Northwest Celebrity Chef Kathy Casey: Lush Summer Fruit Desserts
Juicy fresh fruits cry summer desserts! Berries, cherries, peaches, and stone fruits abound...
Okay, I guess here is just about as good as any place for the "big" confession: I am NOT a big chocolate head! There, I have said it. Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good bit of ooey-gooey chocolate cake once in a while or one of Fran's Dark Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Caramels.
I do like chocolate—but I LOVE fruit desserts. Yes, I was the weirdo kid who, when asked what I wanted for my birthday dessert, replied, "lemon meringue pie" or "cherry upside down cake"! No, I am not a chocoholic. I am a ...fruit head!
There's no better ending to a long summer day than a luscious berry dessert especially if you have picked the berries yourself. I love the super sweet tayberry that grows in the Northwest--its unique flavor bursts in your mouth… but where ever you live any ripe berry will do in my recipe for Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cascade Berries from my cookbook Kathy Casey's Northwest Table. Check your local farmer’s market for sweet berries indigenous to your neck of the woods.
Craving "run-down-your-chin" juicy peaches? Toss a few of them tasty
babies in my recipe for Easy Peach Shortbread Tart. A quickly made
shortbread dough sandwiches fresh peaches splashed with rum and sugar
nestled in a Springform pan. Super simple. I think this is a great
basic recipe and can easily be varied with fresh apricots or
nectarines...it’s just all up to your imagination and summer's
delicious fruit bounty.
Here's to cooking up some summer D'Lish desserts!
Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cascade Berries
Makes 6 servings
Panna Cotta
1 envelope (1 scant tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Berries
2 cups mixed fresh berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, blueberries,
huckleberries, and blackberries, rinsed, dried and hulled if needed.
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
1. To make the panna cotta, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a large heatproof bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk in the cream, buttermilk, and sugar and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture until smooth and the sugar is melted. Whisk in the poppy seeds.
3. Divide the mixture evenly among 6 small glass custard dishes. Put the dishes on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure the wrap does not touch the tops of the panna cotta. Refrigerate overnight, or for a minimum of 12 hours, before serving.
4. To prepare the berries, combine the fruit in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and lemon juice. (If using strawberries, quarter or slice them if large.) Stir, then let sit for 20 minutes before serving.
5. One at a time, place each ramekin of panna cotta in a shallow bowl of very hot water—to 1/2 inch from the top—for a count of about 10. Remove, run a knife around the outside, then unmold the panna cotta onto individual dessert plates. Spoon the berries and their juice on and around the panna cotta and serve immediately.
Chef’s Note: You can make the panna cotta up to 3 days before serving, then prepare the berries 20 minutes ahead. I like to serve this dessert with tiny glasses of local berry liqueur.
Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Copyright © 2006 by Kathy Casey.
Easy Peach Shortbread Tart
Makes one 9-inch tart
Dough
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks (reserve the whites for egg wash)
2 3/4 cups flour
Filling
2 pounds fresh peaches, not too soft, ripe but firm (about 4 peaches)
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons sanding or coarse sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the pan by lining a 9- or
10-inch Springform pan with a parchment or waxed paper circle. Lightly
butter, or pan spray, the sides of the pan and the parchment. Set aside.
2. To make the dough: In a mixing bowl beat the butter with the sugars on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides, then add the vanilla and the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating a few seconds after each one. Beat until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Add the flour in 2 parts, mixing on low until just combined but not over-mixed. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Place half of the dough into the prepared pan and press it out evenly on the bottom and up 1 inch on the sides. Cover the pan and remaining dough with plastic wrap and set aside while making the filling.
3. To make the filling: Peel peaches by using the blanching method. Bring a large pot of water to a heavy rapid boil over high heat, and then add peaches. Let peaches stand in the water for 30 - 45 seconds then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon into a large bowl of ice water. Let sit in the ice water for 5 minutes or until chilled. Remove from ice water. At this point the skins should slip right off.
4. Cut peaches in half and pit, then cut into large wedges. In a bowl toss the peaches with the rum. Combine the sugar and flour in a small bowl and toss in with the peaches, coating well. Pile fruit into the dough-lined springform pan.
5. For the egg wash, whip the reserved egg whites in a small bowl until slightly frothy. Set aside.
6. On a lightly flowered surface, such as a cardboard disk or big piece of plastic wrap, press out the remaining piece of dough to 9 or 10 inches diameter. Slide it onto the filling and press it into place. This top crust should fit just inside the dough that extends up the sides of the pan and come all the way to its edges. Carefully seal the seam where the top joins the side dough, making sure the edges are straight and even.
7. Then brush the top lightly with the egg wash and poke the top with a fork in 5 places. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
8. Bake in preheated oven about 55 - 60 minutes or until golden brown and filling is bubbling out a bit. Then cool to room temperature before removing the sides. You may want to run a knife along the sides before unmolding. (Be sure that the parchment paper is not stuck on the tart when serving.)
9. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with whipped cream, or vanilla or peach ice cream if desired. © Kathy Casey Food Studios.
Malarkey on July 09, 2008 at 08:58 PM
Man, I'm with you on the chocolate thing. The one chocolate thing I find myself actually craving is the chocolat chaud at Le Pichet. Otherwise, bring on the fruit. Grand Marnier soufflé and Lane Cake (esp the recipe in Scott Peacock/Edna Lewis cookbook) remain my favorite desserts. Last thing to eat before I die kinda desserts. ;-)