THE RECIPE(S) FOR A SWEET FOURTH
Summer Berry Crostata & No-Bake S'mores
Hey y’all—Get a leg up on Fourth of July menu planning with two sweet endings to enjoy while watching the fireworks! Anthony’s Summer Berry Crostata is an impressive dessert that brings the WOW, but is a cinch to make (especially if you’re not a pie baker!), and Elizabeth’s No-Bake S’mores are a portable, easy-peasy ending to a great meal (even without the campfire!). Let’s get baking!
SUMMER BERRY CROSTATA
AU: There’s something about a Summer fruit dessert that just really gets me going. I don’t know if it’s because the fruit itself is at its peak, or if it’s because I love the buttery, flaky, crust that holds in all that juicy goodness. I would go so far as to argue that every dessert tastes better in the Summer, be it ice cream, pies, cakes, or cookies…
EK: I agree! All desserts taste better in the Summer, and because of all the great fruit, there is so much more than just chocolate! I feel like I want to grab a piece of your Summer Berry Crostata from my screen! It looks so luscious—I have serious FOMO.
AU: Truth be told, you can make this recipe with anything as long as you use about the same amount of fruit. So feel free to use the very best farmer’s market peaches you just scored, or later in the year, plums or apples! You may need to add/subtract sugar based on the sweetness of the fruit you’re using, but the technique (and crust recipe) can stay the same.
I typically make my dough a day or two before, using a food processor. Then I’ll roll out/bake the sucker on the morning of the day I want to enjoy it. The crust will stay crispy, uncovered, at room temp for at least a day, and the addition of polenta to this dough gives it an extra oomph of texture (but I’ve also never met anyone who’s turned down a slightly-less-crispy leftover slice with their morning coffee the next day, either).
AU: The original recipe appeared in Bon Appétit Magazine 20 years ago (!!!) from renowned pastry chef Claudia Fleming. She garnered acclaim for creating mind blowing desserts at NYC’s Gramercy Tavern that drew just as many accolades as the entrees. Her cooking style is “straight-forward, seasonal, highly-satisfying desserts without pretension.” Sounds like perfection to me! No wonder I’ve been using this recipe for more than 20 years!
AU: If you’re not a baker, don’t worry, you can totally do this! It’s like making a single-crust pie without the pie pan and crimping. And since it’s a free-form dessert, I think it’s a plus to be extra ‘rustic’ and give your little crostata baby some character.
Fleming suggests you bake this on a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper, but if you’re worried about juices dripping (and burning) onto your oven floor (it’s happened to me quite a few times), you can carefully slide the whole crostata with the parchment onto a rimmed baking sheet. If you have a Baking Steel or pizza stone in your oven, def use it here.
AU: The other smart, “cheffy” thing that Claudia Fleming does to make this dish look extra profesh, is she warms up some apricot or peach preserves and brushes it onto the crostata as it cools. This creates that glossy, lacquered look that you see in professional bakeries, but typically not at home. I feel like Emily in Paris every time I do it. (*basic* cough cough). I scooped a few tablespoons of Peach Preserves into a microwave-safe bowl, and after 30 seconds, it was the perfect consistency to brush onto my lil berry babies.
I prefer a fruit dessert to be served with vanilla ice cream, but you can also make a case for whipped cream (or go crazy—cinnamon ice cream? Pistachio gelato with an all-strawberry crostata? Cardamom-scented whipped cream with strawberry-rose crostata?). The recipe below is a mere suggestion/technique, this is your crostata journey to do whatever you please… God Bless America!
Summer Berry Crostata
A crostata is a great dessert for entertaining because it looks very impressive, even though it’s half the work of a pie. If you’re not an experienced pastry chef, this is a great recipe for you, because “rustic” is part of a crostata’s charm! The crust comes from legendary chef Claudia Fleming (Gramercy Tavern), whose book The Last Course earned her a James Beard Award. The addition of polenta (coarsely ground cornmeal) adds texture that’s a welcome contrast to the soft Summer fruit filling. You can make this with anything from nectarines, peaches, and other stone fruits, to apples, to straight up berries as the recipe that follows.
Serves 6-8
Crust:
1 ⅔ cup (216g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (40g) polenta (coarse cornmeal)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon (packed) grated orange or lemon zest (optional)
¾ teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (1 ¾ sticks; 198g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
⅓ cup (or more) ice water
Filling:
¼ cup (50g) sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
5 cups (710g) hulled strawberries, quartered if larger than a cherry tomato (from about 2 lbs)
1 cup (125g) blueberries (approx one half pint)
1 cup (110g) raspberries (approx one half pint)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons demerara sugar (like Sugar in the Raw)
Apricot or Peach preserves, heated
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Method:
Make the crust: Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; and pulse on/off just until butter becomes pea-sized pieces. (To ensure a flaky crust, be careful not to overwork the butter.) Add ⅓ cup ice water. Continue to pulse in the food processor until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap; chill at least 1 hour.
Roll out the dough: Roll out dough on lightly floured sheet of parchment paper into a 14” round, turning dough occasionally to prevent sticking. Slide a rimless baking sheet under the parchment, and transfer dough on parchment to refrigerator. Chill until dough firms slightly, about 30 minutes.
Make the filling: Stir sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. Mix in fruit and vanilla. Let stand until juices are released, stirring fruit occasionally, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF.
After the dough has chilled, transfer the baking sheet with dough to a work surface. Let stand 8 minutes to allow dough to soften slightly. You want it to be just soft enough to fold without cracking. Spoon fruit and juices into center of dough. Arrange fruit in an even 10-inch diameter layer in the center. Brush the border (about 2 inches) with beaten egg. Lift-and-pinch about 2 inches of dough border to form a vertical seam. Continue around tart, pinching seam every 2 inches to create a standing border. Fold the border down over fruit (the center ~6 inches of fruit remain uncovered). Brush the folded border with remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. *TIP: Slide parchment paper and crostata onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, in case juices run.
Place baking sheet with tart in preheated 375ºF oven. Bake until crust is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling at edges, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven; slide a large metal spatula under tart to loosen it from the parchment. Brush fruit with warmed preserves. Slide tart onto a rack to cool for at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
*Notes
DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 1-2 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
NO-BAKE S’MORES
EK: Wow! It’s hard to beat a Summer Berry Crostata, especially with that blue-ribbon dough from Claudia Fleming. I love a pie dough with a little polenta a.k.a. “grits” in it! But if you don’t have time to make your own crostata, or your local berries aren’t as ripe as the ones that Anthony can get in LA, I’ve got a great alt dessert for your summer cookouts: S’mores!
AU: I love a S’mores, but rarely eat them! Maybe it’s because I am so rarely around an actual campfire? I mean, one would probably have to possess a modicum of desire to camp, so I guess that’s one reason…
EK: That’s right! I think the real s’mores live at camp and in the movies…then in our memories as a nostalgic souvenir. But I am here to change all that with my No-Bake S’Mores. I first created them for PEOPLE magazine...
PEOPLE wanted to feature my PB&J Cupcakes but didn’t have the space on the page for a “real” step-by-step recipe so they asked me to create a non-recipe recipe version of the PB&J cupcakes. I came up with a PB&J S’Mores inspired by the cupcakes.
Truth be told, they don’t taste like the original cupcake… but ever since, I have made them for parties and events. (I also want to note that the food stylist who created the picture-perfect s’mores for the magazine must of used quite a few tricks of the trade to make each layer stay put and not ooze) These s’mores ooze just like your favorite campfire s’mores—you can see the proof in my picture! I wouldn’t say that they are exactly “ugly delicious,” but they won’t win any beauty pageants—but don’t worry, they taste Grrrrrrreeeat!
The S’mores are easy to make, appeal to kids of all ages, and are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. There is no baking or fire-roasting so it keeps your kitchen cool, and is safe for even young children to make. But be forewarned, just like the original, they are sticky and a bit messy!
You need a package of graham crackers, your favorite peanut butter, raspberry, strawberry or grape jelly, homemade chocolate ganache or Nutella and marshmallow fluff. If you are a peanut butter lover like me, these “no-bake” Summer S’mores with peanut butter and chocolate will become your favorites. If you don’t like peanut butter, leave it out!
For parties, I like to set out the graham crackers and spreads and add a few options like sliced bananas, crumbled bacon, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, colorful sprinkles and lots of different jellies—the sky and your family’s favorites are the limit! Give everyone a plastic knife and let them make their own s’mores.
If someone needs instructions, it’s simple:
Break the graham cracker in half at the perforation. Spread a generous teaspoon of peanut butter on one side of the cracker and a teaspoon of Nutella [chocolate] on the other. Spread a thin layer of jelly over the peanut butter and a thicker layer of marshmallow fluff on the chocolate. Place the two halves together and press gently to seal the filling and repeat.
If you want the S’Mores to look a little more finished, dip the sticky sides in sprinkles for a fun presentation or shaved chocolate for a more sophisticated look.
Gimme some more S’mores!
No-Bake (PB&J) S’Mores
I first created these summer treats for People magazine as a riff on the very popular, award-winning PB&J cupcake that I created for Hill Country Barbecue Market. If you are a peanut butter lover, the cupcakes [recipe in Steak & Cake] and the simpler “no-bake” summer S’mores will delight you. The S’mores are easy to make, appeal to kids of all ages and are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. There is no baking or fire-roasting so it keeps your kitchen cool and is safe for even young children to make.
Package graham crackers
Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter
Nutella
Seedless Raspberry Jam
Marshmallow Fluff
Colorful sprinkles or shaved chocolate for sides
Break the graham cracker in half at the perforation.
Spread a generous teaspoon of peanut butter on one side of the cracker and a teaspoon of chocolate on the other. Spread a thin layer of jelly over the peanut butter and a thicker layer of marshmallow fluff on the chocolate.
Place the two halves together and press gently to seal the filling and repeat.
If you want the S’mores to look a little more finished, dip the sticky sides in colorful sprinkles for a fun presentation or shaved chocolate for a more sophisticated look.
That’s it for this week! As always, if you make our recipes, tag us on the ‘gram (@kitchensitch & @elizabethkarmel), and use the hashtag #whats4dinner. Happy cooking!!