Cherry-Brown Butter-Creme Faiche Tart

Choosing dessert for a cherry-themed dinner was easy. I had just read about a tart in The Sugar Cube that can be made with any berries or cherries, and I couldn’t wait to try it. In the book, it’s made with raspberries that are all lined up in neat rows down the length of a rectangular tart. I wanted to do the same thing only with halved cherries instead of raspberries. It worked like a dream. The tart crust was buttery and flaky, and the cherries were juicy and sweet. But, the filling in this tart was the highlight. I thought the mixture would be a tasty middle to hold the fruit in place, but I didn’t expect the level of wow brought on by the vanilla and brown butter. Actually, the butter was melted with vanilla seeds and the pod in it and smelled incredible as it browned. When that fragrant vanilla brown butter was mixed into the filling with creme fraiche, I knew I was going to have a great tart. There is some fussiness to making this tart like making the dough, chilling it, rolling it, fitting it into a tart pan, chilling again, and that sort of thing. I can tell you though, it’s worth the effort.

I made the tart dough by hand as I usually do although the recipe recommends using a food processor. Butter was cut into flour that had been stirred with a little salt and some sugar. Cold cream and an egg yolk brought the dough together, and it was chilled for about an hour. As suggested in the book, I used a four-inch by thirteen-inch, rectangular tart pan. After placing the dough in the pan and docking the bottom, it was chilled in the freezer while the oven pre-heated. The tart shell was blind baked with pie weights for about 15 minutes, the oven temperature was reduced, the weights were removed, and it was baked another ten minutes. Meanwhile, that amazing filling was made with vanilla brown butter, sugar, salt, an egg, flour, and creme fraiche. The baked tart shell was allowed to cool a bit before the filling was added, and then halved cherries were placed in rows, cut side down in the filling. The tart went back into the oven for 25 minutes.

I mentioned before how much I’m enjoying this book, and this was one more reason why. Every recipe I’ve tried from it so far has worked perfectly and delivered delicious results. A dessert with cherries is easy for me to like, but this one topped all expectations.

Raspberry (or Cherry)-Brown Butter-Creme Fraiche Tart
Recipe reprinted with publisher's permission from The Sugar Cube.

Notice how raspberry is the first word in the title? That’s because this tart is all about the fruit. Yes, there’s a rich tart dough made with egg yolk and cream. And yes, it’s slathered with an amazing filling of vanilla browned butter and creme fraiche. But the filling is more of a flavorful base to support and contrast with all the bright fruit. Now, don’t skimp and use extract instead of a vanilla bean when making the filling. You won’t get the same depth of flavor as you do when you brown the seeds and pod along with the butter. You can, however, feel free to change up the fruit. You can use other berries, or even cherries that have been pitted—just cut them in half and toss with about two tablespoons of sugar.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Ingredients

Tart dough
1 1/4 cups plus
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 egg yolk

Brown butter filling
1/2 vanilla bean
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 heaping tablespoons creme fraiche
1 pint (abour 2 cups) fresh raspberries (or cherries)

Instructions

TO MAKE THE TART DOUGH:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks pale yellow and sandy.

IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the cream and egg yolk. While pulsing, pour the mixture through the feed tube of the food processor. Continue pulsing until the dough forms a ball around the blade.

TURN THE DOUGH OUT onto a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk so it’s not too thick and will be easier to roll out, wrap it in plastic, and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

REMOVE THE DOUGH from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for a few minutes to soften a bit. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, frequently turning it a quarter turn. (Use a bench scraper to dislodge any areas that stick to the work surface and dust the area lightly with flour.) Roll the dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick and an inch or two longer than the length and width of a 4-by-13-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Carefully transfer the dough to the pan and gently press it into the pan, including the corners. Roll the rolling pin across the top of the tart pan to cut off the excess dough. Check around the top of the pan and make sure the dough is at least flush with the top, or make it a little higher. Prick the bottom of the tart all over and chill in the freezer until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to a small sauté pan along with the pod and the butter. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the butter darkens to a nutty brown and the solids drop to the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. Measure out 3 tablespoons of the browned butter, making sure to get as much of the vanilla bean seeds and browned bits as you can. (You can save any extra butter for another use.)

IN A SMALL MIXING BOWL, whisk together the sugar, salt, and egg until combined. Whisk in the flour, then whisk in the browned butter and crème fraîche until combined.

PREHEAT THE OVEN to 400°F. Crumple a piece of parchment paper (to increase its flexibility so that it will conform more easily to the shape of the tart shell), then flat-ten it out and fit it into the chilled shell. Fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. Bake until the sides of the shell look set and golden, 10 to 15 minutes, then gently lift the parchment and beans and remove them from the tart. Reduce the heat to 350°F, and continue baking until the bottom is set and lightly golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer. (If the edges start to look too dark, cover them with strips of foil.) Let cool slightly on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before filling.

SPOON THE FILLING into the prebaked tart shell, spreading it evenly over the bottom with a small offset spatula. Arrange the berries in an even layer on top. Bake on the center rack until the filling has puffed up around the fruit and is golden brown, about 25 minutes. (Again, if edges are getting too dark, cover with strips of foil.)

LET COOL before cutting tart crosswise to serve.

TIPS
You can use any leftover scraps of tart dough to make mini jam tartlets. Roll it out and cut it into rounds. Drop a dollop of jam in the center of each round, and fold the dough over to make a turnover. Crimp the edges with a fork, chill until firm, and then bake until golden brown.

Taste your fruit. If it’s not very sweet, fold in 1 tablespoon melted apricot jam or seedless raspberry jam. Or use superfine sugar, which is absorbed more quickly.

You can make the filling several days in advance. Let it come to room temperature before you use it, so it will be easier to spread.

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Chocolate-Bananagasm Muffins

It is a catchy recipe title, and chocolate and banana in the same place always gets my attention anyway. So, it was a given that I’d try this. I shared a few of these muffins with some friends, told them what they’re called, and asked them to let me know if they were indeed bananagasmic. Everyone agreed that they were. Although, one friend felt it was more appropriate to wait until no males were in the room to admit it. Her reputation is safe. I won’t tell. The recipe comes from the new book The Sugar Cube by Kir Jensen, who operates a Portland food cart with the same name, and I received a review copy. It’s full of fun twists on classics and some new takes on sweets as well. I’ve been baking from it practically nonstop since reading it. The Twisted Toll House Cookies, which are thin and crisp and made with hazelnut flour and finely chopped chocolate, became an instant favorite in our house. Some recipes I haven’t gotten to yet but can’t wait to try include: the Bing Cherry Breakfast Clafoutis with an oat crumble topping; the Highway to Heaven Cupcakes which are chocolate cakes brushed with coffee syrup, filled with caramel sauce, topped with ganache, with an optional garnish of shards of potato chips; and the Black and White Sesame Brittle with pretty flecks of two kinds of sesame seeds. But, let’s get back to these muffins. They’re made with melted bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, cacao nibs, and of course, mashed bananas. The flavor was all kinds of chocolate fabulousness, and the texture of the muffins was perfect for days given the banana which kept them from becoming dry.

To start, chopped bittersweet chocolate, or feves which is what I used, was melted in a double-boiler. Mashed bananas were added to the melted chocolate. In a separate bowl, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt were sifted. With a stand mixer, butter and brown sugar were creamed, three eggs were added followed by vanilla extract, and then the dry ingredients, cacao nibs, and chocolate-banana mixture were added. As with many of the recipes in this book, finishing salt makes a big difference here. Fleur de sel was sprinkled on the muffins just before they went into the oven, and it works like a spotlight brightening every flavor.

With three eggs and two mashed bananas, the crumb was tender and lovely with nice contrast from the crunchy cacao nibs. There’s a suggestion to serve the muffins with nut butter, and out of journalistic integrity, I felt it necessary to test that concept. It’s a superb idea, but even plain, these muffins were deserving of their name.

Chocolate-Bananagasm Muffins
Recipe reprinted with publisher's permission from The Sugar Cube.

The world doesn’t need another blueberry muffin. And don’t get me started on bran. But a chocolate muffin moistened with banana purée and sprinkled with sea salt? Hell, yes! These are so moist and tender yet not too sweet, and the cacao nibs add texture and a deeper chocolate flavor. When you have a couple of death-row bananas on your hands, skip the same old banana bread and whip up a batch of these. I adapted the recipe from a great food blog called “80 Breakfasts.” Serve with salted butter or your favorite nut butter, such as fresh almond or peanut.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate (about 3 ounces)
2 large very ripe bananas, pureed
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1/4 cup (1 ounce) cacao nibs 
Granulated sugar for sprinklling
Fleur de sel for sprinkling 

TIP This also can be made as a lovely dessert. This amount of batter is perfect for a 4-cup mini-Bundt pan. Generously butter the pan. Baking times will vary, so check after 30 minutes; the top should spring back when touched and a knife inserted into the center should come out clean.

Instructions

PREHEAT THE OVEN to 325°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Put the chopped chocolate in a medium metal bowl and put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate is just melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool. Stir in the banana purée.

SIFT TOGETHER THE FLOUR, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl.

IN THE BOWL OF A STAND MIXER fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, cacao nibs, and chocolate-banana mixture and beat just until combined.

DIVIDE THE BATTER equally among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops lightly with granulated sugar and fleur de sel and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. The tops should look crackled and slightly wet between the cracks. Let cool a bit before serving warm.

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