Simple Fruit Tarts

It is crucial to have arsenal of quick desserts that you can pull together at a moments notice. That is why I always try to keep at least one package of puff pastry in the freezer at all times. You never know when you might need to bring an appetizer to a friend’s house or when you might need a late night snack. These simple tarts can be made with just about any fresh fruit that is in season.

Simply Elegant Cherry Tarts (The Oregonian)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon grated orange rind or ¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
(or other fresh, soft fruit)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pastry to 12 to 14” square. Cut into 16 smaller squares. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and turn up edges, pinching at corners to form a shallow shell. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over all shells. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, flour and orange rind or almond extract. (May need to double the amount of flour mixture.

Bake 14-18 minutes. Cool and serve.
(Works well with peaches and raspberries.)d sugar to have enough.) Arrange cherries in single layer on each shell. Sprinkle with flour/sugar mixture.

Cool Creamy Panna Cotta

I love the simple elegance of Panna Cotta. It is one of my favorite things to make for a dinner party in the summer because it can be made in advance and you don’t have to turn the oven on. During the summer I like to use what ever fresh fruit is available to top the creamy Panna Cotta.

The picture above is from my cousins wedding reception and the picture was taken by Emily Brooks. Thanks Em.

Panna Cotta (Epicurious)

2 tablespoons water
1 ¼ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
1 ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar

Pour 2 tablespoons water into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Whisk 1 cup cream, yogurt, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Heat remaining 1 cup cream and ½ cup sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and cream comes to simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Mix hot cream-gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Mix hot cream-gelatin mixture into yogurt mixture in bowl. Divide mixture among six ¾ cup ramekins, using about ½ cup for each. Refrigerate desserts uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Garnish with fresh berries.
(We used fresh raspberries with an added mint leaf – at the last minute…and fresh blueberries with a knotted piece of orange rind.)

A Lovely Dessert Buffet

As you know I come from a big family that loves to cook. My aunt can put together one of the most beautiful dessert buffets that you will ever see. The table above is from my cousins wedding earlier this summer. Over the next few weeks if permission is granted I’ll be featuring some of the great recipes from the buffet. Here is a list of some of the highlights of the table.

Tuxedo Brownie Cups, Panna Cotta, Mini Cupcakes
Mixed Berry Shortcake(Strawberries, Blueberries & Raspberries) with Whipped Cream in ice bowl, Heart Shortbread Cookies, Lemon Curd Tarts, Simply Elegant Fruit Tarts, Chocolate Caramel Praline Roll, Lemony Blueberry Cheese Tart and Assorted Cookies with Sugared Rose Petals

Cheese Plate
Fresh Fruit Plate
Tea Sandwiches (Radish & Cucumber)
Crostini (Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella)

I’m still trying to get my head wrapped around how she pulled it all off.

The photograph above was taken by my cousin Emily Brooks.

Just the Way I Like It

I’ve been working on perfecting peach cobbler for a couple of years. I have found that the dish tends to fall into two different categories. The first is a cobbler with a cakee biscuit topping and the other is a thinner crisp with nuts and spices. I tried both styles and I was never quite satisfied. In my mind I wanted a topping that was buttery and rich like a soft sandy short bread, but I also wanted cinnamon, crunchy nuts and maybe even a little oatmeal.

During my trails I found that the biscuit topping could be dry and dull. With the crisps I found that lots of times the topping melted away and was sucked into the cobbler. I couldn’t find a recipe that had everything that I wanted so I made my own and I made sure it had everything I wanted. The result was a double topped peach cobbler crisp. I topped the cobbler with both butter short bread and crunchy cinnamon crisp. In the end it doubled that fat content, but if that what it takes to make me happy than so be it.