Fruit

Baking Through Fika: Summer Torte

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As promised, here is a much more complicated recipe from Fika!  I destroyed my kitchen with this one, so you know it’s good.

Summer Torte-4

For my third dessert I tried my hand at a layered cake filled with a lemon mousse, topped and filled with fruit and frosted around the edges with sweetened whipped cream and almonds.  Are you drooling yet?!

Summer Torte-9

I ran into a few little issues with the ingredients in this recipe.  Since these recipes are Swedish, some of the ingredients are not things you’d find in a non-European kitchen.  Here are the ingredients I struggled with and how I worked it out.

  • Potato flour: I did not have any potato flour (anyone out there use it on a regular basis?) and was not about to go buy some for a measly 1/4 cup.  After a little research I decided to grind potato flakes into a flour-like consistency.  It worked just fine.
  • Gelatin sheets: This is a European thing, or at least it seems to be based on my limited internet searching.  I could order gelatin sheets on Amazon, OR I could find a way to use powdered gelatin.  Turns out that 4 gelatin sheets (called for in the recipe) is just about equivalent to 1 packet of powdered gelatin.  Sprinkle it over 1/4 cup of cold water before using it.  Problem solved.
  • Jelly Sugar: This turned out to be a non-issue since I simply decided to skip this part of the recipe!  You are supposed to use the sugar to make a glaze for the fruit on top of the torte, which makes it nice and shiny.  I just chose not to glaze the fruit, and it was fine.  But just so you know, jelly sugar is not just plain ol sugar.  It contains pectin which causes it to gel when mixed with water and heated.  I’m interested to try it, but since it wasn’t easy for me to find I didn’t use it.  When talking about this with my Aunt Vivie, she suggested heating up some jam and glazing with that.  Wish I’d talked to her before making this!  I think that would be a great alternative.

It wasn’t just the ingredients that tested my baking knowledge and skill!  The methods for making the lemon mousse filling and the cake were things I had never done before.  The filling ended up being just as it should be (at least I think it was) but the cake was maybe not as tall as it should have been, and it was sunken in the center.  When I sliced it in half the middle of the top layer was significantly thinner than the outer edges.  BUT when all was said and done, this was super good.  I’m glad I made it during the summer, it is a perfect summer dessert.

Summer Torte-19

This is best eaten within a few days, so make it for guests (it serves 6-8) or for a family who will eat it within that time!  In my house I am the only one eating stuff like this, so I pawned it off on a few friend and visitors who were kind enough to help me finish it.

Summer Torte-11 Summer Torte-22

Summer Torte

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup potato flour
  • 1/3 cup flour

Lemon Mousse

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 envelope powdered gelatin (4 gelatin sheets)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • zest and juice of one lemon

Fruit and Garnish

  • Some combination of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (3-4 cups total)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1-2 teaspoons powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 couple hefty handfuls of sliced almonds (toasted if desired)
  • 1/4 cup jelly sugar heated with 1/4 cup water OR heated apricot jam OR nothing

Directions

Cake

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.  Grease a 10-inch springform pan or line it with parchment.
  2. Heat a pot of water over medium heat.  Beat the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy in a bowl placed over the hot water.  Once the mixture reaches 140F (about 7 minutes) remove from the heat but continue to beat for a few minutes.
  3. Sift the potato flour and all purpose flour over the egg mixture, then fold it into the eggs until just combined.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for 15-18 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Mousse

  1. Whip the cream to medium-stiff peaks and keep in the fridge.
  2. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water and let bloom.
  3. Beat the egg and sugar until light, then beat in the lemon zest.
  4. Pour the lemon juice into a small saucepan.  Add the gelatin and heat over low to melt the gelatin.  Once melted, remove from the heat.  Stir in a spoonful of the melted gelatin into the egg mixture, repeat 2-3 times to temper the eggs, then add all of the gelatin mixture and mix to combine.  Fold in the whipped cream.

Layer and Assemble

  1. Prepare the pan by first cutting a cardboard round the size of the cake.  Line the spring form pan with plastic wrap, then place the cardboard round in the bottom of the pan.
  2. Divide the cake in to two layers and place one layer (the sturdier of the two) into the pan.  Spread a good layer of the mousse (not quite half) onto the cake, then place half of the fruit on top.  If you are using strawberries be sure to slice them.
  3. Place the other layer on top and repeat with some (but probably not all) of the lemon mousse and the rest of the fruit.  You can use whole strawberries on top (stems removed).  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  4. Before removing the torte from the refrigerator whip the cream with the sugar and extracts.
  5. Remove the torte from the pan and spread the cream around the edges, then press the almonds into the cream.  Slice and serve!

Fruit Tart with Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

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When I was asked to bring fruit to a little gathering of Sunday school ladies, I don’t know if this is what she had in mind.  But I’d been itching to make a proper dessert for a while, so this is what I brought.  Beats the pants off of a fruit salad, I’d say.

Making pastry cream is one of those “miracle in the kitchen” moments when you smile and marvel at what can become of eggs, milk, sugar and heat!  One minute on the stove you’re whisking, being careful not to stir too quickly to avoid spilling the thin mixture, then it’s suddenly a thickened pot of deliciousness!  Pastry cream is easy, as long as you can devote a little bit of undivided attention to it.  If you don’t whisk, whisk, whisk while its cooking you’ll end up with lumps, which are not what you want in a pastry cream.  You also have to let it cool for at least 2 hours in the fridge.  If you have time and patience, you can make pastry cream.

Recipes for the tart crust and pastry cream came from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.  I had no problems with the pastry cream.  The crust was another story entirely.  After preparing the dough, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.  At this point I already had my doubts.  It was so crumbly and dry.  After chilling overnight (which the recipe says is fine) it was so dry that it was impossible to roll out.  And I mean impossible.  It crumbled.  All over the place.  I ended up just pressing it into the tart pan.  I blind baked it, worrying the entire time that I’d have to do it over again.  But it came out of the oven looking fine.  I figured that since it was going to be filled with pastry cream and topped with fruit, a less than stellar crust was OK.  It turned out to be a bit difficult to slice, and it did crumble easily, but it tasted great.  But I am in search of the perfect tart dough now.

You can use any fruit you like.  I used blueberries, raspberries and kiwi.  I also bought strawberries, but didn’t end up having room for them.  So I made baby food with them…something that was not a big hit.  But that’s a story for another blog.

I glazed the top of the finished tart with apricot jam that I’d heated and thinned with a little water to give it a nice sheen.  It doesn’t interfere with the taste at all.

Tart Dough and Pastry Cream From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

Tart Dough

NOTE: The instructions below would work in an ideal baking world.  I had to press my crumbling dough into the tart pan, much like a graham cracker crust.  If you cannot roll this dough, the pressing method works fine, but does not yield a tender crust.  I might be inclined to tell you to simply use your favorite pie dough recipe in place of this one.  Sorry, Martha.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons heavy cream

Directions

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter and powdered sugar on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add egg yolks and mix until incorporated.  Add 3/4 cup flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated.  Add remaining 3/4 cup flour, salt and cream, and mix until flour is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
  3. Turn dough onto plastic wrap and shape into a flattened disk.  Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  4. When ready to make your tart shell, preheat oven to 375°F, remove dough from the fridge, roll out to 1/4 inch thick and at least 2 inches wider in diameter than your tart pan (so 13 inches for an 11 inch pan, 11 inches for a 9 inch pan).
  5. Drape dough over pan, press into the pan, remove excess by rolling a rolling pin over the top edge to trim dough.
  6. Blind Bake: Prick dough lightly with a fork in several places.  Lay a piece of parchment over the dough, fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake for 20 minutes, remove parchment and weights, bake for another 5-10 until slightly browned.  Let cool.

Pastry Cream

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt.  Cook over medium heat until mixture just comes to a simmer.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into the egg mixture.  Continue adding milk mixture, a little at a time, to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until it has all been incorporated.
  3. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.  Remove and discard vanilla bean.
  4. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment.  Add the butter and beat on medium speed until the butter melts and the mixture cools slightly, about 5 minutes.
  5. Pour pastry cream into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface (so it doesn’t form a skin).  Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
  6. Just before using, whisk until smooth.

Fruit Tart

Ingredients

  • 1 baked tart shell
  • 1 batch pastry cream
  • Assorted fruits, rinsed and dried (a heaping cup each blueberries, raspberries and 3 kiwi fruits sliced with skin removed)
  • 1/4 cup apricot jam, warmed with 1-2 tablespoons water

Directions

  1. Brush jam over crust, just to coat, to keep it from becoming soggy.  Let dry for 20 minutes.
  2. Spread pastry cream in shell and smooth the top, fill almost to the top edge of the shell.
  3. Arrange fruit on top of pastry cream and then brush top of the fruit with more jam.  Chill until ready to serve.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

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In my quest for a patriotic dessert to make in honor of the Fourth of July, I came across many that utilize summer’s bounty of red and blue berries.  It just wasn’t the Fourth as a kid without a flag cake!  This red, white and blue dessert is a bit fancier than flag cake, and is really much easier.  No fruity stars and stripes here.  Just classically beautiful and incredibly good.

Panna cotta is Italian for cooked cream.  It has always seemed a little daunting to me, but this is truly one of the easiest desserts I have ever made.  The ability to make this days in advance is appealing to me…as someone who tends to stress before having guests.  Make these early and that’s one less thing to worry about the day of your party.

You can probably tell by the ingredient list that this is not a dessert you would enjoy every night of the week.  It is so very rich, so wonderfully creamy and perfectly smooth.  If you don’t have vanilla beans, then you can use a teaspoon of vanilla extract or ,better yet, vanilla bean paste which would give you the nice specks in this otherwise pure white dessert.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

From Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 vanilla beans, split
  • pinch of salt
  • Assorted fresh berries

Directions

  1. Place the milk in a heavy, small saucepan.  Sprinkle gelatin over the top and let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir over medium heat until gelatin dissolves, but milk does not boil, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the cream, honey, sugar, vanilla beans and salt.  Stir over heat until sugar dissolves.  Remove vanilla beans and scrape out seeds into the mixture.  Stir to distribute.
  4. Remove from the heat and divide the cream mixture into 6-8 cups (wine glasses are pretty, but dessert cups or ramekins are fine).
  5. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
  6. Garnish with berries and a sprig of mint.

Cheater Apple Dumplings

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I haven’t had my camera for a few weeks now, but I’d been doing pretty good remembering to take pictures with my iphone.  Unfortunately, the last few yummy things I’ve made haven’t been photographed before being consumed.  This is one of those things, so here is the picture from The Pioneer Woman’s website, where I got this delicious recipe.

apple dumplings

I usually make fun of recipes like this that use pre-prepared foods like canned crescent rolls.  And Mountain Dew…what is this all about?  But these looked and sounded too good to shun on the basis of a few ingredients.

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