The Perfect Raspberry & Blueberry Tart

“Jamie at Home” is one of my top favorite shows on the Food Network, which is why I have it recording in my DVR and watch at least one episode every other night. I just love the way Jamie Oliver is so natural with food, and makes all these delicious dishes in the simplest way with the freshest ingredients possible. I sometimes laugh at the way he mixes things with his hands, or adds a LOT of olive oil to almost every dish. It is the sense of rustic and his character that make this show so comforting and an entertainment to watch. Not to mentioned that I love British accents and Jamie’s is just so peculiar, like when he says “alwroight”  and “lovely jubbly” which I know irritates a lot of viewers, but in my opinion, it gives the show a twist and fun appeal. Recently he has not had a good time with the media, and received harsh criticism for calling a reporter “you bitch,” and later on apologizing and blaming it to a late night of drinking… Not that I approve (apparently the reporter asked him about his recent weight gain), but it’s just part of his personality to be so careless, sloppy, and how he would say, cuckoo.

 Another reason that I defend Jamie is that his recipes are incredible easy and delicious, each and every one I’ve tried has not failed me.

This one is no exception.

This tart would be so refreshing while watching the sunset in Oia, Santorini...

The other day, I was watching one of his old summer episodes and he made this beautiful raspberry tart with mascarpone cheese and yogurt. The next day I found myself at Gracious Home buying a 6-inch tart pan.

The tart was very easy to make; I was impressed on how beautifully it turned out–and tasty. I switched up things a bit, making a graham cookie crust instead of using pastry pie dough. I also decorated it with raspberries and blueberries; the color contrast was perfect against the white mascarpone-yogurt filling. And to top it off, instead of drizzling melted chocolate I shaved some orange zest and milk chocolate on top and voilà, such an appealing tart to the eye (and appetite) that won’t last more than a couple of minutes.                         

Quick and Easy Raspberry & Blueberry Mascarpone-Yogurt Tart

Adapted from Jamie Oliver.

 

1 box graham cracker

4 Tbsp. melted butter

½ cup yogurt

1 8oz. package of mascarpone cheese

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. orange zest

1 Tbsp. orange juice

To decorate:

Raspberries

Blueberries

Orange zest

Chocolate piece

 

Preheat oven to 350F. In the meantime prepare crust. In a blender, process graham crackers until fine crumbs. Mix in melted butter. Press mixture into 6-inch tart pan.

Bake crust for about 10 minutes, until slightly brown and firm. Cool.

To make filling, in a bowl mix yogurt, mascarpone cheese, zest, and orange juice.

Pour filling over cool crust. Decorate with blueberries and raspberries. Grate additional orange zest over the top, followed by grated milk chocolate (I used milk chocolate, but dark chocolate would have been even better).

Refrigerate if not served immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan Lactose-Free Strawberry Ice Cream

Being sick to the stomach is never fun, especially because food is tasteless and the diet becomes heavily restricted. Last week I had a bacterial infection that lasted more than expected and had me on a “special” diet for more than ten days. Bland, dull, mushy foods for the first five days and then, slowly some solids, but no lactose or red meats for the up to ten full days. The hardest part was keeping ice cream out of my diet, especially during the summer weather we’ve had for these last days.

I was back home in Costa Rica for spring break during half of my sickness and with the warm weather my crave for something cold and sweet spiked. I craved ice cream, a cold cream to cool off on a sunny afternoon pictured in my mind as something incredibly soothing. By the 5^th day I managed to eat a guava water-based sorbet at a local gelateria, but I still reminisced the creamy feel.

I took a trip to the supermarket and was incredibly drawn by some plump fresh red strawberries. I thought an ice cream with those strawberries would really bring out the sweetness of the fruit, however, lactose was still not permitted in my diet. And so I brainstormed for a few minutes and thought that almond milk would work perfectly for a dairy-free strawberry ice cream; I headed home with some strawberries and almond milk on the back of my car.

Once back home, I  searched for a lactose-free ice cream recipe to satisfy my crave. I found pastry chef, David Lebotiz, had a great vegan strawberry ice cream recipe in his blog. He used rice milk, but almond milk worked magically for me. I also added the optional alcohol (I used Kirsch), extra limejuice, and less sugar (almond milk was sweetened). The original recipe also called for lemon juice but I used limejuice instead.

The result was a tasty rich strawberry ice cream that looks more like sorbet than ice cream. The almond milk I used was sweetened and vanilla flavored, which gave it a nutty hint that makes the ice cream so delicious one would never think it was lactose free. Super easy and tasty!

 

Lactose Free Strawberry Ice Cream

Adapted from David Lebotiz, July 13, 2010

 

600 grams fresh strawberries, washed and cored

1/3-cup sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 ½ cup sweetened almond vanilla milk

3 teaspoons fresh limejuice

2 teasooons kirsch liquor

 

Place strawberries, sugar, and honey in bowl and combine. Let stand for 15 minutes.

In a blender pour strawberry mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients, pulse until smooth.

Place mixture into a container and into the fridge for about an hour until mixture is cold.

Freeze strawberry mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

*I usually make the ice cream in the machine a couple of hours before serving, this way I can freeze it in a container for couple hours. This makes the ice cream firmer, melting much slower when served than if directly served from the machine.

 

A gem beneath the ritzy

We were craving seafood, a good seafood place downtown that was not overly priced. However, that combination is close to impossible in this city.  One would think that living with water on every extremity would bring us fresh, delicious, cheap seafood all around, but that has never been the case in New York. And so, we tried Mary’s Fish Camp, but I found out it is ridiculously closed on Sundays. Then we tried Mermaid Oyster bar on McDougal Street, but with its unreliable schedule too, we met with two white locked doors at four o’clock in the afternoon. Without much ideas in mind I thought about Lure, the hidden seafood restaurant in SoHo I had ventured a couple of years ago. There was still a faint hint of tastiness in that memoir and so I thought it would be an adequate alterative, plus the place is fun too.

Lure is the retro fish bar and restaurant right beneath the ostentatious Prada store on the corner between Mercer and Prince Street. Of course, inexpensive was no longer in our checklist, and so we headed down the green metal stairs into the lookalike yacht scenario. I was utterly disappointed to realize we had just missed the brunch menu, but that was our fault for being lazy and oversleeping. And so we found ourselves starring to what was a really short menu with very limited options.

 Our first take was the blue point oysters that we had glimpsed at the raw bar in the entrance. The oysters were okay, not bad, but not fresh and creamy either (like the ones you get at Aquagrill a few blocks down). These were followed by what surprised to be a rather tasty lobster roll. About half pound of lobster meat heaped over a buttery and grilled brioche bun. A good lobster roll demands fresh lobster meat, a pinch of mayonnaise, some thinly chopped celery, and a fine brioche. Unexpectedly, Lure’s lobster roll was all of the above.  It was fresh, salty, and the brioche bread was soft, rich, buttery, and flaky, the perfect pillow for such delicious lobster mix. For the price tag of $29 the roll was defendable, sort of what we expected for our money, a valuable sandwich, but it went beyond that. It was tasty and delicious in the way of something I would want to come back for, and definitely a bite I would recommend to others. Honestly I was quite surprised to find such a scrumptious roll in this cool place that seems to serve the stuck ups who come for the hang of it, more so than the food.  Next time you find yourself shopping around SoHo and seafood is on your mind, don’t forget this roll is right beneath your feet.

Making Patacones

Plantains, or its Spanish name platanos, are a typical ingredient found in many Latin American and Caribbean cuisines. It also the central caloric intake of many West African diets, and an important commodity in Asia, a diffusion that came to the eastern hemisphere during the Columbian Exchange. Many love the taste of it, given its bold sweet and savory taste that has a crisp and crunch to it. The best thing about plantains is that they are an incredibly versatile ingredient that can be made as a snack, side dish, and even for dessert.

 In the supermarket many pass by it because of its unfamiliarity when raw, and primarily because most are clueless on how to cook it. It is rather simple, an ingredient that is easy to prepare and will impress and satisfy every diner.

 Last weekend, on my trip to Washington D.C., we thought making patacones would be a perfect snack for movie watching on a Saturday night. Patacones are a Latin American common side dish made of flat fried plantains that resemble almost like thick chips. And so, with a couple of extra-long green bananas, we made this typical fried snack.

 

Patacones

I like to eat my patacones hot and freshly fried with a little bit of Tabasco sauce and dark refried beans. However, dips and side dishes are unlimited. Many use patacones to eat ceviche, while others prefer them simple, with just a little salt. Other common dips include ketchup, and guacamole.

Ingredients

2 ripe plantains

Vegetable oil

Salt

Directions

Fill a pan up to 1/4^th of vegetable oil and heat on high heat. In the meantime, peel plantains and cut into 1-inch rounds.

When the oil is hot, carefully fry plantains on both sides for 2 minutes total. Remove and place on paper towel to drain excess oil.

Put plantain round in a flat surface (I use a cutting board) and with the bottom of a glass, or other flat surface, press over the plantain until flat and about ½-inch thick.

Transfer flat plantain back to the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain excess oil. Season with salt and serve with desired dippings.