An interesting challenge

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

This was an interesting challenge, my first following a gluten-free diet. I had decided to give up the challenges for now, especially since I'm pretty much only baking SCD these days. However, I took a second look at this challenge and realized it might work since it was already an almond-y dessert.

I used an SCD pie crust recipe and changed a few things from the original recipe. The recipe I used is below. It was surprisingly tasty, although probably not something I'd make again.

SCD pie crust, had to be pressed into the pan

I used raspberry jelly, so the dessert wasn't 100% SCD friendly (sugar in the jelly).

The frangipane, pretty tasty

Ready to go in the oven

Done, remember that SCD recipes brown easily. It wasn't burnt at all.
There wasn't a hugely distinct difference in taste and texture between the crust and the frangipane because of my modifications, but it was still good. The jelly really made this dessert though.


SCD pie crust

1 cup almond flour
1 egg
1 cap Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
enough sugar substitute or honey to sweeten crust
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together until they form a ball. The ball should have a little moisture to it, but not liquid. You can taste it to make sure there is some sweetness and hint of cinnamon and butter.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
3 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons almond flour

Cream butter and honey together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the vanilla extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the almond flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.


Assembling the tart
Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base (1/4 of a cup to 1 cup, depending on strength of flavor. I opted for an entire jar). Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

I served with vanilla ice cream and berries

Light Strawberry Cobbler

I got this recipe from 'The Best Light Recipe', from the editors of Cooks Illustrated. I would never have gotten around to publishing this post if I had to copy the recipe out of the book, so I searched for it on their website. If you are not a member, I highly recommend it. It's around $15 per year, and you get access to all of their recipes, cooking tips, how-tos, equipment reviews, etc. I've gotten many of my favorite recipes from there. I have made a blueberry cobbler from them before- the non-light version. Honestly, the I don't remember the biscut topping being any better in that recipe. This was a delicious recipe and didn't feel heavy. Recipe below...

Strawberries- rinsed, hulled, and tossed in sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why this picture got turned on it's side. Anyone know how to fix that?


The strawberries go in the oven for a bit. In the meantime, I prepared the topping. You have to keep the wet and dry ingredients separ
When the strawberries have gotten a little bubbly around the edges, it's time to take them out and put on the biscuits. You fold the wet and dry ingredients together and pinch off the dough in equal sections over the strawberries. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with cinnamon sugar and put them back in the oven.

15 minutes later... voila! The cobbler is done. Cool for a few minutes and serve!

Yum!!Ingredients
Filling
1 quart fresh strawberries , rinsed and hulled
10 ounces rhubarb , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.

3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.

4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.