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You are here: Home / Bars & Brownies / JUICY SLIDERS AND JAMMY TARTS

JUICY SLIDERS AND JAMMY TARTS

April 10, 2018

Fried Chicken PDX Sliders Portland

Man — it’s been a fun (and tasty!) week.

We’ve gone to the movies (A Quiet Place — so good and scary!)

IMG_5723

spent hours binge-watching old TV programs (we’ve introduced our kids to West Wing) and we’ve jumped outside whenever the sun’s peeked out from behind the clouds.

Charlotte and Emilia Outside

I’ve also delivered food to somebody who’s reached out for help.

Drop off Food Neighbor

This delivery was to someone in my extended community who is newly divorced and battling a serious disease; I’d never met him until a couple weeks ago and ever since then I’ve tried to bring him food every couple days.

I heard his kids were visiting this past weekend so I wanted to bring as much food as I could to help him out.

Drop off Food Neighbor

Homemade muffins (this recipe is a favorite of mine) make any breakfast table cheerier.

Drop off Food neighbor

And I’ve had some wonderful lunches out, including a date with my handsome 16 year old.

IMG_5713

We haven’t had that much time one-on-one lately so it was wonderful to be able to carve out time to be together. (And yes, I do know how lucky I am that I have a nearly 17 year old kid who still likes to spend time with me!)

He said he was craving a burger so I did some research on recent places and I saw that PDX Sliders had opened up on Division Street so I thought we’d go there.

Years ago I went to their food cart in Sellwood

PDX Sliders Food Truck, Portland

PDX Sliders Burger Food Truck Portland

and so I knew they were capable of putting out tasty vittles, but it was so nice to be able to sit in their brick and mortar and enjoy their food a second time in a comfy spot.

Best Burgers PDX Sliders

The way it works is you walk up in the front door, place an order, pay, grab your number and wait for them to bring out your food when it’s ready.

The menu is pretty extensive; they offer not just burgers but also sliders with chicken, pork or veggies in both small (slider) and full-size versions

PDX Sliders

plus some very good, parsley-flecked and truffle salt-topped fries (almost as addictive as those at Little Big Burger).

Fries at PDX SLiders Portland

We decided to try a couple different kinds of sliders in addition to those Truffle Fries: the Sellwood, the Steel and the Tilikum.

PDX Sliders

Wooooooooow.

PDX SLiders Portland Burgers

All three of our sliders were amazingly juicy, sported killer aioli and/or tangy BBQ sauce plus other top-flight ingredients.

Oliver’s favorite was the Steel (the one on the right)

PDX Sliders Portland

and mine was a tie between the Sellwood (with Beecher’s Aged Cheddar) and the Tilikum, with an impossibly crunchy exterior on this sublimely seasoned and incredibly juicy fried chicken thigh (the slaw, aioli and BBQ sauce put it over the top).

Fried Chicken PDX Sliders Portland

People, go to PDX Sliders — it’s freakishly good and is now my favorite burger place in town.

I can’t wait to bring out-of-towners here!

Burgers PDX SLiders POrtland best

So in addition to a number of great lunches out (more on that in a later post), I’ve also been baking quite a bit, too.

I made another batch of those unbelievable Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk Shortbread  I’ve told you about.

Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies NYT

This might be my favorite cookie right now (just slightly ahead of these Chewy Ginger Cookies) and if you make them small enough, they are the perfect size for even those who’d usually say no to the opulence of a big cookie.

Seriously, if you haven’t made these cookies yet (it seems like half the world’s population has fallen hard for this recipe), do it now.

Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies NYT

This week I left some shortbread for a friend, brought more to a far-flung neighbor and then some to my dentist when I arrived for my teeth cleaning.

Salted Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to bring cookies to the dentist; it strikes me as both neighborly and a little tongue in cheek. Sweets to the dentist? Irony.

In its most beautiful form.

Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies NYT

Lastly, one last recipe I want you to know about.

I told you a while back that I’m in a cookbook club and this upcoming weekend it’s my turn to host.

Here’s the book we’ve adopted; all our dishes at this weekend’s pot luck will be from recipes in this book.

The Splendid Table Cookbook for Book Group

I’d never cracked open the book before but I borrowed this copy from my friend Gillian (an accomplished cook in her own right) and this recipe below jumped out at me at once.

The Splendid Table Rustic Jam Tart

I always seem to have a jar or two of open jam in my fridge so this seemed like a good candidate for me (and it also seemed really easy).

Turns out it was a very quick recipe and I had everything on hand — except the whole almonds, but I did have smoked whole almonds and that substitution worked out fine (I eliminated the pinch of salt from the recipe as the nuts were already highly salted).

Rustic Jam Tart Splendid Table

I used an open jar of French cherry jam I had in the back of the fridge but I didn’t have quite enough

Splendid Table Rustic Jam Tart

so I also opened up some mini Bonne Maman jams I snagged from our Seattle Airbnb.

Bonne Maman Rustic Jam Tart

The crust is like a yolk-enhanced shortbread dough that gets further flavor from the almonds and extract.

The recipe calls for you to make it in a food processor, and sure enough it pulled together in seconds.

Crust for Rustic Jam Tart Splendid Table

The recipe calls for you to cook it for only about 15 minutes.

You then pull it out, top with jam, and return to the oven for about 5 minutes at a very high heat until the jam is bubbly.

Rustic Jam Tart Splendid Table Cookbook Group

I sifted powdered sugar atop because its inky exterior needed a little levity and sweetness.

Rustic Jam Tart Splendid Table

The last thing my family needs is a whole tart sitting around so I started distributing it up and down the street.

Rustic Jam Tart Splendid Table

So here’s what I liked about this recipe.

It’s super easy to make, it has an intriguing, buttery/nutty base and I like the juxtaposition of that crust with the tartness of the jam.

What I wasn’t crazy about was that I would have liked the crust to have a little more heft and crunch; my recipe turned out with a crust that was thin and a little floppy.

Rustic Jam Tart The Splendid Table

As it was, I didn’t have enough crust to reach up the sides without sacrificing the amount on the bottom.

Tart Shell for Rustic Jam Tart

It’s entirely possibly the fault was mine, and so I’ll make this recipe again soon and try to perfect it.

Rustic Jam Tart THe Splendid Table

I’ll report back with this — and other winners from the cookbook — but in the meantime, here’s that recipe.

Rustic Jam Tart Splendid Table

Soon, mes amis!

Rustic Jam Shortbread Tart
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
40 mins
 
Easy. Delicious. And I can't wait to nail that crust-- and try out different jams. Apricot next?
Author: Lynette Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • ¼ C. whole almonds
  • ¾ C. unbleached all-purpose flour, organic preferred
  • ¼ C. sugar
  • generous pinch of salt
  • 6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 chunks
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ tsp. almond extract
  • ¾ C. jam (tart cherry and wild blueberry)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter a 9-inch round silver-colored cake or tart pan. (If using a dark-colored pan, you will want to cut baking time by about 5 minutes.)
  2. With the food processor running, drop in the zest and almonds and grind them fine. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides and add the flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg yolk and almond extract. Pulse until they are blended and starting to come together in small clumps at the bottom of the processor. (They should like cluster of peas).
  3. Turn the pastry dough into the pan. With your hands, pat it out to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. GIve the tart a standing rim by nudging the dough ½ inch up the sides of the pan. Don't worry if it looks a little ragged.
  4. Bake the crust in the center of the oven for 13 to 16 minutes, or until its edges are golden and the center is starting to color. The rim will sink down a little, which is fine.
  5. Remove the pan from the oven, and turn up the heat to 500 degrees. Carefully spread the jam over the tart, and immediately return it to the oven (don't wait for the temp to reach 500 degrees). Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the jam is bubbly.
  6. Cool the tart on a rack, slice into squares or wedges, and serve. Serve the tart warm, but not hot, because jam can burn.
3.2.2925
 

Filed Under: Bars & Brownies, Dessert, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Lori says

    April 10, 2018 at 10:38 pm

    I have flagged this post so it doesn’t get lost in my inbox! The recipes sound so good, I have to try them. Little Big Burger fries are the best and I can’t wait to visit Portland again to get some. Your pictures are lovely and it is so nice of you helping someone out that really needs it with awesome food. Good karma will be coming your way!

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      April 11, 2018 at 12:21 am

      Hey Lori, it’s so kind of you to pipe in with the kind thoughts and compliments. I agree with you about LBB fries — the ones at PDX Slider aren’t as good but the burgers at the latter are extraordinary and so the very-slight drop off in fry quality. I feel so lucky to live in Portland!

      Reply
  2. Lanna Blumberg says

    April 10, 2018 at 10:41 pm

    THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS SHARING THE WONDERFUL RECIPES AND YOUR POSITIVE TAKE IN LIFE!

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      April 11, 2018 at 12:16 am

      Hello Lanna! Thanks for taking the time out to chime in with words of encouragement. We’re IG friends, are we not? Love hearing from you here! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lacy says

    April 10, 2018 at 10:44 pm

    Another toothsome post! It’s enough to turn this longtime vegetarian into a carnivore.
    Well almost (smile).
    Where do you find such large salt flakes?

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      April 11, 2018 at 12:15 am

      Hey Lacy! Thanks for the sweet note. I get various salt from a number of places but my go-to for big flakes are from Maldon, the British maker. They also have a smoked flake salt! You can find them in a white box at better grocery stores (New Seasons, Whole Foods, etc.) as well as Williams Sonoma. Perhaps even Amazon! I’m addicted to it. Hope you’re well!

      Reply
  4. Vikki says

    April 11, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    While I wipe the drool off my chin–I wanted to say what a wonderful person you are to take care of a neighbor-in-need. Sometimes, that caring goes a long way to the curing. I love those food carts and am glad to know this one has opened an inside version. Yum!!

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      April 12, 2018 at 2:10 pm

      Hey Vikki! I appreciate you taking the time to chime in. I hope it comes across that I’m not drumming the giving beat because I think I’m so extraordinary or what I’m doing so is unusual; rather, I give when I can because it ALWAYS makes me feel better, more connected to the world around me. Taking care of others is a kind of spiritual thing for me, and I show pics to show how easy it is and encourage others to perhaps get out of their shell and find someone else who needs help. We are a community of individuals — all struggling with something, with days both good and bad, and reaching out to one another reminds us all of our fragility and quiet strength, and enriches giver perhaps even more than recipient. I hope that makes sense, and know that every word of encouragement from you readers means the world! XO P.S. Those burgers!

      Reply
  5. Sheila says

    April 11, 2018 at 11:37 pm

    My son & his girlfriend are moving up to Portland this summer and I’m having so much fun reading about cool places to take them when I visit {often}. I figure they’ll be okay with my visits as long as I take them to great foodcarts and restaurants. Of course I’ll have to take some time to check out a couple locations of Goodwill bins for cool stuff for their apartment. Really love reading your blog. Take good care.

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      April 12, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      Hey Sheila! Thanks for popping up to say hi and share the kind words! Portland is such a fun place– and I hope your son and girlfriend are happy here. Don’t hesitate to ask me questions should they come up, especially if they pertain to inexpensive eats, food markets or thrifting. Here’s my email: olivebred@aol.com. Cheers!

      Reply
  6. Lisa says

    April 12, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    It’s a rainy day and I’m trapped in the house waiting for a delivery person, so it seems like the perfect time to bake some big ginger cookies. The cookies are in the oven and the kettle is on the stove. The delivery person isn’t here yet, but all is well.

    I’m looking forward to reading about what you eat/bake/thrift/give next!

    Reply

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