Strawberry Almond Tart

Strawberry Season!!!

One of my favorite seasons, next to tomatoes and peaches...and zucchini and cherries and sweet corn. OK, so let's face it, I love all produce when it is in season. 

The first thought I had when I went gluten free was that I wouldn't be able to have Grandma's Strawberry Pie anymore!!! I was so devastated that I started right away working on a gluten free version. Instead of trying to do a gluten free pastry crust, I thought a tart shell using ground almonds would work well and compliment the strawberries. 

The best thing about this pie, is the small amount of sugar when using sweet strawberries. When strawberries are in season (a good season), they are super sweet. I based my crust recipe off a gluten-free almond crust over at Krissy's Creations and it turned out very well. 

Strawberry Tart (Gluten Free)

Adapted from Krissy's Creations
Makes: 8 inch tart
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

2 cups blanched almond flour
2 T honey
4 T unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp lemon zest, divided
pinch of salt
8 oz mascarpone (or cream cheese), softened
2 T sugar (optional)
6 cups fresh strawberries, washed, dried and hulled (divided)
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
2 T arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
sliced almonds for garnish
whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Rinse the strawberries well and lay out to dry completely.

In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour, melted butter, honey, lemon zest and pinch of salt together until well combined. Lightly spray a tart pan with olive oil or rub with butter. Form the almond flour batter into a ball and press into the tart shell to form a crust. Lay a piece of foil over the crust and gently press down. Fill the foil with pie weights (I use dried lima beans). This is called blind baking, which I describe in a previous post.

Bake the crust, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the crust starts to brown. Remove the crust and let cool to room temperature. Once the crust is cooled, spread the mascarpone along the bottom. If you like a sweeter cheese, mix the softened mascarpone with 2 T sugar.

Hull all the strawberries and line the prepared crust with whole strawberries (cut side down). Just line the bottom of the crust. Take the remaining strawberries and lightly puree in a food processor or blender.

Place the pureed strawberries into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Once the puree starts to boil, slowly add in the sugar and arrowroot powder and stir continuously so the bottom won't burn or turn into gel. After a few minutes, the mixture will start to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Pour the strawberry puree over the whole strawberries on the tart shell, stopping just before the top of the sides of the crust. Reserve the remaining puree for other use (this will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks).

Place the tart into the refrigerator until ready to serve. Best served with sliced almonds and whipped cream.

Kettler Travel Journal - San Francisco Part 1

We were in San Francisco last week - land of wine, startups, hipsters and amazing beer! Ryan was like a kid in a candy store on the way up to Petaluma and Santa Rosa to visit Lagunitas Brewery and Russian River Brewery. Our gracious hosts for the trip, Jessica and Corey (who are newly engaged) showed us around. Between the four of us, we tasted more than 25 beers! 

Russian River Brewing Co. - sampler of all beers on tap!

More to come on our trip, but had to share these pics!!

Lagunitas Brewing Co. - custom taster!

Happy Travels!!

My happy husband :)

Grilling the Perfect Burgers

If there is one thing we know how to do in our family, it is grill! We don't mess around! 

We actually have two grills in our backyard, a charcoal and a very nice gas grill. The one that gets used the most is our little Weber, the first grill we ever bought together. That grill has gone through about 4 weather covers, but stays trusty every time we light up the coals. 

Ryan and I prefer the charcoal flavor, for most foods. We grill meats, vegetables, breads, fish, even fruits! And since grilling season is among us, we thought we would share our method to grilling burgers. Nothing is more American than a grilled beef burger (or portabello cap for those veg-heads out there). 

The first, and most important ingredient is the beef. Please do yourself a favor and get good quality meat. We prefer the grass-fed, organically grown beef. However there is an argument about the fat percentage. Ryan loves the 80/20, which will produce a better flavor, but also a larger pants size. I prefer something closer to the 90/10, which is a nice compromise for flavor and fat. We usually come somewhere in between, but it mostly depends on where we get the meat and what is available. 

The second ingredient is a raw egg, again, organic here. Much like a meatball or meatloaf, it helps bind the meat together so you don't have broken patties falling through the grill grates! 

Third, flavor enhancers. We start with the staples: Worsheshire, minced onion, salt and pepper. Then occasionally we get crazy: roasted jalapeno, cheese or sun-dried tomatoes.

And finally, the toppings. Most importantly, cheese! We go for bold, full flavor and melty, creamy awesomeness, not over-processed, sliced American cheese. We also like to mix cheeses, as seen in these photos.

So go light up the grill and invite your neighbors over! 

Perfect Burgers

Makes: 6 patties
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7-10 minutes (depending on desired temperature)

2 lbs. ground organic, grass-fed beef
1 egg
1 T garlic, minced
2 T red onion, minced
2 T Worsheshire
Salt to taste
Grapeseed oil for brushing patties

Preheat the grill to high heat. We like to preheat the coals in a large mound and then spread out a little once they are ready. We always leave the edge of the grill with low heat in case a patty cooks faster than another.

Try to let the beef sit out for about 20-30 minutes before handling. Combine the beef, egg, garlic, onion and Worsheshire in large bowl and mix until combined (I use my hands). Form the beef into 6 even sized balls and press down in the middle to form a patty. I like to form a little divot in the center, this helps them cook more evenly.

Season the patties with salt on both sides and let sit until the grill is ready. Lightly brush the patties with grapeseed oil, on both sides and grab a timer, spatula and your cheese slices!

Once the coals are ready, spread them out and make sure to brush the grill grate. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 2 minutes without touching (DO NOT FLATTEN THE BURGERS WITH A SPATULA - absolute no no). Turn the burgers a quarter turn and cook an additional 2 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for 2 minutes, then quarter turn and cook for 1 minute. Place the cheese slices on top and cover the grill for another minute. Remove the burgers and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Throw the buns on the grill for about 30 seconds to warm before serving.