Salty Sweets (13 page)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
2. In a large heavy saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch. Add the cherries, 1 tablespoon of the vanilla, the lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Pour the cherries into a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, cornmeal, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
   
4. Add the milk and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix on low speed just until a dough forms.
   
5. Drop the dough in clumps onto the cherries, distributing the dough evenly over the cherries but not covering them completely. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the johnnycake topping is golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving warm.
   

This recipe, with some minor tweaking, comes from my friend and confidante Tina Miller, an incredible, instinctive chef and the co-author on my first cookbook,
Vineyard Harvest: A Year of Good Food on Martha's Vineyard
(Broadway Books, 2005). The tart features a brilliant, flour-free crust, and the flavor of the buttery, slightly salty walnuts is delicious with the zippy lemon filling. Be sure not to skimp on the fresh lemon juice or zest here!

 

MAKES ONE
9-
INCH TART

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. Combine the walnuts, ¼ cup of the sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a food processor and pulse until the walnuts are evenly ground, but not ground into a fine dust.
   
3. Scrape the walnut mixture into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and mix well. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the crust is slightly golden.
   
4. Turn the oven temperature down to 325°F.
   
5. Whisk the eggs and yolks together in a medium-size bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, the zest, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and whisk for about 1 minute. Pour into a medium-size saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly.
   
6. Add the lemon juice in 3 increments, whisking after each addition until the mixture thickens. When the mixture has thickened after the last addition of lemon juice, turn the heat down to very low and add the remaining butter 1 piece at a time, whisking it in completely after each addition.
   
7. While the mixture is still warm, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into the prepared crust. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the filling is set. Chill the tart for at least 1 hour (or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days) before serving.
   

My ideal meal involves pizza—really good pizza—and Champagne. Obviously, I also love sweets, so the idea of a sophisticated dessert pizza is heavenly to me. Figs are one of my favorite fruits, and when they are in season I use them in everything. They are phenomenal on savory pizza, especially when paired with a salty cured ham, and they taste delicious on this particular dessert pizza with creamy ricotta and a drizzle of melted chocolate. The dough here is simple—no yeast or rising required. It works for savory pizzas, too, so it's a really versatile staple to add to your repertoire. If you don't want to make your own pizza dough, stop by your favorite pizza shop and ask if they sell unbaked pizza dough. Most do, and it will be fresher than what you'd find in the supermarket.

 

MAKES ONE
12-
INCH PIZZA TO SERVE
4
TO
6

 

Milk and Butter Pizza Dough (
[>]
)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
   
2. Spread the ricotta over the prepared dough, and arrange the fig slices on top of the ricotta (in a neat, pretty pattern, if you like).
   
3. Brush the melted butter over the figs and the edge of the crust. Sprinkle the figs and the crust very lightly with
   fleur de sel.
   Bake for about 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Drizzle with lines of melted chocolate. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes so the chocolate sets a bit, then serve immediately.
   

MAKES A CRUST FOR ONE
12-
INCH PIZZA

 

1. Combine the flour, milk, butter, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a fork until a soft dough comes together. Shape the dough into a ball.
   
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ⅛-inch-thick circle about 12 inches in diameter. While rolling, flip the dough occasionally so you're rolling it on both sides. It should be slightly thicker toward the edges. (You can also shape this dough by hand, but I find it easier to use a rolling pin.)
   
3. When it's rolled out to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to a baking sheet and form a little rim at the edge. Add toppings and bake as directed above. The dough can be made ahead, shaped into a ball, and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 2 weeks, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Defrost at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours if frozen, and let the dough come to room temperature before rolling.
   

When the fruits of summer (peaches, nectarines, plums, raspberries) are in season, you don't need to do anything to them if you want a delicious treat. But it can be fun to play around with them just a bit. One of my favorite simple things to make for dinner is roasted seasonal vegetables—just toss whatever's fresh with a little oil, salt, and pepper and roast them in the oven. Why not do something similar with fruit? The result is warm, luscious, and simply good. The measurements and specific fruits listed here are just guidelines—feel free to use whatever looks good at your local farm stand or farmers' market. Serve the roasted fruit with ice cream, Brown Sugar Whipped Cream (
[>]
), or Lemon Cake (
[>]
).

 

MAKES
8
SERVINGS

 

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
   
2. Toss the nectarines, peaches, and plums with the olive oil, orange juice, sugar, and salt. Pour the fruits into a large baking dish and evenly distribute the raspberries on top.
   
3. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the fruits are tender and juicy. Serve warm.
   

I love to sprinkle a little salt on bananas and drizzle them with honey. This tart is a mouthwatering dessert version of that treat, all in a fantastic crust that reminds me of an oatmeal cookie. There are a few separate components to this dish, so it may seem complicated, but they are all really easy. And you can make the pre-baked crust a day in advance if you like. The caramelized bananas are also tasty on their own or spooned over ice cream.

 

MAKES ONE
9-
INCH TART

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the caramelized bananas in a large bowl.
   
2. Combine the cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and the cream just comes to a boil, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the cream mixture over the bananas, and fold gently together.
   
3. Transfer the filling into the pre-baked crust, evenly distributing the bananas, and bake for about 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbling. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then push up from the bottom of the tart pan to release the tart from the sides of the pan. Let cool completely.
   
4. Drizzle the top of the tart with the honey and sprinkle with just a hint of
   fleur de sel.
   Serve immediately.
   

MAKES ABOUT
2
CUPS

 

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the bananas to the skillet in a single layer. Sprinkle the bananas with the brown sugar and salt.
   
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the bananas for 3 to 4 minutes, turning them once about halfway through, until the sugar is caramelized
   

MAKES
ONE
9-
INCH CRUST

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the oats, flour, and salt and mix until just combined.
   
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm, at least 30 minutes. Without overhandling the dough, shape it into a flat disk.
   
4. Press the dough evenly into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, being sure to press it into the sides and corners so there's no space between the pan and the dough. The dough should be uniformly thick on the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough from the edges.
   
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days). Butter one side of a sheet of aluminum foil and place it on top of the crust, butter side down. Top the foil with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the weights and the foil and bake for another 3 minutes. The crust is now ready to use.