Fruit Basket

In Romanian: Cosulet cu fructe

Ingredients

• 8 oz / 250 g butter
• 1 lb / 500 g flour
• 4 tablespoons slightly sweetened cold water
• a little salt
• 1 lb / 500 g whipped cream
• sugar
• rum

Cream

• 8 yolks
• 2 cups milk
• 8 tablespoons sugar
• vanilla
• 3 teaspoons potato flour
• 4 oz / 100 g butter

Seasonal fruits

• 2 lbs / 1 kg strawberries or wild strawberries
• sour cherries
• apricots
• grapes

Directions

1. Mix the water, flour and salt; roll a sheet the width of a pencil.
2. Then spread the butter over it in a uniform layer.
3. Fold envelope style and refrigerate for 20 – 30 minutes.
4. Repeat the rolling and folding of the dough 3 times, refrigerating it each time for 20 – 30 minutes.
5. Roll into a large circle and place this in a layer cake pan (with removable bottom) with the edges hanging outside.
6. Bake at medium heat until golden.
7. Remove from the oven and with a sharp knife, cut the dough that overhangs the rim of the layer cake pan.
8. Then release the bottom and take out the baked basket.

Cream

1. Boil the milk with the vanilla and sugar.
2. After coming to a boil, cover and remove from heat.
3. In a bowl, beat the yolks, gradually adding the milk mixture and stirring continuously until all the milk is used up.
4. Then add the potato flour which was previously mixed with a little of the yolk and milk mixture.
5. Pour everything into a double boiler and stir until it starts to resemble a soft paste.
6. Remove from heat, add butter, mix well and refrigerate 15 – 20 minutes before serving, spread the cream on the bottom of the basket and top with the washed and drained fruits, sprinkled with sugar and rum.
7. On top of the fruits, put some whipped cream and garnish with a few fruits.
8. The basket may be prepared 1 – 2 days in advance but the filling is placed just before serving.