Summer Fruit Buckle

This very special breakfast treat was more clafoutis or bread pudding-like than coffee cake-like. It was eggy, moist, and loaded with fruit. Practically any combination of summer fruit could be used. I used blueberries, strawberries, and a yellow nectarine. Great.

The recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I incorporated whole wheat pastry flour. I also reduced the baking time for a convection oven. The original recipe notes that the sugar can be adjusted by one or two tablespoons, reduced or added, depending upon the sweetness and tartness of the fruit used.

Yield: one 9-inch cake

• 1/2 cup/114 grams (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
• 1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar, more for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup/55 grams light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• finely grated lemon zest from 1 large lemon
• 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups/156 grams all-purpose flour (I used 100g all-purpose flour + 56g whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 1/2 cups summer berries and/or chopped fruit (a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or use any one kind)(peaches, nectarines, figs, or plums can also be incorporated)(I used 2 cups blueberries + 2 cups strawberries + 1 chopped yellow nectarine)
•  cinnamon, for dusting, optional
•  Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. (or coat with cooking oil spray)
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, then add lemon zest and vanilla and mix until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and baking powder, and whisk to combine.
6. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix until just combined.
7. Gently fold fruit into the batter, then spread batter in pan and sprinkle lightly with more granulated sugar.
8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a convection oven, or up to 50 minutes in a standard oven, or until top is golden and cake is cooked through.
9. Allow cake to cool, then sprinkle with cinnamon, if using, and confectioners’ sugar.

Chez Panisse’s Blueberry Cobbler

Yes! I have another summer fruit dessert to share.

I could not wait to make this cobbler as soon as I saw the recipe. 🙂 It was described as “prizing berries above all, using only 1/3 cup of sugar.” The berries cooked into jammy and creamy deliciousness.

This recipe was adapted from Chez Panisse via The New York Times, contributed by Molly O’Neill. I used a biscuit cutter for the topping and modified the baking method. I may consider adding some lemon zest to the berries next time. Yum.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For the Berries:

• 4 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For The Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus additional for serving, if desired
• vanilla ice cream, for serving, if desired

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. To prepare the berries, place in a bowl and toss with the sugar and flour. Set aside.
3. To make the dough, mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl.
4. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and mix lightly, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Put the blueberries in a 1 1/2-quart gratin or baking dish.
6. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, pat the dough out to 1/2-inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter 2 inches in diameter, cut the dough into rounds. Reform scraps and repeat. (I cut the dough into 12 rounds.)
7. Arrange dough over the top of the berries, leaving space in between for the berries to bubble through.
8. Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until the topping is brown and the juices bubble thickly around it, about 35 to 40 minutes. (I tented the cobbler with foil after 30 minutes and then baked it for an additional 5 minutes, or until bubbling in the center.)
9. Let cool slightly. Serve warm, with cream to pour on top or with ice cream on the side, as desired.

Strawberry Ricotta Muffins

When I saw these strawberry muffins, I knew that they would be a perfect addition to my tried and true strawberry recipes. They were very tender and minimally sweet- a perfect summer breakfast.

This recipe was adapted from Bake from Scratch, via Cooking with Aunt Juju.com. I incorporated whole wheat flour and modified the topping. The recipe also included a ricotta glaze for the topping which would also be a tasty option (see link above). Nice.

Yield: 16 muffins

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice or 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups diced fresh strawberries
• turbinado sugar, for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Spray 16 regular muffin wells with cooking spray or use liners.
3. Whisk the flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl; set aside.
4. In a medium bowl whisk the ricotta cheese until smooth.
5. Add the eggs, milk and lemon zest or juice; whisk until smooth.
6. Add the oil and vanilla and stir until combined.
7. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and fold in with a spatula; gently fold in the strawberries.
8. Divide the batter among the 16 prepared wells, filling about three-fourths full.
9. Sprinkle the top of the batter in each well with turbinado sugar.
10. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. (mine were ready in about 17 minutes.)
11. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes; remove. Finish cooling on the racks.

Strawberry Brown Butter Bettys

Yes… I have a couple more strawberry recipes to share. This is what happens when your family picks over 12 pounds of fresh berries! 😉

Every year, I make strawberry-vanilla bean jam, strawberry shortcake cookies, fresh strawberry gelato, and pancakes with strawberries (both sourdough & simple but perfect)- at the very least. After adding a new strawberry cocktail and spoon cake to the list this year, we still had plenty of berries to enjoy.

This recipe was adapted from Gourmet, via Smitten Kitchen.com. I doubled the recipe to make 12 desserts, used lemon juice instead of zest, and used potato bread instead of white sandwich bread. I measured the berries prior to slicing them.

I loved the combination of browned butter with berries in these simple tarts. We ate them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. They would also be wonderful served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Yield: 6 muffin-sized desserts

• 3/4 stick salted or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 6 slices potato sandwich bread or white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated OR 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp coarse salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 1/2 cup panko
• 2 (generous) cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
• vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, preferably on convection, with rack in middle.
2. Make the Brown Butter: In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low. The butter will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is less than a minute. Remove from heat.
3. Lightly butter muffin cups with some of brown butter, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
4. Roll bread slices with a rolling pin to flatten.
5. Brush both sides with additional brown butter, then gently fit into muffin cups.
6. Stir together brown sugar, zest or juice, salt, and panko.
7. Add strawberries to the sugar mixture and toss to coat.
8. Stir in remaining brown butter.
9. Heap strawberry mixture into the prepared bread cups, pressing gently.
10. Cover pan with foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake 15 minutes.
11. Uncover and bake until strawberries are very tender, about 10 to 15 minutes more. (I baked mine for 12 minutes more.)
12. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Strawberry Spoon Cake

There is a lot of (self-imposed!) pressure to use our beautiful freshly picked strawberries in the best possible way. 🙂 I have several treats that we make annually, but I try to select a few new things to make. I had my eye on this spoon cake after seeing it in the New York Times. I loved the name too! Spoon cake.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Jerrelle Guy. I doubled the strawberries and used a larger baking dish. I also weighed the ingredients, including the berries. I may bake it in a 10-inch cast iron skillet next time.

We ate it for dessert with vanilla ice cream. It could be served as a very special breakfast as well. Delicious.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 1/2 cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing
• 10 ounces/290 grams (about 2 cups) fresh, hulled strawberries (or thawed frozen strawberries)
• 2/3 cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Grease an 8, 9, or 10-inch (square or round) baking dish with butter. Set aside. (I used a 10-inch round ceramic baking dish.)
3. Using your hands or the back of a fork, lightly mash the berries to release all their juices, and stir in 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, milk and salt.
5. Add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth.
6. Transfer the batter (it’s not much) to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners.
7. Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. (I baked mine for 22 minutes in a 10-inch round dish.)
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
10. Serve warm with ice cream.

Strawberry Graham Galette

My husband and I went strawberry picking without the kids this year. I’m so happy that he loves freshly picked strawberries enough to harvest them. 🙂 We brought home nine quarts!

My list of “must make” strawberry recipes seems to keep expanding, so I was lucky enough to have plenty of berries to fulfill the list (links below) and make one new dessert- this delicious galette. I loved the graham cracker crust.

This recipe is from Bon Appétit, contributed by Claire Saffitz. We ate it with vanilla ice cream instead of the lime-flavored whipped cream. Wonderful!

Yield: 8 servings

• 7 graham crackers (about 3.7 ounces)
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled, & divided (I melted 6 T and 2 T separately)
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled & sliced
• 1 lime, zested & juiced, divided
• ½ cup very cold heavy cream, optional
• vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional

1. Place a rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°, preferably on convection.
2. Place graham crackers in a large resealable plastic bag and zip it up, pressing out most of the air. Using a rolling pin, firmly roll over crackers several times, crushing them into fine crumbs (some larger crumbs are okay).
3. Measure out 1 cup crumbs (which should be almost all of them) and transfer to a medium bowl. Add salt, ⅔ cup flour, and 2 T sugar. Mix with a fork to combine.
4. Add 1 egg and 6 T melted butter.
5. Mix with fork until dough forms, then knead with your hands inside of bowl until no floury spots remain and dough is smooth. It’ll be a little soft and slightly oily.
6. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and place dough on top. Lightly flour top of dough, then cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a round (it doesn’t have to be perfect!) about 12″ in diameter and ⅛” thick. (I used this amazing rolling pin that creates an 1/8″ thick crust.)
8. Slide entire sheet of parchment paper onto a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the top layer or plastic wrap or parchment paper.
9. Sprinkle 1 T sugar over surface of dough, leaving about a 2″ border.
10. Pile strawberries into center of dough and arrange in an even layer, leaving the same 2″ border.
11. Sprinkle strawberries with 1 T sugar and drizzle with remaining 2 T butter.
12. Using a microplane or fine grater, grate zest of about one-half of lime over strawberries.
13. Cut off half of lime with no zest and squeeze juice over strawberries. Save the other half for later, if making the whipped cream topping.
14. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with fork until no streaks remain. Brush egg wash around border of pastry (you won’t use it all). Using edges of parchment to help lift, fold empty border of dough up and over strawberries, working your way around in roughly 2″ sections, overlapping folds as needed. Press all the way around to secure folds and keep dough in place. It might crack or tear in places, just pinch it back together.
15. Brush top of border with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 1 T sugar.
16. Bake galette until crust is browned around the edges and juices from strawberries are syrupy and actively bubbling, 40–45 minutes. If some juices escape and end up on the parchment paper, the parchment will prevent the tart from sticking.
17. Let cool at least 20 minutes.
18. For the Optional Whipped Cream Topping: Beat cream with a large whisk in a medium bowl until voluminous, thick, and starts to hold tracks of whisk. Hold whisk upright and look for the “peak” of cream that forms on the end. It should droop and slump over- making “soft peaks.”
19. Grate zest from remaining half of lime over cream and serve with tart.
    

Do Ahead: Tart can be made several hours ahead. Let sit at room temperature. Once fully cooled, droop a piece of plastic over top. (I kept the leftover slices in the refrigerator.)

Essential Freshly Picked Strawberry Recipes (in my house):

• French Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
• Strawberry Gelato
• Strawberry Cornmeal Griddle Cakes
• Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Jam
• Alton Brown’s Berry Muffins (not “essential” but we enjoyed them this year as well!)

Strawberry Pie Bars

I had my eye on this recipe way before I even went strawberry picking…and these pie bars met every expectation. 🙂 This recipe is from Joy the Baker. Wonderful!

For the Crust:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Strawberry Filling:

• 2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced into bite-size chunks (about 4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca
• Confectioners’ sugar, for topping

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over two edges of the pan about two inches. This will make the pie bars easier to remove after it’s baked. Lightly spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. For the crust, place the butter, sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, salt, and cinnamon and mix on low-speed until just combined.
5. Scatter two-thirds of the dough into clumps in the prepared pan, flour your fingers and press the dough across the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan about 1/2-inch. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and set aside to cool while you prepare the topping and filling.
7. In a small bowl combine the remaining crust and pecans. Stir until combined and set aside.
8. In a medium bowl toss together the sliced strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and spices. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes until some juices develop in the bottom of the bowl.
9. After the juices have developed, add the melted butter and the instant tapioca. Stir to combine. The tapioca will look coarse within the mixture but it will dissolve in the oven.
10. Spread the strawberries evenly over the crust.
11. Pinch medium pieces of remaining dough with your fingers and drop them evenly over the top of the strawberry mixture (they won’t cover the top completely but do your best to cover).
12. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the topping is brown and the strawberry mixture is bubbling. (If there are still tapioca bits, take the pan out of the oven and gently stir those berries in so the tapioca gets moistened.)
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
14. Chill in the refrigerator to easily remove the bars from the pan. Once cooled, remove from the pan and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Note: The bars can be stored, wrapped individually or covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.