puddin' family

olive likes to say, "we are a puddin' family." I agree. This is the most recent variation on pudding that I've made. it's very dense, more like a pot de crème. Ivy could only eat one spoonful at a time. Making with the Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips was a bit too rich, will try semisweet chips next time. You could also leave out the 2 tbsp flour and make it gluten free. the egg mixture was thick enough without the flour.

PUDDIN' FAMILY POT DE CRÈME

INGREDIENTS
(makes 8 chocolate pots)

3 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
3/4 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, flour, and sea salt. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly.
2. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and stir until they melt into the egg yolk mixture. Set aside to cool.
3. In a standing mixer, whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Slowly drizzle in melted chocolate mixture, folding carefully as to not deflate the egg whites. Fold until homogenous.
4. Pour mousse into 8 small ramekins, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to 5 days) before serving! Optional toppings: whipped cream

blackberry pie

this is another delicious morsel from Labor Day Weekend. we picked blackberries both days for dessert, and made one cobbler and one pie. here are the details on the pie.  we experimented with the thickening method, since fresh fruit pies can tend to be a little soupy.  for this one, we cooked a little cornstarch and water on the stove until it thickened, and then added it to the fruit with a little more dry corn starch. It seemed to be the perfect amount of thickness without make the fruit filling stiff or gelatinous.

BLACKBERRY PIE

FOR THE CRUST:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
6 tbsp. cold milk

FOR THE FILLING:

6 cups fresh blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch, divided
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. milk

1. Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough in half, shape into 2 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 12" rounds. Transfer one pastry round (discarding wax paper) into a 9" pie plate, and set other pastry round aside.

2. Mix half of corn starch and 1/4 cup water in a pan on the stove, set to medium head and stir until it has thickened and clumps are stirred out.  Pour sugar and dry corn starch over berries and stir and then pour cooked corn starch mixture over berries and stir. 
3. Fill bottom crust with blackberry mixture and scatter butter on top. Cover with remaining pastry round (discarding wax paper) and crimp edges together to seal. Score top to allow steam to escape, brush with milk, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Allow pie to cool for 1 hour before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

SERVES 8

rhubarb galette

Amy found this recipe in Sunset Magazine and sent it my way. She was quite taken by the presentation with the bright, red rhubarb baked as whole stalks, and really it did look beautiful baked up like that. We're always chopping the rhubarb into teeny-tiny pieces or saucing it, but never EVER just leaving it whole, to appreciate it's natural looks.


It was a great way to quickly make a rhubarb dessert and it's less sweet than your standard rhubarb concoction.

• Rhubarb Cardamom Galette
• Recipe from Sunset magazine
• 1  sheet (9 to 10 oz.) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/3  cup  granulated sugar, divided
• 1  tablespoon  packed brown sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cardamom
• 2  tablespoons  flour
• 12  ounces  rhubarb (about 8 thin or 3 thick stalks)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425° with a rack set on lowest level. Unfold pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, the brown sugar, cardamom, and flour. Evenly sprinkle sugar mixture over pastry.

Trim rhubarb 1 in. shorter than pastry, then split lengthwise into 1/2-in.-wide pieces. Lay pieces parallel across the pastry square, leaving 1/2 in. border of pastry. Sprinkle rhubarb with remaining granulated sugar.

Bake galette until edges are golden brown and puffed, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.

the key to this pie is the lime

key lime is and will always be one of my favorite pies. it offers unparalleled sour flavors and refreshment in one chilled and delicious dessert, and it's so much different than your average fruit pie. it's a great summer treat, or after summer treat, if you need a pleasant reminder of the sun. It was not until two years ago that I first attempted making it at home, before then I'd always opted for the frozen Trader Joe's version, which is also good but it's just not the same as homemade. it's my brother Todd's favorite dessert, and so I made this recipe for his birthday a few years back.  I've made it many time since, it's the best recipe I've found for the job. It incorporates sweetened condensed milk, which I almost never cook with, to balance out the tangy lime in the filling, and instead of whipped cream it's topped with sour cream for a little extra zinger. The filling is fluffy and light, while still being creamy, and of course the lime does just what it's supposed to do by keeping the whole thing as sour and tangy as ever.  

the snail and his key lime pie.

Lime Pie

Recipe courtesy of Emeril 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup key lime or lime juice

2 whole eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. lime zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

a pie for your travels

these pies are miniature. and cute. and totally free-form. making them quicker to bake than a whole pie, much less exact and portable enough for a summer picnic or road trip. you can make them as small or as large as you'd like, if you make them larger you can slice as you would a pie. AND, you can use this method for any fruit filling peach, blackberry, strawberry-rhubarb, apple, you name it.   

CHERRY GALETTES

For the filling:

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

6 cups cherries, pitted, and halved (bing or sour cherries)

1/4 cup sugar (increase to 3/4 cup if using sour cherries)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tsp.  butter

Combine 1/3 cup cornstarch and 1 cup water in a saucepan on the stove.  Bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk until mixture has thickened. Mix cherries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl and stir.  Add thickened cornstarch mixture and combine with the fruit.

FOR THE CRUST:

2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2⁄3 cup vegetable oil

6 tbsp. cold milk

Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough into four sections, shape into 4 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 6" rounds. 

Place about 3/4 cup of fruit filling in the center of each piece of crust, and fold edges up over fruit to make a barrier.  Back for about 30-45 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

a sauce for all seasons

i am in love with rhubarb. i could eat it every day. year round. for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. in oatmeal, in a cake, baked into a pie, atop ice cream.  on a boat or in a train. with a fox. in a box. you get the idea.


Now that you understand my love, please also understand that i am always looking for new recipes that kindly feature my favorite ingredient and maximize it's special flavor.  


here is a winner. this is a rhubarb sauce that you bake in the oven with a little white wine and a little sugar, and then serve with any and all items that your heart desires. this sauce would pair well with items such as toast, oatmeal, ice cream, cake, by itself, yogurt and others. endless possibilities.


I paired it with a sweet (but not too sweet) cornmeal cake, topped with a dollop of whipped cream. so good. so special. please make it and enjoy.  

sauce.

cake.

cake. sauce. whip cream. good. 

mariners bobble head. weird.

CORNMEAL CAKE WITH ROASTED RHUBARB SAUCE
(both recipes courtesy of Orangette)


ROASTED RHUBARB SAUCE
(4 to 6 servings)
2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
½ cup sugar
½ cup crisp white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
1 tsp vanilla

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the rhubarb in a Dutch oven or other deep oven-safe pot. Add the sugar, wine, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Bake (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, or until very tender, giving the pot a gentle stir about midway through to ensure that the rhubarb cooks evenly.

CORNMEAL CAKE
1 ¼ cups cake flour
6 Tbs fine yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk, preferably whole
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9” round cake pan with butter or cooking spray, and then dust the pan lightly with flour, shaking out any excess.

In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar gradually, scraping down the bowl once or twice, until smooth and fully incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon zest, and beat to incorporate. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture, beating on low speed until just combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan; then invert it onto a plate, and turn it topside up onto a rack. Cool the cake to room temperature.

Whip the cream. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl, and beat it on medium speed until it begins to thicken. With the beaters running, slowly sprinkle in the sugar, and continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks.


Serve cake with a spoonful of the sauce and a plop of whipped cream.

tarte tatin

the apple tarte tatin is akin to an open-faced upside down apple pie, only it tastes very different given the slow-cooked apples and caramelized butter and sugar.  the cast iron skillet is perfect for this dish because it can transfer from stovetop to oven and it withstands high enough heat for a good caramel sauce to form around the apples.

CRUST

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons ice water

FILLING
8-9 apples, peeled, cored and halved (tart apples work best, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, McIntosh)
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup sugar

For the crust, mix flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in the water and mix until the dough holds together and form into a round ball.  Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425° F. To prepare the filling, spread butter pieces and sugar in the bottom of a cast iron skillet.  Arrange apple halves in a circular pattern in the skillet one on top of the other.  The apples will all be facing the same direction and will be holding each other up on their sides.  Place two halves into the center of the skillet.  Place pan on medium-high heat and allow to cook untouched for about 20 minutes or until juices turn from light golden brown to amber. Once juices turn in color, remove from stove and place skillet in preheated oven.  Cook for another 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cover with prepared crust.  Tuck edges of crust inside skillet.  Careful not to burn your fingers while tucking in the crust, a knife can help with this part.

Once the crust is in place, bake for another 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

classic babycakes

B-day treats for Erin: babycakes with yellow cake and chocolate frosting.

 mmm chocolate.

naked babycakes.

rolled in sprinkles.

all dressed up and ready to go.

CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING


This recipe is adapted from The Dessert Bible

Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough to frost about 90 babycakes (srsly.)
15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in the top of a double-boiler. Stir until the chocolate is melted. You can also melt it in the microwave, just check every 30 seconds to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream (room temperature), 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and add 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s sweetened to your liking.

Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.

Serve it with a yellow cake.  It's a classic!

plum crumble

PLUM CRUMBLE

Adapted from the lovely lady of Orangette, Molly Wizenberg

For the plums:

2 Tbsp. lightly packed brown sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
12 to 14 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted

For the topping:

Scant ¾ cup granulated sugar (about 4 to 4 ½ ounces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, beaten well
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Position a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the seasoning for the plums: the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add the plums, and gently stir to coat. Arrange the plums skin side up in an ungreased baking dish.

In another medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the topping: the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to blend well. Add the egg. Using your hands, mix thoroughly. Sprinkle evenly over the plums.

Spoon the butter evenly over the topping, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and the plums yield easily when pricked with toothpick. Cool.

Serve crumble warm or at room temperature, with ice cream.

Yield: about 12 servings

Note: To reheat leftovers, it’s best to do it slowly, in an oven set to 300 degrees.

this old thang?? kristin's strawberry cheesequake mini masterpieces

kristin made these little guys, a strawberry version of the mini cheesequakes, for her coworker's b-day.  by the looks of them, they could be straight out of a cooking mag, because they are just so pretty.  Pretty tasting as well, I'm sure.  Photography courtesy of Elof Meat-Cheese-Meat-Cheese Peitso.

this pie sweats...so you don't have to

this was my first endeavor with a making a lemon meringue pie, and i made it for corey moran's birthday dessert. it was pure deliciousness. gotta love the lemon. i really really love the lemon. i think this is my new favorite. and now that i know that this isn't such a high maintenance pie after all, and that i can turn egg whites into stiff peaks while i'm watching tv (thanks to the kitchenaid), we are in trouble. i want to make it everyday.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE
(Courtesy of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

1 flaky pie crust (out of the freezer section or homemade)
1 cup granulated sugar
salt
boiling water
4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated or minced lemon zest
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

In saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Gradually add hot water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks to temper, then return to hot mixture. Bring back to boiling and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add butter and lemon zest. Slowly add lemon juice, mixing well. Pour into pastry shell. Spread meringue over filling to the edges. Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool before cutting, best served cool.

quite possibly the moistest cake ever

I LOVE yellow cake coupled with bittersweet sour cream frosting. The combination makes for one tasty dessert treat.

I tried a new frosting recipe for the latest cake bake. They say “everything’s better with butter”, this frosting is the exception to the rule. For one, there’s no softening or waiting for ingredients to reach room temperature, there’s no weird texture issues with the butter, and incorporating warm chocolate with the other frosting ingredients was no problem. The mixture stayed very fluffy and smooth, all the way from mixing and chilling to the actual frosting of the layers. One other word to the wise, using corn syrup also means that you can easily sweeten the frosting to your liking, without changing the consistency.

Now for the cake layers, Mr. Bittman knows how to cook everything. (can you imagine what that would be like???) Well, since I do not know how to cook everything, I look to him for wise words of cooking advice and his broad recipe knowledge.

His recipe for golden layer cake looks slammin (and not just because it includes almond extract), but because it's pretty much just sugar, flour, eggs and butter. I own all of those things. Every baker should be able to knock this one out, no problem.

GOLDEN LAYER CAKE

(courtesy of How to Cook Everything)

1 and 1/4 sticks butter, softened
2 cups cake or all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs or 8 yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 tablespoon grated or minced orange zest
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

For cakes, preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9-inch cakes pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light, 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs or the yolks (I used eggs) one at a time, then the vanilla or orange zest, and the almond extract.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the egg mixture a bit at a time, stirring in milk as needed. Stir until just smooth.

Fill the cupcake papers, each with about 2 large spoonfuls of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Frost and serve without the paper.


CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING
This recipe is adapted from The Dessert Bible

Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough to frost and fill a three layer 8 or 9-inch cake

15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in the top of a double-boiler. Stir until the chocolate is melted. You can also melt it in the microwave, just check every 30 seconds to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream (room temperature!), 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and add 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s sweetened to your liking.

Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.

tangy surprise ice cream minis

these ice cream sandwiches are adapted from the Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Bluberry Swirl featured in this month's Gourmet. i'm not going to claim that i used the recipe they provided, although it was 100% what inspired me to go down this path, i made a few significant departures that resulted in an ultimately tangier and more miniature product. here's where i strayed...i did not bake my own sandwich layers. i used the leftover nilla wafers from the cheesequakes. i did not measure a gosh darn thing. i just put some blueberries in a pot and some juice in some ice cream, and ta-dah....it became a dessert. this is a perfect no-bake treat for those who don't like to measure and have come to appreciate the art of eyeballing and taste testing. i have learned that, in life and in cooking, your eyeballs and taste buds rarely let you down.

Here's about what i did, and what ingredients are needed to recreate:

Tangy Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Snacks

40-50 nilla wafer snack cookies
3 cups vanilla ice cream
1 lemon (juiced and zested)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, i used frozen)
2 tsp. cornstarch

Mix ice cream with zest of one lemon and 1/2 of the lemon juice, place back in the freezer while you prepare the blueberry compote. Heat blueberries over medium heat until they release some juices, mix cornstarch and remaining lemon juice and add to blueberries. Stir about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour. Once the compote has cooled, swirl into ice cream mixture. Sandwich blueberry lemon ice crean between two nilla wafers and wrap in cellophane. Chill another hour before serving. Makes 20+ ice cream sandwiches.

Mini Cheesequakes Will Rock Your World

My mom used to make these and I remember them being easy enough to help her with and perfectly portable for lunches and picnics. It's been about 15 years since I last had them, and they are as tasty and simple as I remember. Also, I like having a reason to buy Nilla Wafers.

We used to just eat these plain without any topping. My mom mentioned that for added flair, if they're being served at a party, you can brush them with apricot preserves and top with a kiwi slice. I made these for Kristen G's b-day, and it seemed like a good time to introduce some flair. You could also top with any seasonal fruit of your liking: cherries, strawberries, peaches, etc. Some people also top them with canned pie filling.

MINIATURE CHEESECAKES (I call them cheesequakes)

Ingredients

1 12 oz. box of Nilla Wafers

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese

3/4 c. of sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

Apricot Preserves, heated for brushing tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line muffin tins with muffin cup(metal and paper muffin liners work best because they are sturdier). Put a Nilla wafer in each cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Fill each muffin tin almost to the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Brush tops with warm preserves and top with a kiwi slice.

Makes about 18 mini cheesequakes.

I believe it is a hand pie.

These sweet little pockets of goodness are what you eat when you decide you're too old to be eating pies out of a paper bag, sold three for $.79. OR if that time never comes, it's what you eat when you are out of range of a 7/11. If neither of these conditions ever come true for you, it's a good option if you're in need of a quick and easy dessert, suitable for serving to others. Because I like portable economy pies as much as the next guy, but I always worry people will find the wrappers in the garbage. After already distributing the recipe for said "homemade" pies, this can pose a problem. It's best to avoid this whole mess and keep your dignity by grabbing some fruits and getting started.

CHERRY AND PEACH GALETTES

Filling:

2 cups bing cherries, pitted

1 cup peaches

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Crusts (Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated):

2 cups all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter , cut into 5/8-inch cubes (1 1/2 sticks)

7-9 tablespoons ice water

Wash:

1 egg, beaten

Sugar for dusting

1) Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in food processor with three 1-second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour, pulse to cut butter into flour until butter pieces are size of large pebbles, about 1/2 inch, about six 1-second pulses.

2) Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water over mixture and pulse once quickly to combine; repeat, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulsing, until dough begins to form small curds that hold together when pinched with fingers (dough should look crumbly and should not form cohesive ball).

3) Form Mound:Empty dough onto work surface and gather into rough rectangular mound about 12 inches long and 5 inches wide.

4) Fraisage & Chill: Starting at farthest end, use heel of hand to smear small amount of dough against counter, pushing firmly down and away from you, to create separate pile of dough (flattened pieces of dough should look shaggy). Continue process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into rough 12 by 5-inch mound and repeat smearing process. Dough will not have to be smeared as much as first time and should form cohesive ball once entire portion is worked. Form dough into 4-inch square, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until cold and firm but still malleable, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

5) About 15 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up fruit and mix with sugar and cornstarch.

6) Roll and trim dough: Place dough on floured 16 by 12-inch piece of parchment paper and dust with more flour. Cut into six even pieces and form into round balls. One by one, roll each ball out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/8 inch thick, dusting top and bottom of dough and rolling pin with flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Trim dough so edges are even with parchment paper. You'll end up with six round circles.

7) Fill with fruit: Place about 1/4 to 1/2 c. of fruit on each dough circle, keep in mind you'll want a little over an inch of crust around the fruit to fold up.

8) Form border: Roll up 1 inch of each edge and pinch firmly, creating a fold every two inches around the circle. With parchment on cookie sheet and tarts formed and filled, brush each pie with egg wash and dust with sugar.

9) Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45-55 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. And enjoy! As we discovered, these are even more deliciuos reheated quickly in the oven on day 2, and again served a la mode.