7 Clever Summer Fruit Recipes
Cara Eisenpress
As summer gets fully underway, our cravings for the season’s fresh fruit know no bounds. But while biting into a juicy peach is its own pleasure, sometimes you just want to get a bit more creative with all of that sweet and succulent (not to mention affordable) bounty.
Say, a blackberry tart with white chocolate ganache or perhaps some banana ice cream made from scratch? With these seven recipes, you’ll never look at summer’s most popular fruit the same way again—and stay on budget in the process.
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Cara Eisenpress is the cofounder and head chef of Big Girls, Small Kitchen, an award-winning home-cooking site.
Blackberry Tart With White Chocolate Ganache
Time: 6 hours (mostly inactive)
Cost: $15
The only baking that you need to do for this tart is a simple cookie crust. Then comes the fun part: a mint-flavored, white chocolate ganache that’s topped with a bunch of slightly sweetened blackberries.
Ingredients
For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate (ingredients should list cocoa butter)
½ tsp peppermint extract or ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves
For the crust:
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
⅛ tsp salt
1 cup flour
For the berries:
10 ounces blackberries
2 tbsp sugar
If you’re using fresh mint in the ganache, you’ll want to prepare ahead of time by combining the mint and the cream in a small bowl and refrigerating overnight.
To make the ganache: At least 6 hours before serving, strain the mint (if you’ve used it) and transfer the cream to a small saucepan. Chop the white chocolate coarsely and place it in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a boil slowly, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir thoroughly but gently to melt the chocolate. Let rest for about 15 minutes, then stir it again to make sure all the chocolate is melted. If you didn’t use the fresh mint, stir in the extract. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F for the crust. Combine the butter, vanilla, sugar and salt, and stir well. Add the flour and fold it in. The dough will be very soft. Press it into a 9-inch fluted pie pan with removable bottom, and even it out across the bottom and the sides. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and firm. Cool completely.
Separately, combine half of the berries with the sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the berries have begun to break apart and a syrup has formed. Add the remaining half of the berries and cook through. Cool to room temperature. (If you’re using strawberries, no need to cook. Simply slice the berries, combine them with the sugar, and leave to marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.)
When ready to serve, beat the cold ganache with a handheld mixer until it is thickened and holds stiff peaks, about 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat—you just want the ganache to be spreadable. Scoop the ganache into the cooled tart shell and spread it across, making a slight indentation in the center, where you’ll pour the berries. You can do this up to 2 hours ahead of time; keep the tart in a cool place.
When ready to serve, heap the berries in the middle of the tart, letting the juices flow around the ganache. Serve immediately.
To view the other 6 clever summer fruit recipes visit this link!
http://www.learnvest.com/2013/07/7-clever-summer-fruit-recipes/