My head is spinning, because the new year - as in new school year - is in full swing, new duties and the old ones seem to fight for attention and the lazy summer days are so far away. Do you feel the same? I just spoke to Sophie, and she even wishes for some snow!! New York is still humid and hot and that is the worst in the big apple. Plus I am still not fully convinced of how to store all my photos and how to handle that overflow of data that seems to pile up inside my computer. If someone could pleeeeease swing by for a day or two or three and help me organize it all, or better do it for me. I trust you! I am hopeless it seems when it comes to organizing my laptop. Lacking any motivation I started even organizing the kitchen, the basement the office, avoiding the thought of my enormous datas successfully. Not a bad side effect of my reluctancy. But pointless! I am just goofing around.
I had my little god-daughter over for swimming with her older brother a week ago and she is a cutie I can tell you. She is two and wins you over in a second. We had ice-cream together and cookies and watermelon and she ate all by herself on a pile of 3 pillows she managed to sit still and eat for 20 minutes then her dad asked her: Millie, do you want to eat or goof? She didn't hesitate: Goof! Then she got a paper towel and was allowed to clean up the mess. She loves cleaning ! So cute, Why and when do we grow out of that good trait of character ??? During teen years and the young adult decades? Hmmm - I should investigate that.
This is our Dog Gina, a wise lady dog who knows exactly how to sit still for portraits and what is her stuff and what is mine, like this cake! She is our delight every day as long as we still have her. You might think she is watching the basket for us until we are ready to go for that picknick? Not really. She is waiting for me to move the basket away from her beloved pile of logs as there seems to live something way more interesting in it or behind it that keeps her busy all day. It is a perfect hideaway for all sorts of creatures I suppose. That is what being in the countryside is about. You share your living space with lots of others.
With this gorgeous pie I say Goodbye to the Summer 2015 and Hello to the Fall/ Winter season.
Preparation time 60 min
Oven temperature 190°C
Chilling time 2 hours or over night
Baking time: 20 +30 min
You Need
357g flour
45g almond meal
225 g butter at room temperature
46g powdered sugar
94g powdered sugar
vanilla bean
one egg for the egg wash
Filling:
650g berry mix, I used at least 400g raspberries
mixed with blueberries, blackberries, red currants
4 tbsp. vanilla pudding powder
To make a perfect Pate Sucré you must sift all the dry ingredients – not optional. It makes all the difference! So weigh those first, except the 46g of sugar (you will need that for the butter) then send the mix through a non electric patisserie sieve, the one with the rotating blade inside.
Beat the butter in your stand up mixer until peaks form and the butter resembles mayonnaise. Add the first 46 g of sifted powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula if needed.
Add the dry and sifted ingredients (flour, almond meal, 94g sugar).
Beat for 1 minute max otherwise the flour starts to set free the starch and the dough will become hard. Remove the bowl from the mixer and knead with one hand several times until the dough forms into a soft ball. Refrigerate two halves wrapped in a cling foil for 2 hours or overnight. The dough freezes well for up to one month, in case you want to plan ahead.
ake one half of the dough out of the fridge onto your floured work surface and sift some more flour over it to prevent the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Roll the dough ½ cm thick and transfer it to your buttered and floured pie form. With a fork pinch the crust several times and bake it for 20 minutes weighed down with some beans on a lining paper. This way the crust will bake evenly. (If you freeze the pie form with the raw dough for an hour you must not usethe beans.)
Remove the beans and lining paper. In a bowl mix the berries carefully with the pudding powder. Place the coated berries on the dough. Roll out the second half of the dough and cut long stripes and cover the pie. Wash the dough grate with the beaten egg and a pastry brush. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. With either crème chantilly or homemade vanilla ice cream.
