Grapefruit Custard Tart With Chocolate Pecan Crust Food

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.

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.

PORT-GLAZED GRAPE TARTS WITH PECAN CRUST

Steps:

• Make tart shells:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse pecans with brown sugar in a food processor until finely ground (do not allow to become a paste). Add flour, butter, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and pulse until mixture begins to form large lumps. Divide mixture between tart pans and press evenly over bottom and up sides with floured fingers. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake tart shells in lower third of oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer shells in pans to racks to cool completely. Carefully remove sides of pans, keeping shells on pan base.
• Make filling while shells cool:
• Simmer Port and jelly, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes, then stir in lemon juice. Immediately toss grapes with 1 cup glaze in a large bowl until well coated, then mound in tart shells.
• Just before serving, drizzle tarts with more glaze and serve remainder on the side.

SEA-SALTED CHOCOLATE & PECAN TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks and 35ml water and mix well until all the liquid has been incorporated. Gradually mix in the flour and cocoa powder until a paste is formed. It will be quite a soft dough.
• Wrap the pastry in foil, flatten it with your hand and chill for 1 hr. The pastry can be made two days ahead, though in this case, you may want to remove it from the fridge for a few minutes before rolling to soften it.
• Sprinkle your work surface with a light dusting of flour and roll out the pastry until it's about 5mm thick. Line a 23cm tart tin with the pastry using the rolling pin to help you lift it over, pushing the pastry well into the edges and folding the excess over the top. Trim off the excess. Chill for 15 mins to relax the pastry and to help prevent it from shrinking during cooking.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the tart with a sheet of baking parchment (scrunch it up first to soften it), then tip in baking beans, rice or lentils and bake blind for 15 mins. Lift out the beans and bake for a further 10-12 mins until the base is dry. Allow to cool.
• To make the filling, put all the ingredients in a glass or metal mixing bowl, place it over a pan of very hot water and allow them to melt together until glossy and thick. Pour into the cooled pastry case and chill for 4 hrs or overnight.
• For the topping, heat the sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat, tilt the pan rather than stirring, until you have an even golden liquid caramel. Add the salt and mix well with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Pour in the pecans and, mixing thoroughly, quickly pour the mixture on to a piece of baking parchment and spread out with the back of the spoon. Allow to cool thoroughly, then break or chop up into shards or chunky pieces to sprinkle over the ganache.
• Cut the tart with a hot, wet knife for perfect, restaurant-quality slices. Recipe adapted from Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A Young (£14.99, Kyle Books). Photographs © Anders Schønnemann.