Free-Form Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Written by Chris - 

Mouth-puckering when raw, rhubarb really blossoms when it’s cooked and sweetened. This Free-Form Strawberry Rhubarb Tart has a fine balance of sweet and sour that makes you crave another bite. Trust me on this!

A free-form tart is basically a single layer of buttery pie dough folded up around fruit, and then baked. If you are at all intimidated by fluting a pie crust or using a tart pan, you must try a free-form tart! All you need is a rimmed baking sheet and parchment paper.

The crust is simple: flour, butter, salt and water. I experimented with different flours and really liked white whole-wheat flour but my taster’s had a slight preference for all-purpose flour. I also tried adding a little sugar but found that it made the crust a bit too fragile. Sparkling sugar is added to the dough prior to baking, so this adds additional sweetness and crunch. If you prefer a gluten-free crust, this should work just fine! Or you can go the super easy route by using ready-made pastry shells. Our recipe editor made this tart over the weekend using two pastry shells (this is how they are packaged). She stacked the pastry shells on floured piece of parchment paper and rolled into a 12-inch circle.

A note about the delicious filling: I’ve made this type of tart on several occasions and each time some of the liquid leaks out of the crust. I’ve found this to be normal with free-form fruit-filled tarts. The tart is baked on a piece of parchment paper, so the cleanup is pretty minimal. But I wanted to find a way to reduce the leakage. I ended up macerating the strawberries and rhubarb in a little sugar first. Macerating sweetens up the fruit and draws out some of the moisture. So I ended up draining the syrupy liquid that formed, then added back more sugar plus cornstarch. There was still a little leakage, but not as much this time. I was pleased with the end result!

Rhubarb can be found from late winter through spring with a peak season from April to June. The deep red color in rhubarb lets you know this is a food full of immunity-boosting nutrients. It’s rich in vitamin C, which is known to prevent infections. It’s also high in dietary fiber, proven to be good for heart health. Once picked, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Strawberries are available year round, but I think they are at their best right this very moment! Their peak season is April to June. You can check out more strawberry tips in this post.

Once baked, this tart is best eaten warm, or within a couple hours. Leftovers can be reheated in a 350° F oven for a few minutes. I think you will find that it’s delicious on its own, but it’s even better with vanilla ice cream (especially when it starts to melt and pool on the fruit!).

Free-Form Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Ingredients for 8 servings:

CRUST

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose or white whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

FILLING

• 1 pound rhubarb (about 5 medium stalks), washed, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• White sparkling sugar for sprinkling (optional)
• Vanilla DREYER’S or EDY’S SLOW CHURNED Light Ice Cream

Directions:

FOR CRUST:
PLACE flour and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine (or whisk by hand in a large bowl). Scatter butter over the top; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or cut in with pastry blender). Continue to pulse (or mix with a fork), adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched with fingers (mixture will be crumbly).

TRANSFER dough to a floured cutting board or counter and gather into a ball; slightly flatten into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes so that it’s easier to roll (can hold in refrigerator up to one day but be sure to let dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften).

PLACE dough between two large, floured pieces of parchment or wax paper; roll to a 12-inch circle (think rustic here; it doesn’t need to be perfect). Remove top piece of parchment paper. Place dough with parchment on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate while you make the filling.

PREHEAT oven to 400° F.

FOR FILLING:
COMBINE rhubarb, strawberries and ¼ cup sugar in large bowl; toss gently to coat. Allow to macerate for at least 20 minutes. Drain liquid from bowl.

ADD remaining 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch to bowl and stir until starch has dissolved.

SPOON rhubarb mixture into center of dough, leaving a 3-inch border around the edge of the fruit.

FOLD outermost dough over fruit, pleating every 2 to 3 inches as needed; gently pinch pleated dough to secure. Working quickly, brush dough with a little water then sprinkle evenly with sparkling sugar.

BAKE for 45 to 55 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling (some of strawberries and rhubarb will have a roasted appearance – so delicious!). If you don’t want the berries or rhubarb to get roasted, just place a piece of aluminum foil over the fruit during the last 15 minutes of baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. To serve, use metal spatula to loosen tart from parchment and remove parchment if desired.

CUT into wedges. Top each serving with small scoop of ice cream.

Related recipes:

Apple-Rhubarb Pie	Strawberry Almond Chocolate Tart

Celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day Another Way!

Written by Jenny -

I know it seems a little odd that I am proposing that you celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day with a recipe other than the Original Nestlé® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookie. It’s not that I want to turn you away from the most wonderful cookie in the whole wide world! I just want to introduce you to another recipe to celebrate this delicious day: Double Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes. Baked Nestlé® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is the base for these individual cheesecakes. The cookie bases are topped with a creamy cheesecake that is studded with semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels. I think I have you captivated now. One more detail to mention, each of these cheesecakes has a simple drizzle of chocolate for the final touch. Where is my fork when I need it?

Double Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients for 24 servings:

• 1 1/2 cups NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Tub Dough or 1 package (16.5 ounces) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels, divided

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 325° F. Paper-line 24 muffin cups. Place 1 level tablespoon of cookie dough (1 square if using bar dough) into each muffin cup.

BAKE for 10 minutes or until cookie has spread to edge of cup.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and flour in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well. Stir 1/2 cup morsels into batter. Spoon 2 heaping measuring tablespoons of batter over each cookie in cup.

BAKE for additional 13 to 15 minutes or until just set but not browned. Remove from oven to wire rack. Cool completely in pans on wire rack. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

MELT remaining 1/4 cup mini morsels in small, heavy-duty plastic bag on HIGH (100%) power for 30 seconds; knead. Microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to drizzle lightly over each cheesecake just before serving.

If you are looking for some more information on the history of the Original Nestlé® Toll House® Cookie and Ruth Wakefield, the inventor of the cookie, please take a look at my previous post. There you will find some more recipes to celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day with and also to get a head start for Chocolate Chip Day, August 4^th!

Related Recipes:

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcake	Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Spoil Your Mom, Spoil Yourself – Chocolate Black Cherry Gelatin

Written by Natalie -

Are you looking for a fantastic dessert to spoil mom this Mother’s Day? Look no further than this Chocolate Black Cherry Gelatin. It’s incredibly easy to make with only four ingredients! The cute presentation makes them seem way more complicated than they are. There is not even any cooking involved! But it’s really the deliciously rich chocolate flavor combined with black cherry that makes this seem so very gourmet. Your mom will know how much you love her because she will think you slaved over this fancy dessert. Hopefully she’ll spoil you back by sharing her special treat with the rest of the family.

Chocolate Black Cherry Gelatin

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 1 package (6 ounces) black cherry flavored gelatin
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
• 1/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 12 foil baking cups
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

COMBINE gelatin and water in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.

MICROWAVE evaporated milk and morsels in a small, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100% power for 3 minutes or until chocolate is melted; stir to combine. Pour milk mixture into gelatin; whisk until well blended.

SPRAY baking cups with nonstick cooking spray. Pour gelatin into prepared baking cups. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until gelatin is set.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Drizzle with NESTLÉ ABUELITA Chocolate Syrup or NESTLÉ NESQUIK Chocolate Flavor Syrup

Related Recipes:

Chewy Cherry Chocolate Cookies	Chocolaty Cherry Biscotti

A Toast to Moms Everywhere – French Toast that is

Written by Nick -

Mother’s Day is the day of the year that you go out of your way to show your appreciation to your mom. In my household that meant a day of pampering, a day of chores, and a day where Mom could finally relax and Dad and the kids would take care of everything.

Obviously, you should let your mom know how important she is every day, but Mother’s day is the day of year that you need to go above and beyond. It’s not enough to say you care, but you need a CARD to say you care, you need FLOWERS and you need to make BREAKFAST. (Highlighting for all the kids and dads out there… don’t forget the CARD, FLOWERS, and BREAKFAST).

So growing up, Mother’s Day always started with us kids and my dad cooking brunch. Often times, we’d serve French Toast, my dad’s specialty and one of my mom’s favorite. French toast is a decadent breakfast and the perfect way to show your mom your sweet side. I’m grown up now and my mom is on the other side of the country, but I wish I could make her some French toast this Sunday. Hopefully my dad can handle the duties and pamper her. And hopefully, this year, the flowers show up on time.

You can find an entire French Toast recipe collection on meals.com.

Here are some of my favorites and some I can’t wait to try.

Stuffed French Toast with Fresh Berry Topping

This Stuffed French Toast With Fresh Berry Topping recipe takes your favorite strawberry preserves mixed with creamy ricotta cheese to make a delectable filling. For this recipe, I would need to substitute another berry preserve, my mom is allergic to Strawberries (I know it’s horribly sad) but I’m sure it would work with whatever berry preserve your mother prefers.

Cinnamon Breakfast Toast with Orange-Rum Syrup

This Cinnamon Breakfast Toast will become a family favorite! It is a great choice for brunch too! Oranges and rum are produced in Venezuela, so it makes sense that this version of French toast is served with scrumptious syrup flavored with these local gems. Cinnamon also infuses both the egg mixture and syrup. Serve with fresh orange slices for a special touch. To save some time, the syrup can be made ahead and warmed.

Sweet Crème Stuffed French Toast

Sweet Crème Stuffed French Toast is an elegant twist on the classic recipe. This is a great recipe to make use of day old French bread you may have on hand. The orange marmalade and Sweet Crème Coffee-mate compliment each other perfectly.

Ovaltine French Toast

Ovaltine adds a rich chocolate flavor to this classic recipe. Top it with maple syrup and fresh berries for a truly decadent morning treat.

Golden Sunrise French Toast

Golden Sunrise French Toast will be a treat your family will love! The golden crisp goodness of this hearty morning favorite is made with thick-sliced French bread infused with a hint of vanilla and topped with fresh seasonal fruit – then drizzled with maple syrup for the perfect start to a special morning.

What’s your Mother’s day treat? Are you the pamperer or the pampered?

Tip: If your the pampered, feel free to forward this to the pamperers as a friendly reminder. You can use such strategic subject lines as:

• The coy – “Don’t these recipes look delicious”
• The sneaky – “Which of these is your favorite, I’m thinking of making something this weekend”
• The obvious – “Don’t forget about MOTHER’S DAY – love mom” 

Grill Season: Marinated Flank Steak

Written by Nick - 

This past weekend was the perfect weather to have some friends over and fire up the grill. As opposed to the usual burgers and dogs, I thought some steak would fit the bill. Flank steak is the perfect choice for entertaining. It’s a flavorful cut of beef and budget friendly, but it’s not known for being tender. So, finding the perfect marinade makes all the difference.

I thought I would grill up some steak and serve it fajita style. It’s a great way to feed a group and everyone can customize to their liking. This Marinated Flank Steak recipe seemed like just the right amount of seasonings to stand on its own or work as tacos/fajitas. The recipe calls for marinating for 4 hours or overnight. I went a bit further and marinated it for two days. This was purely a timing consideration. I was cooking dinner Friday night and figured I’d prepare the marinade for a Sunday barbecue.

The flank steak turned out great. Although I served it as fajitas, everyone was eating it straight off the serving dish. I think this flank steak could easily work with a variety of meals, not just tacos/fajitas. It was very tender and flavorful. And because it’s already marinated, there is little prep-work for when your guests arrive.

So, if you’re grilling for friends and want to do something special, this flank steak is the perfect way to treat them to steak and stay on a reasonable budget.

Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 MAGGI Beef Flavor Bouillon Tablets, crushed
• 1/2 cup Apple NESTLÉ® JUICY JUICE® All Natural 100% Juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Directions:

COMBINE water and bouillon in medium bowl; stir until dissolved. Stir in Juicy Juice, cilantro, lime juice, oil, oregano, chili powder, cumin and garlic. Pour into 1-gallon heavy-duty plastic bag. Add flank steak, squeeze out as much air from bag as possible. Marinate in refrigerator, turning steak occasionally, for at least 4 hours or overnight.

PREHEAT grill or broiler. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.

GRILL or broil using medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Let steak rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut steak against the grain on the diagonal in thin slices to serve. Serve hot with warm tortillas, sliced avocados and fresh pico de gallo, if desired.

Related Recipes:

Seared Steak Salad with Balsamic-Shallot Reduction	Asian Flank Steak

Easy-to-Follow Tres Leches Cupcakes Recipe

Written by Chris -

Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three milks: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. You can vary the creams. I like to use lite coconut milk in place of the heavy cream, but you could also use whole milk. Whipped cream is traditionally used as the topping.

In this new recipe, the traditional Latin Tres Leches cake is transformed into delicious cupcakes. I was looking through our cupcake collection on meals.com and couldn’t believe we didn’t have a tres leches cupcake. How could that be? I have a huge, HUGE crush on traditional tres leches cake, and I’ll be the first to admit that I always go back for seconds, or take a piece far too big. Or scrape off the top of the cake with a spoon.

Seeing that I obviously lack self control when it comes to tres leches cake, I thought that making cupcakes out of this Latin cake would provide guidance of what a serving size looks like. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. Kidding aside, one sweet milk-filled cupcake will completely satisfy your cravings!

If you happen to be planning your Cinco de Mayo menu or thinking about a summer barbecue (not too far off!), this Tres Leches Cupcake recipe will make a great addition! They are perfect for bridal and baby showers, too!

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Ingredients for 32 cupcakes:

CUPCAKES

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

TRES LECHES SAUCE

• 1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ CARNATION Sweetened Condensed Milk or NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2/3 cup (5 fluid-ounce can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk (fat free evaporated milk works, too!)
• 1 cup lite coconut milk (you can use whipping cream or whole milk if you don’t like coconut milk)

TOPPING

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Line cupcake tins with 32 paper or foil liners.

FOR CUPCAKES:
SIFT flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.

BEAT egg whites in large mixer bowl until soft peaks form. With mixer on, gradually beat in sugar. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately beat in flour mixture with milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in vanilla extract.

SPOON batter into prepared cupcake tins, filling only 1/2 full (be sure to not overfill or the tres leches sauce will overflow).

BAKE for 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. While cupcakes are cooling, make tres leches sauce.

FOR TRES LECHES SAUCE:

WHISK together all but 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (the 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk will be used in the topping to sweeten up the whipped cream), evaporated milk and coconut milk in a large glass measuring cup.

POKE holes in the cupcakes using a wooden pick, skewer or fork, penetrating to the bottom of the liner (but don’t poke through it).

SPOON tres leches sauce over each cupcake one tablespoon at a time. After it soaks in, add a little more. Each cupcake should hold about 3 tablespoons of sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cupcakes can be refrigerated overnight if you plan to serve these the next day.

FOR TOPPING:
BEAT cream in small mixer bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in remaining 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk. Right before serving the cupcakes, add a dollop of whipped cream over each cupcake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. (Toasting coconut is simple! Just add coconut to a skillet and cook it over medium heat, shaking the pan or stirring occasionally, until it starts to turn golden.)

I wanted to share the picture above with you. I made these cupcakes the other day but only had 2 muffin tins on hand. So I improvised and used a mini Bundt pan as well (the pan held 6 mini Bundt cakes). Obviously cupcake liners won’t work here, so I sprayed the pan with coconut oil, and proceeded with the recipe following the same directions as stated above. To remove from the pan, I placed a rimmed baking sheet over the Bundt pan and inverted it, shaking the pan to loosen the cakes. I needed to loosen each Bundt cake a little with a knife, but after that, they plopped right out. So if you get into a pinch like I did, don’t be afraid to improvise.

Related recipes:

Coconut-Lime Tres Leches Cake	Clásico Three Milk Cake