C-Town (Cake Town)

I went to see my sister over the weekend in Chicago for her birthday and because I'm such a good little sister I baked her some confections to go with her birthday.

I cannot begin to describe what a pleasure it is to work in a fully equipped kitchen after being stuck with the inferior one in my dormitory. It's also a delight because the produce store that my sister's boyfriend owns, Open Produce, is only a few steps away from the apartment so I'm never at a loss for ingredients when I'm cooking there.

Anyway I first baked her this delicious blood orange cardamom upside-down cake. I followed the recipe and it turned out splendidly. Perfectly caramelized on top with a delicious kick from the cardamom and the orange rinds.

I also baked her something of my own experimental invention: A strawberry tart with earl grey custard and almond crust. It was delicious (better than the orange cake, according to the tasters,) so I thought I would share the recipe:

Allison's Strawberry Tart

Almond Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus a little more frozen unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
almond extract
Marzipan (optional)

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add butter pieces, mashing with a large fork or pastry cutter until the dough has a flaky consistency.
2. Add egg yolk and almond extract and mix until combined (try to continue using a utensil so the mixture remains chilled.)
3. At the last knead until the dough can be pinched. If it's too dry, add ice water slowly until the consistency seems correct. Press into 9-inch pie/tart pan and freeze (25 minutes or more) before baking.
4. Bake at 375º for 30 minutes, covering the crust snugly with foil. After 30 minutes remove the foil and bake until the crust is light brown (about 5 minutes.) All ovens are different, and my sister's is a little cranky so make sure you keep an eye on your pastry while it bakes.
5. When the crust is cool spread a thin layer of marzipan over the bottom (you may want to roll it out) for some extra almond joy!

Earl Grey Custard Filling
3 cups whole milk steeped in 3-4 earl grey tea bags.
1/3 tsp salt
3/4 cup of sugar
4 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
3 large eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Heat milk and tea in a pan on the stove to before boiling point.
2. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and eggs until smooth.
3. Remove tea bags and pour about 1 cup of hot (NOT BOILING) milk into the egg mixture. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and has thickened slightly.
4. Pour the egg/milk mixture slowly into the heated milk. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to the boiling point.
5. Once the mixture has thickened to the consistency of custard remove from heat and quickly strain it through a sieve into a bowl (you can skip this if you don't have a sieve.)
6. Add the butter in chunks to the warm custard and cream until combined.
7. Put custard in the refrigerator to cool, covering it so that the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the custard. (This prevents a skin from forming.)


Strawberries
1/4 cup white wine
sugar to taste

1. Remove the stems and leaves from 20-30 strawberries, and slice them thinly.
2. Add about half of the slices to a bowl with white wine and sugar.

3. Put the other half of the slices into a bowl.
4. Let both chill in the refrigerator.

I like this recipe because you can prepare the ingredients and combine them the next day.

1. When you are ready to put the tart together, add one layer of wine strawberries to the bottom and cover with custard up to the mid-point of the crust.
2. Add a layer of fresh strawberries to the layer of custard and cover with more custard.
3. Complete by covering the top layer of custard with the rest of the strawberries.

Yum.

The Lemon Plum

I have always complained about the lack of a convenient market in Madison, but recently one opened, bringing with it a slew of produce and dry goods.


Peeking out from among the plums and mangoes was this sexy and mysterious fruit that they dubbed the "Lemon Plum." They claim it to be some sort of gourmet plum that Harrod's sells...But I certainly haven't found any information about that...Or the fruit at all, for that matter. Does anyone know the origin of this fruit?


Either way, lemon plums are indeed delicious. Every one that I have experienced so far has lacked the pithy texture that accompanies most grocery store plums. Instead this plum has soft, sweet, and juicy flesh surrounded with a tart skin that pops with the first bite. In other words, these lemon plums are the epitome of what a good plum should be, despite their having been grown in Ecuador.

Delectable nature aside, I rather liked their aesthetic appearance: The shape is delightfully breast-like; pert and inviting, while the bright yellow color with a hint of red blushing ripeness is more than appealing.

Yum.