Tag: raspberry

As the warm weather approaches, you’ll want a collection of quick and easy no-bake pies ready to step out of the shadow of winter. Elegantly light and fresh, this raspberry chiffon Pink Flamingo is a natural beauty that doesn’t need working wings to fly off the table.

Light Crumb Crust

1. 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2. 1 tbs unsalted butter
3. 1 large egg white
4. 1 tbs granulated sugar or honey
5. 1 tsp all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425°

Combine all the ingredients until well blended

Press the crust into a 9 inch pie plate (starting in the center and working outward and upward)

Crimp the edges with a fork

Bake for 15 minutes

Transfer to a wire rack to cool

The Filling

1. 3 large egg yolks
2. 14 oz. can low fat sweetened condensed milk
3. zest of 1 lime
4. ½ cup fresh lime juice
5. 6 tbs superfine sugar
6. 2 cups fresh raspberries

Beat the egg yolks, condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice to combine

Pour the lime filling into the crust and bake for 35 minutes, until the center of the filling is set

Transfer to a wire rack to cool

Top the filling with the raspberries

The primaries may be ending, but a patriotic pie is always a thrillingly current event. In this election year, it’s more fashionable than ever to wrap your pie in the flag, which means a fresh, juicy tart in the colors of Old Glory (flag pin optional). Sweetest, Easiest Sweet Tart Dough Basic Pastry Cream

The Berries

1. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
2. 1 cup fresh raspberries
3. 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400°

Blind bake the tart dough for 20 minutes

Remove from the oven and brush the base of the tart with the egg

Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the eggs are brown and the base of the crust is golden

Cool on a wire rack

Whisk the cooled pastry cream and fill the tart shell

Smooth the top with a spatula

Arrange the raspberries and blueberries in a decorative pattern on top of the cream

Be sure to leave space so the pastry cream is visible

For all those times when you were definitely NOT an angel, make this pie for mom. It’s all the things her kids forgot to be: sweet, light, and irresistible.

Preheat the oven to 275°

Butter a 9 inch glass pie dish

The Meringue Crust

1. 4 egg whites
2. ½ tsp cream of tartar
3. pinch of salt
4. 1 cup sugar

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt

Beat until the egg whites stand in soft peaks

Slowly add the sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form

Spread the egg whites over the bottom and sides of the pie dish, building them slightly above the rim of the dish

Bake about 1⅓ hours, until golden brown and firm

Turn off the oven and let the crust cool completely

You can even leave it overnight.

The Filling

1. 1 cup heavy cream
2. 1 cup lemon curd, chilled

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form

Gently fold in the lemon curd

Spread the mixture in the meringue shell

The Topping

1. 1 cup heavy cream
2. 1 tbs sugar
3. 1 tbs nonfat dry milk
4. 8-10 strawberries or ½ cup raspberries or, live it up, use both!

Combine the cream, sugar and dry milk in a bowl

Whip until stiff

Spread over the pie

Garnish with berries

Okay, this tart is not simple. In fact, it’s like three separate recipes, so have a look at Read the Ending First, seriously. But when you put this raspberry charlotte all together, it’s so beautiful and tastes so delicious, especially with Earl Gray or Jasmine tea (and something in white cotton with a satin ribbon), it’s just unforgettable. So forget all that feminist stuff, and just be feminine.

Sweet Tart Dough

1. 6 tbs unsalted butter
2. ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
3. 2 large egg yolks
4. 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
5. ¼ tsp salt
6. 2 tsp heavy cream

In an electric mixer bowl, using the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar

Mix on low speed for 2 minutes

Add egg yolks and continue mixing for another minute

Add ¾ cup flour and mix

Add remaining ¾ cup flour, salt, and cream

Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a flattened disc and refrigerate at least 2 hours

Roll out and press into a tart pan

Preheat the oven to 375° and blind bake the tart for 20 minutes, until golden brown

Let cool completely before adding the raspberry filling

Raspberry Charlotte filling

1 envelope unflavored gelatin 

¼ cup water, plus 2 tbs cold water

½ cup granulated sugar

6 cups raspberries

2 cups heavy double cream

2 tsp confectioner’s sugar

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons cold water, stir, and let soften until opaque

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the ¼ cup water and granulated sugar until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the softened gelatin

With a fine mesh sieve, strain the mixture into a bowl and let cool to room temperature

In a food processor or blender, puree 4 cups of the raspberries

Stir the puree into the gelatin mixture

Whip 1¼ cups of the cream to medium-stiff peaks

With a rubber spatula, stir a quarter of the cream into the puree

Fold in the remaining cream

When the tart is completely cool, pile in the raspberry filling and chill for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better

Whip the remaining cream and spoon into a pastry bag

Using the rosette attachment, decorate the top of the pie with cream rosettes and remaining fresh raspberries

What was that adage about the fastest way to a man’s heart? Through his intellect? No. His compassion? Get a grip. His abs? Getting warmer…Wait, wait…oh right, the place every good pie seeks to satisfy. Which means that making a Sweetheart Raspberry Tart is one of the few ways you can tart it up, dish it out, and still keep it in the bank.

Tart Pastry

1. 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 tbs sugar
3. 1 tsp salt
4. ½ tsp grated lemon zest
5. ½ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits
6. ½ cup solid vegetable shortening, chilled
7. 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
8. 2-3 tbs cold water

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon

Add the butter and shortening

Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, blend together until the mixture resembles coarse meal

Using a fork, stir in the lemon juice

Stirring gently with the fork, add enough of the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, for the mixture to come together in moist, rough clumps

Divide the dough in half

Gather each half into a ball, then flatten into a disk, about 5 inches in diameter

Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour

Roll out the pastry

The Filling

1. 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate (plain), chopped
2. ½ tsp unflavored gelatin
3. 1 tbs framboise eau de vie
4. 1 cup vanilla pastry cream, hot (don’t panic, recipe follows)
5. ⅓ cup cold heavy double cream
6. 3 cups raspberries

Preheat the oven to 400°

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler

Set over (but not touching) gently simmering water

Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and smooth

Using the back of a spoon, generously coat the inside bottom and sides of the pastry shell with the chocolate

Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the framboise and let stand for 10 minutes

Stir the gelatin mixture into the hot pastry cream

Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until cool but not set

In a chilled bowl, using an electric mixture set on medium-high, whip the cream to form stiff peaks

Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream

Spread in the chocolate-lined pastry shell

Refrigerate about an hour

Arrange the raspberries over the pastry cream filling

Serve within 4 hours, or before your illusions turn into a pumpkin

Vanilla Pastry Cream

1. ⅔ cup whole milk (Use whole milk. Low-fat or non-fat milk won’t work.)
2. 1 piece vanilla bean, 2 inches, split in half, lengthwise (alright, already!)
3. 2 egg yolks
4. 3 tbs sugar
5. 1 tbs cornstarch

In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the milk and vanilla bean, and bring to a simmer

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until well blended

When the milk reaches a simmer, remove from the heat and gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture

Return this mixture to the saucepan and place over medium heat

Cook, whisking constantly, until the pastry cream thickens and boils, about 1 minute

Discard the vanilla bean (after all that?) and transfer the pastry cream to a small bowl

According to Rose Levy Beranbaum (”The Pie and Pastry Bible”), when raspberries sit all alone in a pie, they lose their character and become too cloying and intense. But when they’re combined with red currants, not only do the two flavors blend brilliantly, each fruit makes the other more delicious than either would be alone. So if you, too, have been a raspberry who’s spent too many Saturday nights alone in your shell, get out there and find your red currant. Of course, since this is easier said than done, Penelope suggests first practicing on this pie.

Penelope’s Ultimate Pie Crust

for a double crust pie

Place the rolled out bottom dough into the pie pan and chill for 30 minutes

The Filling

1. ½ large egg white, lightly beaten
2. ¾ cup sugar
3. 2 tbs cornstarch
4. pinch of salt
5. 2½ cups red raspberries
6. 1½ cups red currants, stemmed and dried
7. 1 large egg yolk
8. 1 tsp heavy cream

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt

Place half the currants evenly over the bottom pie shell

Place half the raspberries over them

Repeat with the remaining red currants, then the remaining raspberries

Sprinkle on the remaining sugar mixture and the lemon juice

The Lattice Crust

While the dough in the pie pan is chilling in the fridge, roll out the second ball of dough

Using a ruler and a pastry jagger, or a pizza cutter, cut 10 ¾” strips

Remove the bottom crust from the fridge and let stand for 10 minutes

Pile the filling into the pie pan

Arrange half the strips evenly over the currants and the raspberries

Gently curve back every other strip a little past the center and place another strip perpendicular on top

Un-curve the strips so they lie flat on top of the perpendicular strip

Working in the same direction, curve back the strips that were not curved back the first time

Apply the remaining 2 strips to the other side of the pie, starting toward the center and working toward the edge

Remember to alternate the strips that are curved back so the strips weave in and out

Trim the edges and tuck in the overhang

Combine the egg yolk and the heavy cream to make the glaze

Brush the top of the lattice and put in the fridge for 1 hour

Preheat the oven to 425°

Put the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is thickly bubbling all over and the center is slightly puffed

When Penelope’s best pie pal requested a recipe for a pie that was sweet and simple, where else would Penelope look but the ancient home of sunlight and beauty, not to mention intrigue, romance, and exceptional outfits…Italy. The Germans get a lot of credit for incredible pastry but the truth is, when the Roman empire fell and the Germans invaded, while the Italians weren’t exactly thrilled to see them, they were clever enough to keep an open mind about all the new pie crusts coming across the border. And as expected, they turned them into works of art.

Italian Sweet Short Pastry (Pasta Frolla)

(for a double crust tart/bottom crust plus a lattice top crust - see Lattice Crust ) the bottom tart will be blind baked (See Helpful Hint #9)

1. 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2. ½ cup sugar
3. pinch salt
4. 1 ¾ sticks unsalted butter
5. 1 egg
6. 1 egg yolk
7. 1 tsp vanilla extract
8. 1 tsp fresh lemon juice or ½ tsp lemon extract or grated zest of 1 lemon (Penelope votes for the last one)

Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar

Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon juice, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition

Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together, but is soft — don’t over-mix

Divide the dough in half, flattening each into a 4 to 5 inch disc

Chill for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 1 day

After removing from the fridge, let the dough stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before rolling it out

Lightly butter the pan and ease the dough in

Trim the edges and tidy with your fingers

Heat the oven to 350°

Line the bottom tart with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights

Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes

The Filling

1. 3 cups best quality raspberry or apricot jam

After the bottom tart crust is blind-baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely

Spread the jam ½ inch thick over the tart shell

Make the lattice for the top crust

Heat the oven to 400°

Bake until the lattice is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes

Immediately brush the top with the apricot glaze

Cool on a rack to room temperature

The Glaze

1. Best quality apricot jam
2. 1-2 tsp water or fresh lemon juice

Heat the preserves and water in a small saucepan over moderate heat until the mixture comes to a boil

Strain through a sieve

Use the glaze while it is still warm