Back Bay Grill’s Chef Larry Matthews has that rare culinary ability to both keep his regulars happy and constantly tempt new customers. The restaurant shines in our August 2008 feature, “Everything Old is New Again.” We convinced Matthews to share two recipes with us: one to start a meal and a second to end it!

Back Bay Grill English Pea Soup

3 cups shelled English peas

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

A few sprigs of thyme

1 quart chicken stock, cold

kosher salt and black pepper

Blanch and shock English peas, reserve

Sweat garlic, onions, thyme until translucent.

Remove thyme and chill.

In blender, combine all ingredients until smooth. S

train through fine mesh sieve.

Heat and adjust seasoning.

Serve hot, garnish with crabmeat.

Fresh Strawberry Tart with Mint Crème Anglaise

Makes 4

Tarts Tart Shell

2 oz. cold butter, cubed

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 egg yolks, cold

1 Tbsp. ice water

Mix flour and sugar. On a cool surface, cut in butter with fork until a cornmeal consistency is reached. Knead in egg yolks just until dough comes together, adding a small amount of water if needed. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out dough, using flour to avoid sticking, cut four curcles bug enough to fit into tart molds. Pierce circles all over with a fork and press into molds. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on the bottom.

Strawberry Filling

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup water

2 qt. fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered

In a thick-bottomed pot, add sugar, water and 2 cups of strawberries. Cook on low heat until reduced to thick syrup. Allow to cool to room temperature, and fold with the rest of the berries.

Mint Crème Anglaise

1 cup heavy cream

½ vanilla bean

10 fresh mint leaves

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated sugar

In a pot, heat cream, scraped vanilla bean and pod and mint leaves over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar. When cream is hot, slowly pour 1/3 of the mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Whisk the mixture back into the pot and return to the heat. Constantly stirring, allow to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, strain and cool. Serve tarts with fresh whipped cream or mint ice cream.

All Photographs by Darren Setlow