Tart | The Rambling Epicure

Switzerland: Speculoos, Quark and Summer Fruit Pie

Published by Jonell Galloway + Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Permalink 1

Swiss Recipe: Quick, No-bake Summer Fruit Cheesecake

Ingredients

11 x 7 x 2 in. (28 x 18 x 5 cm) baking dish or deep pie tin
1 box Speculoos ginger cookies
Mixed summer fruit, washed and chopped into fat chunks such as apricots and blueberries + banana
Cinnamon to taste
1 1/2T – 2 T. dark brown cane sugar
1 1/2 – 2 T. maple syrup, depending on sweetness of fruit
Dried chili pepper flakes
500 g Quark* or Séré cheese

Line baking dish with Speculoos to form a crust, covering sides as well as bottom of pan.

coop organic quark séré

Chop apricots, blueberries and banana into large bite-size pieces. Place in a bowl. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Add 1 1/2 – 2 T. of dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 – 2 T. of maple syrup and a sprinkle of dried chili peppers. Mix well. Marinate for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Mix fruit with one large yogurt-size tub Quark (500 g). Leave to marinate for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

coop organic quark séré

Pour quark and fruit mixture into pie pan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

*Quark is a fresh cheese made in the Germanic countries. It is not the same as cottage cheese or cream cheese, since it is made by warming soured milk fermented with mesophile bacteria until it coagulates. It can be replaced by labneh, ricotta, mascarpone, thick fromage blanc or strained yogurt, although the flavor and texture will not be exactly the same.

Swiss Food: Tarte à la Raisinée – Apple & Pear Syrup Pie

Published by Jonell Galloway + Sunday, March 30, 2014 Permalink 0

Swiss Food: Tarte à la Raisinée – Apple and Pear Molasses Pie

What is Swiss Raisinée?

The French-Vaudois word raisinée refers to a syrup or molasses made of the must of apples and pears. It was originally cooked in grape juice, thus the name — raisin means grape in French. Often called vin cuit, or “cooked wine,” it is in the form of a dark brown, viscous liquid. In still other parts of Switzerland, another concoction similar in consistency to jam and using the same ingredients is called cougnarde and probably dates back to at least the Middle Ages. Raisinée was used as a sweetener in many regions in Europe, and the tradition has lingered in Switzerland, especially in the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg and Neuchâtel. Today, it is mainly used for cakes and pies, and is not fermented, so it not technically a wine.

The tart itself has numerous names — raisinée, vin cuit (literally cooked wine), cougnarde and Biresaassa, depending on the location.

Recipe: Tarte à la Raisinée – Apple and Pear Syrup Pie

This recipe is inspired by Concert des Casseroles and translated with their authorization

Use a pie ring or pie tin 24 cm in diameter

Sweet Pie Crust

200 g of flour
100 g butter
3 g of fine salt
15 g walnut or hazelnut nillon* (here a mixture in equal parts)
1 small egg (less than 60 g)
60 g white sugar

Filling

3 eggs
2 egg yolks
200 g double cream
150 g pear raisinée (click on link to see our recipe for making raisinée)

Dough: Combine the butter and sugar. Add the beaten egg and walnut/hazelnut nillon, then flour, mix and form into a ball, then roll out or pat down to flatten. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Spread the dough on a sheet of baking paper and place it along with the sheet in a pie ring or pie pan. Shape the edges by pinching the dough between your thumb and forefinger. Prick the bottom and edges with a fork. Cool for 30 minutes to firm up and avoid sagging when cooking.
Preheat oven to 180° C. Place baking paper and beans or ceramic beads on the dough to prevent it from swelling. Bake for 20 minutes: the dough should barely brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing the eggs and yolks, the double cream and the raisinée.
Remove dough from oven. Remove weights and parchment paper. Lower thermostat to 150°C.
Pour the filling into the dough and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes. The filling must be taken when it is not too firm and must have a slightly caramelized smell. It will probably still appear liquid when it comes out of the oven, but do not prolong the cooking, as it gets much firmer while it is cooling.

*Nillon: Nillon (or nion), is a local product used in French-speaking Switzerland. It is the residue from pressing of nuts. It is found in sheets, grated or powdered form. There are walnut and hazelnut nillons packaged in small 160-gram bags. In the canton of Vaud (Switzerland), nillon is used to make a walnut cake and apple pie. In France, it is known as walnut flour or walnut meal.

Food Art: Tomato and Cheese Tartelettes, food photography by SandeeA

Published by Jonell Galloway + Friday, September 16, 2011 Permalink 0

SandeeA is the author of our Food Play column. She writes in both English and Spanish, but is a woman of many talents, including food photography and styling. She runs a popular food blog in Spain, La Receta de la Felicidad.

Click here for the recipe.