Grapefruit Custard Tart With Chocolate Pecan Crust Food

GRAPEFRUIT TART

Steps:

• Process shortbread in a blender or food processor until graham cracker crumb consistency (about 1 1/3 cup crumbs).
• Stir together shortbread crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl. Press mixture lightly into a greased 9-inch tart pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.
• Combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Whisk in juice and egg yolds. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, 10-12 minutes or until mixture thickens and boils. Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons butter and rind.
• Pour filling into prepared tart shell. Cover surface of filling directly with plastic wrap. Chill 2 1/2 hours.
• Place red grapefruit sections in an 8-inch baking disk. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, and chill until ready to assemble. Drain grapefruit before assembly.
• Arrange segments, with outer part of segments facing the edge, around border of tart. Arrange remaining segments around tart, slightly overlapping to cover filling completely. Serve immediately. Chill leftovers.
• To make ahead: Prepare crust and filling up to 2 days ahead, but do not top with fruit. Top with grapefruit just before serving.

GRAPEFRUIT CUSTARD TART WITH CHOCOLATE-PECAN CRUST

Steps:

• Crust:.
• In a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar and melted butter.
• Pat into a 9" glass pie dish. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Spread the melted chocolate over the inside of the crust and set aside.
• Custard Filling:.
• In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Add the cream, 1/2 cup grapefruit juice, the orange juice, eggs and grapefruit zest.
• Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining grapefruit juice and set aside.
• Cook the cream-citrus mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow it to boil.
• Add the gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Pour custard into the chocolate-coated crust and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• Serve with whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE PECAN TART

Steps:

• To make the crust:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to combine. Add the butter and continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water by drizzling about 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each drizzle. Stop once the dough begins to come together.
• Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper to press it together. Pat into a disk approximately 6 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to a 13 to 14-inch circle, flouring the dough and board as necessary to keep it from sticking. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it into the tart pan. Gently lift the edges to ease the dough into the corners of the pan, then push the dough down gently to be certain the dough around the sides is 1/4 inch thick. Use a paring knife to cut excess dough from the rim of the pan. If necessary, pat a bit of the dough trimmings into any thin spots. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375degreesF. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the parchment and weights, and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom of the crust and bake for an additional minute, just to melt the chocolate. Remove from the oven and use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate in an even layer. Let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Raise the oven temperature to 400degreesF.
• To make the filling:
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, swirling the pan so the caramel colors evenly. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush with a wet pastry brush. Test the color of the caramel by drizzling a few drops onto a white plate. When the color is medium to dark amber, remove from the heat. Slowly and carefully - it will bubble up - add the cream.
• Return the caramel to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes to thicken slightly, reducing the heat to medium-low if the caramel bubbles too much. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
• Place the tart shell on a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vanilla, egg, and yolk. Slowly whisk into the caramel. Stir in the melted butter, followed by the nuts and nibs, if using. Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell. The filling will come to the top of the shell. (If the crust has shrunk during baking, it may not hold all the filling.)
• Bake the tart for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375degreesF and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the filling is set.
• Let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. While still warm, move the tart in the pan to loosen the edges where the caramel has stuck, but keep it in the pan.
• Let cool completely before removing the tart ring.
• Serve each wedge of tart with a dollop of the cocoa whipped cream.
• Cocoa Whipped Cream:
• Place the cream in a chilled metal bowl or mixer bowl. With a whisk, or the whisk attachment, whip the cream until slightly frothy. Combine the sugar with the cocoa powder. Sprinkle into the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

EASY FRUIT TART WITH PECAN COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse cookies, pecans, sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until dough sticks together when squeezed with your fingertips. Transfer dough to pan and press into bottom and up sides of pan. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer pan to a rimmed baking sheet and bake shell until golden, 18-20 minutes. Let cool.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in lemon curd and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, then whip on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.
• Spoon lemon curd mixture into tart shell and top with fruit. Chill 15 minutes to set, then serve.
• Do Ahead
• Tart shell can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool, tightly wrap with plastic, and store at room temperature.

VEGAN PUMPKIN TART WITH PECAN CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray, set aside. On a baking sheet, spread the nuts and toast on the middle rack of the oven for 7-10 minutes or until the smell of nuts fills your kitchen. Reserve 16 pecan halves for the garnish.
• In the food processor bowl, combine oats, flour, remaining pecans, 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Pulse mixture until it becomes a coarse meal texture. In a medium bowl whisk together oil and 3 tbls. maple syrup, add dry mixture and work together until a soft dough is formed. Press mixture into the pie plate, crimp the edges, and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Rinse out food processor bowl. Add soymilk and arrowroot and blend until arrowroot is completey dissolved and mixture is smooth, approximately 15 seconds. When smooth add pumpkin, 1/2 cup maple syrup, ginger, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Blend until smooth, pour filling into cooled pie crust and smooth top.
• Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned and the outside inch of filling is set. Do not worry if the center is still soft, it will firm up as the pie cools. Transfer pie to a wire rack. Using the 16 reserved pecan halves, gently press them into the hot filling in 2 circles. Cool to room temperature then chill until set, about 3 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature. NOTE: Cooking time includes chill time.

PUMPKIN TART WITH PECAN CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spray a 9 inch pie plate.
• Spread nuts over a baking pan.
• Toast for 7-10 minutes on middle shelf, or until the smell of nuts fills the kitchen.
• Combine oats, flour, remaining pecans, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a food processor.
• Pulse until mixture becomes a coarse meal. Whisk together applesauce and 3 tablespoons maple syrup.
• Mix into dry ingredients to form a soft dough.
• Press mixture into pie plate. Crimp edges. Bake for 10 minutes, and set aside to cool.
• Using a whisk, dissolve the cornstarch in the milk.
• Add pumpkin, 1/2 cup maple syrup, salt and spices.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour filling into crust, and smooth the top.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the outside inch of the filling is set. Don't worry if the center is still soft; it firms up as the pie cools. Transfer pie to a wire the rack.
• Cool to room temperature, and then chill until set, about 3 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Dough: Sift the flour with the cocoa and salt. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle on low speed until fluffy.
• Add the egg, and mix just until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, cut in half, flatten both halves, wrap each in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Working quickly, roll out one of the dough balls on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper to form a 13-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick.
• Place the parchment on a baking sheet, cover the dough with plastic, and chill it for at least 1 hour. Keep the remaining dough in the freezer for another tart.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Carefully fit the dough into a 9½-inch tart shell with a removable bottom, taking care not to stretch or pinch it. Freeze the dough for at least 15 minutes.
• Bake the crust until it puffs, about 10 to 15 minutes. Flatten the base by pressing it down with a measuring cup, then continue baking until the crust is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
• Chocolate Custard: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan.
• Add the mixture, a third at a time, to the chocolate, stirring each addition until combined. (If it's added all at once, the chocolate will become grainy.) Beat the egg in a large bowl.
• Whisk in a quarter of the chocolate-milk mixture until just combined, and add to the remaining chocolate. (Do not whisk hard.).
• Tap the bowl to get rid of any air bubbles. Pour the custard into the baked tart shell, filling it to the top.
• Bake for 20 minutes, rotate front-to-back, and bake for another 20 minutes or until the custard is set around the edges but jiggly in the center. Serve with brandy whipped cream.