La Bonne Etapes Pumpkin And Almond Tart Food

ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• For the shells: Pulse together the granulated sugar, flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and continue to pulse until mealy. Add the egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the filling) and pulse until the dough comes together. Press the dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
• To mold the shells, grease a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4-inch-thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out 3-inch circles and press them into the muffin cups so that the dough comes all the way up the sides. (No worries if the dough tears; just patch it up with additional dough.) Freeze the shells for 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the almond meal, granulated sugar, salt, and butter, either by blending it in the food processor (no need to clean it out after making the dough, you can just use it immediately for this step), or by stirring it together in a large bowl (I find it's easiest to get in there with my hands). Add the almond extract, egg and the reserved egg whites from the shells, and continue to blend/stir until smooth and combined.
• Fill the frozen shells with the filling so that it comes up about 1/4-inch from the top. Bake until the tops and edges are lightly browned; begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then use a small offset spatula or a knife to remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: If making the glaze with heavy cream, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream and almond extract in a bowl until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar or liquid to thicken it up or thin it out so that you get the consistency of a thick glue.
• To make the glaze with the raspberries, place the raspberries in a fine-mesh sieve and give them a rinse. Place the sieve over a bowl and use a stiff rubber spatula or wooden spoon to smash them through the sieve into the bowl until you're just left with seeds in the sieve. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve to get the stuff that's sticking to it. (You should be left with about 2 tablespoons seedless puree. If it's a tiny bit more or a tiny bit less, that's fine.) Add the powdered sugar and almond extract and mix to make a thick glaze. If it's too thick, add a few drops of water to thin it out, and if it's too thin, add a few more spoonfuls of powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of a thick glue.
• Spread the glaze over the cooled tarts and decorate with sprinkles, almonds and anything else you'd like! These will keep for several days at room temperature or in the fridge.

PRUNE AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• At least one hour before preparing the tart, pour the hot tea over the prunes and set aside to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Prepare the cream filling. In a spice grinder or the bowl of a food processor, grind the almonds to a fine powder. Thoroughly blend the almonds with the egg, sugar, brandy and cream. The mixture should be very smooth.
• Thoroughly drain the prunes, discarding the soaking liquid. Carefully arrange the prunes in the cooled, prebaked tart shell. This will seem like a lot of prunes, and you may have to arrange them in two layers. Pour the cream filling over the prunes and place the tart in the center of the oven.
• Bake until the cream filling has set and the tart shell is nicely browned, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

LA BONNE ETAPE'S PUMPKIN AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry: Place the flour in a large, shallow bowl and make a well in the center. Add the butter, sugar, egg and salt to the well and mix them together with your fingers, then very gradually draw in the flour. As necessary, sprinkle the water over the flour mixture and knead until well blended. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare the filling: Remove seeds and any strings from the pumpkin, and cut into about eight even portions. Place the unpeeled pumpkin pieces in the top of a steamer. Cover and steam over boiling water until the pumpkin meat is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the pumpkin, and when cool enough to handle, cut off the peel and discard it. Puree the pumpkin in the bowl of a food processor or blender. You should have two cups of puree. (The puree can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen).
• In the bowl of a food processor or blender, coarsely chop the almonds. Add the pumpkin puree, the eggs, creme fraiche, brown sugar and orange zest and mix well.
• Assemble the tart: Roll out the dough to fit a 10 1/2-inch tart pan and carefully transfer the dough to the pan. Pour the filling into the prepared dough and bake until a knife inserted in the center of the tart comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Serve at room temperature within two or three hours of baking.