Recipe Rerun: Fresh Berry Tart

Fresh Berry Tart

The July 4th holiday is only one week away, can you believe it? This year is really flying by! I don't have many festive recipes for this holiday; however, I did make this delicious, beautiful Fresh Berry Tart a few months ago using raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries so I guess this would count. :)

I really enjoyed this dessert not only because it was light and easy (I don't like to make complicated desserts for all of you new to CEK), but because it wasn't overly sweet. Click on the name to be taken to the original post and if you're looking for more fun food and craft ideas for the July 4th holiday, check out my Red, White and Blue Board on Pinterest!

I'll be taking the next week off to spend some time with family and friends, as well as making our first college visit for the summer (Yikes!). If you're new to the blog or haven't stopped by in while, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, have a look around to see what you might have missed and leave me a comment letting me know you were here. I just love company!

Shopping List

 Enjoy and I'll be back July 8th with some 

new recipes to share with all of you. Happy 4th! 

Fresh Berry Tart

I've never made a fruit tart before. REALLY! So when I needed to make a dessert for my niece's birthday and her request was "something with fruit", I thought I'd give one a try. Sure, I took the easy road and bought packaged pudding instead of making my own custard (which in hindsight might have made this even better!), but it worked and was easier considering I was also making the entire meal (desserts aren't my strong suit). 

I had to find a recipe for the crust and happened upon one online from Pillsbury that looked easy enough (though they called for 1 cup of flour and the dough was so sticky, I couldn't even spread it in the pan. So I added another half cup of flour and it was much easier to work with). The crust was light and flaky and there is nothing tastier than fresh summer berries. Not too bad for my first attempt, but next time I think I'd add more strawberries or make it with mangoes or peaches! 

Fresh Berry Tart
1 pt. Raspberries
1 pt. Blueberries
1 pt. Strawberries
1 pt. Blackberries
1 3.5oz. Package Vanilla Pudding, prepared
Cooked Crust, cooled

Spread the prepared, chilled pudding on top of the crust. Rinse your fruit, slice the strawberries, then arrange the berries on top. 


Crust (Adapted from Pillsbury)
1 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
2 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
1/2 c. Salted Butter, softened
1 Egg

Mix all ingredients together until combined. Flatten out the dough and spread into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a tart pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then let cool. Serves 8. 

Enjoy! 

Raspberry & Orange Marinated Chicken

I know. This recipe may seem odd to some of you as I use two types of alcohol as a base for this recipe. But there was a method to my madness I assure you! You see, while packing up some my kitchen this past weekend, I came across small amounts of Cointreau and Chambord and didn't want to pack them away, nor did I want to throw something out that I know I can use to make something with. The funniest thing is I'm not even sure why I have them because I don't drink either, but must have needed them along the way for a recipe or received them as a gift. In any event, this chicken was very moist and had just enough raspberry and orange flavor so that you can tell it's in there, but it wasn't overpowering or too sweet. I probably would have preferred this recipe using boneless chicken breasts then grill them, but I'm trying to run out what food I have left in my house so bone-in chicken breasts it was.  

Raspberry & Orange Marinated Chicken
4 Chicken Breasts, bone in
2 tbsp. Cointreau
1/4 c. Chambord
1 Orange, juice and zest
1/2 c. Canola Oil
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

In a small bowl add the Cointreu, Chambord, orange juice and zest, oil, salt and pepper and whisk well. Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, remove 1/2 hour before cooking to allow the chicken to get to room temperature, then bake or grill chicken until the proper internal temperature is reached. (I baked these at 350 degrees for about 1 hour). 

Enjoy!

Shared at Everyday Mom's Meals Church Supper 8/12/12

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Cheesecake

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I hosted Easter this year and I was dying to try out a new cheesecake recipe. I had originally started off thinking I was just going to do a Chocolate Hazelnut version but I thought that raspberries would also give this a nice flavor. I used the same base as the Limoncello Cheesecake I made several months ago, but changed it up a bit. It was INCREDIBLE!!! I just love the flavor combination of chocolate, raspberries and hazelnuts and it was so creamy, not dense like other cheesecakes I've had. I will definitely be making this cheesecake again. I does taste best if you make it a day before you are ready to serve so that the cheesecake has time to properly set (get firm) so plan accordingly. It will also freeze well as long as you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then cover it in foil. 

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Cheesecake

Crust

16 Chocolate Graham Crackers

½ c. Hazelnuts

¼ c. Granulated Sugar

1 Stick of Salted Butter, melted 

1 tsp. Butter

Pulse the graham crackers, hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor until they are chopped fine. Gradually pour in the butter until it is mixed well and crumbly. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 10”  round spring form pan using approximately 1 tsp. of butter. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan and come up about ½" on the sides. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes then remove and let cool. 

Cheesecake filling

2 lb. Cream Cheese

1 c. Granulated Sugar

4 Eggs

1 c. Chambord (Raspberry Liquor)

1/2 c. Nutella

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 oz. Dark Chocolate, chopped fine

1 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped fine

1 oz. White Chocolate, chopped fine

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Next, add the eggs, Chambord and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Fold in the Nutella and three types of chocolate, then pour filling into the cooled crust. Place pan on top of a sheet pan and add 2 c. water to the bottom; creating a water bath. Bake 350°F for approximately 1 hour or until the edges puff up and the center is set. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until the cheesecake has fully cooled then cut into 12 slices. 

Enjoy!

Shared on Sweet As Sugar Cookies Sweets for a Saturday 5/5/12
Shared on Carole's Chatter 5/31/13

Raspberry-Lime Grilled Pork Chops

Do you remember me talking about my recent trip to Disney and how I found a store with wonderful herbs, spices and teas from The Spice and Tea Exchange? Well, while I was there, I also picked up some of their Raspberry Sugar. My first thought was to use it in baking, maybe in my Raspberry Linzer Tarts, but then decided I'd use it in a marinade instead. When I started this blog last April (yes, my 1 Year Blogiversary is right around the corner!), my first recipe was for Grilled Pork Chops with Lime and Cilantro and I didn't even have a picture of it (I guess I'll have to make it again because they were incredible!). Now that the weather has taken a turn for the better, it's time to start firing up the grill again so I thought I'd experiment with this sugar in another type of brine and it paid off. Though, they were a little pink prior to cooking, they did turn to their normal color once grilled and the flavor was AMAZING!  

Raspberry-Lime Grilled Pork Chops
4-6oz. Center Cut Boneless Pork Chops, trimmed
Prepared Raspberry-Lime Brine Marinade


Add the pork chops and marinade to a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, then remove 15 minutes prior to grilling to allow meat to come to room temperature. Grill meat until the proper internal temperature is reached. Serves 4. 


Raspberry-Lime Brine Marinade
3/4 c. Water
1.5oz. pkg. Raspberry Sugar by The Spice & Tea Exchange
1 tbsp. Raspberry Preserves, seedless
2 tbsp. Sea Salt
1 Lime, zest and juice


Whisk together all ingredients until the sugar and salt have dissolved. 


Enjoy!






*I was not compensated in any way by this product. The opinions shared are my own. 

Mixed Greens with Fresh Raspberries, Feta Cheese and Pecans in a Raspberry Vinaigrette

Good morning, I hope you all had a lovely Passover/Easter celebration. I don't know about you, but I could really go for one of these salads today after what I ate yesterday! 


Not all recipes have to be complicated and this is one of them! I was grilling some pork chops for dinner recently (recipe to follow) and just wanted a simple salad to go with it. The combination of sweet raspberries with the sharpness of the feta cheese and maple flavor of the pecans made this salad the perfect accompaniment to our meal. 

Mixed Greens with Fresh Raspberries, Feta Cheese & Pecans in a Raspberry Vinaigrette
5oz pkg. Organic Mixed Greens or Baby Romaine, rinsed
1/4 c. Feta Cheese, crumbled
1/4 c. Pecans, chopped
1 pt. Fresh Raspberries
Prepared Raspberry Vinaigrette


Add the lettuce, cheese and pecans to a bowl and mix well, coating all of the leaves. Then gently add the raspberries and mix so as not to crush them. Serves 4. 


Raspberry Vinaigrette
2 tbsp. Raspberry Vinegar
3 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. 


Enjoy!