Mixed Nut Tartlets Food

NUT COOKIE TARTLETS

Steps:

• To make Pastry: Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add the 6 tablespoons white sugar, 2 cups flour and blend well.
• Shape into balls about 1 inch in diameter (flour palms of hands to facilitate rolling). Place ball in greased tartlet pan and flatten. Should fill pan by 3/4.
• To Make Filling: Mix together vanilla, egg, brown sugar, and chopped nuts.
• After flattening ball in tartlet tin make a thumb print in center and fill with a full 1/2 teaspoon of nut filling.
• Bake in a 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 17 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan.

HONEY SALTED MIXED NUT TART

Steps:

• Cube 8 tablespoons of the butter and place it in the freezer until it is very cold and almost frozen, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pulse the flour, 1/2 cup of the mixed nuts, 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Pulse in the cold cubed butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pulse in 2 tablespoons ice-cold water until the dough holds together when squeezed. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap (it will still be quite crumbly), form into a disk, cover in the plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Put the dough in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Use a fork to dock the bottom of the tart. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges of the crust begin turning golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is lightly brown and dry to the touch, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• While the crust bakes, make the filling: Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, honey and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and, stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (If the crust has cooled, return it to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.) Whisk the vanilla extract and beaten eggs into the filling until smooth. Arrange the remaining nuts (about 2 1/2 cups) in a flat layer in the tart shell and pour the filling over top.
• Bake until the edges are set but the center is still slightly loose, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• Blend flour, almonds, sugar and salt in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in almond extract and enough water to form moist clumps. Knead dough briefly on work surface to combine; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm before rolling, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

MIXED NUT TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out crust dough on lightly floured surface to 16-inch round (scant 1/8 inch thick). Cut out 3-inch rounds. Gather and reroll dough scraps. Cut out enough rounds to make 18 total. Spray 3-inch-diameter fluted tartlet pans with 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line prepared pans with dough rounds. Freeze crusts 15 minutes.
• Arrange tartlet pans on large baking sheets. Bake crusts until pale golden, piercing bottoms with toothpick if crusts bubble, about 13 minutes. Cool crusts on baking sheets.
• For filling:
• Bring cream, sugar, honey and butter to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in Grand Marnier, then nuts. Refrigerate until filling is thick, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Divide filling among prepared crusts. Bake tartlets on baking sheets until filling is golden brown and bubbles, about 12 minutes (filling may bubble over). Transfer tartlets to rack; cool 5 minutes. Using tip of small sharp knife, cut around crusts to loosen. Remove tartlets from pans. Cool completely on racks.

CARAMELIZED NUT TART

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in processor. Add butter. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in vanilla and enough ice water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll dough out on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9 1/2-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in and press, forming high-standing double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until set but still pale in color, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Make filling:
• Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat. Boil without stirring until caramel is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 9 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Gradually whisk in cream (mixture will bubble). Stir until caramel is smooth. Add butter, honey and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Mix in all nuts.
• Pour caramel mixture into crust. Bake until filling bubbles all over, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on rack.
• Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler set over hot water just until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle chocolate decoratively over tart. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Serve with cream, if desired.

CHOCOLATE AND MIXED NUT TART

Steps:

• FOR CRUST: Combine flour and sugar in a food processor.
• Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add 2 tablespoons cream and vanilla extract.
• Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonful if dough is dry.
• Gather dough together.
• Press dough over bottom and up the sides of an 11-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom.
• (I used a 9-inch pan with very little crust and filling left over.) (Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill, but let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before filling.) FOR FILLING: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all toasted nuts in a food processor; chop coarsely, using on/off turns.
• Whisk corn syrup, brown sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl to blend.
• Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract.
• Mix in chocolate chips, then nuts.
• Transfer filing to the prepared crust.
• Bake tart until firmly set in center and top is deep golden brown, about 50 minutes.
• Cool tart in pan on rack 30 minutes.
• Push up pan bottom to release tart.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.