Sweet & Vicious: Baking with Attitude – A Stoned Tart Recipe from Libbie Summers

by | Apr 14, 2014 | Recipes | 0 comments

Libbie Summers dishes out a fantastic new cookbook, Sweet & Vicious focusing on sweet treats with gusto! Her prior success, The Whole Hog Cookbook honed in on succulent delights and now Summers presents new recipes with over-the-top sweet flavor profiles and fearless presentation highlighted by photographer Chia Chong. Summers vibrant personality shines bright through the use of  language and personal accounts of how each recipe was conceived (not to mention the colorful neon aesthetic of the book overall–the pages have pink ends with yellow binding!).   Be sure to brighten your day with this delightful fruity tart recipe!

 Stoned Tart (rum, stone fruits, pistachio cream)

Serves 8

¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour

2 Tablespoons Yellow Cornmeal

¼ Cup Plus 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Infused Sugar

4 Tablespoons Cold Butter, Cubed

2 to 4 Tablespoons Ice Water

¾ Cup Shelled Pistachios

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

½ Teaspoon Almond Extract (Blend 1 Cup of Vodka and Almonds Together)

5 Stone Fruits (Any Mixture of Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines or Plums) Pitted and Sliced with Skins On

2 Tablespoons of Dark Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Gosling’s Black Seal Rum

½ Teaspoon Citrus Extract (Blend vanilla, orange and lemon extract to taste)

Pinch of Salt

Ice Cream or Whipped Cream, to Serve

1) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and ¾ cup vanilla sugar.  Cut in the butter using your fingers or two knives.  Add 2 tablespoons ice water to the dough and stir to combine.  Continue to add ice water by the tablespoon until the dough comes together (this should take no more than 4 tablespoons).  Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2) Ina  food processor with the blade attachment, pulse the pistachios until roughly chopped.  Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar, heavy cream, and almond extract.  Pulse until a thick paste forms.  Set aside.

3) In a large mixing bowl, stir the fruit slices together with the brown sugar, lemon juice, rum, citrus extract, cinnamon, and salt.

 4) Spray 9 ½ -inch round, 9-inch square, or 13 ¾-inch rectangular tart pan with removable bottom wit nonstick baking spray.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to ¾-inch thick.  Drape and press the dough into the prepared pan, covering the bottom and sides, with some overhang.

 5) Roll a rolling pin over the edges of the tart pan to clearly cut off the excess dough.  Spread the pistachio mixture over the bottom of the dough and arrange the fruit slices on top.  Refrigerate to firm up the dough while the oven is preheating.

6) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

 7) Transfer the tart from the refrigerator to the baking sheet and bake in the lower third of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the fruit begins to bubble.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

For behind the scenes footage of the books production, please visit: libbiesummers.com/videos/sweet-and-vicious-cookbook-the-film

-Joseph Amella, Jr.

Downtown Magazine