Mint & Strawberries in the simplest apparel

This second recipe is a little late for the summer fest week. We're now talking about stone fruits, so I'm off subject here. But maybe you have a prolific mint like me & my mother do. Or maybe you bought a bunch for a recipe and you're left with a handful of leaves, no knowing what to do next. Well, here I am with the solution!
Ain't I nice?

you'd better say yes, have you seen this rolling pin?

This recipe is, once again, very simple to assemble. This is all about summer, and the last thing we want is to spend a whole sunny day inside, cooking... It's time to rest, to go to the beach or to discover the parks of your city. It's also time to enjoy the bright simplicity of fruits. Just a sablée crust and mint will make the sweet flavors of ripe strawberries stand out. There's no need for cream. No, I said no pastry cream. No whipped cream. Don't insist. I had doubts too. Then I tasted it. No doubts anymore. You can do it.

About the tart crust : this is the fourth recipe on my blog. Whatever the recipe, please make it yourself and don't use a store-bought one. It's really easy, there's no reason to be afraid. Don't hesitate to put a lot of flour on your kitchen counter before rolling it. And if it breaks, it ok, just press it together in your pie form. There is NO comparaison between a store-bought crust and a homemade...

Strawberry and mint tart

For the sugar crust
1 egg
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 pinch salt

For the tart
1 1/2 pound strawberries
15 mint leaves
2 Tbsp currant jelly

First mix sugar, flour, salt and the butter for a few seconds. Mix in the egg and, with your hand palm, press the dough about 3 times, just until it forms a ball that holds together. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 340°F.
Roll out dough into a on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Delicately fold the rolled dough in 4, to lift it easily, and unfold in the tart form. Prick bottoms all over with a fork and bake 15 minutes.

Once the crust cooled, arrange diced strawberries on top, in a concentric form.
In a small saucepan, heat the jelly with 1 Tbps water until liquid. Brush the strawberries with the jelly.
Slice thinly the mint leaves, and sprinkle over the pie.


Tarte aux fraises et à la menthe

Pour la pâte sucrée
1 oeuf
100g de beurre
200g de farine
80g de sucre
1 pincée de sel

Pour la tarte
700g de fraises
2 cuillères à soupe de gelée de groseilles
une quinzaine de feuilles de menthe

Mélangez quelques secondes le sucre, la farine, le sel et le beurre, le temps de former une pâte grumeleuse. Incorporez l'œuf. Fraisez (c’est l’action de travailler avec la paume de la main) rapidement et formez 1 boule de pâte. Aplatissez et enveloppez ce disque dans un film plastique pour reposer au frais pendant au moins 1 heures.
Préchauffez le four à 170°.
Farinez abondamment le plan de travail ainsi que le rouleau à pâtisserie, puis étalez la pâte sur 2 à 3 mm d'épaisseur. Pliez délicatement la pate en 4 pour la soulever plus facilement et depliez là dans le moule à tarte. Mettez à cuire 15 minutes.

Une fois le fond de tarte refroidi, arrangez les fraises coupées en lamelles de manière concentrique.
Dans une petite casserole, faites fondre la gelée avec un peu d'eau, et appliquez ce nappage sur les fraises.
Emincez finement la menthe, et disposez la sur la tarte.

La suite, please

The lovely Frozen Strawberry Pie

I know I should be talking about the end of the wedding cake story.
But there's something more urgent first. I want to introduce you to this lovely dessert. It would be such a shame to wait there's definitively no more strawberries to share it with you. Because I really want you to try this pie.

Who knows, maybe it will become a favorite dish in your home too, one that you prepare for birthdays, mother days, or all June long... It will have its own memories attached to it.
Just like an antique dish or furniture, it has many stories to tell, the recipe being passed to friends and family and creating new souvenirs.

I got this recipe from Marsha, my "american mother". When my brother was 16, he decided to spend one year in America. We were happy (and relieved!) to see that he was hosted by this incredibely generous and loving family. Actually, I was lucky too, because it also changed my life. Without him (and them), I don't think I would have cared to do an internship abroad. I learned english to communicate with them. And ten years later, we're still in touch...

Can you imagine that this cake was the first thing I ate in the US? Well, actually, I think the first thing was a half bagel. Then a wonderful chicken salad with strawberries. And then, this! (now I wonder... did Marsha did some research? I was a picky eater then. But strawberries? Always have been my favorites!).

It was nine years ago. We were going to meet the family and to pick up my brother before exploring the West. Is that why I remember everything so precisely? My first impressions in the plane (actually, I was struck by the wide roads. It seemed like cars could park on each side of the road, and that 2 other ones could still cross each other. Even in the residential areas! My parents live in a ruelle. It's wide enough for 1 car. No parking. No crossing. And no huge car!). The first evening. And this pie is like a vessel carrying back all these memories to me.

Now, the vessel has grown larger, because my mother and I love it so much that we have it pretty often. One year we made it almost every Sundays of the summer...
Now that I think of it, it's also the one I made for my friends on the week-end they stayed over, just before our final graduation exams. The cake was great, but the week-end did not turn out exactly as I planned... Umm, here's one advise : don't ever run for the phone when you just got out of the swimming pool! Unless you want to go to the exams with a plaster cast and crutches... And as we were waiting for the ambulance, my friends tried to make me laugh and speak. You know what the best way is : talk about baking! So I actually had to repete this frozen pie recipe almost 10 times in a row. yeap.....

So go make your own memories (maybe not this one!). You need more convincing? Ok.
- It's super easy to prepare (no requirement for an ice maker), and super quick, so you'll have more time to enjoy the sun outside this afternoon
- Well, it is lovely, isn't it? The pinky cream, the crisp crumble... What's not to love?
- We're in July. It's warm. You need something light and refreshing. Like a frozen dessert, don't you think?
- A frozen strawberry sherbet with some walnut crumble? Gah. What are you waiting for?

Frozen Strawberry Pie
From Marsha, who says " This recipe comes from Aunt Helen, my father's only sister (who had to grow up with 5 brothers on the farm) - she had no kids and was always our 'favorite' aunt because she was so nice and spoiled us!!! She was also a very good cook!"

For the dough
1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter at room temperature

For the sherbet
2 fresh egg whites
1 pound strawberries
1 cup whipped cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter a 10-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom and sides with parchment or waxed paper.

Place the walnuts in the oven for 5 minutes before chopping them.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, butter and chopped walnuts with a spoon.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of this dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Gather and press the rest of the dough into a ball, and press on the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (the crumble will be done before the crust). For the crumble topping, break the big crumbs while they are still warm.

Reserve 2 oz. strawberries for the decoration.
Dice the rest, the puree half of the strawberries.
Beat whites in mixer at medium speed until they form soft peaks*. Add sugar gradually, beating, and continue beating at high speed just until whites are thickened and form stiff peaks.
Add strawberries (dices and puree), lemon juice and whipped cream, and whip until fully incorporated.

Pour on the bottom crust in the round pan and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Before serving, apply a spong with hot water against the form and use the waxed paper to remove the pie from the pan. Sprinkle with the crumble and decorate with the remaining strawberries.

* Note : If you are concerned about using raw eggs, you could replace the sugar by a syrup : bring 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp water to a boil until it reaches 245°F. Then pour it on the fluffy egg whites while beating slowly. Continue beating at high speed just until whites are thickened and form stiff peaks, then proceed with the strawberries, etc...


Gateau Glacé aux fraises
De Marsha

Pour la pâte
140g de farine
100g de beurre
40g de sucre brun
70g de pralin ou de noix

Pour la crème aux fraises
2 blancs d'oeufs ultra frais
150g de sucre
450g de fraises
25cl de crème liquide
2 cuillères à soupe de jus de citron

Préchauffez le four à 180°.
Beurrez un moule rond de 26 cm de diamètre et tapissez le de papier sulfurisé.

Faites chauffer les noix 5 mn au four avant de les concasser, ou utilisez directement du pralin. Mélangez-le avec une cuillère avec le beurre, le sucre brun et la farine.
Reservez environ une poignée de pâte que vous saupoudrez sur une plaque à patisserie.
Formez une balle avec le reste, et étalez-la au fond du moule rond.
Faites cuire 15 à 20 minutes (attention, le crumble sera prêt avant le fond du gâteau). Si les morceaux de crumble sont trop gros, brisez-les lorsqu'ils sont encore chaud. Laissez refroidir (sans démouler).

Réservez 50g de fraises pour la décoration.
Coupez les 400g restantes en morceaux et réduisez la moitié en purée.
Battez les blancs en neige*, puis versez doucement le sucre en continuant à battre doucement. Augmentez la vitesse jusqu'à ce que les blancs soient fermes et brillants.
Dans un autre saladier, battez la crème liquide en chantilly. Ajoutez-la aux blancs, ainsi que les fraises et le jus de citron.

Versez l'appareil sur le fond dans le moule, et faites prendre au congélateur (au moins 6 heures).
Avant de servir, appliquez une éponge d'eau brulante sur les parois du moule, puis aidez-vous du papier sulfurisé pour le démouler et le placer sur une assiette. Parsemez le dessus de crumble et décorez avec les fraises.

* Si vous n'êtes pas à l'aise avec l'utilisation ddes oeufs non cuits, vous pouvez remplacer le sucre par un sirop : lorsque les blancs sont montés, portez 200g de sucre et 1 cuillère d'eau à ébullition jusqu'à atteindre 120°. Versez le sirop doucement sur les blancs tout en continuant à battre, puis augmentez la vitesse jusqu'à ce que les blancs soient fermes et brillants. Ajoutez ensuite les fraises, etc...

La suite, please

Lucky

It’s funny how I tend to digress. I started to write a post about the freshly harvested green onions I bought at the farmers market last week. From that, I went to the fact that I don’t go enough to the market in Paris. Then to a panegyric of the quiet life in Montmorency, where I spend the week-end. I almost finished with childhood memories of our summers in the garden! So glad I stopped there!

Yes, the principal idea was to tell you how I love the farmers market. I really feel lucky to be able to enjoy a life in Paris, with so many things to see, streets to walk in, little shops to be surprised with, building fronts to suddenly notice…

And yet, I have access to the freshest produces from surrounding areas. I love to wander in the aisles, admiring the colorful displays, bright red tomatoes against green asparagus and purple artichokes. I see curious children, asking lots of questions to their parents, wanting to know more, to taste the cheeses, the saucisson. Or the olives, why not? Apparently I ate them by the dozen as a kid, in my stroller!
I see people passionate about their job (because it’s so difficult, I can’t imagine anyone not passionate doing this…).

All of this makes me feel as lucky and happy as the sensation of a sunray on my skin. Actually, I even realize that my memories of the farmers market are imbued with sunshine, while I know I had my rainbow open all the time…

With all this beautiful array of products, it was very difficult to resist. I had not planned the week’s menus, and I was tempted by everything. The green onions seemed so fresh, and with their sweet taste, they offer just what my palate needs!
I was totally smitten with Deb’s idea to caramelize them with balsamic vinegar. I mean, she does that with cippolne, but what could go wrong with green onions cooking in a syrupy glaze made of vinegar, sugar and tomatoes? They were tender to the tooth, and the vinegar adds a slight tang which makes them completely addictive. I already made them 3 times in less than a month.

Add to that some juicy tomatoes, ripe to perfection, and crispy slices of pancetta or bacon, and I guaranty you’ll feel happy too!

Balsamic caramelized onions salad
For 4

For the onions
1 bunch green onions
5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp salt

1 small head of lettuce
8 slices pancetta or bacon
4 tomatoes
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Rosemary

Prepare onions : trimm root ends and cut off the dark green tops. Peel and discard the first layer.
Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Keep drippings in skillet and add onions; sauté until light golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Add vinegar, ketchup, salt and water and bring to a boil. Cook onions 10 more minutes. The sauce should be slightly sirupy. If liquid dissipates too quickly, add a little more water.
Remove from saute pan and allow to cool.

Cut the tomatoes in small dices. Transfer to a bowl with the lettuce and the onions. Sprinkle with bacon.
Whisk olive oil with the balsamic vinegar remaining and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and garnish with rosemary.

Salade aux petits oignons caramélisés
Pour 4 personnes

Pour les oignons
1 botte de petits oignons nouveaux
5 grandes cuillères à soupe de vinaigre balsamique (8 cl)
3 cuillères à soupe d'eau
1 cuillère à soupe de ketchup
1 pincée de sel

1 petite laitue, lavée
8 tranches de pancetta (ou de lard)
4 tomates
4 cuillères d'huile d'olive
1 pincée de sel
1 branche de romarin

Faites griller la pancetta à sec dans une poêle sur feu vif jusqu'à ce que les tranches se recroquevillent, environ 4 minutes de chaque coté, pour qu'elle soit croustillante.
Pendant ce temps, épluchez les oignons, en ne gardant que la partie blanche, et en retirant la 1ère couche de peau. Vous pouvez garder une partie de la tige verte pour servir avec une salade, des pâtes, etc...
Retirez les tranches de pancetta pour les égouttez dans du sopalin, mais laissez la graisse dans la poêle. Ajoutez-y les oignons et faites les dorer quelques minutes.
Ajoutez ensuite le vinaigre balsamique, l'eau, le ketchup et le sel et portez à ébullition. Laissez cuire environ 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la sauce soit un peu sirupeuse et adhère aux oignons. Si elle s'évapore trop rapidement, rajoutez un peu d'eau.
Retirez de la plaque de cuisson et laissez refroidir.

Coupez les tomates en dés.

Dans un grand saladier, mélangez les feuilles de salade, les tomates, les oignons, et parsemez de petits morceaux de pancetta.
Emulsionnez (mélanger très rapidement) le vinaigre balsamique qui avait servi à la cuisson avec l'huile et le sel et versez cette sauce sur la salade. Décorez avec le romarin et servez.

La suite, please

Another spin on rhubarb and strawberries

Do you remember the roasted rhubarb from Monday? All the combinations imaginable with strawberries? Wanna play some more?

If the last post didn't convince you, I hope these pictures will have you running to your grocery store!

This time, we're making verrines (which is the french for "little glass"). They are veeery creamy. It's like eating a yogurt cloud, minus the acidity. Not the small and pale clouds in a warm day, which would leave you nothing but air in the mouth (not that this isn't good sometimes). No, the big and fluffy ones, the glossy white ones in the blue sky. A delicious cloud, filled with fruits... You know what? It could totally be the care bears' favourite food! (ok, I realize I watched way too much TV as a kid!!)

Now, they may seem complicated, because of the 3 different layers. But they're all based on the same thing, so all you have to do is whip some cream, puree some strawberries, get some more roasted rhubarb (because you've already eaten the previous batch, right?), and you've already done almost all the work!

Note : You won't need all the rhubarb for the dessert, it's the same recipe than in the previous post.
Roasted Rhubarb

1 pound rhubarb
1/4 cup sugar

Cut the rhubarb into 2 inch strips.
Toss the rhubarb with the sugar in a baking pan. Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes (until it is soft).

Little Strawberry and Rhubarb verrines
For 4-5 people

1/2 cup + 1/8 cup heavy cream
8 oz. strawberries
8 oz. "fromage blanc" (you probably could use some cottage cheese or mascarpone cheese instead)
2 Tbsp sugar
5 oz. roasted rhubarb
2.5 tsp powdered gelatin

Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks with one teaspoon sugar.
Puree 7 oz. strawberries and cut the rest into small dices.

In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 tsp gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water, and let it sit while you make the rest of the mousse.
Combine the remaining sugar, the fromage blanc and half of the strawberry puree. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 20 seconds and add it to the mousse. Fold in 3.5 oz. whipped cream, then the strawberry dices. Pour the mousse in little glasses or jars and let sit 30 minutes in the fridge.

In a small bowl, sprinkle 1/2 tsp gelatin over 1 tsp of water. Melt the gelatin in the microwave and add it the to remaining strawberry puree. Pour a layer over the first mousse in each glass and refrigerate.

Combine roasted rhubarb with remaining whipped cream, and divide between glasses. Decorate with strawberries or macarons...


Rappel : j'avais fait la rhubarbe rôtie précédemment, tout n'est pas nécessaire pour les verrines.

Rhubarbe rôtie

500g de rhubarbe
50g de sucre

Préchauffez le four à 180°.
Nettoyez la rhubarbe sous l'eau, et coupez-là en tronçons de 4 cm. Disposez-là dans un plat et saupoudrez de sucre. Enfournez pour 15 à 20 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit tendre.

Verrine au fromage blanc, fraise et rhubarbe
Pour 4-5 verrines

15 cl de crème entière liquide
250g de fraises
250g de fromage blanc
25g de sucre
125g de rhubarbe rôtie
2,5 feuilles de gélatine

Battre la crème en chantilly avec 5g de sucre (une cuillère à café).
Réduisez 200g de fraises en purée et découpez en morceaux les fraises restantes.

Faites tremper 2 feuilles de gélatine dans un bol d'eau froide pendant que vous préparez le reste de la mousse.
Mélangez le fromage blanc, 100g de purée de fraise et 20g de sucre.
Egouttez la gélatine et faites la dissoudre au micro-onde pendant 20 secondes avant de l'ajouter au mélange. Incorporez ensuite 110g de chantilly puis les cubes de fraises, et versez dans vos verrines.
Laissez prendre au frigo pendant 30 minutes.

Faites tremper la demi feuille de gélatine dans un bol d'eau froide. Egouttez-la et faites la dissoudre au micro-onde pendant 10 secondes avant de l'incorporer à la purée de fraise restante. Versez la dans les verrines au dessus de la mousse de fromage blanc. Laissez prendre cette gelée au réfrigérateur pendant 15 minutes.

Mélangez la rhubarbe avec les 50g de chantilly restante, et repartissez la dans les verrines. Décorez de fraises ou d'un macaron.
A conserver au frigo jusqu'à la dégustation...

La suite, please

The truth is

1- My file "To post" is about to make my computer explode. Et non, I did not forget you. I keep thinking about the blog, taking lots of pictures, plating things that would normally go directly inside a tupperware, buying extra cute dishes for photography...

2- Unfortunately, I take time to cook, to take pictures, even to write down the ingredients (big improvement already!!!), but not to write the entire recipe to give it to you. Confession : I always plan more things than I have time to do, and because the recipe writing isn't on top, it always get squeezed. And that I need to change, my friends!

3- My "To post" file isn't helping : the longer a recipe stays in, the less likely it will eventually come out of it. No matter how enthusiastic I was about it. Even if I only did it for you. Maybe it works like in The Neverending Story. Maybe we should blame the Nothing, and my lack of confidence in this.

So, let's break the spell and start with some very seasonal produces.

Don't you love going to the farmers market and seeing everywhere little proofs of spring? The vibrant colours of fresh radishes, the small and tender carrots with their abundant green top. The wonderful smell of lilacs at the flower shop. And of course, the first sight of the rhubarb pinkish stalks. Even the grey sky did not stand a chance against those evidences!

Once home, after some small prep work, it's time to decide how to manage all these...

First, I roasted the rhubarb. You won't need everything for the little cakes, but I'm sure you'll be just like me, and you will find plenty of uses for it.
For example, you could lightly toast a slice of brioche in your oven, and top it with some of the rhubarb and fresh slices of strawberries. Mmm, the buttery taste of the brioche against the delicate acidity and sweetness of the fruits? Please, try this, because it's just too delicious not to be experienced.

Or you could add it to your favourite yogurt (along with some strawberries dices!). I know this is what I'll have tomorrow for lunch, and I just can't wait!

So you see, this "accord "works so well that you can play it with any variation. I choose to directly mix the roasted rhubarb with some strawberry puree, to obtain a delicately sweet jelly as a base. To add some texture to it, a vanilla bean macaron seems a good idea, doesn't it?

Roasted Rhubarb
1 pound rhubarb
1/4 cup sugar

Cut the rhubarb into 2 inch strips.
Toss the rhubarb with the sugar in a baking pan. Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes (until it is soft).

Vanilla bean macaron
Note : the recipe indicated 1 cup powdered sugar, but this was overly sweet. I would recommend only using 3/4 cup.

1/4 cup almond flour
1 cups powdered sugar
2 egg whites
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean

In a large bowl, sift together almond flour and confectioner sugar.
Beat whites in mixer at medium speed until they form soft peaks. Add regular sugar gradually, and continue beating at high speed just until whites are thickened and form stiff peaks.
Sprinkle dry ingredients and vanilla over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly.
Place the mass in a pastry bag and pipe 3.5 inch rounds on the sheetpan lined with parchment paper. Let them dry at room temperature for an hour.
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the macaron (20 minutes for a 3.5 inch macaron).

Rhubarb and strawberry little cakes
For 4

5 oz. strawberries + 6 reserved for decoration
4 oz. roasted rhubarb
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tsp. powdered gelatin, sprinkled over 2 Tbsp water
4 macarons (as above)

Puree the strawberries, the rhubarb and the sugar together.
Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 20 seconds and mix with 2 teaspoons fruit puree before adding everything.
Pour into four 3.5-inch rounds and let in the fridge for one hour.
Once the jelly is set, unmold, top with slices of the 6 strawberries and with the macarons.


Rhubarbe rôtie

500g de rhubarbe
50g de sucre

Préchauffez le four à 180°.
Nettoyez la rhubarbe sous l'eau, et coupez-là en tronçons de 4 cm. Disposez-là dans un plat et saupoudrez de sucre. Enfournez pour 15 à 20 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit tendre.

Macaron vanille
Note : La recette indiquait 110g de sucre glace, mais j'ai trouvé le résultat beaucoup trop sucré. La prochaine fois, j'essaierai avec 75g.

60g de blancs d'oeufs (équivalent à 2 blancs)
25g de sucre en poudre
55g de poudre d'amande
110g de sucre glace
1/2 gousse de vanille

Dans un bol, mélangez la poudre d'amande et le sucre glace tamisé.
A l’aide d’un batteur électrique, fouettez les blancs pour les rendre mousseux. Incorporez alors le sucre en poudre au fur et à mesure, tout en continuant de battre, puis en augmentant la vitesse. Vous devez obtenir un mélange ferme et brillant.
Ajoutez alors la totalité du mélange d'amandes et les graines de vanille, et incorporez les doucement à l’aide d’une cuillère en bois ou d’une maryse.
Dressez à la poche à douille sur une plaque de papier sulfurisé et laissez sécher à température ambiante pendant 1 heure (on dit de laisser croûter).
Préchauffez le four à 150° et faites cuire 12 à 20 minutes selon la taille des macarons (20mn pour un macaron de 9 cm de diamètre).

Montage des gâteaux
Pour 4 desserts de 9 cm de diamètre

150g de fraises + 6 fraises tranchées pour la déco
100g de rhubarbe rôtie
1 cuillère à café de sucre
2 feuilles de gélatine
4 macarons (ci-dessus)

Mixez les fraises, la rhubarbe et le sucre dans un hachoir.
Faites ramollir les 2 feuilles de gélatine dans un bol d’eau froide. Egouttez-les, et faites-les chauffer (soit 20 secondes au micro-onde, soit dissoutes dans une cuillère à soupe d’eau bouillante). Mélangez avec 2 cuillères de purée de fruit, puis mélangez tout ensemble.
Coulez la préparation dans 4 cercles de 9 cm de diamètre, et faites prendre au réfrigérateur.
Une fois la gelée prise, démoulez, garnissez de tranches de fraises et surmontez le tout d'un macaron.

La suite, please