Honey and Berry Tart

Life goes quiet nice here on Canadian soil. As the summer is way too far from now and I miss it so much, I decided to publish this recipe that I made on last august, when the summer was at its peaks and rainy days was a part of life. But what I miss most is the long days, when we can enjoy good outdoor temperatures, nature and we can go outside with Praline, who is by the way super adapted and loves to walk in the parks close to our home. However, enough complaints for today, I love winter too and it is awesome to enjoy every aspect of each season of the year, is something that I didn't have in Brazil and it is one of the best things about my new life in North America.

 

One of the good things about winter is I can seek new marchés, épiceries, boucheries, fromageries, etc. The Quebecois highly value what they produce here and it is very interesting that even in this time of the year the local markets, supermarkets, delis, etc., are very proud to display and sell products made nearby. Still, in winter time, most part of the products are imported, but when the spring comes, everything changes and we can enjoy the local products. Nevertheless, for now we can find the Charlevoix cheeses, the duck and foie gras of Canard Goulu farms, maple syrup made throughout the province, the smoked salmon from Fumerie Québecoise .... and so on. I could do an entire post only with the delights made here and in spite of not being Québecoise, I'm very proud of what they produce here. It is something that I really appreciate in this city!

 

Well, coming back to the recipe. The honey pastry cream is very simple to make, but at the same time give a very interesting result. It is not so sweet as the regular pastry cream is, but  it is surely well balanced. The base is a pâte brisée dough, which you can use for another sweet or even savoury tarts, with a lemon cream it is fantastic! You can also top the tart with many kind of fruits. Be creative and use whatever you have in your home, it is an absolutely flexible recipe and I love this kind of recipes, don't you?

So, that's it! It feels like -18°C outside, but with this tart I could dream about sunny and hot days for long time!

See you!

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: Approximately 20 to 25 minutes
6 servings


Pâte Brisée
200g flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 large egg, beaten to blend
About 2 tablespoons ice water

Filling - Honey Crème Patissière
1 and 1/2 vanilla bean
30g cornstarch
75g honey
350ml milk
4 egg yolks

Melted white chocolate to assembly
Mixed berries

1.  CRUST: Blend flour, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter, using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon ice water and blend until most clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 45 minutes. TIP: The dough could be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
2.  Preheat oven to 190ºC (375ºF). Roll out the dough into a disk on a floured surface. Transfer the dough to a tart dish. Transfer again to the refrigerator and let stand 15 minutes. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides of crust are set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Pierce bottom of crust in several places with fork and continue to bake until the crust is golden and brown, about another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
3. FILLING: Put the milk in a saucepan (reserve 1/2 cup to dissolve the cornstarch). Scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and throw in the pod. Bring just to a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. Beat the yolks and honey to pale thick ribbons. Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream. Dissolve the cornstarch into the milk that was reserved, add it to the misture and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Strain and sete aside to cool with a buttered piece of waxed paper on top to prevent a skin from forming.
4. To assembly, pincel the bottom of the crust with the melted chocolate, top the filling and cover with berries. Chill tart until serving.

Raspberry Cheesecake

July is almost over. It was a month of many changes, but it was also a month that brought lot of calm. It was a month of reconciliations,  discoveries, a lot of thought on life... it was a month of many fruits and vegetables harvest. In resume, it was a great month!

The first days were dedicated to moving from my old apartment and the organization of the new house. I took some rest on the following days. Thereafter, I just felt that I need to cook more often and make peace with the blog. By mid-July, I had already discovered a lot of beautiful places and stores in my new quartier. We had a lot of fresh air, flowers and fruits. It is the fruit picking season and I picked a lot of blueberries, corn, tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries.

The last weekend of the month could not be different. I had two bucolic, hot and rainy days. I picked some raspberries on Saturday morning and visited some farms on Île d'Orléans. And finally, I made this beautiful and delicious cheesecake. Simple things, but definitely are those that deserve to be lived!

The cheesecake, as well as my weekend, was perfect! It is rich, luscious and creamy, delicately tangy and paired with a raspberry coulis, which gives to the cheesecake a scent of fresh fruit. It has well balanced flavors for sure. It is a winning dessert and I could not ask for anything ... just another day and desserts like that.

Finally, I took some pictures of my walk through the Île d'Orléans for you to know a little more of Québec. :) I hope you like it!

Bon appétit!

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 60-70 minutes
Resting time: At least 6 hours
Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients for the crust
1-1/2 cup finely ground graham crackers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Ingredientes for the raspberry coulis
200 grams raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Ingredients for the cream cheese filling
750 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
1-1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
4 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Wrap exterior of a 9-inch springform pan (including base) in a double layer of foil; set aside.
2. For the base: Stir together cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 160ºC/325ºF.
3. For the cream cheese filling: Put the zest of the lemon into a large bowl and add the sugar. Using your fingertips, work the ingredients together until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add salt, vanilla and lemon juice; mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix). Pour cream cheese filling over crust.
4. Set cake pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, 60 to 70 minutes.
5. Transfer cake pan to rack; let cake cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around edge of cake.
6. For the raspberry coulis: Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a fine sieve into a small bowl; discard solids. Whisk in sugar. Cover the cheesecake with the raspberry coulis and serve it along with some fresh raspberries.

Storing: The cheesecake can be stored in the fridge up to 2-3 days.