet. He loves me more when I cook. Smart man. Smart me....I got cooking immediately.

I pulled up the Weck glass jars and copper jam pot from the basement, dusted and cleaned them off, and began my jam making session. It was hard to resist eating all of the sugar covered strawberries, blueberries and blackberries before they made it into the pot. They were surprisingly sweet and perfectly ripe.

The jam scented the whole house like a delicious perfume. I would walk around the house and say, what is that smell? Realizing when I walked into the kitchen, it was the jam cooking. Steam rising from the base of the pot and settling into the air like a delicious cloud of sugary sweetness. mmmm.

Jam is easier to make than you think. Ripe berries, sugar, apples {I like to make my own pectin from apples}. It takes some time, but not as much as you might think. If you have some time to peel, chop and stir, you have time to make jam.

My preserving bible is now spotted and the pages are tattered. It has been my "go to" guide since I started cooking professionally back in the late 80s. It's called Perfect Preserves and you can get it here.
I have since learn to experiment more freely, but always pick it up when the summer starts for a refresher course.

If making jam is pushing it for you in the kitchen, you can get it from one of my favorite purveyors in Northern California.
June Taylor makes incredible jams with amazingly interesting combinations of flavors .

Here is my recipe for the fresh seasonal berry jam:

12# fresh berries in season [mix and match!}
4 cups sugar
zest and juice of one meyer lemon
3/4 cup apple pectin

In a large copper or heavy bottom pot, add the berries, sugar and lemon. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have reached a temperature of
Add the pectin and stir until combined. Carefully ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars.
Refrigerate and enjoy the "fruits" of your labor!

To make the pectin:
2# apples, chopped

Heat the applies with 6 cups of water. Boil over medium high heat for about 30 minutes, or until apples are soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Place a bowl under the colander to catch the liquid. Prepare a cheese cloth liner over a colander.
Strain the apples and tie the ends of the cheese cloth. Hang it up overnight so that the remaining liquid can drain into a bowl.
That is your liquid gold! Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry