Tag summer recipe

Parties That Cook Summer Sun Recipe: Seasonal Fruit Potpies

With the weather heating up across the nation (even if only for the weekend), what better way to celebrate summer than with a delicious seasonal fruit potpie? Among other great fruits, this recipe uses the season’s finest berries: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and snozzberries! Go the extra mile and top with whipped cream; Run an extra mile and top with ice cream – YUM. Our friends over at CUESA love berries just as much as we do. Check out this article for the low down on their berry adventures for this month!

Seasonal Fruit Potpies
This recipe can also be found in our Dessert Recipes Section

Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pastry Dough:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, un-sifted
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, chilled
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, chilled

Fruit:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 cups fresh fruit, cut into 1/2 inch pieces if necessary: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, mango, apples and plums
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup cream (for brushing dough right before baking)
2 Tablespoons coarse sugar, sprinkling over the pastry
Plastic wrap

Methods/Steps
Make Pastry Dough: Pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor for a few seconds to mix ingredients. Scatter butter cubes over the flour mixture, and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Scatter the cream cheese cubes over the mixture and process until ingredients just come together in a ball. Shape dough into 2 discs, about 3/4-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 15 minutes in the freezer.

Make Fruit: Preheat oven to 375°F. Adjust rack to lower third of the oven. Place 12 ramekins on a sheet pan. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add fruit, lemon juice and vanilla; gently toss to combine. Spoon about 1 cup of the fruit mixture into each ramekin; dot with a small pat of butter.

Roll Pastry Dough: Roll out one disc of pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 4 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out dough circles that are just a bit larger than the ramekins. Set a pastry circle on top of each fruit-filled ramekin and gently press the pastry down into the ramekin around the edge. Repeat with second dough circle and remaining potpies.

Bake Potpies: Using a pastry brush, apply a light coating of cream over the dough, and sprinkle coarse sugar over the top. Using a small pairing knife, make a couple of slits in the center of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves/Makes
Serves 12

Summer Cooking from Your Flower Garden: Parties That Cook’s Lavender Tea Cake Recipe

Fun Fact: Long, long ago, it was the Greeks who discovered that crushed lavender would release a relaxing fume when burned.

These days, lavender is not only popular for its fragrance, but also for its distinct flavor. This beautiful purple flower lends a floral and slightly sweet flavor to any dish — so light and fresh, it just screams summer! Parties That Cook’s Lavender Tea Cake recipe provides a great opportunity to use your own, fresh, home-grown lavender or dried lavender from the store. If you’re lucky, you’ll be making this delicious dessert at our upcoming Date Night Couples Cooking Classes or Sizzle & Swirl Cooking Classes!

Warm Lavender Tea Cakes with Homemade Lemon Curd
This recipe can also be found in our Dessert Recipes Section.

Ingredients
Lemon Curd:
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Ice bath

Lavender Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup granulated sugar
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large whole eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons lavender flowers (not petals or stems), finely chopped
Nonstick spray
Parchment paper
Powdered sugar for dusting

Methods/Steps
Make Lemon Curd: Set up a double boiler by filling a sauce pan halfway with water and bring it up to a simmer. In a medium bowl whisk together lemon juice, zest, sugar, eggs and yolk. Add the butter.  Place bowl over the pot of simmering water.  Note: Be sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water below it! Whisk steadily, but gently, until curd becomes thick and pale and creamy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a small bowl and chill on top of an ice bath until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare Pan: Spray a half sheet pan (12-7/8” x 17-3/4”) with nonstick baking spray. Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the pan and place it on the sprayed pan. Spray the parchment paper as well.
Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

Cream Ingredients: Beat granulated sugar, butter, and vanilla until well-blended. Break eggs and egg whites into a small bowl or measuring cup and add them into the mixture one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Next, add half of the flour and mix gently. Add the yogurt, then mix briefly and finish with the rest of the flour. Stir in lavender. Do not over mix or cake will be tough. The batter will be very thick.

Bake:
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula or palette knife dipped in hot water to spread batter into the pan. Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve: Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently invert pan onto a large cutting board. Remove parchment paper and dust the entire cake with powdered sugar. Cut cake into 4 quarters by cutting down the middle both width- and length-wise. Cut each quarter into 12 squares to yield 48 – 2 inch squares. Place onto a serving platter. Transfer the lemon curd into a serving bowl and place next to the warm cake.

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® www.PartiesThatCook.com

For a few San Francisco restaurants serving dishes featuring edible flowers, check out 7×7 Magazine’s article here.