Strawberry Shortbread

I love butter. I have always sneered at the thought that butter is bad for me and never even entertained using anything else for baking. Certainly it is the only thing to use for slathering on bread and rolls and bagels and corn on the cob and etc., etc., etc. But I have never been a butter snob. Honestly. Even when I was a kid, and my grandmother insisted on using big blocks of butter purchased from Castle Farms in the Broadway Market. Sure, the butter was a bit tastier than the pale sticks of commercial butter my mother purchased at the supermarket, but I didn't think it was that big a deal. I know--heresy.

For much of my life, standard supermarket butter was the butter of choice. Eventually, European gourmet butters came to be available, at Whole Foods and Weis Market. But I always felt those butters were too...funky. If I accidentally got some of it on my fingers, I was stuck with the smell all day long. Thank goodness I don't have facial hair, otherwise eating gourmet-buttered corn on the cob would be a real trial (so I didn't eat it).

And then I found Finlandia Butter. Made from the milk of hormone-free Finnish cows, this rich butter is creamy and fresh-tasting. It's perfect for both cooking and topping freshly baked bread and corn on the cob. And its safe for those who have facial hair (and I still maintain I have none).

Finlandia was kind enough to send me samples of both their salted and unsalted versions, and I happily got to work creating recipes that showcased their butter's creamy goodness. What better way to show off the flavor of butter than shortbread? With only three essential ingredients--sugar, flour, and butter--there's nothing to get in the way of enjoying that luscious dairy.

Curd, too, is a buttery product. At least, that's the way I prefer my curd (some are more eggy). But I feel that I've made lemon curd so many times and needed to try something new. Pureed strawberries make a lovely pink curd, and the fruit is just acidy enough to tame the richness of butter. This recipe makes quite a bit of curd, about 2 pints, so you can enjoy it on scones or toast or by the spoonful (my favorite way).

I used 4" springform pans to make the shortbread, but you can use tartlet shells if you have them (reducing baking time accordingly if the shells are smaller) or press the dough into a single 8" tart pan with removable bottom. Heck, the dough is pretty sturdy, so you can even hand form it into large cookies with a slight rim to contain the curd.

Top with whipped cream and a mint leaf garnish, or enjoy as is. Either way, these buttery tartlets are sure to please.

Rustic Strawberry Shortbread Tarts

For curd:
1 lb strawberries, hulled and cut into chunks
2 large eggs + 3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons Finlandia unsalted butter, cut into small bits
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

For crusts:
8 tablespoons Finlandia salted butter, softened
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour

To assemble:
Strawberries

To make curd:  Puree the strawberries in a blender. Pour the puree into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. While the puree is warming, whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add the puree to the egg mixture in a slow stream, whisking all the time. Return the puree to the pan and heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time, then stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Pour into a covered container and refrigerate until cold.

To make crusts: Stir butter and sugar together in a bowl. Mix in yolk. Add flour and stir until butter and flour are well combined and mixture is crumbly. Press dough into bottoms and a tiny bit of the way up sides of 4 4-inch springform pans. Freeze pans until dough is firm, 15 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake shells until crust turns lightly browned around the edges, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before removing outer rings. Gently slide tart shells off of pan bottoms. Cool completely before filling.

To assemble tarts:  Hull strawberries. Cut each one into slices from bottom to top.

Fill baked crusts with strawberry curd. Top with sliced strawberries arranged in a fan pattern.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats.


Posted on Minxeats.com.

Pear and Fig Turnovers with Bourbon Caramel

We spent a couple of the last remaining hours of 2011 having a lovely dinner at B&O American Brasserie. Among the five courses we consumed were two that really inspired me to try a variation at home, one of which was a brown butter pear cake paired with figs and bacon.

The cake itself was just a rather plain yellow cake; the pear actually appeared to be within the jam-like accompaniment of caramelized dried figs sprinkled with bits of bacon. I thought the fig/pear/caramel combination was delicious and made a mental note to try it at home, with or without the bacon.

After a bit of thinking, I decided figsnpears would work nicely as a filling for tartlets, hand pies, or turnovers. Because I was already making a fairly complicated dinner the same night, I decided to forego the bacon, although it would have been a tasty addition.

Commercial puff pastry is always a breeze to use - just thaw, fill, and bake. The puffy little pies were terrific hot out of the oven and drizzled with a bit of the caramel sauce, but equally as good at room temperature with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream and more caramel.

Pear and Fig Turnovers with Bourbon Caramel

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
8 dried figs, quartered, stems removed
1 cup water
2 medium pears, skinned and diced
1 tablespoon butter
Bourbon Caramel Sauce
1 egg, beaten

In a small saucepan, bring figs and water to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes, or until figs are tender, adding more water as necessary. Remove from heat and drain figs. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium sauté pan. Add pears and cook over medium heat until tender. Add 2 tablespoons of the bourbon caramel sauce, stir in reserved figs, and cook an additional five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Unfold one puff pastry sheet and use a rolling pin to flatten the seams and stretch the dough out a bit. Cut dough into six squares. Place a tablespoon of fig and pear filling in the center of each square (if some of the squares are rectangles, stretch the dough accordingly). Fold dough to form a triangle and seal edges with the tines of a fork. Place pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush each with the beaten egg. Repeat with second pastry sheet.

Bake for 18 minutes. Serve with little ramekins of caramel sauce for dipping.

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon

Place sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved. Turn heat to high and bring sugar mixture to a boil. Cook without stirring until the syrup turns a medium amber and starts to smoke (but is not burning!). Remove pan from heat and add butter and cream. Stir in bourbon and vanilla. Pour into a clean glass pint jar and allow to cool. Store in the refrigerator.

Reheat caramel by placing a couple of spoonfuls into a microwave-safe ramekin and microwaving for 5-second increments until caramel is hot and bubbly. Remove carefully, as it will be very hot.

Posted on Minxeats.com.