Apricot Cream Cheese Tartlets In Macadamia Crust Food

GLAZED APRICOT TART WITH FRANGIPANE (MINI TARTS - TARTLETS)

Steps:

• To Prepare Crust:.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixture until smooth.
• Add one egg, beating until smooth. Gradually add 1/4 cup ground almonds and the flour, beating at low speed until just combined (dough will be sticky).
• Cover and chill dough for 1 hour. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls; press into bottom and two-thirds up sides of each cup of a miniature muffin pan, or 1 large tart tin.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• To Make Filling:.
• In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, melted butter, cream, 2 eggs, the vanilla, the almond extract, 1/2 cup ground almonds, and the lemon zest. Whisk to combine.
• Spoon filling mixture into each crust.
• Pit and slice apricots. Arrange apricot slices over the top of each tart.
• To make glaze, mix apricot jam with a little water, brush over tops of fruit.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Dust tops with icing sugar while still warm.

APRICOT CHEESECAKE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse crackers, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until crumbs are moistened. Transfer to a 10 1/2-by-7 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; using a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup, press crumbs evenly into bottom and up sides. Bake until crust is firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth. Add 3/4 cup sugar; continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and remaining pinch of salt; beat to combine. Add eggs; beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Fill crust with cream-cheese mixture; smooth top.
• Heat jam in a small saucepan to loosen. Strain into a small squeeze bottle; let cool. Squeeze small dots of jam onto cream-cheese mixture in evenly spaced lines. Bake until just set, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool slightly, then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into squares.

CHERRY-APRICOT CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles very coarse meal. Add yolk and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Make filling:
• Beat cream cheese and orange peel in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar, yolks, cornstarch and flour in small bowl until smooth. Bring milk to simmer in saucepan. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture; return to same pan. Whisk over low heat until custard thickens and boils. Cool custard 15 minutes. Beat barely warm custard into cream cheese mixture. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of filling; chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough gently into place; trim excess dough. Freeze 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake crust until golden, piercing with fork if bottom bubbles, about 5 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack.
• Spread cream cheese filling over crust. Arrange cherries, cut side down, in 2 concentric circles around edge of tart. Arrange apricots in middle of tart, overlapping slightly. Place any remaining cherries in center. Stir preserves in saucepan over low heat until beginning to melt. Strain into small bowl. Brush enough preserves over fruit to glaze. Serve immediately or chill up to 6 hours.

APRICOT-ALMOND TARTLETS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and confectioners' sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and water; stir until dough forms a ball. Roll into twenty-four 1-in. balls. Press onto the bottoms and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups., In a small bowl, beat almond paste and butter until blended; beat in egg white and almond extract. Spoon into tart shells, about 2 teaspoons in each., Bake at 350° until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Top with apricot preserves.

MACADAMIA-PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350f.
• Butter a 9 1/2" round ceramic tart or quiche pan.
• Combine flour 1/2 cup sugar,nuts, baking powder& salt.
• Stir milk, egg& vanilla until blended.
• Add to flour mixture& stir until smooth.
• Place each pear half, cut side down on a cutting board.
• Cut crosswise into 1/4" slices.
• Keep it in it's original shape and, using a spatula, place it in the buttered pan with the stem end facing toward the center.
• Repeat with remaining pears.
• Press pear halves to fan them slightly toward the center Pour batter over the pears, sprinkle tops with 1 tsp sugar.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, serve cold.

COCONUT CREAM TART WITH MACADAMIA NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. In a baking pan toast nuts in one layer in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes, and cool. Finely chop 2/3 cup nuts. Coarsely chop remaining 2/3 cup nuts and reserve. Cut butter into pieces.
• In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse together finely chopped nuts, flour, sugar, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and blend dough until it begins to come together but is still crumbly. Press dough in bottom and up side of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bake crust in middle of oven until golden, about 25 minutes, and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make filling:
• In a small bowl sprinkle gelatin over rum to soften 5 minutes. In a bowl whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch salt. In a large saucepan bring coconut milk to a boil and remove pan from heat. Gradually whisk half of coconut milk into yolk mixture and whisk back into pan with remaining coconut milk. Cook custard over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and a thermometer registers 170°F, about 12 minutes (do not let custard boil). Remove pan from heat and add gelatin mixture, whisking until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer custard to a bowl to cool and chill, stirring frequently, until thickened but not set, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream until it just holds soft peaks and fold gently into custard. Pour filling into crust. Chill tart until filling is set, about 4 hours.
• Remove rim of pan and sprinkle tart with coconut and reserved nuts.

APRICOT, ALMOND & CREAM CHEESE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Blend almond paste and 3T sugar in food processor until finely chopped.
• Add cream cheese, egg yolk, and vanilla.
• Blend until smooth.
• Unroll pie crust on heavy rimmed baking sheet.
• Spread filling over crust, leaving 1 1/2 inch plain border.
• Arrange apricot quarters, rounded side down, in a spoke pattern in 2 concentric circles atop filling.
• Fold dough border up over the edge of filling.
• Brush exposed apricots with warm jam.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.
• Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and apricots are tender and slightly browned about 43 minutes.
• Sprinkle with crushed Amaretti cookies.
• Cool 30 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

APRICOT-CREAM CHEESE TARTLETS IN MACADAMIA CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend nuts, 6 tablespoons sugar and flour in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter. Process until mixture begins to clump together, divide equally among four 4-inch-diameter tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of pans. Bake until crusts are golden and set, about 13 minutes. Transfer pans to racks; cool completely.
• Combine wine, water and 1/3 cup sugar in large nonstick skillet. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Discard vanilla bean. Cool syrup to room temperature.
• Combine cream cheese, preserves and 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup in processor; purée until smooth. Spoon filling into crusts; smooth tops. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep tartlets chilled. Cover syrup and let stand at room temperature.)
• Transfer 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup into small bowl. Add apricots to syrup in skillet; toss gently to coat. Arrange apricot slices decoratively atop filling in crusts. Brush apricot slices with reserved 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup. Refrigerate tartlets 30 minutes. Serve chilled.