Moving to Oregon was an easy sell to Brian when I kept bragging about the over-the-top produce to be found. Not one to eat his vegetables, the lure of incredible fruit became my angle. Our first week in the new apartment, we took a walk in the late summer sunshine and came upon a bramble of blackberries in the park. It was not long before Brian emerged from the thicket with stained fingers and a huge smile. Free berries for all to enjoy- what a totally cool thought!
The satisfaction that comes with picking one’s own produce and creating a dish with it is one of my most favorite and necessary sensations. In this instance, the challenge to make a simple pastry, yet one worthy of the freshest berries I could ever obtain was a joyful one. To honor the fruit, I bought fresh milk from the dairy at the market for the pastry cream. When it was all done and in need of glaze, I went with a fresh fig syrup gleaned from the huge, splitting, juicy and sexy little numbers I brought home for B to snack on. Not intrusive in flavor or sweetness, the fig liquor did its job splendidly.
The Pastry
I used my mother’s sweet dough recipe. I use this for a lot of my tarts, as it is not so sweet as a traditional pâte sucrée and it holds up well (Ignore this photo’s crust- it got dropped out of the silicone mold and I don’t recommend that pan for more than a frittada or a Tarte Tatin). Save yourself some agony and use a tart pan with a removable bottom and line the bottom with parchment.
6 Ounces (1 1/2 sticks) margarine, cold
3 egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar or to taste
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste or extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Get It Done
Quit eating all the berries or you’ll never have enough.
Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a tart pan by buttering* it and lining the bottom with parchment.
Sift flour and baking powder in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, cream together the eggs margarine, vanilla and sugar until smooth and light colored. Slowly cut in the flour mixture and blend just enough. It should look like a crumbly cookie dough. Do not make it totally smooth, as you want it to have some texture.
Using a flat-bottomed dry measuring cup (I use my half cup one), press the dough into the pan bottom, flouring the cup as needed. Line the sides of the pan, using the cup sides to smooth the dough into the flutes and bottom corner, creating a clean edge.
Blind bake the crust for 20 minutes or more, until it is golden brown and puffed on bottom. Let it cool completely before filling. I remove the tart pan’s jacket after about five minutes and let it cool on a wire rack.
*Yes, butter on the pan- not margarine. Margarine has a higher water content than butter and will make the edges of the crust wet when lining the pan. Butter is all fat, lending itself to a crisper, cleaner release and better stability.
Actually, margarine is called for in this recipe for two reasons- the Pareve (neutrally kosher nature) factor which allows this dessert to be served on a kosher table and for the water/fat content that imparts a softer tooth and a little loft from the steam. Naturally, using butter on the pan will render it a dairy dish, so if you are playing by the rules, you should probably go without. Just make sure you have a nonstick pan.
Pastry Cream
Traditional, no muss recipe. Use a nonstick pot and heatproof spatula, and do not walk away or stop stirring, scraping all the pan surfaces well as you go. When it starts to thicken, stir more aggressively and completely to avoid lumps. If you are that much of a chicken, use a double boiler.
4 ounces granulated sugar, divided
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1 pint of whole milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Get It Done, la partie deux
Mix 2 ounces of sugar and all the cornstarch in a large bowl until blended. Mix in egg yolks until a paste forms. Stir in 4 ounces of milk.
Combine the remaining milk and sugar in a nonstick pot and bring to a low boil. With a constantly moving whisk, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Take your time, make a continuous stream. When its all incorporated, return the mixture to the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Switch to the nonstick spatula and park it for a while. Stir constantly, scraping all the sides and bottom of the pot until you start to feel it dragging, thickening up. Once the spatula grabs a thickened bit of mixture, begin to scrape evenly, quickly and thoroughly. Watch the liquid as it begins to set- it will be rapid. Cook and let it thicken until a stiff ribbon holds its shape on top of the cream.
Remove the pot from the heat and give a good stir for another minute as it relaxes in cooler climes. Add the vanilla and stir again. Transfer it to a bowl for cooling. Butter a circle of parchment paper the size of the top layer of cream and cover it, butter side down (duh!). Chill the cream for about 4 hours or as long as 2 days.
Fig Glaze
This was a Mother Of Invention Moment. I don’t care for simple syrup or apricot jam, either. Since a tart needs the protection and appeal of a glaze, I used what I had on hand. Even though it was not crystal clear or up to fancy-pants standards, nobody complained.
2 fresh, huge green figs, or four small ones
1/4 cup water
Once Again, With Feeling!
Dice the figs and simmer them in a nonstick saucepan with the water for about five to ten minutes or until the rendered liquid is very thick. Strain over a fine mesh sieve and gently press the liquid from the solids. Feed the solids to yourself with a scoop of yogurt. Chill the liquid and test for thickness- it should not be too thin as to pool like mine did in the photo. If you have leftover, make a fig soda with a can of sparkling water.
Gettin’ It On
Its pretty straightforward. On the fancy plate you are going to serve from, lay down the shell and fill it with pastry cream until about 1/4 inch from the top. Arrange your stolen blackberries in rings, working from the outside to the center. Brush with glaze. If you have any syrup left, crack open a bottle of sparkling water and make a soda out of it.
Stab anyone who takes the last piece without asking permission.
