First
I’m excited to report that Clever Betsy has been featured in “The Village Key,” a publication of the Village of Homewood, IL. Needless to say, a pdf will be posted as soon as possible! It’s nice that a group of artists can be recognized and celebrated in their home town!
Second
Farmer’s Market friends Kate and Nancy of Homewood Kitchen Gardens made the most delightful concoction for their stand a week or so ago ~ very refreshing mint cream tarts. They were kind enough to send me the recipe and information on the main ingredient for inclusion here:
Spearmint
(Mentha spicata)
A native of Mediterranean Europe, spearmint was introduced to North America as a garden herb over 200 years ago and quickly became naturalized throughout the continent. Considered by ancient herbalists as a herb of hospitality and wisdom, spearmint is primarily valued today for its aromatic properties and essential oil of spearmint, which is used to impart flavor to gum, toothpaste, candy, baked goods, and condiments.
Mint Cream Tarts
Serves 12
Ingredients
For the shells:
- ½ cup unsalted softened butter
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Raw rice for weighting the shells
For the mint cream:
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅓ to ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup well-chilled heavy cream
Directions
1. Make the shells: In a medium bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, the salt, and the vanilla, add the flour, and blend the mixture until it forms crumbs that become a dough when pressed together.
2. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of crumbs into each cup of a 12-cup buttered tart or muffin pan, press them firmly onto the bottom and up the side, and chill for 30 minutes. Prick the shells with a fork, cover them with foil, and fill each cup with rice. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 10-15 minutes, until shells are golden. Remove the foil and rice for the last few minutes of cooking. The shells will be very crisp and cookie-like when cool.
3. Make the mint cream: In a small saucepan heat the milk and mint until steaming, but not boiling. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Strain the milk through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the mint.
4. In the pan, cleaned, whisk together the egg yolks, the sugar, the cornstarch, and the vanilla, whisk in the milk, and bring the mixture to a near-boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. When the mixture becomes a very thick custard-like consistency (about 3 minutes), transfer it to a bowl, and chill it, its surface covered with plastic wrap, for 4 hours or until it is firm. (The pastry cream may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.)
5. In a chilled bowl beat the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Blend the heavy cream into the pastry cream until it is smooth.
6. Fill each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of mint cream and decorate with a mint sprig or fresh berries. Serve chilled.
Third
There is a new stand at the Farmer’s Market. Take a walk around to the Dixie Avenue stretch at the mart and you’ll find local author Jim Wright selling the book he wrote about the highway directly behind him!
Dixie Highway was the first to be fully paved when completed in 1921. Wright tells the history of this important highway in Illinois in his non-fiction work entitled The Dixie Highway in Illinois.
Each community the highway passes through is represented in the 128 page book by fascinating photographs provided by local residents and through the courtesy of many local museums and historical societies. Books are available at area books stores. Or, to obtain an autographed copy, contact Jim Wright at 708-957-0640.
Clever Betsy will be picking up a copy soon and reading it in all her spare time… perhaps while enjoying a mint cream tart… and staring lovingly at “The Village Key…”
CB – 
