Mint and strawberries usually arrive in the garden around the same time, so it only makes sense to eat them together. Herbaceous mint leaves elegantly complement the bright sweetness of strawberries and they both shine when wrapped in a flaky pastry crust. While not overly sweet, this light, rustic tart is the perfect early summer dessert and tastes even better if eaten while sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea nearby.
CRUST
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
FILLING
2½ cups sliced strawberries
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
¼ cup sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
1 tablespoon organic cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten, for wash
Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt, then cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives (you can also use a food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of the water and mix, adding the remaining water if necessary, until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Press it into a disc, taking care not to overwork the dough. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Make the filling: In another large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients except the butter and allow the flavors to meld for at least 20 minutes. Drain off any liquid that accumulates in the bottom of the bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Generously flour the countertop, remove the disc from the plastic wrap, and roll it into a 12-inch circle on a piece of parchment. Spread the strawberry filling in the center of the circle, leaving 2 inches of dough uncovered around the outer edge. Dot the top of the filling with the butter to give it a glossy shine when it comes out of the oven.
Fold the edges up one section at a time, overlapping as you go. Brush the edges of the crust with the egg, and place the parchment with the tart onto a baking sheet or stone. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 30 minutes and serve at room temperature.
When I’ve been digging in the garden all morning and I suddenly remember I have company coming for supper, these honey-glazed peaches save the day. They look impressively fancy for only four ingredients, and guests fall in love at first bite. If you have fresh basil growing in your garden, tear up a handful of leaves and sprinkle them on top of the warm peaches for a burst of herby flavor. No one will know you threw this elegant dessert together last minute—your secret is safe with me.
4 peaches, ripe but not squishy, halved and pit removed
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons honey
Heavy cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the peaches cut side up in a baking dish large enough to fit them in a single layer. Place ½ tablespoon of the butter on top of each peach half and drizzle each with ½ tablespoon of the honey.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the peaches soften and turn golden brown. If you want a deeper golden color, turn on the broiler for the last 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven. If there is cooking liquid in the bottom of the baking dish, spoon it over the tops of the peaches. Cool slightly, then serve with a generous drizzle of cream or a scoop of ice cream.
We only have a small patch and the robins love them as much as we do, so each and every strawberry we are able to pluck from the plants is a treasure. Our berries are smaller than the ones you find at the store, but they are a vibrant shade of red and they burst with the purest strawberry flavor I’ve ever tasted. This play on traditional shortcake is my dessert of choice for early summer picnics and barbecues. In-season strawberries are a classic choice, but blueberries or raspberries are just as delicious on top of these fluffy bars. The strawberries we grow here on the homestead are one of our most precious harvests.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ to ¾ cup sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
TOPPING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream, whipped
3 cups sliced strawberries
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13–inch pan.
Make the shortcake: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the creamed butter mixture, mixing on medium speed until well incorporated and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make the topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Fold in the whipped cream and spread over the cooled shortcake.
Top with the berries and serve immediately. The shortcake will keep, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Every happy holiday memory you’ve ever had is wrapped up in a bite of this spicy vintage cake. The warm gingerbread and caramel will instantly bring to mind cozy crackling fires, baking cookies with Grandma, and fuzzy flannel blankets. And don’t you dare skip the caramel sauce—it’s nonnegotiable.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup packed brown sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
2 large eggs
¾ cup hot water (100°F)
¾ cup molasses
Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and eggs until well combined, then whisk in the hot water and molasses. Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm, with the sauce drizzled over the top. The gingerbread will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Caramel Sauce
½ cup packed brown sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
1 tablespoon organic cornstarch
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch, then stir in ¼ cup water and whisk until smooth. Add the cream and butter and cook until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated through.
Chocolate is great, and vanilla is a crowd-pleaser, but given the choice, I’ll always pick butterscotch. I’ve never understood the fascination with boxed pudding mixes—it doesn’t take all that much effort to make your own pudding from real ingredients. The only thing missing from this silky, from-scratch dessert is the fake butterscotch flavoring you get from the instant varieties, which really isn’t anything to miss, of course.
3 cups whole milk
¼ cup organic cornstarch
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
5 large egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine the milk, cornstarch, and salt and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then stir in the sugar. At first the mixture will be granular, then it will go through a stage of separating before it finally comes together into a smooth, shiny, cohesive mixture. Stir it continuously throughout this whole process.
Once the mixture comes together and starts to barely bubble, slowly stir in the milk mixture. You’ll see some chunks of sugar in the milk at first, which is fine. Continue to whisk and stir until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens.
Pour a small amount (about ¼ cup) of the thickened mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously, to heat the eggs gradually without scrambling them. Repeat until you’ve incorporated several cups of the hot mixture into the eggs, then pour the heated egg mixture back into the saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and strain through a sieve into a large, clean bowl to catch any rogue bits of egg. Spoon into small bowls or ramekins and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt :
Believe it or not, froyo on the homestead is even easier than homemade ice cream. For the very best results, only use high-quality whole-milk yogurt (preferably the kind with the cream top). Skip Greek yogurt (it’s too tangy) and definitely avoid skim or low-fat yogurts (they create too many ice crystals). Or just make your own yogurt using the instructions. If chocolate isn’t your thing, omit the cocoa powder and mix in 1 cup pureed fresh berries for a fruity frozen yogurt.
4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
½ cup sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until the sugar and cocoa are mostly dissolved (a blender is especially handy for this). Taste the mixture and add more sugar if needed. I’ve found frozen yogurt tends to fade in sweetness after you freeze it, so add more sugar at this stage if you are craving a sweeter dessert. Freeze in a 2-quart ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
We like our frozen yogurt soft-serve style, but you can also transfer it to a container with a lid and keep it in the freezer for later. The texture won’t be as smooth, but it’ll still be yummy.
Lavender Honey Custards :
The sweet floral notes of lavender mingled with honey make this smooth baked custard nothing short of dreamy. If you have them, duck eggs add an extra degree of silkiness. At the moment, I have three male ducks and no females, which is less than handy when you need duck eggs. You can bet there will be ducklings coming to the homestead this spring to remedy that situation.
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
4 duck or chicken eggs
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the milk and lavender and bring to a very gentle simmer, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, to allow the lavender to infuse into the milk. Strain the milk and discard the lavender.
In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs, honey, vanilla, and salt. Slowly whisk in the lavender milk a little bit at a time. Divide the custard among four custard cups or ramekins.
Place the cups in a baking dish and fill the dish with hot water to halfway up the sides of the cups to create a water bath. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the custards are set but still loose. I check by touching the top lightly—a little jiggle is fine, but they should not still be liquid.
Remove the cups from the water bath and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate the cooled custards for at least 3 hours for a chilled dessert. Custards will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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