Tarte Crumble aux Cerises, this week’s CooktheBookFridays recipe.
“Is this a sharable story?” I’ve been asking myself. “Can I blog about this to inspire or bring a smile?”
If something really nice happens, I wondered, can I flip it into a Pay It Forward challenge for you readers as it was for me ?
Coin flip. Heads, yes. Tails, yes. (It was Heads.)
There’s dessert, also. For CooktheBookFridays, this week’s recipe is Tarte Crumble aux Cerises. Cherry Tart in English. Tarta de la Cereza in Spanish. Fabulous in any language.
Gorgeous butterflies visit Colorado’s High Country. Hunter Creek Valley, Aspen
Before counting calories, let’s talk. Cheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s CEO and author of Lean In, lost her 47-year old husband last year. She’s tough but grief is grief. It can be masked but, to my thinking, hunkers down like a boulder in your heart. Cheryl’s now writing her second book, about resilience, calling it Option B. “I have learned,” she once wrote, “that resilience can be learned.”
Long before Cheryl lost her husband, I was living the 8-year process of losing mine. As strong and tenacious as I consider myself now, during those years I was not. “If Plan A doesn’t work, Mom,” my daughter, Melissa, would counsel during a crisis, “we’ll go to Plan B or even C.”
Most Saturdays I can be found at the Maroon Bells, monitoring the trail up to Crater Lake. This is my week-end office. It’s tough duty.
After Michael died and I returned to Aspen, my challenge was not only to heal but be content and useful. Realizing this was a high bar, I considered it a deserved goal. This blog, as you know, revolves around my doing that.
About twenty years ago I joined a ragtag group of ten Aspen locals who were helping the “real” and understaffed USFS Rangers monitor our trails. We raided their warehouse for cast-off uniforms, buckled on backpacks and lived the outdoor dream.
During my eight year absence, this dream job morphed into the Forest Conservancy, a razor-sharp, volunteer organization of officially-sanctioned USForest Service ranger representatives. When I returned to Aspen in 2013, the FC, now 100-plus strong, became my Safe Haven. After jumping through a few hoops, taking classes and actually memorizing a rule book, I received not one but two spanking new uniforms. Welcome home, Mary.
Remember the Cooper’s Hawk babies?
They grew up to be big boys. One of three.
At that time many FC colleagues had undertaken the rigorous journey to become Master Naturalists, the FC’s educational arm. I balked at joining their ranks. Too much responsibility. Too much commitment. And, honestly, I didn’t have the wisdom.
Being supportive, however, I always join them on Maroon Bells’ Discovery Day Saturdays when, loaded with exhibits, they man individual booths, talking with tourists about flowers, trees, moose, bears, geology and more. I’d hike the trails, interacting with 400 to 600 visitors each DD. But, being a Master Naturalist, No is No.
7:30AM, Maroon Bells – I came upon this young man, a carefully set blanket with champagne on ice nearby, on his knee proposing to his girlfriend. A few early visitors stood quietly, watching. “What if she says No,” one whispered. (She didn’t.) It was an officially-sanctioned proposal, the happy couple decided.
Two weeks ago, our Mama Bear who oversees the MN program, called a short meeting after DD’s end. I abhor meetings, they tend to ramble, but at days end I joined my other hot, weary colleagues at the Bell’s tiny amphitheater.You know where this is going, don’t you? There was food, drink and chocolate cake. Uh-oh. Before I could execute a quick exit, I became a MN.
Surprisingly, I found myself unbelievably pleased (see poem below). It’s not the distinction, (so much more to learn), but their planning and effort. It’s friendship and a forgotten word in today’s world, NICE. Playing nice is a cheap Pay it Forward option whatever the alphabet letter. I’m calling it my Option N.
“For twenty years Mary Hirsch has been a volunteer ranger,
Hiking the trails, helping folks out of danger.
She has a sparkling personality and sure gift of gab
And in her uniform, she looks simply fab.
Since she has done the time and taken the classes,
We hope she joins the rest of us who work off our asses.
The birders have told us you’d be a great Master Naturalist
So we hope you will join us, in fact we iNSIST!
As the great Teddy said, “It is done, I do declare it.”
Here is your pin and now you MUST wear it.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To celebrate my joy I adapted this sweet cherry tart from David Lebovitz’s Tarte Crumble aux Apricots because I could not find Colorado apricots yet. Whatever the fresh fruit, use between 1 3/4-2 pounds. The lip-smacker in this recipe is the Crumble Topping which can be used with other baked fruit pastries. I used a 9-inch springform pan but will move up to 10-inches next time.
Use a springform pan for this tart.
TARTE CRUMBLE aux CERISES (Sweet Cherry Crumble Tart) Adapted from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz.
Serves 8-10
DOUGH
6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85g)
unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks, room-temperature
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
CRUMBLE TOPPING
3/4 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Being heavy-handed with my spices, I used 1 TBS.)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
FILLING
2 pounds ripe, fresh apricots, pitted and quartered (or, sweet cherries)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (I used 1/2tsp.)
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
DIRECTIONS:
1. TO MAKE THE DOUGH, remove butter from the refrigerator 10 minutes before using it and to let it soften slightly in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed just until no visible lumps of butter remain. Add the egg yolks, flour and salt. Mix until the dough comes together. (You can also make the dough in a bowl using a spatula and a little moxie.)
2. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9- to 10-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Use the heel of your hand to press the dough over the bottom of the pan, and a little less than halfway up the sides. Try to get the bottom as even as possible, not because anyone will see it, but so it bakes evenly. Put the pan in freezer for 30 minutes.
The crumble topping should look like this before you pop it in the fridge to chill.
3. MAKE THE CUMBLE TOPPING by pulsing the almonds, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until the almonds are broken up into very small pieces. Add the butter and pulse the food processor. After a few moments, the mixture will look sandy. As you continue to pulse, pieces will just start clumping together. Stop pulsing at that point and chill the crumble topping. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the crumble topping by chopping the almonds finely and mixing the topping with a pastry blender or by hand.)
4. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
5. Line the springform pan with aluminum foil and a single layer of pie weights (or dried beans). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the tart shell is browned.
6. After the tart shell comes out of the oven, make the filling. In a bowl, mix the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla. Do not make the filling too far in advance because the fruit may become too juicy.
Transfer the fruit to the tart shell and even them out. Strew the crumble topping evenly over the fruit.
7. Bake the tart for 50 minutes, until the crumble topping is nicely browned. (I baked my tart exactly 50 minutes.)
8. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, then run a knife around the outside of the tart to separate it from pan, in case any juices ran over. Let rest for 30 minutes, then remove the sides of the springform and let the tart cool. The edges may look rather dark, but should taste fine, not burnt.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.
COOKtheBOOKFRIDAYS is an international virtual cooking group making their way through David Lebovitz’s outstanding newest cookbook, My Paris Kitchen. To see what my colleagues baked this week, go here.
Congrats! Wonderful accomplishment and beautiful story of friendship, dedication and decades of caring about our natural resources so that others can experience the thrill of the outdoors! Oh, and thanks for the yummy recipe, too!!!!!
Well, my lights are now on bright after reading your inspiring saga. Your peers obviously think that you indeed have the Master Naturalist wisdom. Take a bow and frame the photo of that cake document.
How sweet it is ! (The recipe too).
wow, you really know how to suck a reader in. Anyway, I want to again personally welcome you to the select ranks of our Master Naturalists group…You so very much deserve this recognition and more work!
Hugs, Rocks
Yum, I am hungry for that tart. Congratulations on your accomplishment. Any thoughts you have are blog worthy. All the best. Diane
Congratulations Mary that is such an achievement. Moving back to Aspen was a great choice, everything
seems to have worked out beautifully. I am very proud of you. Pretty good looking tart by the way, but I’m
with you, I love the crumble best of all.
Oh, how I love this post! The photos, the poem, the proposal, the recipe (of course, cherries AND apricots wouldn’t fly with the hubby, but peaches will!). Melissa is one wise woman—I’m glad she was there for you during that trying time. You have been blessed with such a lovely family and dear friends and colleagues. xoxo
Congratulations, Mary! Master Naturalist! Wow, so very proud of you – you are an amazing lady! ….you’ve come a long way, baby! You did it, your way… So productive and never wallowed! I like Plan N!
We look forward to seeing your Aspen forest sometime soon! BTW, We had a hawk on our back fence the other day!
Well, well, well! Isn’t that something! Congratulations on your new title. I suspect that those of us who read your blog regularly are also slowly on our way to becoming Master Naturalists. I was never one to pay much attention to the birds in my life. Especially the ones that insist on shouting at the top of their little lungs at 4am outside my bedroom window, those ones I actively try to ignore. But last year we had a bird family set up camp in the ivy on our balcony and I remember thinking, Mary would know what kind of birds they are. And then finally getting frustrated enough at my lack of knowledge to go do a google search on “black bird with orange beak” to find out that they were black birds. So there you have it.
Congratulations, Mary!! A wonderful accomplishment! Sounds like you are right where you belong.
Beautiful Cherry Tart looks scrumptious! I also loved the crumble.
Congratulations, Mary, the master naturalist, for your accomplishment, resilience and service to a very worthy cause. I’m glad you decided to share your wonderful story with us. This is a sweet and sunny tart, just right for the occasion. Wishing you happiness and joy as you journey ahead.
Congratulations on your new credential! Well deserved! Great choice to try with cherries. I think it must have been delicious with the almonds. Yum! Your friend Bella “chase” a hawk both yesterday and this morning. She was on the ground, but barked and followed the large hawk flying overhead. I told her it was a good thing she wasn’t a tiny dog or she might be breakfast. Have a wonderful week. xo
Mary congrats on your new title. You never cease to amaze me! And this cherry tart? I will SO be making this sometime soon! What a great sub for the apricots!
Oh, Mary, I’m very pleased to know you! Gotta love that California Delta tour. Congratulations!
Congratulations! It’s a well-deserved honour and I feel like we get the benefit of your experience with every post. I especially love the butterfly photo and the ones of the the junior hawk brigade. And I may have to try this tart with cherries now – it sounds like a wonderful variation.
Congratulations, Mary! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve been recognized and appreciated for your involvement with something that you so clearly put your heart and soul into! Your tart looks gorgeous. I hypothetically plan to try a peach version tomorrow (no apricots around).
Congrats Mary! I know you know more than you think you do about nature. Your passion and dedication show in your posts my friend. From now on my mantra will be, there’s always Plan N. Love it!
Congratulations, Mary!! how exciting! And I love the poem, as well.
Marcel and I often talk about Plan B and how it’s important to have one in mind, no matter the situation, because we are both living our career Plan B’s and quite happy with them, thank you very much.
As for the tart–gorgeous and it sounds divine with cherries. I believe I shall have to make it AGAIN just so I can do so with cherries. I’ve passed along your note to Noodles about the topping and she said, “Yes. Or we can just have chocolate ice cream.” HA!
What an amazing accomplishment Mary! How great to have such high esteem in your peer’s eyes. Well deserved and beautiful work on your tart too.
welcome back!
You made this tart with cherries?! Um….YES I bet that was amazing. A special tart for a special celebration. Congratulations.
A big Congratulations on becoming a Master Naturalist Mary, and I’m sure you will wear your pin with great pride along with expertise! Your story is touching, and not without some gripping emotion on you making the best of things as they are, and being part of a community of people that bring you joy and happiness. Continued Best Wishes in your purposeful service that benefits people and nature alike. Thanks for sharing! Oh, and the Lebovitz Crumble looks mighty delicious too!
Congratulations Mary, on becoming a MN! Love your posts as always – love love the proposal on the trail! … and cherry tart with crumble might just happen this weekend if cherries are still available from my usual vendor!
ps: thanks for thinking of me!
What a wonderful story! We visited Crater Lake once on a trip out west, so very beautiful and we were blessed to have a clear day. I admire you for all you do everyday in your healing. It is not easy to lose your spouse.
On another note, your tart looks great. I too used different fruit- but will try the apricot some time.