sunday morning - the leftover tart

An attempt to clean out the fridge...

• Line tart pan with dough from chocolate and banana cream tarts, don't trim the edges
  
• Diced onions, peppers, and brown mushrooms sauteed in butter and olive oil
• A spoonful of flour, cooked with the softened veggies until the raw taste is cooked out
• Milk added to make a cream sauce
• Season with salt and pepper
• Stir in the cooked orzo from last night, a small spoonful of pesto, a handful of arugula
  
• Spoon into unbaked tart shell and fold the excess dough over the filling
• Crumble goat cheese over the top
  
• Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for about 20 minutes
  
• Enjoy on a beautiful Sunday morning

birthdays and tarts! part II

For M's birthday - a fat duck and this little chocolate tart. The crust is from the banana cream tarts and the chocolate ganache from the same recipe is spiked with a few teaspoons of Bailey Irish Cream. I also broke up pieces of hazelnut brittle to add to the bottom of the tart. The assembly was easy. Tart shell, brittle, chocolate ganache. Topped it off with a few small shards of caramel sugar.

Hazelnut Brittle (adapted from Bobby Flay)

1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped or halved


Heat sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until it becomes a medium amber in color. Stir in butter and hazelnut. Spread onto a greased pan and allow the mixture to cool. Break into smaller pieces.

Pumpkin...Not Pie!

First of all, the picture sucks. I'm sorry. I took it under my kitchen light, which never looks as good as natural light. The coloring is usually a little too orange-y if I'm using the 'indoors' setting or too washed out and sickly if I use the 'tungsten'. Oh well, I'm negotiating with my parents for an SLR camera for Christmas. So far the best answer I've gotten is "We'll get it for you as a wedding present" O_o

About the actual goods though, this is one of Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten's unfailing recipes. I've been eyeing her pumpkin banana mousse tart for a while now, and finally found the time and occasion to make it. I brought it to a pre-Thanksgiving dinner (yes, this post is about 2 weeks late) in lieu of a traditional pumpkin pie.

This tart is much lighter and less cloying than a pumpkin pie. After a heavy meal especially, a slice of this will satisfy the sweet tooth but wouldn't make you keel over in a food coma and sugar crash. The crust is a classic graham cracker crust scented with cinnamon, baked til crisp. The filling of pumpkin puree and spices is lightened with whipped cream and brightened with a bit of orange zest. The banana adds an extra little something. The whole creation is a wonderful contrast of textures and harmonious blending of flavors. An elegant variation on an old classic.

Pumpking Banana Mousse Tart
Modified from Barefoot Contessa

For the Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Filling:
1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks
1 package (2 tsp) unflavored gelatin
1 ripe banana, finely mashed
1 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 cup cold heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar

For the Decoration:
Cold heavy cream
Sugar to sweeten
Splash of vanilla extract

To make the Crust:
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix in melted and cooled butter until crumbs are moistened. Press into a 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, starting from the bottom and then up to the sides. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To make the filling:
In a double boiler over simmer water, stir together pumpkin, half-and-half, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined and hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir in some of the pumpkin mixture into the eggs to temper them. Add the yolks back into the pumpkin mixture and stir well. Cook the mixture until thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, orange zest, and mashed bananas to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Set aside and cool completely.

Whip 1/2 cup cold heavy cream with sugar until firm peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours to overnight.

For decoration, whip the chilled heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract until firm peaks. Either pipe using a piping bag or simply spoon the whipped cream onto tart.

Serve chilled.

Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tartlettes

A friend of mine ordered something for me a few months ago, and in return asked me to simply bake for him. I guess I was flattered that he held my baking skills in such high regard that he would take that over actual payment. He wanted something chocolatey. And so here it is, a little late, but nonetheless a sign of my appreciation. For you, my creme-brulee-loving friend, is Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart.

This is great in small doses, rich with chocolate, cream and butter. It's simple yet very decadent.


Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

Sweet Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus
1 tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and frozen) 1 large egg yolk

Caramel:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, sifted
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp salted butter (at room temperature and cut small)
a pinch salt if using unsalted butter

Ganache:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature and cut small)

3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

To Make Sweet Tart Dough:
Put flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until butter is coarsely cut in. Stir the yolk and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in process in long pulses (about 10 seconds each) until the dough forms clumps. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and lightly knead to incorporate any dry ingredients. Butter a 9-inch fluted pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. You should save a little piece to do patchwork with later. The crust should still be crumbly, just be sure that the edges of the pieces cling to each other. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 25 minutes (for a partially baked crust). To fully bake a crust (as in this tart), remove the foil, press down the crust slightly if it has puffed, and bake for another 8 minutes or so, until firm and golden brown.

For the Caramel:
Bring the heavy cream to boil. In another skillet over medium heat, sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of sugar. When it melts, stir with a wooden spatula or fork and sprinkle over another 3 tablespoons. When that sugar has melted, add in another 2 tablespoons. Stir in corn syrup and boil teh syrup until it reaches a deep caramel color. Don't worry if it begins to smoke. Stand back from the skillet and add in butter and salt if you are using it. The caramel will bubble and sputter. When the butter is in, add the warm cream. The caramel will bubble again. Lower the temperature a bit and let the caramel boil for 2 minutes (candy thermometer should read 226 degrees F). Let cool.

For the Ganache:
Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to boil and pour half of it over the chocolate, allowing it to sit for 30 seconds. Stir in concentric circles, starting in the center and working your way outward. Pour in the remaining half of the cream and blend in the chocolate until smooth. Add in the butter piece by piece, stirring just enough to blend the ingredients. The less you work it, the shinier, darker, and smoother the chocolate will be. Cover the ganache with a plastic wrap right up against the surface of the ganache. Set aside at room temperature or refrigerate if not using immediately.

To Assemble:
Stir the chopped peanuts into the caramel. If the caramel has cooled too much and turned hard, gently warm it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Spread the caramel in a thin layer over the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate tart for 15 minutes to set the caramel layer. Pour the ganache over the caramel, making sure there are no air bubbles. Refrigerate assembled tart for 30 minutes (no longer) and keep at room temperature until serving time.

That recipe being said, I made a few changes. I made individual tartlettes, and used a different method for making the caramel. Mine is made with caramel candy and a touch of heavy bream, melted together. The resulting caramel will harden quite quickly upon cooling, so I just keep it in the pot I made it, and heat it up briefly before use. I also used pecans instead of peanuts. As for the tart crust, it was ok. I was a little nervous making it because the crust is so crumbly. It is very short-bread like, while I like a tighter, moister crust. The tart, or rather tartlettes, got good reviews.

Summer Fruit Tart

Saturday was my friend Aileen's 22nd birthday, and she had a little potluck get-together to celebrate. Originally I was just going to make a mixed berry salad (I was feeling lazy), stopping by Berkeley Bowl in the morning for a wonderful selection of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. But then I decided I could spare some effort, and instead made this fresh berry tart.

The tart has a sweet butter crust, blind-baked and cooled. The cooled shell is brushed with a layer of melted preserve to prevent it from becoming soggy. Inside is a filling of vanilla custard, made with vanilla pudding and whipped cream. Fresh fruits top the whole thing off.

Summer Fruit Tart
Yield 1 10'' tart

1 recipe sweet butter crust

Filling: 1/2 of a 3-oz package of vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream

Fresh fruits (sliced peaches, sliced kiwis, berries, etc.)
Strawberry preserve, heated until melted

For pastry crust: Assemble as instructed here. Place the crust into a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden and baked through. Cool completely before use.

For filling: Whisk together milk and pudding mix until well blended and thickened. Beat heavy cream in a clean bowl until stiff peaks stage. Gently fold the whipped cream into pudding. Refrigerate until use.

To Assemble: Brush cooled pie crust with melted preserve. Pour filling into cooled pie crust, about 2/3 full (you may have filling left over). Arrange fruits on top. If desired, brush fruits with glaze also.

The recipe lends itself to many variations - from the flavoring of the custard filling to the fruit topping. It is also an opportunity to showcase some creative design in the arrangement of the fruits. I found out that I'm terribly unartistic, and spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out how I can make the tart look decently presentable.

As for the cheat on the filling using vanilla pudding mix, I have to admit that my attempts at pastry cream and custards have failed in the past. Since I was rushed for time, I decided to go with the mix.

Apple Frangipane Tart

Beautiful, elegant, delicious. This tart consists of a tender, buttery crust, smooth almond filling, and sweet apples. It's simple enough for a casual dessert, but also pretty enough for an elegant dinner.

Apple Frangipane Tart
1 10-inch tart

Sweet butter crust:
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp ice water, or as needed

Frangipane
1/2 cup almond paste
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp almond extract

3-4 medium sweet apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup apricot jelly, heated until thinned

For pastry crust:
Cream together butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Sift in flour and salt, and stir to combine. Add in enough cold water to bring dough together, being careful to not overmix. Pat dough into a round disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Lightly flour the board, and roll the chilled dough into approximately a 12 inch circle. Lay the tart dough into a buttered 10-inch fluted tart pan (with a removable bottom), and press into the bottom and up the sides. Prick all over with a fork and return to the fridge to chill.

For frangipane:
Combine butter and almond paste until smooth. Add in almond extract and egg. Stir in flour until combined.

To assemble:
Pour frangipane evenly into the tart shell. Arrange apple slices on top of the frangipane (be creative ^.^just make sure that they overlap because apples will shrink when baked). Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes. The frangipane should be puffed and the apples golden. Remove from oven and brush with heated apricot jelly.