Strawberry season is finally here ~ time to make Rustic Strawberry Crostata.

I'm back home in the good old USA! It was wonderful to spend so much time with my family in Sweden, but it's really nice being back home. And to sleep in my own bed.  And cook in my own kitchen. I tried lots of new recipes in Sweden that I will adjust to American measurements. Many will end up on the blog in the future.  While in Sweden, I had problems with my laptop and the access to Internet, so my blog entries got fewer and far in between. And unfortunately, it rained a lot. According to records, it hasn't rained this much since the beginning of the century. Hopefully, it'll turn around for tomorrow, when Swedes celebrate Midsummer. A day of eating and partying - a Smörgåsbord filled with yummy dishes like; Gravlax with dill-mustard sauce, pickled herrings, gilled meats, Janson's Potato Temptation. All washed down with a few snaps (vodka shots).  I'll have to make my own versions of the food here at home!

This is a nice time of year to return to Massachusetts, with summer and vacation time around the corner.  And with strawberry season just beginning, it makes it extra sweet. I love the amazing fresh produce arriving at the local farmer's markets right about now. Time gorge on lots of strawberries! 

I bought several quarts at a local market and went home and made some strawberry jam and a pie. I have a great Rustic Apple Crostata recipe that I alter, according to whatever fruit and berry is in season.  I love the homey look of this pie. It's super easy to make and the gluten-free pie crust is flaky and delicious.  The fresh strawberries added just the right sweetness. This rustic tart is my contribution to Månadens Sötsak, a wonderful Swedish baking blog ~ www.sotsaker.com  The theme for this month is Fresh (Friskt in Swedish).  And what can be fresher than freshly picked strawberries! It's also my contribution to Pie Party 2012 on Facebook. 

                

Rustic Strawberry Crostata

1 quart strawberries

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of kosher salt

2 tbsp butter, cut into bits

2 tbsp heavy cream, to brush crust

1 tbsp sugar, to sprinkle on crust

Recipe for Pate Sucree (crust) follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Cut the strawberries into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add the sugar, lime juice, cinnamon and salt and toss to coat well.  Set aside to let the flavors blend for 10 minutes.

On a well floured (gluten-free brown rice flour works well here) parchment paper, roll the dough out into a 15-inch circle.  

Transfer the dough and parchment paper to a baking sheet.  Mound the strawberries in the center of the dough, making sure to leave a 2-inch border.  

Dot the berries with the 2 tablespoons of butter and fold the dough border up around the strawberries. (The border won’t cover the strawberries.)  Brush the dough with the heavy cream and sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon of sugar. 

Place the baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, move the baking sheet to the top third of the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden.  Remove and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.  Drip some of the strawberry juice, that may have seeped out around the pie, back onto the strawberries. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of ice-cream or whipped cream. 

Make the crust - Pate Sucree:

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp kosher salt

10 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into bits

2-3 tbsp ice water

Put the flours, sugar, xantham gum, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  With the food processor running, add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough just begins to form.  Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  

Dig in and enjoy! 

Smaklig Måltid!

Simple Sunday Dessert ~ Blackberry Tart

I make this blackberry tart because it reminds me of summer! Right about now, I need a reminder that it's coming. Soon. Nothing does the trick like blackberries and raspberries. These lovely berries fill me with memories; of my mother picking raspberries in our yard and making pies, of picnics on the beach, and black raspberry ice-cream. I make sure to buy plenty of fresh berries during the summer months, at local farmer's markets, and freeze them. This way, I'll always have 'fresh' berries on hand. I bake them up in pies, cakes, and muffins during the long winter months.

This versatile tart bakes up lovely. It fills the house with a wonderful fruit scent - a promise of sun and warmth of summer. It's easy to make, can be made with whatever fruit you have, frozen, or fresh and in season. The grocery store usually have an excellent selection of frozen berries. I like to serve this tart plain. But try serving with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Blackberry Tart

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 tbsp heavy cream, or milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp lime zest

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

1/2 cup garbanzo flour

3 tbsp tapioca starch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

shredded coconut, for pan

2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch springorm pan, or a 11 x 9-inch tart pan. Line the pan with shredded coconut, make sure it covers the bottom and sides of the pan.

In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then heavy cream, vanilla extract, and lime zest.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flours, tapioca, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Beat in flour mixture on low speed until batter comes together. Spread in pan.

Arrange the berries on top of the batter. Sprinkle with lime juice. Mix 2 tbsp sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon, and sprinkle over the blackberries.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until edges are golden and the center is set. Test for doneness by inserting a cake tester or toothpick into center of tart. It should come out clean.

Cool tart in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan. Remove sides from pan. Serve. Take a bite, close your eyes, and think of long summer days.

Next blog will be from Sweden. I'll be there for 2 months teaching gluten-free cooking, and enjoying time with family.

Smaklig måltid ~ Bon appetit!

A Winter Sunday ~ Turkey Mushroom Lasagna & Frozen Mexican Chocolate Mud Pie

On Sundays we usually relax and take it easy ~ read the paper while eating breakfast.

Go for a walk or hike in the woods.

Prepare dinner, most of the time just for the two of us; my husband & me.

Bake some delicious dessert, and then to top off the day, watch a movie. Nice way to spend the day!

This past sunday, we did just that. I love trying out new recipes and found a recipe for an amazing looking pie in Cooking Light Magazine; Mexican Chocolate Cream Pie. My challenge is always to make the recipe gluten-free. Reading through the recipe, I came to think of the frozen mud pie they serve at Joe's American Bar & Grill, which is one of my husband's favorite desserts. I've never made one, so I decided to adapt the Cooking Light recipe and make it into a Frozen Mexican Chocolate Mud Pie. I was up to the task. It was not that hard, but it did take several steps before we could dig in; bake the crust, make the filling, freeze, fill with ice-cream, freeze, fill with whipped cream, and freeze again. With dessert all set, what then, to make for dinner?? After looking through some cookbooks, I decided on Turkey Mushroom Lasagna. A combo between the recipes I found in Barefoot Contessa @ Home, and Every Day Italian by Giada De Laurentiis. Yes, it was a great dinner. The lasagna turned out fabulous, if I do say so myself, and OMG, the pie was so worth the time. Totally delicious!

Turkey Mushroom Lasagna

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

10 oz dry gluten-free lasagna noodles, I used BiAglut PastaMia Lasagna Noodles

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey breast

3 cups Marinara sauce, make your own, or store-bought (I used 1 jar, 25 oz)

4 tbsp red wine

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp gluten-free ketchup

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1 pound portobello mushrooms

3 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tomatoes, sliced and coarsely shopped

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, or use your favorite cheese topping

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add the lasagna noodles and cook according to package (BiAglut Noodles took 4 minutes). Make sure the noodles are al dente; the center of the pasta should remain somewhat hard so that it won't overcook and become soggy when baked). Drain, then rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking. Cover lightly with a damp towel to prevent the pasta from drying out. Set aside.

Slice and chop the mushrooms to 1/4-inch thickness. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan. When the butter melts, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper, and sauté until turkey is lightly brown, breaking up any large clumps. Add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, garlic, wine, ketchup, and ground red pepper. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Taste for extra salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.

Spread 2 tbsp butter over a 13x9-inch baking dish.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the turkey-marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then some of the mushrooms and some chopped tomatoes, then another layer of noodles. Repeat a layer of sauce, noodles, mushrooms and tomatoes. Top with a final layer of noodles and a thin layer of sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Bake the lasagna for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Frozen Mexican Chocolate Mud Pie

Adapted from The Best of Cooking Light 13: Special Edition

Crust:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham crackers crumbs, store-bought or make your own*

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp egg white

2 tbsp butter, melted

Canola Cooking Spray

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 3/4 cups 1% or 2% reduced-fat milk

3 oz dark chocolate, chopped, plus 1 oz for decoration

14 oz gluten-free coffee ice cream

Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped

1 tbsp confectioner's sugar

pinch of kosher salt

Gluten-Free Chocolate Syrup, or Fudge Sauce; store-bought, or your own

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To prepare crust: Add graham crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, salt to the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse to blend the dry ingredients in the food processor. Add the eggs and melted butter. Pulse to blend into sticky dough. Press the crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with canola cooking spray.

Bake the pie shell for 15 minutes or until lightly toasted; cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling; combine sugar and next 7 ingredients (through egg yolks) in the bowl of a stand mixer, like a Cuisinart, stirring well with the whisk attachment.

Place milk in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until milk reaches 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around edge. Make sure not to boil the milk. Gradually add hot milk to egg mixture, whisking constantly in the mixer. Return milk mixture to the pan; cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 3 oz of the dark chocolate; stir until smooth.

Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 10 minutes or until chocolate mixture cools, stirring occasionally.

Spoon filling into crust, and cover surface of filling with plastic warp. Freeze for 3 hours, or until set.

Remove the ice cream from freezer and soften in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Spread the ice-cream over the frozen filling. Return to freezer for 1 1/2 hours, or until set.

Spread the whipped cream over the frozen pie. Return to freezer for 1 hour, or until set.

Drizzle the pie with chocolate syrup or fudge sauce. For decoration, grate 1 oz of the dark chocolate over the pie. Return to freezer for 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.

Smaklig Måltid ~

Bon Appetit!

*Graham Crackers

1 cup Anna’s GF Cake Flour Mix, or your own favorite blend*
1 cup brown rice flour
¼ cup quinoa flour
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ cup light brown sugar
1 ¾ tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor.

Add 10 tbsp chilled butter

Add to food processor until crumble like texture.

Add 4 tbsp honey, and 1 tsp vanilla extract, and blend.


Add 6 tbsp water, blend until forming dough. Gather the dough ball and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight), covered.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Using 1/4 of the dough, work in more corn starch/ flour if necessary. Roll out on a piece of parchment paper, about 1/3-inche thickness. Cut out squares (2-3”), prick lightly with fork, and sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until golden.

Makes 4 trays of cracker. Remove from oven, cool slightly before placing on racks. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

*Anna's GF Cake Flour Blend

2 cups brown rice flour

2 cups white rice flour

1 cup potato/or corn starch

1 1/4 cups tapioca starch