Summer Harvest Tart Food

SUMMER HARVEST TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Press onto bottom and up sides of an 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom; place on a baking sheet., Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on a wire rack. Increase oven setting to 375°., For filling, in a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add fruit and lemon juice; toss to combine. , For topping, in a small bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and spices until blended. Gradually beat in flour and oats., Add filling to crust; sprinkle with topping. Bake 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SUMMER FRUIT TART

Steps:

• For crust, beat butter until smooth. Add icing sugar and lemon zest and cream together. Stir in egg yolks, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Sift pastry flour and salt into butter mixture and stir just until dough comes together (turn out onto a board and bring together with your hands, if needed). Shape dough into a disc and chill for at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle a 9-inch fluted tart pan (with 1 ½ inch sides) with a removable bottom with a little flour and line with pastry. Trim edges and press pastry up, so it stands about ¼ inch higher than the sides of the pan. Dock pastry with a fork and chill 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 °F. Bake pastry shell for 18 to 20 minutes, until edges are a light golden brown and center appears dry. Allow to cool.
• For filling, whisk together 1/3 cup raspberry purée, lemon juice, eggs, yolks, and sugar. Whisk in butter and add lemon zest. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk steadily, but gently, until curd becomes thick and pale and creamy, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup raspberry purée and pour into cooled pastry shell.
• For fruit, slice peaches or nectarines and apricots and toss in lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Slice strawberries in half. Arrange fruit on chilled tart up to 2 hours before serving and chill until ready to serve.

HARVEST TART

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Peel, core, and chop coarse apple and pear. In a large heavy saucepan combine dried and fresh fruits with water to cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain fruit in a sieve, discarding liquid, and chop coarse. Return fruit to pan and add remaining filling ingredients. Simmer filling, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. Transfer filling to a heat-proof bowl and cool.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out about two thirds dough into a 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit into a 10-inch tart or pie pan with a removable fluted rim. Chill shell 30 minutes. Gather dough scraps together with remaining dough and on a lightly floured surface roll out into a 10-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Cut round into 1/2-inch-wide strips and chill on a baking sheet 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spread filling in shell, smoothing top, and weave dough strips in a lattice pattern over pie, trimming lattice edges flush with rim of pan and brushing dough lightly with egg wash. Bake tart in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until crust is pale golden. Cool tart in pan on a rack 15 minutes and remove side of pan.
• Serve tart at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream.

HARVEST TOMATO TART

Steps:

• cut tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices; spread on parchment paper lined, rimmed baking sheet.
• Brush with 2 tablespoon of the oil; sprinkle with salt.
• Bake at 400f degrees oven until slightly shrivelled, about 45 minutes; let cool (Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate on tray for up to 24 hours).
• On lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry 1 inch larger that 14 x 4 inch rectangular or 9 inch round tart pan.
• Press into pan and trim edges; prick bottom with fork.
• Brush bottom with mustard; spread with cheese.
• Cover with tomatoes; tuck garlic among slices.
• Sprinkle with basil, pepper, then remaining oil.
• Bake in bottom third of 400f degree oven until pastry is golden, about 30 minutes.
• Garnish with basil or parsley.
• Note: If all you really want is the tomatoes, the tart is wonderful without the cheese.

SAVORY SUMMER TARTS

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: If dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and form into 2 (5-inch) squares. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make tart shells:
• Arrange flan rings on 2 parchment-paper-lined baking sheets. Roll out 1 portion of dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 rough squares. Gently fit each square into a ring (do not stretch dough). Trim excess dough flush with rim. Lightly prick each shell several times with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough and rings.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Line shells with foil (not heavy-duty) and fill with pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shells until golden-brown all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, then remove flan rings.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Assemble goat cheese and tomato tarts:
• Cook haricots verts in salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and divide among 4 tart shells along with tomatoes, then top with a round of cheese.
• Assemble crab and tarragon tarts:
• Cook shallot in 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat, then cook bread, stirring, until golden. Toss croutons with shallot and divide among 4 tart shells. Toss crab with tarragon, zest, and cayenne and add to same shells.
• Assemble pea, scallion, and pancetta tarts:
• Cook scallions in oil in cleaned small skillet over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in peas and warm through, then divide mixture among remaining 4 tart shells. Add pancetta to skillet and cook, turning once, until just crisp. Reserve pancetta.
• Make custard and bake tarts:
• Whisk together custard ingredients with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide among shells. Sprinkle chives over goat cheese tarts and top pea tarts with pancetta.
• Bake tarts on baking sheets until custard is just set, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.