Strawberry, almond, thyme and vanilla baskets

by Alice on maggio 12, 2011

Strawberry, almond, thyme and vanilla tartlets

Ingredients

For the filling (quantitites are enough for around 4 baskets)

250 g fresh strawberries, cleaned and cut into cubes
the juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons agave syrup
fresh and cleaned thyme leaves, to taste
1 vanilla pod, scraped
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 30-35 ml cold, filtered water

For the crust (makes around 12-15 baskets)

270 g semi-whole wheat flour
40 g manitoba flour
120 ml extra virgin olive oil
100-120 ml filtered water
half a teaspoon whole sea salt

To complete

shaved almonds, to taste
crumbled almond paste, to taste
unbleached, powdered sugar
a few fresh thyme sprigs, cleaned

Directions

Combine the strawberries, lemon juice, agave syrup, thyme and vanilla in a bowl and toss. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
To make the crust, chill wheat and manitoba flour, olive oil and water, by placing them in the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start making the dough. Stir the flours and salt together in a large bowl, then add the olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until the oil has been absorbed by the flour. Keep mixing with the fork, as your hands would be too warm, then add the water little by little, just enough to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated in the recipe. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and transfer it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Remove the dough (or just some of it) from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour, roll the dough out to the desired thickness (2-4 mm) and cut into squares. Oil some tiny pie pans or molds and sprinkle them with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough squares in the tins, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, trim off any excess round the edges and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes then unmold and set aside until they’re ready to be filled.
While the baskets are cooking, prepare the sauce. take the strawberries out of the fridge and separate them from their juice. Pour the juice in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add the cornstarch and keep stirring until a caramel-like texture is achieved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To assemble the baskets, fill them with the fresh strawberries and sauce. Complete with the shaved almonds, crumbled almond paste and powdered sugar, top with the thyme sprigs and serve.

You can find the same recipe on www.goosto.com.


Posted in: baking,breakfast and brunch,cakes,desserts,finger food,fruits,lunch-box,picnic,spring,summer,sweet,tarts and pies,tea time

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Fig, blueberry and raspberry tartlets | cotto e crudo
settembre 22, 2011 alle 02:58

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Ayla maggio 25, 2011 alle 08:13

Wow! Looks delicious! I love this blog, thank you for these great recipes and gorgeous pictures!

2 Alice maggio 25, 2011 alle 14:04

Ayla, welcome and thanks a lot…
Good to know about your blog :)

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