Rustic (aka Non-Fussy) Strawberry Tart

It's officially that time of year- strawberry season. Actually, it has been for about a month now, but I'm procrastinating as always.

For the past 27 years of my life, I actually thought I didn't really care for strawberries. I thought they were too tart and didn't have all that much flavor. I could take them or leave them, I certainly wouldn't go crazy over them. Well, as it turns out, I only dislike out-of-season strawberries shipped from halfway across the world. In season strawberries grown on our CSA farm 15 minutes away- OMG. Totally. Different. Story.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that- I am absolutely kicking myself. And now- let's just say I'm making up for lost time. We've bought about 8 quarts in the past couple weeks.

One of the most especially delicious recipes I've enjoyed with all the fresh strawberries we've had was this rustic strawberry tart from the kitchen sink recipes.

I've always thought tarts were beautiful and tasty, but have shied away from making them. They just seem so... fussy. Overlaying the fruit in a pretty pattern and achieving the perfect crust seems so difficult... that and I don't exactly own a tart pan. So when I cam across this tart recipe, I was sold. I will hereby refer to it as the non-fussy tart.

It was absolutely delicious, and so easy to make. I definitely see more of these in my future. I am excited to try different fillings as well- the dough can be used for both sweet and savory purposes.

Rustic (aka Non-Fussy) Strawberry Tart
Serves 4 (individual tarts)

for the crust:
1 cup of all-purpose flour, leveled off
1/8 of a teaspoon of salt
4 Tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 Tablespoons of ice cold water

for the filling:
2 1/2 cups of strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of corn starch

for topping:
4 teaspoons of raw sugar
1 egg white

Directions: Place the 1 leveled cup of flour and the salt into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Cut in the butter and mix until it resembles course meal. Add the 4 Tablespoons of water, and mix until just moistened. Knead a few times to bring the dough together. (I found the dough to be pretty crumbly at this stage- like there was too much flour. Don't worry, it all works out.)

Divide the dough into four quarters. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is refrigerating, combine strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Allow to sit. Preheat oven to 350 F.

After 30 minutes, unwrap each portion of dough and place on a square of parchment paper. Place the plastic wrap back on top of the dough and press the dough down into a disk. Roll into an approximately 8" circle.

Peel off plastic wrap, and using a slotted spoon, place 1/4 of the strawberry mixture in the center. Leave a couple inch border around the edges to fold over. Fold over the edges and brush with the egg white. Sprinkle a bit of raw sugar on top of the whole tart and place the tart, parchment square and all, onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 3 dough rounds.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Adapted from kitchensinkrecipes.com, original recipe here.

Pizza Dough

Doughs with yeast have always intimidated me. The particular temperature the water needs to be, all that fussy rising, and the horror stories I've heard were all more than enough reason to steer clear.

I was craving pizza for dinner this week, and decided I would bite the yeast dough bullet and try my hand at a pizza crust. I heard that pizza crust was a good starting point, and I hoped it was true. I searched for a recipe and decided on Alton Brown's Pizza Dough. I generally like his recipes, the detailed instructions and bits of chemistry he includes. And bonus- this recipe was for two pizza doughs. I hoped I wouldn't mess up!

Well, it turned out to be not that difficult. I was definitely surprised. The only problem I had was that I didn't roll it out enough before placing it on the pizza stone, which led to a slightly small, and denser pizza. Totally my fault though, and now I know for next time.

We topped it with pizza sauce, sausage, peppers, onions, and shredded mozzarella. And let me say, I am never, NEVER buying pizza crust again. This was spectacular! I wasn't going to include a picture, as we devoured this before I had a chance. Then I figured I would just drop in a picture of the second dough that I stuck in the freezer, the one that we will be using very soon!

Pizza Dough
Makes 2 crusts, 4 servings each

2 Tablespoons of sugar
1/2 Tablespoon of kosher salt
2 cups of bread flour

1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 teaspoon of instant yeast

2 teaspoons of olive oil

Directions: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine salt, sugar, olive oil, and 1 cup of flour. Set aside.

Heat water to between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally, and measuring with a candy thermometer. (It's easier to use more water than you need, and scoop out 3/4 of a cup so you can more accurately take the temperature.) Pour 3/4 cup of water into a measuring cup, and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow yeast to foam for a minute or two, and pour into mixer with flour mixture. Add in remaining cup of flour, and mix to just form a ball.

With a greased (with olive oil) kneading hook, knead dough for 10-15 minutes on medium. Tear off a small piece of dough, and pull apart. If it stretches before breaking, the dough is done. If it just breaks, knead for about 5 more minutes.

Drizzle olive oil on dough, and roll into a ball. Place in a ceramic or glass bowl (not metal) and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

Heat oven to 500 and place pizza stone in, allowing it to warm up with the oven. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut into two halves. Wet your hands and roll each half into a ball. Place each half in (separate) a bowl, cover with a tea towel or cloth napkin, and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

After this stage, if you are not using both doughs at the time, place one in a greased ziploc bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days. You can freeze it as well (I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and secured tightly with a rubber band to freeze).

Now, flour your hands and work space and place pizza dough on it. Roll the dough out thin, rotating and creating a lip around the edges. Remove pizza stone from the oven, and slide dough on to it. Top with desired toppings and brush edge of crust with olive oil. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing, and then enjoy!!

Adapted from Food Network, original recipe here.