As a cook I am grateful that either by the hand of fate, the intent of the founding fathers or simply a roll of dice on histories game board that Independence Day in the US falls in July.
As is norm for this celebration, all desserts that grace the 4th of July BBQ table in some form or the other replicate the red, white and blue colors of the US flag in edible representation. Can you imagine, celebrating Independence Day in the dead of winter? What possible seasonal fruits (and vegetables) would we use? I for one draw a blank at korean purple yams and orange sweet potatoes! Hardly, the colors of the hour.
Case and point, as a cook I for one am glad the holiday falls smack, dab in the middle of summer where there is a plethora of summer produce namely berries. What a no-brainer that is.
And yet, instead of the creamy concoctions I love the thought and bite of berries nestled in the butterest, flakiest of crusts, melting-in-the-mouth with each savoring bite, only to be outdone by the flavor of sweet summer berries, simply un-messed with and topped with a flavor-blasting lemony, coconutty ricotta topping.
Take into account, that even if the thought of dealing with pie crust makes you want to back into a corner, these very forgiving, frayed, dough tatters will bring out the 'Thor' in each one of your shrinking hearts. And after a single bite, you won't just have to take my word that these little morsels create red, white and beautiful fireworks entirely on their own!
Gather the ingredients for the Ricotta, lemon and coconut cream - ricotta, heavy cream, zest of 1 lemon, sugar and sweetened coconut flakes.
Add all the ingredients in a bowl except the coconut flakes and the cream. Stir to combine. Add the coconut flakes and the cream and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate till further use. Do this first to allow the flavors to mature.
Gather the ingredients for the coconut pie crust - all-purpose flour, dessicated coconut or coconut powder (available in Indian-Pakistani Grocery Stores) cold butter cut into chunks, sugar, egg yolks and chilled water.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the all-purpose flour, dessicated coconut or coconut powder, cold butter chunks & sugar. Give it a pulse to combine.
Add the egg yolks & chilled water and pulse for about 25 seconds till a ball has formed.
Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and using the heel of your palms, knead the dough 3-4 times. This process is called fraisage and gives that wonderful flaky crust we all crave.
Flatten dough ball between palms, lightly flour the surface, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes till it is cold (this will make it easier to roll out)
Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.
While the dough is chilling in the refrigerator, gather the ingredients for the berry filling - ripe & firm raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, vanilla powder or pure vanilla extract, sugar and cornstarch.
Hull the strawberries, cut off tops and quarter. Rise and drain. Empty to a medium-sized mixing bowl of glass or stainless steel.
Add the washed and drained raspberries and blueberries to the bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla and cornstarch. With a spoon, lightly toss to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and Set aside in the refrigerator.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, discard the cling wrap and sprinkle with 1 tbs flour. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Sprinkle some more flour on a clean surface or use the back of a cookie sheet or baking tray as I am using.
Begin to roll out the pastry. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough.
Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough with your fingers to make sure it is not sticking. Also, turn the pastry a quarter turn every once in a while so it is rolling out uniformly. Roll the first dough ball out to a 12" x 9" rectangle. Don't worry if the edges are frayed, tattered or generally not perfect.
Using a knife, cut the rectangle into 6 equal parts - 2 cuts from top to bottom. 1 cut along it's length.
Use a 12-cup muffin pan. Line each cup with 1 dough crust.
Follow the same steps for the 2nd dough ball and completely line the 12-cup muffin pan with the pastry.
Spoon about a 1/4 cup of the berry filling into each of the muffin-cups. If there is any leftover berries, divide them among all the cups.
Fold the pastry edges over the berries to create the parcels but leave the tops exposed so the berries show through for a much more attractive presentation. This does not need to be perfectly edged or symmetrical, they will bake beautifully.
Sprinkle some light brown sugar over the parcels if desired. Bake for about 20-25 minutes till the pastry is a beautiful brown. The berries would have oozed over and made a bit of a mess over the pan and that is fine.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes so the parcels are easy to handle and won't crumble easily.
Using a butter knife, scoop each berryful parcel out of the muffin cup and set aside to cool on a baking rack.
Serve warm with the chilled Ricotta, lemon and Coconut cream.
Words cannot describe how wonderfully flaky, buttery the pastry is - what a delight! With just that hint of coconut in every bite, the sweet and tart flavor of ripe summery berries with the cool of crunchy and creamy ricotta topping, this right here is the gateway to culinary heaven. And it won't just be making an appearance for the holidays.
Recipe for
Berryful parcels in Coconut pastry with Ricotta, Lemon & Coconut Cream
{Created in the nutty confines of Devaki's brain}
Preparation time : 20 minutes
Chilling time: 45 minutes
Baking time : 20-25 minutes
Shopping list
Coconut Pastry-
2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut powder or dessicated coconut (available in Indian-Pakistani Grocery Stores)
2 sticks (115 gms) cold butter, unsalted
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice cold water
Berryful filling -
1 cup (full) raspberries, ripe and firm
1 cup (full) blueberries
1-1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered
1-1/2 tbs cornflour
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or pure vanilla extract
Ricotta, Lemon & Coconut Cream
1 cup Ricotta
2 tbs heavy cream
2 tbs sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 tbs light brown sugar for sprinkling, optional
Method -
Gather the ingredients for the Ricotta, lemon and coconut cream - ricotta, heavy cream, zest of 1 lemon, sugar and sweetened coconut flakes.
Add all the ingredients in a bowl except the coconut flakes and the cream. Stir to combine. Add the coconut flakes and the cream and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate till further use. Do this first to allow the flavors to mature.
Gather the ingredients for the coconut pie crust - all-purpose flour, dessicated coconut or coconut powder (available in Indian-Pakistani Grocery Stores) cold butter cut into chunks, sugar, egg yolks and chilled water.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the all-purpose flour, dessicated coconut or coconut powder, cold butter chunks & sugar. Give it a pulse to combine.
Add the egg yolks & chilled water and pulse for about 25 seconds till a ball has formed.
Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and using the heel of your palms, knead the dough 3-4 times. This process is calledfraisage and gives that wonderful flaky crust we all crave.
Flatten dough ball between palms, lightly flour the surface, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes till it is cold (this will make it easier to roll out)
Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.
While the dough is chilling in the refrigerator, gather the ingredients for the berry filling - ripe & firm raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, vanilla powder or pure vanilla extract, sugar and cornstarch.
Hull the strawberries, cut off tops and quarter. Rise and drain. Empty to a medium-sized mixing bowl of glass or stainless steel.
Add the washed and drained raspberries and blueberries to the bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla and cornstarch. With a spoon, lightly toss to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and Set aside in the refrigerator.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, discard the cling wrap and sprinkle with 1 tbs flour. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Sprinkle some more flour on a clean surface or use the baking of a cookie sheet or baking tray as I am using.
Begin to roll out the pastry. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough.
Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough with your fingers to make sure it is not sticking. Also, turn the pastry a quarter turn every once in a while so it is rolling out uniformly. Roll the first dough ball out to a 12" x 9" rectangle. Don't worry if the edges are frayed, tattered or generally not perfect.
Using a knife, cut the rectangle into 6 equal parts - 3 cuts from top to bottom. 1 cut along it's length. Use a 12-cup muffin pan. Line each cup with 1 dough crust.
Follow the same steps for the 2nd dough ball and completely line the 12-cup muffin pan with the pastry.
Spoon about a 1/4 cup of the berry filling into each of the muffin-cups. If there is any leftover berries, divide them among all the cups.
Fold the pastry edges over the berries to create the parcels but leave the tops exposed so the berries show through for a much more attractive presentation. This does not need to be perfectly edged or symmetrical, they will bake beautifully.
Remove the pan from the oven all cool for about 10 minutes so the parcels are easy to handle and won't crumble easily.
Sprinkle some light brown sugar over the parcels if desired. Bake for about 20-25 minutes till the pastry is a beautiful brown. The berries would have oozed over and made a bit of a mess over the pan and that is fine.
Using a butter knife, scoop each berryful parcel out of the muffin cup and set aside to cool on a baking rack.
Serve warm with the chilled Ricotta, lemon and Coconut cream.
Enjoy!
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