Dinner with Julie

Plum Crostata with Cornmeal Crust

I thought I posted this on Tuesday morning, before we packed it up and headed for the ferry. Did I not? Have you not seen this? I swear it was up, but I just noticed that it wasn’t. I guess I do have a little something for you, then. I had half-written the story of W’s fifth birthday and our stay at the Met, but am having some internet problems and the powers that be won’t allow my photos to upload, so I suppose that news will have to wait. (We have to hit the road early (back to Calgary!), and I’m covering traffic on CBC Friday morning, which means a 4:30 wakeup (3:30 BC time), which means I need to take advantage of this heavenly bed while I still can… bracing myself for reentry.)

On our last afternoon in Tofino I made a free-form plum tart to use up the last of the plums. I had it in my mind to make something fruity and cornmeal-y, like a blueberry cornmeal buckle or biscuits or something, but I wound up making pastry. It’s easy enough with just a fork and a bowl, and if you make a crostata-galette-free-form pie sort of thing, there’s even no need for a pie plate.

Because I want something like a plum tart to be not just sweet, but tart (plums shouldn’t be overly thickened and sugary, in my opinion, unless they are meant to be jam, and even then they should retain some of their tart character), I used just under 1/4 cup of sugar, but you can add it to suit your taste.

Plum Crostata with Cornmeal Crust

Adapted from Everyday Food.

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Filling:
1 1/2 pounds red plums, pitted and thinly sliced
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

In a bowl (or the bowl of a food processor) combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt; add the butter and blend in with a pastry cutter or fork (or pulse the food processor) until combined, with some pieces the size of a pea remaining. Add 2 tablespoons very cold water and stir until the dough comes together – add another tablespoon if it needs it. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to a few days).

When you’re ready to make your pie, take the crust out of the fridge and let it sit on the countertop for 10 minutes or so to make it more pliable. Preheat the oven to 400F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 14-inch (ish) circle. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and transfer the dough to the sheet. (Don’t worry if it hangs over the edges.)

In a large bowl, toss together the sugar and flour; add the plums and toss to coat. Mound plum mixture in center of the crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold the edge of the pastry over the fruit, letting it fold where it wants to.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until tart until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Transfer baking sheet to a rack; let cool 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8.

August 03 2010 | dessert | 6 Comments »

Lemon Blackberry Drop Scones

Remember that little basket of blackberries that came from Nanoose Bay? I managed to hold a few back to bake into scones this morning. Yes, I thought it was a good idea too.

Any fresh (or frozen – don’t thaw them) berry would work here – blackberries are probably the most fragile, coming apart into their individual drupelets as you stir them into thick batter – but I love them, and that they remind me of our years living in Vancouver, where blackberries were free for the picking everywhere. I looked forward to those late August days of blackberry hunting like almost no other, and would suit up in long sleeves (I’d have worn chain mail if I had access to some) and gardening gloves with their fingertips cut off, and drag Mike along with pails, although he was nowhere near as enthusiastic as I. So I don’t mind their frailty – swaths of purple are most welcome in my scones. I did try to add them gingerly, tipping them in, then stirring only once or twice with my spatula, then gathering up spoonfuls with the help of my fingers to drop onto the buttered baking sheets. They don’t have to be all the way inside – as long as they’re hanging on, the dough will bake around them a bit. They look good that way, too.

Lemon Blackberry Drop Scones

You don’t need lemon for these – they’d be as delicious without – we just happened to have a lemon sitting on the countertop that needed using before we leave tomorrow.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces
grated zest of a lemon (optional)
1 large egg
3/4 cup (ish) milk
a big handful of berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, huckleberries…)

coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F. In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and blend it with a fork, whisk, pastry blender or your fingers (or do it all in the food processor, if you have one), leaving some lumps no bigger than a pea.

Crack the egg into a measuring cup and add milk to make it a cup. Stir it together with a fork and add to the flour mixture; stir with a spatula until just barely combined. Add the berries and stir a couple more times, then drop the sticky dough in large spoonfuls onto a buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar, if you like.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or less if you made small scones, until golden. Makes 6 good-sized scones.

One Year Ago: Blueberry Galette
Over at Family Kitchen: Nanking Cherry Lemonade

August 02 2010 | bread and breakfast | 9 Comments »