Feta & Dill Bread

There’s nothing like a fresh loaf of bread when the heat of summer finally begins to break. This loaf comes dressed up in herby, savory goodness using the last of this summer’s dill and creamy feta cheese. Serve it as a side to a lazy porch dinner or enjoy it as a snack.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups water (lukewarm)
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
6 oz package of feta
¼ cup fresh dill
Coarse sea salt for garnish

Instructions:

In a measuring cup, measure out your warm water. Make sure the water’s temperature is around over 100°F to properly develop the yeast. Set it aside and allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes.

While you’re waiting on your yeast, you can assemble your other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, add your flour and salt. Stir lightly to combine.

Crumble your feta into small chunks. They don’t have to be too small or the same size, but they should be no bigger than a nickel. You can skip this step if you bought crumbled feta.

Remove the leaves from your dill plant. Set aside

After the yeast has sat to bloom for 10 minutes, pour your sugar into the yeast. Stir until mostly dissolved and pour the yeast mixture into your dry ingredients. Don’t begin mixing just yet.

Add your olive oil, feta, and dill leaves to the dough.

Mix with a spoon, without kneading. Continue mixing until the dough has no dry spots of flour, but don’t mix anymore afterwards.

Take a towel and soak it in warm water, then wring out the excess water. Lay it on top of the mixing bowl.

Set the dough in warm place, like on a sunny windowsill, to rise for 2 hours.

After an hour and a half, preheat your oven to 450°F.

Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.

Once 2 hours have passed, directly dump your dough onto your baking sheet.

Sprinkle your finishing salt on top of the dough and bake for 35 minutes.

Once baked, allow it to cool for at least a half hour before serving. Cut into slices and enjoy with soup, buttered and toasted, or as a snack.

Creamsicle Milkshake

Whether you call this flavor a creamsicle, an orange dream or an orange dreamsicle, it’s certainly one thing; delicious! We used freshly-squeezed orange juice for a bright and tangy flavor that blends synchronously with the extra-creamy vanilla ice cream. Better yet, you can easily scale up the ingredients for this milkshake and serve a crowd. Pour yourself a glass and sip away those summertime blues. 

Ingredients:

1 orange

1 cup vanilla ice cream

1 cup ice

Whipped cream (for topping)

Instructions:

Before you get started making your milkshakes, you can whip up some whipped cream if you’re making it from scratch. For a single serving, I’ll usually use 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.

Whip your heavy cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Set it aside in the refrigerator while you work on your milkshakes. 

Before you juice your orange, zest about 1 teaspoon of orange zest into your blender. 

Juice your orange, making sure to remove any seeds as they fall out. Add the juice to your blender. 

Scoop 1 cup of ice cream into your blender, along with 1 cup of ice. 

Blend everything until it’s smooth and creamy.

Pour it into your desired cup and top it off with whipped cream.

Earl Grey and Blueberry Icebox Cake Recipe

 

Take a respite from the heat with this deliciously delicate dessert, featuring fragrant earl grey tea and paired with sweet blueberries and cream. Icebox cake made its first debut in the 1920’s and 1930’s with the rollout of domestic refrigerators, or “ice boxes.” The traditional dessert calls for layers of thin chocolate cookies doused in whipped cream, but we’ve opted for a mild and sweet British digestive biscuit to make harmony with the fragrant tea-steeped cream. Enjoy it anytime, but it’s particularly delicious on a hot summer evening, such as we’ve been having.

 

Ingredients for the whipped cream:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

5 earl grey tea bags

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the blueberry compote:

1-pint blueberries (save ⅓ for garnish)

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

Ingredients for construction:

1 box McVities® Digestive Biscuits

A few squares of ruby chocolate (for garnish)

Blueberries

Instructions:

24 hours before you plan to make this icebox cake, you need to steep your tea bags in your heavy cream. I recommend using a jar with a good seal that can hold a little over 2 cups of liquid. Pour your heavy cream into the jar and add 5 earl grey tea bags into it. I favor leaving the strings on and letting them hang outside the jar, so it’s easier to remove them once it’s done steeping. 

When you are ready to make your blueberry icebox cake, begin by making the blueberry compote.

Add your blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch to a small saucepan. Put it on medium heat and stir well. 

Squash the blueberries with the back of a spoon to help break them down and release their juices. 

Simmer on medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, then remove from heat. 

Transfer it to another bowl and set it in the refrigerator to cool.

Next, you can begin making your earl grey whipped cream. Take your cream out of the refrigerator and remove the tea bags. Make sure to squeeze them out in the cream, to bring out any extra tea flavor you can. Earl grey tea has very delicate flavor that won’t come across if you don’t use enough of it. 

Add your powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Whip with a hand mixer until it reaches stiff peaks. 

Gather your biscuits, whipped cream, blueberry compote, blueberries and ruby chocolate to begin assembly. 

In a pan of your choice, set down one layer of biscuits. Leave them whole, and use any broken ones to fill in gaps. 

Next, spoon half of your whipped cream on top of the biscuits. Spread it into an even layer. Pour your blueberry compote on top of the whipped cream and spread it in an even layer. Spread another layer of whipped cream on top of the blueberry compote, using up the last of it. Smooth out the top to create an even surface.  Sprinkle blueberries on top and shave a generous portion of ruby chocolate on top using a grater or zester.

Refrigerate overnight and enjoy!

French Fruit Tart Recipe 

You’ve seen this artfully arranged treat in display cases before, but have you ever dreamed of making it yourself? Make your fantasy a reality with our easy-to-follow recipe, and marvel at your culinary achievement. This French classic comes with fresh fruit beautifully arranged atop rich vanilla pastry cream, supported by a buttery crust. With a little time management and good faith, you too can enjoy a scrumptious slice of homemade French fruit tart. 

Ingredients for the pastry cream:

1 ½ cups whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup of sugar (divided)

¼ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

3 tbsp cornstarch

5 egg yolks

4 tbsp cold butter

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract or paste

Ingredients for the crust:

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp heavy cream

½ tsp vanilla 

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

⅔ cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

8 tbsp cold butter

Ingredients for the topping:

1 quart strawberries

1 cup blueberries

1 can mandarin segments

¼ cup honey

2 tbsp warm water

Instructions:

Begin by making the pastry cream.

First, separate your egg yolks from your egg whites. I recommend doing this by having a large

bowl and a smaller bowl at the ready to separate your eggs. Break your eggs very gently, so as

to not pierce the yolk. After it’s broken, hold the egg over your larger bowl and pour it into your

hand very gingerly. Allow the egg whites to fall from the spaces between your fingers and down

into the larger bowl. Pass the egg yolk between your hands very gently until all the white has

fallen into the small bowl. Then gently set the remaining yolk into your smaller bowl. Repeat this

process for all 5 eggs. You can set the egg whites aside and use them for something else later,

but you will not need them for this recipe. 

Add your cornstarch, salt, and ¼ cup sugar to your egg yolks. Whisk it well, until it’s light and

creamy, then set aside. 

 

Next, combine your milk, cream, and ¼ cup of sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high

heat. Stir it occasionally and bring it to a simmer. Make sure you check on it frequently and stir

to keep it from burning. 

Once it begins to simmer, scoop out one cup of the hot milk mixture and slowly add it to the egg

mixture, whisking constantly. This will temper your eggs, so they won’t curdle.

Add the tempered egg mixture to the hot milk slowly, whisking constantly. Once fully

incorporated, reduce the heat until the cream is thick.

You’ll know the pastry cream is ready when it bubbles up in thick, loud bubbles as it’s cooking.

When it reaches that stage, remove it from the heat and add your butter and vanilla extract. 

Transfer it to a bowl and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours. If you have cling wrap,

that is best to keep it from forming a skin on top. If you don’t have cling wrap, check on it every

half hour or so and give it a stir to keep a film from forming.

While your pastry cream cools, you can begin making your crust. 

Separate another egg yolk from the egg white using the previous method. Add the egg yolk to a

small mixing bowl. 

Whisk your egg yolk together with your tablespoon of heavy cream and vanilla extract. Set

aside. 

In another large mixing bowl, add your flour and salt. Cut your cold butter into chunks and add it

as well. 

Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your own hands if you’re not too

warm. You want to keep the butter cold while you cut them together, and it can take up to 10

minutes to combine them. You’ll know when the dough is ready once it’s reached the texture of

damp sand. 

Once the dough is ready, add your liquid ingredients in and mix until just combined.

Press the dough into a tight disk and wrap it well. Put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

After an hour has passed, place it on the counter for 10 minutes or so to help it unthaw a bit. 

Roll it out on a floured surface, creating a sheet a little bigger than your tart pan. 

Plop it in your tart pan and press it firmly into all sides and grooves, making sure it keeps a fairly

even thickness throughout. 

Once the dough is in your tart pan, set it in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

After you put the tart dough in the freezer, set your oven to 350°F.

 

When the 30 minutes passes and your oven is ready, pull your tart out of the freezer and cover

with a sheet of aluminum foil. This will keep it from getting too brown or burnt in the oven. 

Bake your tart for 30 minutes covered, rotating it at the 15-minute mark. Then remove the foil

and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. 

Once it’s done baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before you begin

filling it.

While you’re waiting for it to cool, you can prepare your fruits and the glaze. 

Wash and dry your blueberries and strawberries. Pick out any that aren’t fit for your tart. Set the

blueberries aside. 

 Cut up your strawberries as desired and set them aside.

Open your can of mandarins and drain off the juice. Set aside. 

In a jar, add your honey and hot water. Shake vigorously to combine. Set aside. 

When your tart has cooled, scoop in your pastry cream and spread it in an even layer. 

Arrange your fruit on top as desired. 

Brush every fruit with your honey glaze. This will preserve the fruit and keep it from browning

too quickly. 

Serve and enjoy!

Strawberry Almond Danish Recipe

Bring the pâtisserie into your kitchen this spring with this delightfully decadent danish recipe. Sweet and tart strawberries blend beautifully with smooth almond cream, all wrapped up in a flakey puff pastry shell. Better yet, we have both gluten-free and regular puff pastry in our frozen section. We tested them both, and we can confirm they’ll be delicious whichever way you make them. 

Ingredients:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1 ½ cups sliced almonds

10-12 strawberries

1 jar strawberry preserves

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 batch frangipane (see below)

Ingredients for the frangipane:

6 tbsp butter (room temperature)

½ cup sugar

1 cup almond flour

¼ cup flour (gluten free or wheat)

1 large egg

2 tbsp almond extract

¼ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

Instructions:

The night before you want to make your danishes, read the instructions on your frozen puff pastry. Some require you to unthaw for several hours, so it’s best to start thawing overnight in the refrigerator if needed. Follow the instructions on your puff pastry so you’ll be ready to bake the next day. 

When you’re ready to make your danishes, start with preparing the frangipane. 

Add your room temperature butter to a large mixing bowl and cream it until smooth with a hand mixer.

Pour in your sugar and salt and cream together until combined. 

Once combined, add your egg and almond extract. Beat everything well with the hand mixer until smooth. 

Fold in the flours until just combined. Set aside. 

Set your oven to 350 F° and allow it to preheat while you assemble your danishes. 

Take your puff pastry sheets and roll them out with a rolling pin. Don’t roll them too thin- just enough to get the sheet a little longer and less scrunched up.

Cut the sheets into squares of equal size. I made 9 squares out of one sheet, which made suitably sized danishes once baked. 

Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper and lay your pastries on them. Don’t crowd them too much, as they’ll puff up a little bit in the oven. 

You can now assemble your danishes. 

Plop a generous dollop of frangipane in the center of each pastry sheet. Spread it out a little bit with a spoon so it’s flat, but don’t spread it all the way to the edge. Dig the spoon into the center of the frangipane, lightly, to make a little well in each one. 

Next, add a spoonful of strawberry preserves into the well you created earlier. It’s ok to add so much that it spills out a little bit, just not so much that it’s overflowing. 

Finally, sprinkle some of your sliced almonds on top of everything. It’s ok to be a little conservative with them at first, then go back and add more one you’ve gotten to every pastry. 

Bake your danishes for 17-20 minutes and watch that the tops don’t get too brown. 

While they’re baking, slice up your strawberries into thin slices and set them aside. 

Once ready, set your danishes on a cooling rack for a few minutes.

After they’ve cooled down a bit, top them with your sliced strawberries and sift powdered sugar on top.

Serve and enjoy immediately, or save for later by putting them in an airtight container.