FRESH BLUE RASPBERRY CROUSTADE (Croustada)

Ya know; I’m in the super market, and I’m feeling the peaches that are soft and mushy, I’m squeezing the plums that are hard as rocks. I’ve been holding on to summer with everything I’ve got, but alas I will soon have to let go; at least as far as cooking and recipe creating goes.  I’m still gonna be wearing my neon tank tops and hot pink colored jeans, no autumn you won’t take that from me yet!

Now the summer ingredients that aren’t a disappointment are the berries.  They’re delicious, sweet, and juicy.

I especially love raspberries, as they remind me of my child hood.  My great grandparents grew raspberries around the perimeter of their back yard in Victoria, they had raspberries galore.

 

My great grandparent’s door was always open and they always had friends and family dropping in.  They always had a pot of coffee on the stove (brewed in the glass percolator); there was never a time when the house didn’t smell of coffee.  Grandma made bread almost every day too; mixing it in that giant beige bread bowl (I wish I had that bowl!).  And in the summer there would be raspberries; raspberries on cereal, raspberries with cream, raspberry pie, and my fave, a slice of homemade bread smeared with butter and topped with raspberries with just a sprinkle of sugar (Even better than jam!).

We all thought that Grandpa was so funny as because he would pretend to get our names wrong.  I can’t believe I’m gonna tell you this…but name is actually Kari-Dean (Aaaaaah, I can’t believe I said that out loud. Please don’t tell anyone!),Grandpa would call me Dairy Queen, and he would call my cousin Melanie, Lemony.  Hilarious right!  When you’re a kid it is!

And Grandma would always say “Oofta” when she was miffed.  When we got older we joked that she was actually cursing in Norwegian, but we know that my God fearing great grandmother wouldn’t do such a thing.  I also confirmed this with a Norwegian friend; she assured me that “oofta” is not a curse word.

My great grandparents lived good long lives, and were ready to see the Lord when they left us.  While I miss them, I’m so grateful to have loving memories of them.

So do I love raspberries so much because they taste so good, or because just the smell of them evokes happy memories?  I don’t know, it doesn’t really matter, what matters is that they make me happy!

What foods evoke happy memories for you?

Here's how to make all this happiness.

In a small bowl stir together a little granulated sugar with some corn starch, a pinch of salt and the zest of a lemon.

Pour the sugar mixture over some fresh raspberries and blue berries; gently toss the berries with a spoon.

I love how the berries look  frosty.

The crust should be cold, so don't  pull it from the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the croustade.

Unroll the crust on to a sheet pan that is lined with parchment paper.

Pile the berries up in the middle of the pastry, but leave about a 2 inch border.

See that sugar on the top (it looks so pretty), move the berries around so that the sugar doesn't remain there; because of the cornstarch, it doesn't dissolve that well if left on the top, it needs the berry juices to help it along.

Pull the sides of the pastry up and over the berries, crimping it every two inches or so.

I like to press the pastry shell lightly on to the berries, because the berries will shrink and if this step is skipped, there will be a gap between the berries and the pastry.

Now beat an egg in a small bowl with about 1/2 tablespoon of water.

Brush the egg wash over the expose pastry.

And sprinkle a tablespoon of demerara sugar over the egg washed pastry for some crunch.

Bake in a pre heated 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden color.

Allow the croustade to cool on the sheet pan for about 15 minutes, and then transfer it to a wire rack using the parchment paper as a vehicle.  Allow to cool for another 45 minutes on the rack.

A little seedless jam or jelly will give the croustade a pretty sheen.

You may microwave the jam for about 20 seconds.

Since I don't have a microwave, I fill a bowl with hot tap water, and then I hold another bowl with the jam in the water and stir until the jam is melted.

Gently brush the melted jam over just the berries.

Blue Raspberry Croustade is best if enjoyed the same day so that the pastry will be flaky and crisp.

This dessert is a nice balance of sweet and tart which is made perfect with just a touch of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

FRESH BLUE RASPBERRY CROUSTADE (Croustada)

Serves 6

12             oz.          Fresh raspberries

1              cup         Fresh blue berries

6              Tbsp.       Granulated sugar

1              Tbsp.       Corn starch

1/8           tsp.         Salt

1               tsp.        Grated lemon zest

1                            Refrigerated pie crust, for a 9 inch pie (the one that unrolls, not the one in the tins)

1                            Egg

1              Tbsp.       Demerara sugar (or sugar in the raw)

1 1/2         Tbsp.       Seedless strawberry jam or apricot jelly

   1.       Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

   2.       Add the berries to a large bowl.

   3.       In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, corn starch, salt and lemon zest.  Pour the mixture over the berries and mix gently to coat the berries.

   4.       Unroll the pie crust onto the prepared sheet pan.  Pour the berries and sugar into a mound in the center of the pie crust, leaving about a 2 inch border around the crust.  Now, pull the sides of the pie crust up slightly over the berries, crimping the dough together every couple of inches so that it will stay in place.

   5.       In a small bowl, whisk the egg with about ½ tablespoon of water.  Brush the egg wash on to exposed pie crust.  Sprinkle the demarara sugar over the crust that has just been egg washed.

   6.       Bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden color; turn the pan about half way through so that the croustade cooks evenly.

   7.       Allow to cool for about 15 minutes on the pan; and then pick up the parchment paper and gently lift the whole croustade to a wire rack to cool for about another 45 minutes. 

   8.    Put the jam (or jelly) in a small microwave safe bowl, and microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds, just to melt it.  Use a pastry brush to gently brush the melted jam (or jelly) onto just the berries; this will give the tart an attractive sheen.

 Fresh Blue Raspberry Croustade is best enjoyed the same day, but will keep for a couple of days.

 

  This recipe was shared at:

   The Weekend Potluck

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