Sweet n' Sour (But Mostly Sweet)

Strawberry and Balsamic Jam Tart with Almonds
I'm taking every opportunity to take advantage of these beautiful spring time strawberries on display in the local produce sections. Sweet and juicy . . . nothing tastes more like the season on my taste buds. My recent desserts had been shifting between pies and shortcakes, so I was looking for something just a little different. Strawberry and Balsamic vinegar make a great pairing and this dessert broke me out of a pasty rut!

Ingredients
- 1 9" buttery pastry crust (check out the crust I used for my Honey Vanilla Plum Tart)
- 1 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. good quality Balsamic vinegar
- 1 c. sliced almonds

STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC JAM
To prepare the jam, place the strawberries, vinegar, and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer gently for 15- 20 minutes. The strawberries will soften and the liquid will thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature before using in the tart. (This can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. It's great spread on toast!)

TART
To prepare the tart, take the prepared pastry dough and press firmly into a 9" pastry pan with a removable bottom. Cover in plastic and cool in oven for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Heat the oven to 375˚F. Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled pastry and cover the top loosely with foil, fill with dried beans or pastry weights to keep the dough from puffing up. Bake for 20 minutes until it begins turning lightly browned. Remove foil and weights and allow to cool slightly before filling with prepared jam.

Spoon jam into the crust in a even layer and then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds. Bake in 375˚F oven for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling has thickened. Remove and cool completely before serving. It's great with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Plum Crazy

Honey Vanilla Plum Tart
I had every intention of whipping together my favorite summer dessert (strawberry shortcake) when inspiration hit. It had been a while since I'd made a fruit tart and I was interested in developing my own pastry crust. When I stumbled upon six perfectly ripe, dark fleshed plums at the market, the choice seemed obvious. They were blackish purple and had a subtly floral fragrance to them. Sweetened with a little honey and rum, this beautiful stone fruit makes one heck of a tasty tart.
   
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 1" pieces
- 2 Tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
- 4-6 Tbsp. ice water
- 6 plums, pits removed and cut into 1/4" thick slices
- 3 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- juice from one lemon
- 1 Tbsp. dark rum
- 4 Tbsp. large grained sugar

PASTRY CRUST
Combine flour, powdered sugar, butter, and vegetable shortening into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a crumbly mixture forms. With machine running, slowly add ice water one Tbsp. at a time until the dough just comes together. Turn out dough onto a floured piece of waxed paper. Sprinkle flour onto the top of dough and cover with a second piece of waxed paper. Roll dough out into a circle so that it will fit into a 9" tart pan. Remove top piece of waxed paper and turn dough over and out into tart dish. Press dough into the pan and cut off any over hang. Cover in plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes - 1 hour. 

After chilling the dough, preheat oven to 375˚ F. Remove plastic wrap from dough and cover top with foil or parchment paper then fill with pie weights or dried beans. The weight keeps the pastry from puffing up during baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is cooked through and beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling

VANILLA HONEY PLUM FILLING
While pastry crust cools, put sliced plums in a large bowl add honey, rum, and lemon juice. Allow plums to soak for at least 30 minutes. Drain off juices, preheat oven to 375˚F. Arrange slices in the pastry crust in a slightly overlapping spiral pattern. Sprinkle evenly with 2 Tbsp. of large grain sugar and bake for 30-40 minutes until plums are softened and juices begin to bubble. Remove from oven and allow tart to cool completely. Sprinkle with remaining large grained sugar, slice into wedges, and serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Leftover Makeover: Day 1

Cranberry Sauce Cheesecake Tart
The "holiday season" is here and now we look forward to a month and a half of rich dinners, decadent desserts, ugly sweater parties, and food food food. The wonderful thing about holiday cooking is bringing family and friends together to share meals and memories. It's all very warm and fuzzy. The problem, however, is that cooking for large numbers often leads to day after day of turkey sandwiches or cookies for breakfast. The next three blogs will focus on reinventing the leftovers into something new. First things first: cranberries. You can't have a Thanksgiving meal without a gleaming bowl of jewel colored cranberries- the relish of choice over a slice of roast poultry. Year after year, however, no matter how many Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches I make, I always seem to dump a good portion of excess cranberry sauce down the garbage disposal. The solution seemed simple- some sort of dessert. This one also makes use of the leftover gingersnaps I had from my pumpkin pie crust. Enjoy after a plateful of reheated turkey and potatoes!

Ingredients
- 1 c. crushed ginger snaps
- 3/4 c. flour, divided
- 1/2 c. sugar, divided
- 1/3 c. melted butter
- 1 c. cranberry sauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine ginger snaps, melted butter, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1/4 c. flour. Mix ingredients together gently until well combined. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9" fluted tart pan using fingers. make sure mixture is spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place pan in the oven and bake about 10 minutes to set crust. Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling.

Turn oven down to 325˚ F. In a medium bowel combine 1/4 c. sugar and cream cheese and whip together with an electric hand mixer. Add vanilla and egg, blend until well combined. Add cranberries and flour and blend until well incorporated. Pour cranberry mixture into pre-baked crust. Do not overfill. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes until filling is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Enjoy!