Strawberry Tart

I was lucky enough on Monday to pick nearly ten pounds of strawberries at Froberg Farms down in Alvin. I froze the majority of them for syrups, sauces and smoothies and Miss F has been feasting on them nearly every meal. I still had a bunch leftover, so a strawberry tart has been something I have always wanted to make. I used Ina Garten's recipe for pastry cream and Martha Stewart's recipe for the crust. Pastry cream was a lot simpler to make than I thought it would be.

Strawberry Tart

1 recipe of Martha Stewart's Pate Brise
1 recipe of Ina Garten's Pastry Cream
1 pound of fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 375.  Prepare pie crust per recipe.  Roll into the tart pan, trimming the excess edges.  Lay a piece of parchment paper over the prepared crust and fill with dry beans.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the parchment paper and beans, return to the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is golden brown.  Allow crust to cool.

Fill the crust with one recipe worth of Pastry Cream.  Hull the strawberries and slice each in half.  Arrange and the tart, serve.

Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee

2 ½ cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1//2 inch cubes
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow steady stream until mixture just begins to hold together.

Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 3 days, before using.
 
Ina Garten's Pastry Cream
 
5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.

With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

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Lemon Squares

One of the things that got me through the six hour shifts at the front office of the Junior League was the promise of a lemon square at the end. If there were any leftover in the Pantry and the girls working there were willing to share, I would get a big, tart and tasty lemon square. Unwrapping it was full of anticipation of the lemony goodness I was about to experience. This recipe is super tart, so feel free to lessen the amount of lemon juice, but I love things tart, so this recipe suits me perfectly.

Lemon Squares
printable recipe

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar -- plus extra to decorate finished bars
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into1-inch pieces

4 large eggs -- beaten lightly
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Grease the parchment paper, then lay second sheet crosswise over it.

Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

For the filling: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon juice, milk, and salt to blend well.

To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Dust tops with confectioner’s sugar and cut into 2” squares.

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Crockpot Pork Carnitas

These were so easy and so delicious. They almost rival the tastiness of the crockpot chicken tacos. The beer really adds a great flavor to the dish and gives the added bonus of causing one's husband to give them the side eye when you ask them to bring you a beer at 8 in the morning. I will be adding this dish into our regular dinner rotaion and will be making the crockpot chicken tacos less often with this "other white meat" replacement. The filling would be great in burritos, enchiladas, taquitos or whatever else you like with it.

Crockpot Pork Carnitas
printable recipe

1.5 to 2 pounds pork (I used pork chops, but a roast would work as well)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 can of light beer
1 jalapeno, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ onion, minced

Combine all items in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred the pork and cook in the crockpot for another 20 minutes. Serve on corn tortillas with avocado, onion and tomatoes.

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