Here’s what I really think about strawberry pies. They are one of the best fruit pies, but they don’t deserve the best $10 strawberries that you find at the farmers market during the summertime. Those sweet-as-sugar $10 strawberries are for eating and eating only. They don’t need any extra sugar or any heat applied to them. The strawberries from the grocery store in the clamshells on the other hand (especially if you’re buying them out of season in February), are perfect for pie. The grocery store berries aren’t that sweet but when you add brown and white sugars, a bit of vanilla, and let it cook down inside a pie, the best parts of the berry are brought out of the otherwise bland berry. If you have too many good strawberries from the farmers market that you need to use up, more than you can eat, feel free to use them for pie. You might not need as much sugar as you would with regular strawberries because of the higher sugar content naturally in the berries. I like to taste the filling before I add it to the pie tin to bake. I also added some in nectarines for an extra layer of flavour and for the pie to scream ‘I’m a summer pie, baby!’

Thank you Williams Sonoma Canada for making this summertime pie with me!

Let’s talk about pie dough. I used to think pie dough was intimidating to make. How large should the butter pieces be? How much water is too much water? Why does the water have to be ice cold? A classic pie dough is made of ingredients you probably have already: flour, butter, water, a bit of sugar and salt (and sometimes a wee bit of vinegar). It comes together quickly and easily and I promise once you’ve made pie dough, you will never pie the premade tubes from the store again (there’s usually no butter in those!). There are two important things to keep in mind when working with pie dough — don’t overwork it and keep it cold. I like to roll out my pie dough on a marble surface like this one from Williams Sonoma Canada, which keeps the dough chilled much longer.

My favourite part about making pie is what I get to do with the lattice top. Rarely will I make a plain lattice — oftentimes, you will see a few braids and cut-outs that suggest what’s inside the pie. What I love most about cut-outs is that it hides eliminated the need for a perfectly crimped edge, something I am terrible at making. For this strawberry nectarine pie, I used these Williams Sonoma Summer Berry Pie Punches. They are extremely easy to use and add so much to any pie lattice. When I make a more elaborate pie lattice top, I’ll make 1.5x my normal pie dough recipe, so I have more dough to play with.

Pie dough and pie filling are extremely versatile. Instead of making a full 9-inch pie, you can easily use the same pie dough to make hand pies, which to me are the ideal shareable picnic dessert. You would simple roll out the pie dough as you would if you’re making a full pie, and then use large, round cookie cutters to stamp out the cut-outs. Instead of putting the uncooked fruit filling into hand pies, I like to cook them down over the stove until it reaches a jammy consistency and allow the jam to cool before filling the hand pies. Hand pies can be decorated with berry stamps as well! Hand pies take around 25 – 30 minutes to bake, much less than a full pie!

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Strawberry Nectarine Pie

Here’s what I really think about strawberry pies: they are one of the best fruit pies, but they don’t deserve the best $10 strawberries that you find at the farmers market. Those sweet-as-sugar $10 strawberries are for eating and eating only. The strawberries from the grocery store in the clamshells on the other hand, are perfect for pie. Once you add brown and white sugars, a bit of vanilla, and let it cook down inside a pie, the best parts of the berry are brought out. I added nectarine to the filling so it really screams ‘I’m a summer pie, baby!’

Author Amy

Ingredients

All-Butter Pie Crust

• 300 g (2 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
• 13 g (1 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 227 g (1 cup) very cold unsalted butter cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) cold water
• 110 g (1/2 cup) ice cubes
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or vinegar of choice

Egg Wash

• 1 large egg
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) whole milk

Strawberry Nectarine Filling

• 580 g (4 cups) fresh strawberries hulled and sliced in half
• 275 g (2 cups) fresh nectarines peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
• 133 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar *see note
• 67 g (1/3 cup) brown sugar packed
• 56 g (1/3 cup and 2 tbsp) cornstarch
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

All-Butter Pie Crust

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the butter. With a pastry cutter or a fork, quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay).
• In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the water, ice, and vinegar. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (15 ml) of the ice-water mixture over the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until the water is fully incorporated. Add more of the ice-water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) at a time. Using the spatula or your hands, mix until the dough comes together in a ball with some dry, shaggy bits remaining. Squeeze and pinch the dough with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of the ice-water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
• Divide the dough into 2 portions (3 portions if making extra dough for decorative pie lattice). Shape each portion of dough into a flat disk, wrap each disk in plastic, and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight), to give the dough time to rest.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Strawberry Nectarine Filling

• In a large bowl, stir together the strawberries, nectarines, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Allow the mixture to rest for at least 15 minutes while you roll out the dough.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of the dough to create an 10 1⁄2-inch circle. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Roll out the second disk of dough to create an 10-inch circle.
• To prepare the lattice, cut the second rolled-out disk of pie dough into 1⁄2- to 1-inch wide strips, depending on how wide you want the lattice pieces to be. Set these strips aside. To create a braided strip, cut three 1⁄4-inch strips of dough and braid as you would braid hair, pinching all three strips at the top and continuing to overlap the middle strip with the exterior strips.
• Transfer the strawberry-nectarine filling to the pie dish (straining out the juices that have released).

Egg Wash

• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk to create an egg wash. Set the egg wash aside.

Assembly

• To assemble the lattice, place the longest strip of pie dough down the middle of the filled pie. Place the other strips of pie dough on both sides of the center strip, leaving a ½-inch gap between each strip, until you reach the edge of the pie. To create the woven lattice, lift up every other strip on the pie to the halfway mark. Place a new strip of pie dough perpendicular to the pieces already there. Take the pieces that were lifted up and place them over the new perpendicular piece. Repeat these steps with the pieces of dough that are now under the perpendicular piece. Repeat until you reach the edge of the pie and each piece of dough is in an over-under-over pattern.
• Trim any pie dough hanging over the edges of the pie dish. Using the tines of a fork, press down on the perimeter of the pie, combining the top and bottom crusts at the edges.
• Roll out third disc of pie dough. Using a cookie cutter or stamp of your choice, cut out shapes from the pie dough. With a pastry brush or your fingers, brush a thin layer of the egg wash onto the backside of each cut-out before arranging it on the lattice pie top. Egg wash the top of the pie.
• Place the pie on a large-rimmed baking sheet to catch anyjuices that might bubble over. Bake the pie on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.Reduce the oven’s temperature to 350F and bake the pie for 35 to 45 minutes, oruntil the crust is golden brown and the filling begins to bubble through thelattice or vents. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for about 3 hours.

Notes

Make 1.5 portions of the pie dough recipe if making a decorative pie crust.

If your strawberries are not completely ripe, you can add 2 tablespoons (26 g) more of granulated sugar to compensate.

The post Strawberry Nectarine Pie appeared first on Constellation Inspiration.

There has been over 10 straight days of just, blissful sunshine here (which is quite rare for an unpredictably rainy Pacific Northwest city) and I often catch myself dreaming of the next picnic and all the picnic-perfect treats to bring along with me in a wicker basket. One of my favourite desserts all year round is a pavlova and these lemon pavlova parfait jars were inspired by the classic dessert. Parfaits can sometimes be boring, but to me, the key to making any parfait special is to add different layers of texture and flavours. In these jars are layers of vanilla sponge, sweet and tangy lemon curd, vanilla whipped cream, bouncy jelly, and crisp lavender meringue pieces. In my opinion, parfaits must be constructed in glass jars because you want to show off all the beautiful layers.

I worked with Williams Sonoma Canada to create these picnic parfaits. In the past, I’ve constructed parfaits in dessert glasses and mason jars, but when Williams Sonoma Canada sent these Weck Mold Jars over, I knew they had parfait written all over them. The wide-mouth tapered shape makes the jars easy to fill and eat from and the airtight seal means they stay fresher longer, even if you’re not eating them right away when you get to your picnic. These embroidered bee napkins are the perfect accompaniment to these bright, summery dessert jars.

This lemon pavlova parfait recipe is extremely flexible. If you don’t want to turn on the oven to make the vanilla sponge cake, store-bought cake or crumbled cookie pieces make great alternatives. If you don’t like jelly, you can easily omit it, but I think it adds great textural contrast and balance to the dessert. The lavender meringue kisses add a gentle, romantic touch to the dessert. The most important thing is to add flavours and texture that you personally love!

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Lemon Pavlova Parfaits

Parfaits can sometimes be boring, but tome, the key to making any parfait special is to add different layers of texture and flavours. In these jars are layers of vanilla sponge, sweet and tangy lemon curd, vanilla whipped cream, bouncy jelly, and crisp lavender meringue pieces.

Servings 6

Author Amy

Ingredients

Vanilla Sponge Cake

• 136 g (1/2 cup and 2 tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 180 g (1 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
• 60 g (1/4 cup) full-fat sour cream

Lemon Cream

• 150 ml (1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice approx. two large lemons
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 227 g (1 cup) unsalted butter cold, cut into 1-inch cubes

Vanilla Whipped Cream

• 120 ml (1/2 cup) heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Agar Agar Jelly Cubes

• 1 tsp powdered kanten (agar agar)
• 240 ml (1 cup) water
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Lavender Meringue Kisses

• 1 large egg white
• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp culinary grade lavender ground (*you can add more or less depending on how strong you like the flavour!)

Instructions

Vanilla Sponge Cake

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1minute. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a large measuring cup, whisk together milk and sour cream.
• With the mixer on low, add half of the dry ingredients and half of the wet ingredients. Allow batter to mix for 30 seconds before adding the remainder of the ingredients. Mix on low until not more dry ingredients can be seen.
• Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 22 – 25 minutes.
• Once cake has cooled, use a cookie cutter the same size as the body of the jar and cut out circles from the layer of cake. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake into two circles. Each parfait will have two layers of cake.

Lemon Cream

• In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Transfer the bowl to the top of a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler.
• Continue whisking until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7– 10 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and while whisking, add in butter, a few cubes at a time. Whisk until all the butter has been added and the mixture is fully combined.Chill the lemon cream until ready to use.
• Transfer lemon cream into a piping bag to assemble the parfait. You can also use a spoon to layer the cream.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

• In a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat heavy cream on high until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk lightly to combine.
• Chill whipped cream until ready to use.
• Transfer cream into a piping bag to assemble the parfait. You can also use a spoon to layer the cream.

Agar Agar Jelly Cubes

• In a small pot over medium heat, combine kanten powder and water. Allow mixture to a boil and whisk to dissolve the kanten powder. Once the kanten powder has dissolved, add sugar and whisk to combine.
• Pour jelly mixture into a loaf pan (or any small pan) and allow it to set. Kanten or agar agar can set at room temperature, but you can speed up the process by transferring it to the refrigerator.
• Cut jelly into ½-inch cubes.

Lavender Meringue Kisses

• Preheat oven to 250F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine egg white and sugar. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler. Whisk the mixture as it heats up to prevent the eggs from cooking. Whisk egg mixture 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is smooth. Remove bowl.
• In the bowl of stand mixture with a whisk attachment, whisk mixture on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 -5 minutes. Fold in ground lavender.
• Transfer meringue into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Pipe meringue kisses onto parchment paper-lined pan.
• Bake meringues for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn off oven and let meringues stand in cooling oven 1 hour. Meringues can be made one day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Assembly

• To assemble, place one cake round at the bottom of the jar. Add a layer of lemon cream, followed by a layer of whipped cream. Gently place second layer of cake and another layer of lemon cream. Add jelly cubes. Top with meringues and edible flowers to garnish.

The post Lemon Pavlova Parfaits for a Summer Picnic appeared first on Constellation Inspiration.

Since I have been sharing Instagram Stories tutorials of many of my favourite childhood treats, I knew I had to share a recipe for these sugared strawberries. This is perhaps the most simple ‘recipe’ of all the childhood snacks and calling it a recipe seems a bit silly. Traditionally, tanghulu is made with mountain hawthorn (山楂) covered in a hard candy coating served on a long bamboo skewer, but nowadays it is common to deviate from the use of hawthorn to other types fruits. I had my first tanghulu (with strawberries) at a summer night market many years back and since then have made it a tradition to get a skewer every summer the night market makes its seasonal return.

The sugar coating is perhaps the most important part of this treat and in order for it to be a true tanghulu, the sugar coating must be extremely crisp and shatter upon the first bite. Tanghulu are sometimes called bingtanghulu, with the word ‘bing’ meaning ‘ice’ and describing the candy coating of this treat. This treat is traditionally served in the wintertime because the heat of summers in China tends to melt the sugar coating. I personally enjoy making these treats in the summertime because strawberries are so fragrant this time of the year. The sugar coating will soften as the strawberries sit and release moisture, so you want to make these as close to serving time as possible.

Happy baking!

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Easy Sugared (Tanghulu-style) Strawberries

Servings 16 sugared strawberries

Author Amy

Ingredients

• 16 strawberries washed and dried
• 250 g (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 125 g (1/2 cup) water
• Red food colouring optional

Instructions

• Wash strawberries and dry them completely. Moisture will prevent the sugar coating from fully adhering. Once dried, skewer strawberries on bamboo or lollipop sticks.
• Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a small pot over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Allow the sugar to melt without stirring the mixture.
• As the syrup boils and it starts to turn a very light golden colour (it should read 150C on a candy thermometer, about 8 – 10 minutes over medium heat), turn off the heat. If you are not using a candy thermometer, please use the ‘cold water test.’ When you drizzle some of the hot sugar syrup into a bowl of cold water, the sugar should harden into sugar ribbons that you can break with a ‘snap.’ If the sugar in the cold water is still flexible or does not create the ‘snap,’ the sugar is not ready yet. This sugar is ready to coat the strawberries when the sugar mixture reaches 150C/ if it passes the cold water test. Stir in a few drops of red food colouring now if using.
• Tilt the pot slightly, so more syrup pools on one side of the pot. Dip a strawberry into the syrup and turn the stick gently to cover the strawberry completely. Allow excess syrup to drip off and place sugared strawberry on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the strawberries are sugared.
• Allow the sugar coating to harden completely before removing from the baking sheet, about 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

The post Easy Sugared (Tanghulu-style) Strawberries appeared first on Constellation Inspiration.

It is September. It is September (so basically Fall) but I have not posted more than one summer tart and I have definitely made more than one this season. I have posted this strawberry cream cheese tart but where did the post on the fig and earl grey mascarpone tart, this mango tart or this rhubarb tart with crème pâtisièrre go? I got a bit too into making the tarts instead of posting about them, but I think I am okay with that. I have accepted the fact that I want to use all this summer produce when it is at its peak even if it means that the blog post will be a bit delayed. I promise I will eventually have the recipes and photos all up though.

All these summer fruit tarts have been the direct result of me visiting the farmer’s markets on the weekends. I visited a farmer’s market for the first time earlier this summer and since then, I have been hooked. Vancouver is littered with farmer’s markets all throughout the warmer months and has been for a long time. I do not know why it has taken me this long to visit my first one. It started with my quest to find pink pearl apples. Pink pearl apples were not in season yet (and hard to find in general) but I was smitten by all the jewel-toned berries that were in season. 

Visiting the farmer’s market early in the morning right when it opens is the best – you get the largest variety of produce. The biggest perk of going early in my opinion is that you can pick up a coffee and a fresh pastry while it is still warm to start off your day. My pastry of choice at farmer’s market have been a savoury scone or bun. A warm feta and chive scone, to be specific. 

I picked up a large flat of mixed berries, knowing that they were meant for a tart that would show off all their colours. A rich chocolate tart, a classic vanilla custard, adorn with all the fresh berries piled high and a few apple roses, was exactly what I wanted. Besides the sweetest organic strawberries I have tasted all year, my favourite find from this Saturday market was a bouquet of edible flowers. There was this one small stall at the market that sells fresh herbs. Compared to the other vendors, her stall was on the smaller side, with only a limited amount and types of offerings. At the very end of the wooden table she used to display all the herb plants, there was a tiny section that displayed a few bouquets of edible flowers. She had a selection of pink edible roses but all the shapes and colours being shown off by the variety bouquet was what my heart was after. I picked up her last variety bouquet that was predominately herb-based, but had more than enough roses, lavender, lemon thyme, chive blossoms and wild bergamot. There was even a small raspberry sharing a stem with a flower. The vendor said she only has two or three bouquets each week and that they really vary each time. 

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End of Summer Fruit Tart

Servings 1 nine-inch tart

Author Amy

Ingredients

Chocolate Pâte Sablée

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Vanilla Custard

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Garnish

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries
• 1 cup blackberries
• 3 Italian plums quartered
• 1 apple quartered then sliced thin with mandolin
• Edible flowers

Instructions

Chocolate Pâte Sablée

• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together, flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Beat the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy.
• Beat in the egg yolk and mix until fully combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until the dough comes together and there is no more visible flour. Careful not to overmix. Remove dough from the bowl and press the dough into the tart pan, making sure it is evenly distributed. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the tart shell to prevent the bottom from puffing up when baking.
• Wrap the pan loosely in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
• Bake the tart shell at 410F for 15 minutes. Remove carefully from oven and let rest on a wire rack. Let cool completely before filling with custard.

Vanilla Custard

• Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan. Using a sharp knife, split vanilla bean in half lengthways and scrape out seeds. Add bean and seeds to milk mixture. Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.
• Whisk egg yolks, cornflour, and sugar in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Remove vanilla beans from milk mixture. Pour hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
• Return mixture to saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 -15 minutes or until custard thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon.
• Let custard cool completely before filling the tart shell and garnishing with berries.

The post End of Summer Fruit Tart (and a Trip to the Farmer’s Market) appeared first on Constellation Inspiration.