I am back from an amazing eight day whirlwind trip with my travel buddy Carol to Munich, Salzburg, Ljubjiana in Slovenia, Trieste and Bolzano! With many wonderful art and food adventures, I am just starting to sort through pictures; a few blog entries are soon to come.
In the meantime, here is a short blog from closer to home with a cooling recipe for a no-bake blueberry and strawberry tart to beat the heat!
On one of the hottest days last week, we found a cool shady picnic spot with a heavenly breeze at the Bryant Homestead in Cummington, Massachusetts.
In the distance was a sunny field dotted with wildflowers. I ventured briefly into the hot sunny meadow and discovered that it was filled with beautiful “Devil’s Paintbrush” wildflowers.
On the way home, we stopped off at The Old Creamery Coop for cold drinks; jars of organic blueberry spread with no added sugar were for sale. I imagined that this would be good for a fruit tart with the jam spread on the bottom of the crust.
Usually at this time of the year, I look forward to picking sweet succulent organic strawberries at the Thompson Finch Farm in Ancramdale, New York. It was much to hot to think about venturing out into the sun. Luckily, the kind people at Thompson Finch offered to head out very early in the morning to beat the heat to pick berries, with a very generous price of one dollar more a pound. I quickly accepted their offer and drove out to the farm in the early evening to pick up my order. Almost back home with a heaping 10 pound box of berries that perfumed our car with their sweet fragrance, a family of red foxes was crossing the main road. Cars stopped in both directions and we were treated to the fox parents, one in front and the other in the back slowly shepherding three furry adorable fox pups safely across. It was a lovely end to a hot summer day in the country!
Now, with strawberries in hand, my tart idea was complete. I pre -baked an olive oil crust; you could also use a purchased graham cracker crust. I made a filling with whole milk Greek yogurt, vanilla and maple syrup. I heaped this into the crust spread with the blueberry jam and topped it with fresh blueberries and the sweetest strawberries imaginable; very easy to make, cooling and rich tasting!
ENJOY!
No-Bake Blueberry and Strawberry Tart
Filling:
1 1/2 cups whole milk Greek yoogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
Whisk together ingredients and place in refrigerator while preparing crust
Topping:
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and patted dry on paper towel
1 cup or more fresh strawberries, washed and patted dry on paper towel
Cut strawberries in half if small or slice if larger
For Bottom of Pie Crust:
Organic Blueberry Jam to- best if just sweetened with fruit juice
Olive Oil Crust:
3/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I used Spectrum Organic-All Vegetable Shortening).
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons ice water (more if necessary)
Make Pastry Crust:
Combine flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Add olive oil, shortening, yogurt and ice water.
Process until the mixture forms a ball. You may need to add a bit more ice water, add 1 tablespoon at a time.
Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let gluten in the dough relax.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
Bring dough to room temperature and roll out into a large thin circle.
Place dough in a pie tin and line the pie tin with a sheet of parchment paper.
Prick dough on bottoms and sides with a fork.
Place coffee beans or pie weights over the paper and bake in the oven about 10 minutes. This is called “baking blind” and helps to prevent the crust from shrinking away from the sides.
After 10 minutes, carefully remove the paper and weights and continue baking the crust about 15-20 minutes more until it is lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
To Assemble Pie:
Spread pie crust with about 2-3 tablespoons blueberry jam.
Spoon in yogurt filling.
Heap berries on top- can be eaten immediately or refrigerated for a few hours before serving.
ENJOY!!
AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”
HAPPY SUMMER!!
A Musician's Travels 