Fete De Bastille Stone Fruit Tart!

Bonne Fete D’Bastille! Why celebrate independence once when you can twice in the month of July. France celebrates their version of Fourth of July, July 14^th  ; we figure there is no better way to celebrate this French holiday than by baking a tart with some of the seasons best fruit. Stone fruits are at their peak during the summer months, and come in an array of gorgeous colors and flavors. In this recipe we use white meat peaches, nectarines, and black plumcots. From peach to plumcot, the fruit gets more tart and the skin gets darker, making for an array of colors with each bite.  Not only does the fruit create amazing flavor in your mouth, but the almond from the almond flour and almond extract brings that well rounded flavor similar to marzipan, and that richness cut against the fruit is spectacular!

Ingredients:

Crust:

8 Tbs. butter melted and cooled

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 Tsp. almond extract

1/4 Tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 Tsp. salt

1 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. flour

Filling:

1 Lb. fruit- we used peaches, nectarines, and plumcots

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 Tsp. almond extract

1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. honey

2 Tlbs. almond flour

1 egg

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To start the whole process off, you are going to prepare all of your fruit, by washing, cutting, removing pit, and then slicing into smaller pieces. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Next you will prepare the crust by combining all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. In another bowl melt the butter, pour into the dry mix, add the other wet ingredients, and combine together. Spread the crust mix and press down into a 9” pie crust mold evenly. Using a fork, make small holes all over the bottom of the crust, then bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust becomes golden.

The following step is to make the filling. Using a fork, mix the egg in a bowl, then adding all other ingredients for the filling, but the fruit. Pour filling into the bottom of crust, then arrange fruit on top. Bake for 30-25 minutes, or until filling has set.

Remove, let cool, and dust with powdered sugar if it pleases you!!
  

Jumbo Tarragon Shrimp Roll with an Orange Mayo

Not all of us can afford lobster for lobster rolls, and let’s face it when you are feeding a bunch of mouths and you have had a couple of cocktails at a BBQ no one will know the difference. We give you the shrimp roll! Tadah! This roll is very simple, we combined grilled shrimp, mayonnaise, tarragon, green and purple cabbage, and bread. What truly makes this roll unique however is the orange mayonnaise we made to bring a touch of brightness to your palette, and create that fresh summer taste.

Mayonnaise:

1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 juicing orange
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp. white wine vinegar

Shrimp Roll: (makes 4 rolls)

4 Rolls- we prefer sourdough or kaiser
2 Lbs. of  jumbo deveined and peeled shrimp
2 twigs fresh tarragon
1/4 cup orange mayonnaise
1/2 a green cabbage
1/2 purple cabbage
1 lemon

To make the mayo, mix one egg,  juice from one orange, and vinegar, and pour into a blender. Most all blenders have an area on the lid where you can pour stuff in while you are blending. While blending everything on a low speed, slowly add the oil, and salt until the mixture starts to thicken. Next add your egg yolk, and continue to blend. If the mixture doesn’t thicken to a normal mayo consistency add another yolk and oil until it reaches desired thickness. Pour out and refrigerate for about an hour to let set, and you are ready to use!

For the shrimp roll; cut your bread so that there is about an inch left where it is still attached, so you can fill the bread with goodies. Now chop into thin slivers all of your cabbage and mix together. The purple will add a nice color that everyone will appreciate.

Butterfly your shrimp and season with salt, pepper, and tarragon (for tarragon chop 2/3 or the tarragon leaving the rest to the side). Grill the shrimp until it is completely opaque and a beautiful orange. Mix your shrimp in with the orange mayonnaise and get ready to eat it.

Now all we need to do is assemble everything. Spread some mayo on the bread. Lay some cabbage down, now stuff your shrimp into the roll. Sprinkle the left over tarragon on top, and top off with some more cabbage and if needed a squeeze of some lemon. Enjoy! There is no way you will be disappointed!

All American Fourth of July Cake

What is more awesome than feeling patriotic this time of year….We know, feeling patriotic through sweets! What we love about this cake is that it is so beautiful (as well as tasty), it almost transports you to feeling like you are sitting next to Marie Antoinette stuffing your faces with pastries. This cake is slightly rustic, and easy on the eyes, and the tongue.

Side note- We were lucky enough to pick and use blueberries from our own yard, so we highly suggest starting to grow your own!

Ingredients:

Cake:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks (reserving whites for meringue, plus 1 additional white)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Blue food coloring
1 cup blueberries (some set aside for decoration)

Frosting:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Red food coloring

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take two 8 inch round cake pines, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter, it, and dust with flour. Sometimes I butter the pan before I put the parchment down so it sticks better. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and put aside.
In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer beat butter (make sure it is soft, so leave out for a while before baking), with sugar until completely smooth. Add your eggs and your yolks one at a time while blending, once you finish adding the eggs, add the vanilla and blend. Now you alternate adding the flour and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour- a tip Francesca learned from her beloved Martha Stewart.

Fun part now is adding the food coloring, add as many drops as you need for the desired depth of color, and then fold the blueberries in with a spatula so you don’t break them.

Divide the batter in between both pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until you poke with a toothpick and it comes out clean. Once done baking let cool in the pan for ten minutes, then flip out of the pans onto cooling racks so they are upside down, and let completely cool.

Frosting:

Super easy frosting…just place all of the ingredients into a bowl and blend, and add food coloring until it is pink or red as you like.
Now assemble all the elements of the cake. Frost in between the two layers, and then all around. Don’t worry about all the frosting being perfect, some runny frosting will add some beautiful character. Add a dash of blueberries for character. Slice. Eat! Let them eat cake…in the name of the USA!