Brandy Tart Food

BRANDY TART

Steps:

• To make the tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place dates in a small bowl. Pour in boiling water and add baking soda. Let dates stand for 10 minutes or until soft.
• In large bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat with electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg.
• Sift in flour, salt and baking powder. Add dates, water and nuts. Mix well.
• Line a lightly sprayed or buttered 9-inch aluminum pie plate with parchment paper. Pour in batter and bake 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry.
• To make brandy sauce: Combine sugar with water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and stir frequently until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes).
• Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla, followed by brandy.
• Before serving, remove from pie plate and allow to cool slightly.
• Cut tart into wedges and top with warm brandy sauce.

CAPE BRANDY TART WITH BRANDY SAUCE

Steps:

• To make tart:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 2. Place the dates in a small bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over them, then add the baking soda. Let dates stand for 10 minutes, or until soft.
• 3. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the beaters attached, combine the butter and sugar, and beat until creamy. Beat in the egg. Sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the date mixture, including the water, and the pecans. Mix well.
• 4. Line a lightly oiled or buttered 9-inch aluminum pie plate with parchment paper. (Alternatively, use a 9-inch springform pan.) Pour the date and nut mixture into the prepared plate and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out dry. To serve (see Note), remove from the pie plate, discard the parchment paper, allow to cool slightly, cut into wedges, and top with Brandy Sauce and whipped cream.
• To make brandy sauce:
• Combine the sugar with 1/4 cup cold water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla, followed by the brandy.
• NOTE To store the tart, if made in advance: First, allow it to cool to room temperature. Then place it in a plastic freezer bag, expel the air, seal the bag, and place it in the freezer for up to one month. To reheat the tart, place it in a 250°F oven until warm, about 45 minutes.

SPICED PLUM TART WITH BRANDY WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, anise seed (if using), cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add plums; gently toss to coat. Let stand 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Unroll pie crust onto lightly floured surface. Roll dough lightly into a 12" circle; fit into a 9" tart pan with removable bottom that has been lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Press dough against sides of pan, trimming off excess dough.
• Arrange plums cut-side down in single layer, overlapping slightly to cover crust. Drizzle any juices remaining in plum bowl over top. Place tart pan on jellyroll pan.
• Bake in 375 degree oven until bubbly and crust is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.
• While tart is cooling, prepare brandy whipped cream: In large chilled mixer bowl beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon brandy at high speed until soft peaks form. Don't overbeat.
• Remove ring from tart pan and cut tart into wedges. Serve with dollops of brandy whipped cream.

TART TATIN WITH BRANDY CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Melt the butter in a 20cm tart tatin tin over a medium heat on top of the hob, then stir in the sugar and heat until starting to caramelise. Stir in the cinnamon. Pile in the apples and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then to coat them in the caramelised juices - the apple juices will ooze out at first but will soon thicken and make a sauce. Remove from the heat.
• Unroll the pastry and prick it all over with a fork. Quickly lay the pastry over the apples. Trim away any excess with scissors, allowing a rim of about 2cm, then tuck the pastry snugly round the apples down the inside of the tin.
• Bake the tin in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is risen, firm and golden. For the brandy cream, mix the crème fraîche with the icing sugar and brandy or calvados.When the tart is cooked, leave it to settle in the tin for 5 minutes or so before running the blade of a knife round the edge to dislodge any pastry that has stuck. Invert a plate over the top and turn out the tart, with any juices left in the tin. Serve with the brandy cream.

GLAZED AND FLAKY APPLE TART

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 275°F. Peel apples; cut in half. Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out cores. Rub cut sides of lemon all over apples, then place apples cut side down in a 13x9" baking dish. Squeeze lemon halves over and add maple syrup, brandy, vanilla, and salt. Cover tightly with foil and bake until juices are bubbling and apples are tender but still intact (poke through foil with a tester or toothpick to check), 60-80 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Meanwhile, toss almonds, 1 Tbsp. raw sugar, and 1 Tbsp. flour in a small bowl; set aside. Let puff pastry sit at room temperature about 4 minutes to soften slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking and rotating once or twice, to a 16x12" rectangle. Slide parchment paper with pastry onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Trim around sides to straighten and tidy edges, then cut off a 1" strip from each side (you'll have 4 strips). Brush around edge of rectangle with egg, then place strips on top, aligning with edges. Trim any overhang from corners. Brush rim you just created with egg and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. raw sugar. Scatter reserved almond mixture over pastry, staying inside the rim.
• Gently arrange apples on top of almond mixture; reserve juices left in dish. Chill tart 15 minutes.
• Bake tart 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until pastry is deep golden brown and puffed, 45-55 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scrape reserved apple juices into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling pan often, until syrupy (you should have 2-4 Tbsp.), 6-8 minutes. Remove glaze from heat.
• Remove tart from oven and brush glaze over apples. Serve warm or room temperature with scoops of ice cream.
• Do Ahead
• Tart can be baked 10 hours ahead. Store loosely wrapped at room temperature. Reheat in a 250°F oven if desired.

CHOCOLATE BRANDY TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix the graham cracker crumbs with 2 tbsp sugar and butter in a bowl.
• Press the crumb mixtures evenly into a 9 inch tart pan, covering bottom and sides. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.
• Place the water in the top of a double boiler set over hot water. Sprinkle in gelatin or agar and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Add half the sugar and egg yolks. Whisk continually over a low heat until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture thickens. Do not boil.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy.
• Set the pan in ice water and stir until it cools and thickens. It should not set completely.
• With an electric mixer, beat the salt and egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Beat in the remaining sugar. Fold large dollops into the yolk mixture.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then gently fold into the filling. Spoon into the prebaked crust and chill until set, 3-4 hours. Decorate with chocolate curls immediately before serving.