{berry tart}

made a summery strawberry and raspberry tart yesterday evening. first foray into tart making was such a success i feel inclined to share.

recipe comes from a cookbook entitled food for friends. said cookbook was a gift for my 23rd birthday from a law school rooommate {thanks jg}. besides having some amazing recipes, the styling of the photographs just make you want to have outdoor parties all the time.

ok so the tart.

ingredients you need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 sticks of butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup brown sugar

2-3 egg yolks, beaten

3/4 cup strawberry jelly, about 7 oz.

8 oz. wild strawberries {note most grocery stores do not carry such wild strawberries, which are supposedly smaller and sweeter strawberries. if this is the case, regular strawberries are just fine}

1 1/2 lb. regular strawberries, hulls removed {i bought a regular sized plastic container of strawberries and one of raspberries and this seemed to be plenty of fruit. recipe does mention that really any fruit can be used --berries, peaches, etc.-- says just to pick what is in season.}

heavy cream, whipped cream, or plain yogurt mixed with honey to serve with tart

also you should get:

a tart pan {come to find out, removable bottom ones are ideal, says the man at the kitchen store, and you can't argue with results.} obviously above tart is of the 11 inch diameter variety, though next time i might try individual tart pans, for no other reason than that they are cute. just didn't know how this would affect cooking time, so decided to stick with the recipe.

a pastry blender {blender does not mean of the motorized variety, but rather a tool most closely resembling a potato masher and is under $10.} said tool is useful in blending {hence the name} cold butter into the flour and sugar without the butter getting too warm, which will in turn make the tart crust brittle/dense/undesirable.

annnd the recipe.

1) Put the flour into a mixing bowl and add the butter. Using your fingertips {says the recipe, though i found the pastry blender worked wonders from the get go}, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like bread crumbs.

2) Add the sugar and mix {with pastry blender or a fork works well too}

3) Make a well in the middle and add 2 of the beaten egg yolks.

4) Mix with a round-bladed knife, using cutting motions --the recipe says, though man at the kitchen store who has "written 6 cookbooks" had no idea about the origin of this tool which is what lead to the purchase of the pastry blender and i have to say it worked much better than anything i already had that resembled a round-bladed knife. SO use the pastry blender-- until the mixture forms a ball, adding an extra egg yolk if needed {note: after only 2 egg yolks my mixture still only resembled bread crumbs and was no where near "forming into a ball" so i ended up using 4 small egg yolks. 3 may have worked but the 4th was added before discovering the brilliance of the pastry blender.}

5) Dust your hands lightly with flour, bring mixture together and transfer to a lightly floured, cool surface {i.e. kitchen counter}

6) Roll out the dough to just larger than the pan.

7) Lightly grease the pan if it is not nonstick. Line the pan with the dough {kitchen store man says do not stretch the dough because this will break down the gluten in the dough --which must be important-- so gently guide the dough into the corners of the pan so the crust surface stays even}

8) Prick all over with a fork.

9) Chill crust for 20 minutes.

10) Cook in a preheated oven at 350F for 20 minutes THEN reduced to 300F and cook for a further 20 minutes.

11) Remove from the oven and let cool {wire racks are good for this} and then if your pan has a removable bottom, set the pan on a large can or other sturdy object and lower the side of the pan to reveal the crust. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap until needed {i.e. you can make the crust the day before}.

12) Put the strawberry jelly into a small saucepan and heat gently until thin and smooth. {i actually used less than 3/4 cup as the strawberries i had were already sweet}

13) Remove and set aside while you pile the strawberries into the cooked crust, cutting any very large berries into smaller pieces.

14) Spoon the strawberry jelly over the strawberries.

15) Serve with cream {whipped cream in a can = easy and still delicious} or plain yogurt mixed with honey.

*serves 8-10*