Shared by Marissa Lippert
Shared by Marissa Lippert
A Summer Kuchen Inspired by Grandma Bebe
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 3 hours
A Summer Kuchen Inspired by Grandma Bebe
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 3 hoursFamily Journey
Austria-HungaryThe BronxNorthern Virginia
New York City
“She could light up a room like nobody’s business,” chef Marissa Lippert says of her grandmother Beatrice, whom everyone called Bebe. She passed along her resilience, independence, and talent for baking to Marissa, who is a chef and nutritionist in Brooklyn.
Marissa would sleep over at Grandma Bebe’s house when she was little and the duo would stay up to watch “Golden Girls” and bake in Bebe’s 1980s yellow and green kitchen. They made brownies, coconut macaroons, and the apple kuchen Bebe was known for. Somewhere between a cake and a tart, Bebe’s rendition of the sweet was baked in a square or rectangular baking dish, creating crispy corners Marissa always requested.
No one in the family knows precisely where the recipe originated, but Marissa suspects it might have come with Bebe’s parents who emigrated from Austria-Hungary to the United States. Bebe’s father worked in the wholesale butter and egg business “and there’s a lot of butter in the kuchen,” Marissa joked when she first told us about Bebe for a Schmaltzy event in 2017.
When Marissa opened her cafe and catering company Nourish Kitchen + Table in the West Village in 2013, she knew Bebe’s kuchen would be a fan favorite, and she was right. She’s updated Bebe’s recipe over the years, creating versions fit for the season like this summertime blueberry and peach kuchen with lavender pastry cream as well as a strawberry-rhubarb rendition with rose pastry cream, and mixed berries with currants and lemon or lime pastry cream.
Marissa knows Bebe would be happy that she’s made the recipe her own. As we watched her prepare the recipe in her apartment in Brooklyn this summer, she told us: “You can really use the kuchen base as a blank palette. Make it your own. Bebe would be proud!”
Cooking notes: To customize the pastry cream, swap the lavender for 1 tablespoon of another edible floral or citrus element like dried rose petals, lemon or lime zest. The pastry cream can be made up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
For the Filling
- 4-5 peaches, sliced
- 2 cups blueberries
- ¼ -½ cup granulated sugar, depending on fruit’s sweetness
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ cup lavender pastry cream (see below)
For the Lavender Pastry Cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼-½ teaspoon dried lavender buds, crushed between your fingers
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Topping
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream or crème fraîche
- 1 egg yolk
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 9-inch tart pan or ceramic baking dish with baking spray.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking powder, and salt.
Step 3
In a separate medium-sized bowl, stir the vanilla into the melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients. Mix by hand until evenly combined and crumbly.
Step 4
Using your fingers, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure not to press it up the sides. The crust should be about ½-inch thick. Poke the crust evenly all over with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown, then let cool for about 15 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches and blueberries with the sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice and mix with a spoon until combined. Let sit at room temperature to release juices.
Step 6
To make the pastry cream, warm the milk, cream, lavender, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it begins to steam, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and steep for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight for more intense flavor.
Step 7
Set up a fine-mesh sieve or strainer over a bowl or saucepan. Pour the lavender-infused milk and cream slowly through the sieve to strain the lavender. Return the infused milk-cream mixture to the stove, add ½ cup of sugar, and bring to a light boil.
Step 8
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of sugar until smooth, then whisk in the cornstarch until smooth
Step 9
Slowly pour half of the hot milk and cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper them and prevent scrambling. Then, return the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream. Add the salt and cook over low-medium heat, whisking continuously until the custard thickens, about 2 to 4 minutes.
Step 10
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the butter until it is fully melted and incorporated. To cool the pastry cream quickly and prevent overcooking, transfer it to a heatproof bowl set over an ice bath (a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water) and stir gently as it cools.
Step 11
Spread ½ cup of the cooled pastry cream in a thin, even layer over the baked crust. Arrange the fruit on top in a pattern or scatter freely.
Step 12
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream or crème fraîche with the egg yolk. Drizzle or dollop over the fruit.
Step 13
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the topping is golden and just set.
Step 14
Let cool before serving. It’s best enjoyed at room temperature or chilled.
Kuchen can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
