Editor's Pick
MAY 4, 2010 12:19AM
Rate: 26
circa; ultra retro - my three moms
Blame the twisted super-boondoggle called fate, but I was the first kid on the block to grew up with (my) three moms. I love them all, and there is not one I would trade for another. But the one who can always find Hostess HoHos in a blizzard might have a slight edge.
Mom 1.0 was a quintessential Brooklyn girl by way of old Romania and eventually became a stalwart 50's housewife, which included the wearing of pillbox hats on special occasions. She was already at work teaching me how to make the old Jewish family recipes when all I could manage was to toddle by her fabulous red shoes on the kitchen floor. It was never too soon to learn the heart and soul of those old recipes along with handy kitchen skills that serve me still. She could roll strudel pastry so thin you could see through it – all without tearing the dough. She baked special Valentine cupcakes and provided mom-made matching clothing for both of us that was as good as couture. She inherited the dress making gene from her mother and aunts. Frail and ill, she died way too young and missed out on the best years with her children and grandchildren.
But her kitchen spirit carries on in my heart every time I bake Ada’s brownies, or when I roll out her strudel dough. And sometimes I swear I can hear her
The Ad Man remarried just a year after my mother died. Enter the very young, but determined Step-Mother. Mom 2.0 arrived just as I was turning into a pubescent cacophony of attitude-ness. If ever there was a poster child for wicked step-daughter, it would have been me. I give her a standing ovation for patience, fortitude, along with a medal of valor for keeping the worst of my dirty tricks from my father. I did take away more pearls of wisdom from Mom 2.0 than I’ve ever admitted. I learned that women could work in the outside world and be equal to men, especially in the Ad Man's world. That the art of a negotiation is nothing without charm, grace and kindness - all attributes she taught me.
I also learned supermarket 101; shop early and there will always be HoHos. That Red Jell-O mixed with cool whip was a dessert that never went bad, even if stored in the back of the refrigerator for weeks. And brisket has a sense of humor. She taught me that the biggest lesson of all – that I could count on her to have my back. I call it a mom thing.
And then along came the lemon loving in-laws and mom 3.0 – the granola version. I’ve known my mother-in-law since I was fifteen years old. Even back in the day when no one was sure that our teenage marriage would last the length of a teenage attention span, she was there. She introduced me to natural foods, co-ops, bread baking, homemade yogurt, granola and raspberries fresh from the backyard bushes.
She taught me how to warp a loom which I promptly forgot. She tried to teach me to sew, sure that latent DNA would kick in. It did not. So she created mom-made clothes for her granddaughters so they wouldn’t be embarrassed with stuff I tried to make. She taught me how to bake a pie. She showed me how both mayonnaise and lemon could partner with almost every food and make it oddly better. She gave me my first Christmas stocking with trinkets that made all my childhood Santa dreams come true. But most of all, she gave me her son – willingly.
I honor my three moms this Mother’s Day with a pastry that has something for each of them. For Mom 1.0 this contains a stellar crust similar to her old fashioned rugelach, but with a twist. For Mom 2.0 it has a fabulous raspberry-mascarpone whip, sort of like that red Jell-O with cool whip, but tastier and a shorter shelf life. And for Mom 3.0, the mascarpone is loaded with lots of her favorite condiment, lemon.
My Three Moms Mascarpone-Berry Tart
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup flour (gluten free flour, plus a pinch of xanthan gum)
- ¼ cup ice water (more if necessary)
Filling
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
- zest of one large lemon
- 2-4 pints fresh, very ripe berries (I like raspberries)
Directions
Tart Shell
In a food processor pulse together flour & almond meal. Cut shortening and butter into small pieces and add. Pulse in short bursts until it resembles corn meal. Add ice water, a little at a time. Pulse until it comes together in a ball.Remove to parchment paper and gather dough until it is all incorporated. Split into two pieces. Flatten each ball slightly, wrap in plastic or parchment and refrigerate for at least an hour. Dough will keep for a few days in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer.
Remove one disk from refrigerator and rest 20 minutes at room temperature. Place in 9 inch tart pan or in several small tart pans. Press to fit. Place on cookie sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake straight from freezer about 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove and cool completely.
Filling
Put all the ingredients except berries in a bowl and whisk until fluffy. Add in about 1/3 of the berries and fold with a spatula until incorporated, but some berries remain whole. Spoon a thin layer into cooled tart shell(s). Top with whole or cut berries. Fill the same day you are serving. Shells can be baked a day ahead. Store in a tin.
Refrigerate filled tarts. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Serve plain or with whipped cream.
Notes: You can find tart shells in the freezer at the grocery. Bake and cool before filling. Optional: drizzle honey over the top, add whipped cream, or spoon macerated berries over the top.
Bon appétit and Happy Mother’s Day
Comments
Yum yum yum, one for each of your three mums.
I love this tribute to all three of your mothers, Lisa. =o) I think they'd be pleased, too.
And once again I've done it to myself--I've read one of your baking posts late at night. Lemon and mascarpone cheese filling with raspberries--be still my pounding heart! =o)
And once again I've done it to myself--I've read one of your baking posts late at night. Lemon and mascarpone cheese filling with raspberries--be still my pounding heart! =o)
MAN!! That looks soooo good!
And what a touching way to respect the moms in your life.
And what a touching way to respect the moms in your life.
Talk about yummy mummies! Such a heart-tugging post and a tribute to a mother's love in every form. You have been truly blessed. (And I'm with Mom #3 on the lemon. It's my "secret ingredient"...but is it really a secret ingredient anymore if you use it in everything?)
A tasty little raspberry morsel that makes me want to bite my laptop screen. Your moms sound like wonderful and complex women, and they are certainly lovely to look at....I love mom #2's glasses! ;-)
I now have the theme from My Three Sons stuck in my head. Thanks.
Now I have to find out if any stores near me carry mascarpone cheese.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Gosh, I love mascarpone! I have a hunch this recipe will find an honored place in my cookbook. And what a lovely and loving tribute to your moms. You are lucky to have struck gold three times in a row!
Thanks, Kathy.
Shiral - thanks!
Two - thanks. it is pretty tasty. easy too.
Bell - nope. not so secret! but you would not believe what she does with lemon...I'm still learning.
green - those are my favorite glasses, too. I really love the retro pics. and it was wonderful biting into the tart, but the real thing tastes better than the monitor I think. but thank you! it is a good sign when someone wants to bit the monitor!
surly - in honor of the mom's reading this I will forgo my usual greeting. I hope the tune is stuck in there allllllllll day! : )
geezer - if it helps, even Safeway carries it.
Maria - thanks! enjoy it.
Shiral - thanks!
Two - thanks. it is pretty tasty. easy too.
Bell - nope. not so secret! but you would not believe what she does with lemon...I'm still learning.
green - those are my favorite glasses, too. I really love the retro pics. and it was wonderful biting into the tart, but the real thing tastes better than the monitor I think. but thank you! it is a good sign when someone wants to bit the monitor!
surly - in honor of the mom's reading this I will forgo my usual greeting. I hope the tune is stuck in there allllllllll day! : )
geezer - if it helps, even Safeway carries it.
Maria - thanks! enjoy it.
Lovely tribute, Lisa, and yummy!
I love the story at least as much as the recipe!
That tart looks scrumptious. I wish I could just have a piece right now. I am glad you shared this story today. But, more than that, I am really glad that you could appreciate each of your moms. Happy Mother's Day! R.
Oooh now I've gotta try this! Excellent post, great photos, and great story.
What a beautiful story for Foodie Tuesday!!! You have the best moms!
I love the bride pictures! And this dessert is beautiful and sounds luscious. Got to find mascarpone now!
Sweet!
or should that be Tart!
or should that be Tart!
I love the tribute to your moms! As you were blessed to have their influence, so were they blessed to have a "daughter" who took notice! I will be making your tart! Yum!
R
R
Oh my! This looks so delicious. The idea of the lemon mascarpone put me over the edge. Thank you for this (and the three women it honors).
You have the best stories and although I haven't tried most of the recipes, they read so yummy/mummy!
Oh YUM. xox
I really really hope you're making a book out of these. I love your stories about the recipes as much as I love the recipes themselves. This one was especially touching. The moms are all proud, I'm sure.
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