Archive for the ‘cook it’ Category
Fruit Pizza Minis
Summer raspberries are in full swing here. So when deciding on a dessert for a luncheon last week, I wanted fresh berries to be the star.
I’ve made fruit pizza before, but these mini versions are my new favorite.
The recipe comes from my Great Aunt Evelyn (the same Aunt that shared my favorite dishcloth pattern). This cookie was served at her granddaughter’s wedding. I’ve modified her recipe in several ways, changing the orange zest to lemon zest, cutting the recipe in half (it was wedding size!), and adding lemon extract. I thought the lemon in the sugar cookie base was a perfect compliment to the light topping and fruit. Plus I love lemon zest more than words.
Both pretty and delicious, these fruit pizza minis are perfect for a wedding, a luncheon, or a party.
The topping is a combination of a butter and cream cheese frosting gently folded together with whipped cream. It’s light tasting and totally delicious. Fresh berries on top make this a perfect summer dessert.
Because it was easy, and made them look pretty, we piped the topping on with a pastry bag and a star tip. The nice part was they didn’t need to be perfect since the topping is covered in fruit.
Here is the recipe:
Fruit Pizza Minis
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 2 – 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1-1/2 teaspoons milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons plus 1- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
Cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, lemon extract, and milk. Add salt and baking powder and mix until well blended. Add lemon zest. With mixer on low, add flour in batches and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutter. (My great Aunt and her girls used the mouth of a large peach can.) I used a 3 inch round cookie cutter, and it made just over 3- 1/2 dozen cookies. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Don’t over-crowd as they will spread slightly.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Whip ingredients together until light and fluffy and set aside.
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Whip cream together until slightly stiff. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip to stiff peaks.
Gently fold together with cream cheese mixture until combined.
Frost baked and cooled cookies. Top with favorite fruit.
Rhubarb Pie
I have a little story to tell about this pie.
Growing up, I had a next door neighbor named LaVerne. She was the kind of neighbor that knew our comings and goings, and always looked out for us.
LaVerne’s husband took great pride in their yard, and they had a big, lovely vegetable garden in their backyard, where he grew a little of everything, including rhubarb.
Each summer, without fail, LaVerne would call over the fence and invite me over to have a slice of her rhubarb pie.
I remember her serving up the pie in the comfortable shade of her backyard. “This is my favorite pie in the whole world!” I would tell her, as I ate a warm slice with melting vanilla ice cream on top.
LaVerne is now probably in her late 80’s and has moved from her home. So I was so glad my mom took the time to call her and during their conversation, she asked for the recipe for her wonderful rhubarb pie.
The rhubarb in my garden was ready, so I made her pie this weekend.
Did you know that you pull rhubarb out rather than cut to harvest?
Be careful to trim and discard the rhubarb leaves as they are poisonous.
Then chop the stalks up like celery.
In a mixing bowl, add sugar, flour, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Whenever possible, use very fresh nutmeg. Nutmeg is best bought whole and grated with a microplane zester.
Whisk a couple of eggs…
Then add to flour mixture.
Add a tablespoon of cooled melted butter.
Pour in the rhubarb and stir to combine.
Make a double crust pie recipe. Rollout crust and pour rhubarb mixture into an unbaked pie crust.
Top with second crust or lattice crust, whichever you prefer. On Sunday, I was busy making dinner too, and double crust is faster than lattice. Be sure to cut vents. I always cut my vents while my crust is still on my pastry frame, then it’s not too hard to center as I roll it back over the pie. You can also cut vents using a sharp knife, after you’ve topped the pie.
Brush the top of your pie with evaporated milk, half and half or even an egg wash. LaVerve used evaporated milk and sprinkled with sugar. That’s what I use for my double crust pies too. It gives a nice, golden, crispy crust.
Even if you’d like to serve it warm, I prefer to let my pie cool for about an hour. It’s still warm, but has been able to set up.
On Sunday, I served it like LaVerne did, warm with melting vanilla ice cream.
It tasted just like I remembered. It was tart and sweet, with a lovely flavor of nutmeg. Tasting the pie took me back in time and brought back such fond memories of the woman who made it.
Here is the recipe:
LaVerne’s Rhubarb Pie
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 tablespoon melted butter (cooled)
- 3 cups of chopped rhubarb
- a double crust pie recipe
- evaporated milk and sugar for dusting (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add whisked eggs and cooled melted butter, stir until well combined. Add rhubarb and stir until mixed. Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Add crust top and add vents. Or top with a lattice crust. Brush with evaporated milk and dust with sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Cool for about an hour before serving.
