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August 8, 2005
Tart is smartRustic dish is delicious with most any fruitBy J.M. HirschThe Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. - Three pounds a day! That's how many raspberries my tiny - and until recently untended - patch has been producing this week. It's left me astounded and my freezer bursting. I knew I'd get a good crop this year, but I had no idea just how good. When we bought our 107-year-old home three years ago, it came with about an acre of elaborate gardens that, sadly, had been neglected by the previous owner. Once interior renovations were done, we turned our attention outside and a section at a time have been trying to identify and revive the many plantings. It's an overwhelming task. There are more than 20 varieties of roses, wildflowers, grape vines, pear and olive trees, crabapples, and chives and other herbs seemingly everywhere. And then there was the raspberry patch, an overgrown, out-of-control, dry, scratchy mess of growth that hadn't produced a berry worth biting in who knows how long. With a bit of research I discovered that raspberry vines grow on a two-year cycle. The vines grow the first year and bear fruit the second. After that, they should be cut down to make way for new growth. Clearly nothing had been cut in this patch for many years. Unable to tell what was new and old, I took a lawnmower to the entire patch and shaved it to the ground. Starting the patch from scratch also gave me a chance to define its shape, which I did with heavy granite posts. I decided a 12-foot-square patch was more than enough for my berry needs. I quickly discovered why so many people consider raspberries weeds. The vines grew back in just weeks and by the end of last summer I had a lush, if fruitless, bramble. This summer those brambles sprouted thousands upon thousands of bumpy berries. Had they ripened all at once I'd have been doomed. Luckily, they have come in waves, about a bucketful a day. And they are delicious. It's such a cliche, but knowing I grew and picked them just outside my door enhances the sweet, tart taste. I love the crunch of the seeds. Most I've been freezing. We can eat only so many berries, no matter how delicious they are topped with cream. Once the crop is done I plan to turn the frozen berries into jam. Today, I decided to make a tart out of a few cups of berries that hadn't made the freezer. Until now, I'd been reluctant to try a pie or other baked dish because I'd convinced myself it would be too much work. Plus, the weather has been unbearably hot - not the best time to attempt pastry. Then I got an idea for a rustic tart, the sort of freeform fruit dessert that makes the tables of France and Italy. Essentially, roll out pastry dough, pile some fruit in the center, fold up the edges and bake it flat. Easy. I couldn't bring myself to try pastry from scratch, not when the temperature was approaching 80 at 6 a.m. Instead, I reluctantly bought a dry just-add-water mix. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the boxed pastry dough worked like a charm. Absent the butter (I don't want to think about what they use instead), temperature no longer was an issue. Tarts such as this should have a whatever-is-fresh-and-in-the-pantry feel, so in addition to raspberries, I tossed in blackberries (also from the yard) and fresh pineapple I'd been meaning to turn into a chilled drink. Selecting your fruit is as hard as it gets. I combined the fruit in a bowl, sprinkled it with sugar, added some cornstarch, then stirred, piled it on the pastry, folded up the edges and baked it. The whole thing, including baking, took about 30 minutes. It was delicious. It tasted fresh. It tasted like a tart should - fruity and simple and sweet. Try not to obsess over the details of this recipe - that really defeats the spirit of rustic tarts. The filling should change as seasonal fruits change. During baking, some fruit juice invariably will escape the tart and make a mess on the pan. This is normal and won't affect the tart. For easier cleaning, line your baking sheet with foil. Rustic Fruit Tart Pastry dough (enough for 1 pie, prepared according to package directions) 3 c. fresh fruit (one fruit or a mix) 3 T. sugar 2 T. cornstarch
Preheat oven to 450°.
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The Associated Press
