There’s no need to measure anything; just stir to mix.

We took inspiration from their photos (#1 and #2) to make a lovely strawberry “flower” tart , a happy pairing of strawberries and crème pâtissière.

It’s a spot-on dessert for Valentine’s Day, or any other festive occasion.
 
 
WHAT IS CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE?

Crème pâtissière (CREHM pah-tis-YAIR) is called pastry cream in the U.S. and confectioner’s custard in the U.K. It’s a stirred custard—egg yolks and sugar blended with milk and/or cream. It’s thickened with cornstarch or flour and typically flavored with vanilla, although other flavors can be used (citrus, cocoa and coffee are popular).

It’s used to fill éclairs, napoleons, and other pastries; as the base for tarts and flans; and to fill cakes, including génoise (sponge cakes).

With the addition of beaten egg whites, it becomes crème Saint-Honoré, a filling for cream puffs. It’s added to buttercream to make mousseline filling for other cakes and pastries.

Crème pâtissière is the same basic recipe as crème anglaise, but the addition of the starch gives it the stability to be brought to a boil. Crème anglaise is used in sauce form.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CUSTARD

Custard as we know it dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was used as a filling for a flan or a tart. The word custard is derived from “crustade,” a tart with a crust.

After the 16th century, fruit creams became popular and it was about this time that custards began to be made in individual dishes or bowls rather than as fillings for a crust.

Set custards were more difficult to make than custard sauces. A cook couldn’t effectively use a water bath in the fireplace, plus it was difficult to check the “doneness” of the custards over the old open fires.

By the 17th century, set custards had become popular thanks to ovens, which enabled delicate baking, including crème brûlée: custard topped with burnt sugar (the earliest recipe known is French, from 1692 [source].

Today custard is used to fill tarts, Danish pastry, flans, cream puffs and éclairs; it is mixed into trifles and otherwise part of other sweet and savory delights.

Take a look at the different types of custard.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY TART WITH CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE

[2] How to start layering the strawberries.

[3] Serve the tart with a glass of sparkling wine, preferably one with a bit of sweetness like Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui, a perfect color for Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients For The Crust

 
For The Creme Patissiere

 
For The Top

 
Plus

[4] You’ll need two pints of strawberries (photo courtesy Quinciple | Facebook.

[5] Fortunately, tasty strawberries can be found in markets most months of the year (photo courtesy InHarvest | Facebook).

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Make the crust: Blend the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor until moist crumbs form (this can take up to 1 minute).

2. TRANSFER the dough to the tart pan, flower your fingers, and press the dough evenly into pan and up sides. Flour the bottom of a measuring cup and use it to press the dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan. Freeze the crust for 10 to 15 minutes, until firm.

3. PRICK the crust all over with a fork. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up (or, use dried beans or pie weights). Cool completely in the pan.

4. MAKE the crème pâtissière. Place the milk, vanilla pod and vanilla seeds in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the milk comes just to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile…

5. PLACE the sugar and egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and beat until incorporated. Set a fine-mesh strainer over the egg mixture; place the cornstarch and flour in the strainer and sift them into the egg mixture. Remove the strainer and stir to combine. Wash and dry the strainer and place it over a second medium heatproof bowl; set aside.

6. REMOVE and discard the vanilla pod from the milk. While whisking constantly, slowly add all of the milk to the egg mixture.

7. RETURN the mixture to the saucepan and place it over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan with the whisk, or the eggs will curdle. When the whisk is scraped across the bottom of the pan, it should leave a clear line. Immediately remove from the heat.

8. USE a rubber spatula to transfer the pastry cream to the strainer; stir until completely strained, leaving any solids behind. Scrape the cream clinging to the underside of the strainer into the bowl and discard the solids left inside. Add the butter and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the citrus zests and salt.

10. WASH and dry the strawberries thoroughly and set aside until ready to assemble. Just before assembling, hull the berries and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Move the smaller pieces to the side; you’ll hopefully have enough even-size slices. Check the sweetness of the berries. If they need a bit more, sprinkle them with a bit of sugar.

11. TAKE the pastry cream from the refrigerator, whisk until smooth, and spread in an even layer into the cooled crust. Starting from the outside and working your way to the center of the tart, evenly shingle the strawberries at a slant with the tops in the pastry cream (photo #2). The pointed ends should be angled slightly up. Place them in an overlapping circular pattern.

12. REFRIGERATE until ready to serve.

Looking for fun fare for Super Bowl Sunday?

Try these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, from Go Bold With Butter. Here’s a video.

They’re an alternative to the ever-popular Buffalo Wings. Also check out these fun Deconstructed Buffalo Wings and Buffalo Chicken Parfait.

> More chicken wings recipes.

> The history of Buffalo Wings.
 
 
RECIPE: BUFFALO CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Ingredients For 16 Meatballs

 
For The Plate Garnish

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Add the red onion, garlic, egg white, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and seasonings to a large bowl, then stir with a fork to combine.

2. ADD the ground chicken and mix until combined—do not overmix or meatballs will be tough. Divide the chicken mixture into quarters, then roll each quarter into 4 balls. Press a cube of feta into the center of each ball, then close the mixture around the cheese to seal.

[2] Buffalo wing sauce (photo © Cindy’s Kitchen).

[3] Ground chicken (photo © President’s Choice).

4. MELT the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the Buffalo wing sauce and stir to combine. Add the cooked meatballs to the skillet then use a spoon to coat in sauce. Place a lid on top and turn the heat to low to keep warm until ready to serve.
 
 

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This summery-looking salad can be made with winter ingredients. It can be raw, or a cooked salad, with sauteed bell peppers and Brussels sprouts.

It can have a center of grains or rice noodles (shown), or be all vegetables.

Our inspiration is this photo from Bo’s Kitchen, “plant based recipes made with love.”

Here’s what’s in the salad:

And keep a look out for substitutions in the spring, summer and fall. Fiddlehead ferns, anyone? Ramps? Sugar snap peas?

Have fun with it!

Sometimes food holidays make no sense. Why have National Blueberry Pancake Day on January 28th, when fresh blueberry season won’t begin for months.

The North American blueberry harvest runs from April through late September. Imported blueberries from South America fill in the shelves from October to March.

The imported blueberries are pricey and because they have to travel longer to get to your market, they are picked before they reach maximum juiciness.

So here are some alternatives to imported winter blueberries, that make your blueberry pancakes just as delightful.
 
 
SUBSTITUTES FOR FRESH BLUEBERRIES

1. Frozen Blueberries.

Defrost the blueberries, then taste them for sweetness. If too tart, toss them with a bit of sugar or Splenda before mixing them into the pancake batter.

2. Freeze-Dried Blueberries.

They’re a different, chewy, texture, but still make a legitimate blueberry pancake.

3. Blueberry Preserves #1.

Make the batter, then swirl the preserves through it with a fork.

4. Blueberry Preserves #2.

Make blueberry pancakes with fresh, frozen or dried blueberries. Use the blueberry preserves as a topping, by itself or mixed into Greek yogurt. Which brings us to…

5. Blueberry Yogurt.

Use it as your pancake topping!

6. Blueberry Syrup.

Homemade blueberry syrup, made with fresh or frozen blueberries. Here’s the recipe from Honest & Truly (photo © Honest & Truly).

7. Blueberry Purée.

Purée fresh or frozen blueberries and adjust the sweetness. If you like, add a bit of lemon zest. Pour over the pancakes instead of maple syrup.

[2] Carrot Cake Cannoli. You can port your favorite cake flavor into cannoli cream.

[3] Chocolate Cherry Cannoli, its shell dipped in a hard chocolate.

[4] Maple Bacon Cannoli, maple cannoli cream topped with a strip of caramelized bacon affixed with chocolate drizzle.

[5] There are also savory cannoli, typically created by high-end chefs. This smoked whitefish and cavoar cannoli is just one option. We’ve had them filled with truffled mashed potatoes and smoked salmon with goat cheese (photo © Pearl Street Caviar).

She plans a fantasy vacation to St. Louis, to visit the source: Piccione Pastry. [Editor’s Note: Sadly, the bakery has closed, a victim of the pandemic.]

It’s the home of scores of flavors of Crazy Cannoli, the only problem is that the bakery features just one special flavor a week. Hmmm…move to St. Louis?

With a fantasy like this, our only recourse is to make the flavors at home. Not one a week, of course; but we’re trying for one a month. At this rate, we have years to go, just to make a portion of Piccione’s output.

Oh, and a hack: You can buy the cannoli shells from an Italian bakery.

Some of the flavors are > below, but first…

> National Cannoli Day is celebrated on June 16th, and September is National Cannoli Month.

> The year’s 15+ pastry holidays.

> The history and different types of pie and pastry: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CANNOLI

A Sicilian pastry originating in the area around Palermo, cannoli date to the ninth century. They were made for Carnevale, the festival season immediately before Lent. But the demand for the crunchy, sweet treats evolved to satisfy pastry lovers year-round.

Cannoli is actually the plural form of the word. The singular is cannolo (cannolu in Sicilian dialect), meaning “little tube.” Cannoli range in size from finger-sized cannulicchi (mini-cannoli) to five-inch-long shells.

The crunchy, fried pastry dough shell is filled with a sweetened ricotta cream (sometimes mascarpone), which can be mixed with vanilla, chocolate chips, chopped pistachio nuts, candied citron, marsala, rosewater, liqueur and other flavorings.

The filling at the ends of the shell can be decorated with mini chips, shaved chocolate or chopped pistachio nuts. The ends can be dipped in chocolate; or the whole cannolo can be dipped.

September is National Cannoli Month. June 16th is National Cannoli Day.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE CANNOLI

Cannoli shells are made from, flour, butter, sugar and optional seasonings (a pinch of cinnamon is particularly nice).

The dough is then rolled into ovals, wrapped around a cannoli tube and fried. The cooled shells are filled with a pastry bag.

The filling is ricotta, or the richer mascarpone, sweetened with sugar and enhanced with a bit of vanilla. Chocolate filling is a variation.

That’s the standard cannolo found in the U.S., but the filling can be much more nuanced, blended with any variety of ingredients such as marsala wine, rosewater, chocolate bits or chopped pistachio nuts.

Here’s a basic recipe and video from Food Network chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

Note to new cannoli makers: The shells shouldn’t be filled until you’re ready to serve. If left to sit too long, the moist filling turns the shell soggy and lose its crunch.
 
 
FLAVOR INSPIRATION

Start with classic vanilla cannoli, then let your imagination soar (there are even gender reveal cannoli, photo #7).

Like lemon meringue pie? Make lemon meringue cannoli. Red velvet cake? Make red velvet cannoli.

Here are just some of the creative flavors at Piccione Pastry, that start with the basic cannoli cream plus mix-ins or infusions:

 
Exhausted yet? Imagine what it’s like to work at Piccione Pastry!

And there’s more:
 
 
SAVORY CANNOLI

[6] Dreamsicle Cannoli, with fresh orange segments and topped with candied orange peel.

[7] Simple but scrumptious: cannoli shells filled with gelato.

[8] For a baby shower: gender reveal cannoli!

[9] Summer cannoli: lavender with honey and lemon.

 
How about Caesar Cannoli? French Onion Soup Cannoli? Chopped Chicken Liver Cannoli?

Any flavor that goes with a crunch (croutons, crackers) is ripe for trying.
 
 
MORE CANNOLI FUN

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