I have made this strawberry mascarpone tart several times with a lemony, sweetened mascarpone topped with fresh berries. This is the only pastry crust I will make all summer long in my hot kitchen, on my unforgiving countertops, with my warm, clammy hands. Sayonara rolling pin, see you in the fall. // alexandracooks.com - 1

A few weeks ago I mentioned my aunt had introduced me to a rebel pastry shell , a brown butter tart crust whose unorthodox assembly has earned it genius marks . It’s about as no-fuss as it gets as far as pastry making goes and tastes as light and flaky as the best.

I have made this shell several times since discovering the method, once filled with lemon cream, and most recently with a lemony, sweetened mascarpone topped with fresh berries. This is the only pastry crust I will make all summer long in my hot kitchen, on my unforgiving countertops, with my warm, clammy hands. Sayonara rolling pin, see you in the fall.

tart shell ingredients - 2 tart shell ingredients - 3

This is it: Place butter, vegetable oil, water, sugar, and salt in a bowl; place in hot oven for 15 minutes; mix with flour.

making the tart shell - 4 making the tart shell - 5

After the mixture has cooled, press it into tart pan:

filling ingredients - 6 lemon zest - 7 mascarpone - 8 mascarpone - 9

Love this Vermont Creamery mascarpone:

strawberries - 10 filled tart - 11

Description

Tart shell: Food52

Filling: Epicurious

Lemon cream variation: Fill with lemon curd then sift confectioners’ sugar over top or top with Swiss meringue, then torch if desired.

Tart Shell:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces flour
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups )
  • ¼ cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Serving:

  • strawberries, stemmed and halved or quartered
  • blueberries or raspberries would be nice, too
  1. Heat the oven to 410° F. In a Pyrex type oven-safe bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, salt, and sugar. Place in the hot oven for approximately 15 minutes, until the mixture is boiling and the butter starts browning. Remove from oven, add flour quickly, until it forms a ball.
  2. Once the dough is cool enough to touch, press it in to the tart mold evenly with your fingertips. Pierce the bottom with a fork, line the sides with the back of the fork to form ridges. Bake at 410° F (210° C) for 15 minutes or until the crust is light brown and shows fine cracks. Remove carefully from oven. It is ready for filling. Note: David Lebovitz recommends a brilliant patching technique for any cracks — just reserve a small knob of dough to spackle into any cracks after baking while it’s still warm. (No need to bake again.)
  3. Meanwhile, make filling: Whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
  4. When tart shell has completely cooled, spread mascarpone filling over top. Top with fresh berries. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes

Description

Tart shell: Food52

Filling: Epicurious

Lemon cream variation: Fill with lemon curd then sift confectioners’ sugar over top or top with Swiss meringue, then torch if desired.

Tart Shell:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces flour
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups )
  • ¼ cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Serving:

  • strawberries, stemmed and halved or quartered
  • blueberries or raspberries would be nice, too
  1. Heat the oven to 410° F. In a Pyrex type oven-safe bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, salt, and sugar. Place in the hot oven for approximately 15 minutes, until the mixture is boiling and the butter starts browning. Remove from oven, add flour quickly, until it forms a ball.
  2. Once the dough is cool enough to touch, press it in to the tart mold evenly with your fingertips. Pierce the bottom with a fork, line the sides with the back of the fork to form ridges. Bake at 410° F (210° C) for 15 minutes or until the crust is light brown and shows fine cracks. Remove carefully from oven. It is ready for filling. Note: David Lebovitz recommends a brilliant patching technique for any cracks — just reserve a small knob of dough to spackle into any cracks after baking while it’s still warm. (No need to bake again.)
  3. Meanwhile, make filling: Whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
  4. When tart shell has completely cooled, spread mascarpone filling over top. Top with fresh berries. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2015/05/08/strawberry-mascarpone-tart/

In this pesto pizza, while the pizza isn't baked completely naked, the process is similar: scatter cheese lightly across dough, drizzle it with olive oil and bake it until bubbling. Immediately upon pulling it from the oven, brush it with a thinned-out ramp pesto and a sprinkling of sea salt. Withholding the pesto from the pizza until it's out of the oven preserves not only its sharp, punchy flavor but also its vibrant green color. // alexandracooks.com - 12

About this time last year, I discovered the beauty of baking pizzas naked and dressing them out of the oven with simple, light herb-and-cheese sauces. The benefits of this method are twofold: 1.) Liberated of toppings, the dough springs in the oven, emerging with dramatic crests and craters that so nicely cradle sauce and cheese. 2.) Ingredients, herbs especially, sprinkled on post baking retain their fresh, bright flavors.

When I spotted the first ramps of the season at the Co-op last week, I thought of those summer pizzas and bought two large bags. After trimming the ends and soaking them for a bit, I whizzed the greens into pesto, and submerged the bulbs into brine. The pesto has made its way into everything we’ve been eating — sandwiches, pasta, and this pizza, where it has been thinned with a little more olive oil and vinegar to allow for easy brushing.

Here, while the pizza isn’t baked completely naked, the process is similar: scatter burrata (or mozzarella or ricotta) lightly across dough, drizzle it with olive oil and bake it until bubbling. Immediately upon pulling it from the oven, brush it with a thinned-out ramp pesto and a sprinkling of sea salt. Withholding the pesto from the pizza until it’s out of the oven preserves not only its sharp, punchy flavor but also its vibrant green color.

This pesto and pizza (and pasta and pickle, see below) are delicious, but one bite of the raw, sweet greens upon returning from the store with them reminded me why everyone goes crazy for ramps this time of year. How have you all been cooking them? I’m going to try using the greens in this favorite spring chicken recipe this weekend.

Happy Friday, Everyone.

ramps - 13 ends removed - 14 making the pesto - 15 ramp green pesto - 16 lahey dough - 17 lahey dough - 18

Lahey dough:

ready for the oven - 19 just-baked pizza - 20 ramp green pesto pizza - 21 In this pesto pizza, while the pizza isn't baked completely naked, the process is similar: scatter cheese lightly across dough, drizzle it with olive oil and bake it until bubbling. Immediately upon pulling it from the oven, brush it with a thinned-out ramp pesto and a sprinkling of sea salt. Withholding the pesto from the pizza until it's out of the oven preserves not only its sharp, punchy flavor but also its vibrant green color. // alexandracooks.com - 22 ramp green pesto and burrata pizza - 23 In this pesto pizza, while the pizza isn't baked completely naked, the process is similar: scatter cheese lightly across dough, drizzle it with olive oil and bake it until bubbling. Immediately upon pulling it from the oven, brush it with a thinned-out ramp pesto and a sprinkling of sea salt. Withholding the pesto from the pizza until it's out of the oven preserves not only its sharp, punchy flavor but also its vibrant green color. // alexandracooks.com - 24 ready to be pickled - 25 pickled ramps - 26

To pickle the ramp bulbs: Make sure the bulbs are clean: let them soak in water for 5 minutes or so, or rinse them under cold water. Peel away any slimy outer layers. Place the bulbs in a clean glass jar. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar to a boil, and simmer for one minute or until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns. Pour the hot liquid including the peppercorns over the ramps. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. This is the same method, essentially, I used for the pickled watermelon radishes.

ramp pesto, pickled ramps - 27 ramp orecchiette - 28 ramp orecchiette - 29

What else to do with the pesto? Pasta. Boil pasta with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Thin pesto out with a little bit of the pasta cooking liquid before tossing with pasta. Add more parmesan if desired.

ramp sandwich - 30 ramp sandwich - 31

Ramp pesto and pickled ramp sandwich with burrata — too much? Perhaps.

Description

Use any pizza dough you like. My preference, as you know, is the Lahey recipe. See notes and recipe here .

Ramps hardly feel like a find anymore, but if you can’t find ramps, use basil or a mix of herbs: parsley, tarragon, chives, etc.

Burrata is now available at most big grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, use fresh mozzarella or ricotta instead. I use half of one ball per pizza.

My favorite tool for making great pizza at home is the Baking Steel .

for the pesto:

  • 4 oz . ramp greens, about 8 cups
  • 2 oz . Parmigiano Reggiano, cut into 4 chunks
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • pinch salt

for one pizza:

  • 1 round pizza dough
  • olive oil
  • 2 oz burrata
  • sea salt
  • ramp green pesto
  • white balsamic vinegar
  1. Make the pesto: Combine ramp greens, cheese, nuts, oil, vinegar and pinch salt in food processor. Pulse until smooth or until it’s the consistency you like. Taste. Adjust seasoning as needed with more salt, vinegar, oil, etc. Transfer to storage bowl. Store in fridge.
  2. For the pizza: Pull out a pizza round from the fridge one hour before you plan on baking. Dust dough with flour and place on a floured work surface. Place a Baking Steel or pizza stone in top third of oven and preheat oven to 550°F or to its hottest setting. Gently shape dough into a 10″–12″ disk handling it as minimally as possible. Arrange dough disk on parchment-lined baking peel; spread burrata evenly overtop. Sprinkle with nice salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
  3. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon a heaping tablespoon of pesto into a bowl. Thin it with another tablespoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Taste it and adjust sauce as needed with more vinegar or oil or salt. Transfer pizza to a cutting board. Spoon and spread sauce overtop. Cut and serve immediately.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes