Sweet Cream Tartlets From The Fearless Baker Food

CITRUS CREAM TARTLETS

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the nuts, sugar and flour; cover and process until blended. Add butter; blend until mixture forms coarse crumbs., Press onto the bottom and up the sides of two greased 4-in. tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely., In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, citrus juices and peels; beat until blended., Spoon into crusts. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CIDER-CARAMEL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Roll out one disk of dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan. Roll out the second disk as directed in Cook's Note and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill the crusts while you prepare the caramel and filling.
• Make the caramel: In a large wide pot, bring the cider to a boil over medium heat, then lower to medium-low heat and cook, without stirring, until the cider reduces to a sauce with the consistency of thin caramel, 45 to 60 minutes (the timing will depend on the size of your pot; check the progress every 15 minutes or so to start, and more frequently once it begins to thicken).
• Stir the butter, salt, and vanilla into the caramel, then pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Make the filling: Place the apples in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the mixture to the apples and toss to coat. Add the cooled caramel and toss well to combine.
• Arrange the filling in the chilled piecrust: If you place the apples in overlapping concentric circles, like a rosette, there will be fewer air pockets between the fruit, reducing the chance of the top crust collapsing after baking. Once you reach the upper edge of the pie pan, begin to make the circles smaller to mound the filling higher in the center to give the baked pie the domed look.
• Roll up the top crust onto the rolling pin and gently unfurl it over the filling. Press the edges of the top and bottom crusts gently together to seal, then trim the excess dough away using scissors, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Tuck the overhang under itself all the way around the pie.
• Crimp the edges of the crust as desired. I refrigerate the pie for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C), preferably with a baking stone on the bottom rack.
• Brush the top crust with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Use a small sharp knife to cut a few small vents in the crust. Bake the pie on the stone or bottom rack until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling up through the vents, 40 to 50 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and/or tent the crust or edges with foil. Cool the pie for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• To mix the dough by hand: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter cubes, tossing them through the flour until each piece is well coated. Cut the butter into the flour by pressing the pieces between your palms or your fingers, flattening the cubes into big shards and continuing to toss them through the flour, recoating the shingled pieces.
• For a flaky crust, continue cutting the butter into the flour just until the pieces of butter are about the size of walnut halves. Or, for a mealy crust, continue to work the mixture together until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas. To mix the dough in a food processor: See Pro Tip.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add 3 tablespoons ice water for a single crust or 6 tablespoons for a double crust and mix to incorporate. Then add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue mixing just until the dough comes together. As it begins to come together, you can knead it a few times to make sure it's fully combined. It's important not to add too much water to the dough, which should never be sticky- it should hold together easily in a ball but still feel almost dry to the touch.
• Form the dough into an even disk if making a single crust; or divide in half and shape into 2 equal disks if making a double crust. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
• For a double-crust pie: Using one disk of dough, follow the instructions for a single-crust pie and chill the bottom crust in the pie pan. Roll out the second disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Fill the bottom crust as directed in the recipe. Roll the top crust up onto the rolling pin, starting at the far edge of the dough. With the pie pan in front of you, start at the edge closest to you and gently unfurl the dough onto the filling. Trim the excess dough from the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Use your fingers to press the edges of the bottom and top crusts together so they are lightly sealed. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes.
• Tuck the excess dough under at the edges, pressing lightly to help seal the dough to the rim of the pie pan. Return the dough to the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes or to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Crimp the edges of the piecrust as desired. Bake as directed in the recipe.

SWEET & SAVORY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Process the grapes and salt in a food processor until grapes are coarsely chopped. Strain for 15 minutes or longer.
• Combine the green onions, vinegar, walnut oil, rosemary, garlic and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
• Stir in the grape mixture.
• Arrange the pastry shells on a baking sheet.
• Spoon a small amount of the walnuts, Brie and grape mixture into each shell.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes or until Brie begins to melt.

SWEET STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Mix the strawberries and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a small bowl. Let the strawberries macerate at room temperature for 1 hour. (I put mine in the fridge overnight).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 6 individual tartlet pans with removable bottoms on a baking sheet. (You could also use a 9 inch tart pan.) Spray the tartlet pans with nonstick cooking spray. Blend the Maria crackers and the piloncillo in a processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the butter and process until the crumbs come together (this took a few minutes). Press the crumbs into the prepared tartlet pans. Bake until the tartlet shells are golden brown, about 10 minutes. (They may appear a bit soft, but will set upon cooling.) Cool completely.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and the sour cream in a small bowl, until fluffy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until well combined. Add the whipping powdered topping and whip until very fluffy. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the macerating liquid from the strawberries. Fold the strawberries and the reserved 2 tablespoons of liquid into the cream mixture. Spoon the filling over the tartlets, dividing equally. Tarts can be prepared 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated. (As I mentioned in the introduction, I ate this all week and it was still really good!).
• *Cook's Note: Maria Crackers (Galletas Marias) are a round sweet biscuit with vanilla flavor. They are the Mexican version of the English Marie biscuit and can be used in layered deserts as you would with lady fingers. They can easily be substituted with graham crackers.
• **Cook's Note: Piloncillo is often used in Mexican cuisine to sweeten drinks or deserts. It is unrefined cane sugar, usually found in the shape of small cones and can be substituted with brown sugar.

CHOCOLATE CRÈME SANDWICHES FROM DORIE'S COOKIES

Steps:

• A word on cocoa:.
• The darker the cocoa you use for these, the darker and more like Oreos your cookies will be. I use cocoa powder made by Valrhona; it's very dark brown with hints of red. If you want an even darker color, you can use a combination of black cocoa (available online from King Arthur Flour) and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. As with all cookies, it's the taste that counts. Because cocoa has no fat, it will never have the richness of your favorite chocolate, but it will give rich flavor to whatever you're baking, so choose your cocoa as carefully as you choose your chocolate.
• TO MAKE THE COOKIES:.
• Whisk the flour and cocoa together.
• Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg white and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until the white, which will curdle the mixture at first, is fully incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Turn off the machine, add the flour and cocoa all at once and pulse until the risk of flying flour has passed. Turn the mixer to medium and mix until you have a dough that holds together and forms clumps when pinched - it shouldn't come together in a ball.
• Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and knead it until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough between pieces of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Slide the dough, still between paper, onto a baking sheet - you can stack the slabs - and freeze for at least 1 hour.
• GETTING READY TO BAKE:.
• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Have a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter (or the cutter of your choice) at hand.
• Working with one sheet of dough at a time, peel away both pieces of parchment paper and put the dough back on one piece of paper. Cut the dough and place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving an inch between them. Gather together the scraps from both pieces of dough, re-roll them and freeze until firm.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes, or until the cookies feel firm to the touch. Transfer the sheets to racks and allow the cookies to rest for at least 5 minutes before lifting them onto the racks to cool to room temperature.
• Cut and bake the remaining dough, using cool baking sheets.
• TO MAKE THE FILLING:.
• Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients together on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. The filling will look like cream cheese.
• TO FINISH THE COOKIES:.
• Put a spoonful of filling on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom side down, and jiggle the cookies, twisting them in opposite directions, to spread the filling evenly. The cookies can be eaten immediately, although the filling will be soft and squish out at first bite. If you'd like neater cookies (with filling that will still squish, but less so), give the filling a couple of hours to set and firm a little, or chill the cookies for 1 hour.
• STORING:.
• The rolled-out dough can be frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to 2 months. The dough can also be cut into rounds, wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; no need to defrost before baking. The filling can be made ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once baked and filled, the cookies are best served that day, but they can be wrapped well and refrigerated for up to 2 days. The cookies are good cold or at room temperature.
• Recipe courtesy of DORIE'S COOKIES by Dorie Greenspan.
• Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dories-Cookies-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0547614845/.

MONT BLANC TARTS FROM SWEET

Steps:

• To make the flaky pastry:.
• Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times, until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs, then add the vinegar and water. Continue to pulse for a few seconds, then transfer to a work surface. Shape into a ball and flatten into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• When ready to roll out, allow the pastry to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (if it has been in the fridge for more than a few hours) and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch/3 mm thick and cut out eight circles, 5 1/2 inches/14 cm wide. Reroll the dough, if necessary, to get eight circles.
• Transfer one circle at a time to the 3 1/2-inch/9-cm-wide and 1-inch/3-cm-deep fluted tart pans and gently press the pastry into the corners of the pan; you want it to fit snugly and for there to be a decent amount of pastry hanging over the edge of the pan, as the pastry can shrink a little when baked. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
• Line the pastry shells in the pans with parchment paper or paper liners and fill with rice or dried beans. Bake for 18 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown at the edges. Remove the rice and paper and bake for another 8 minutes, or until the shell is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely on the baking sheet. Once cool, trim the shell (so that it can be removed from the pans) and set aside until ready to fill.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• To make the candied pecans:.
• Combine the maple syrup, corn syrup and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir gently until the sugar has melted, then add the pecans and salt. Stir so that the nuts are coated in the syrup, then tip the nuts onto the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the syrup is bubbling around the nuts. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside until completely cooled. When the nuts are cooled, the glaze should be completely crisp; if not, return them to the oven for a few minutes more. Once cooled, break or roughly chop the nuts into 1/4 -inch/0.5-cm pieces and set aside until ready to use.
• To make the filling:.
• Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted, then use a pastry brush to coat the inside of each tart shell with the chocolate. Set aside for about 30 minutes, to set, then fill with enough chestnut spread so that it rises about halfway up the sides of the tart shells.
• To make the vanilla whipped cream:.
• Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and brandy and beat on high speed for 1 minute, or until medium-soft peaks form.
• Divide the whipped cream among the tarts, so that it is slightly domed on top of the chestnut spread. Sprinkle the candied pecans generously on top-you might have a tablespoon or two left over, but these can be saved to munch on, to sprinkle over your next bowl of breakfast granola or porridge, or to use in the Knickerbocker Glory-and serve.
• Equipment:.
• You will need eight mini fluted tart pans, about 3 ½ inch/9 cm wide and 1 inch/3 cm deep. Alternatively, you can make this in one large fluted tart pan, around 10 inches/25 cm wide and 1 inch/3 cm deep.
• Make Ahead:.
• The pastry can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge (covered in plastic wrap) until ready to roll. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. The candied pecans can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in an airtight container.
• Storage:.
• Once assembled, the tarts are best eaten on the day they are baked.
• Recipe courtesy of SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh.
• Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Desserts-Londons-Ottolenghi-Yotam/dp/1607749149/.

SWEET CREAM TARTLETS FROM THE FEARLESS BAKER

Steps:

• PRESS-IN TART DOUGH:.
• Makes one 10-inch crust (or enough dough for 12 tartlets).
• DIFFICULTY: Easy.
• MAKE AHEAD AND STORAGE: The tightly wrapped dough can be refrigerated for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before using. Wrapped in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the egg yolk and mix on medium speed to combine. Scrape the bowl well. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the water and mix just until the dough is smooth, 1 minute more.
• Turn out the dough and use your fingers to press it into a 10-inch tart pan (see Pro Tip). Once the sides and bottom of the pan are fully covered, smooth the dough with your fingers to even out any thicker spots. Use a paring knife held flush against the rim of the pan to trim the excess dough, leaving a clean edge. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Freeze for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• WHY IT WORKS:.
• Creaming the butter and sugar for less time than you would for a cookie dough helps keep the crust from puffing up too much in the oven.
• PRO TIP:.
• When pressing the tart dough into the pan, I start at the edges and work my way inward. This helps make the sides even (the hardest part, I think!), preventing too much buildup in the corners.
• DIRECTIONS FOR TARTLETS:.
• Press each piece of dough into a 3¾-inch tartlet pan: Start with the sides and work your way to the middle, patting gently to even the dough to about ⅛ inch thick all over and letting the excess dough push up above the edges of the pan. Trim the dough by holding a paring knife flush against the edge of each pan and cutting away the excess smoothly, leaving a clean edge. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Freeze the crusts until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F / 204°C, preferably with a baking stone on the bottom rack.
• Transfer the tartlet pans to a baking sheet and bake on the stone or bottom rack until the crusts appear dry on the surface and the edges are firm, 15 to 18 minutes. If the dough puffs up noticeably during baking, prick it with a fork to deflate. When the tart shells are fully baked, you can also slam the tray down on the counter once or twice to help flatten the crusts.
• Cool the crusts completely, then invert the pans over a baking sheet and tap them gently to unmold the crusts onto the baking sheet; turn them right side up.
• Spoon a heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate into the base of each cooled shell and spread it into an even layer that coats the base. Set aside to allow the chocolate to set completely.
• Make the filling:.
• Pour the water into a shallow cup and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Let soak for 5 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, heat 242 g / 1 cup of the heavy cream and the sugar over medium heat, stirring, until the cream is hot and the sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatin and stir until it is fully melted.
• Pour the hot cream mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 242 g / 1 cup cream and the vanilla.
• Pour the custard into the cooled tart shells, filling them to just below the edges. Transfer the tarts to the refrigerator and chill until the custard is set, 20 to 30 minutes.
• 10.In a small heatproof bowl, micro-wave the jam until thinned and fluid, 30 to 45 seconds. Use a small spoon to drizzle the jam over the chilled tarts, then do the same with the cooled melted chocolate, or make "splatter tartlets"; see Pro Tip. Refrigerate the tarts until ready to serve.
• WHY IT WORKS:.
• Panna cotta (the name is Italian for "cooked cream") is a delicious dessert all on its own, and it makes a killer filling for pies and tarts. Made with milk, cream, or a combo, the silky-smooth custard is set with gelatin. This method makes the sur-face set beautifully smooth-which makes the panna cotta the perfect base for pretty finishes.
• PRO TIP:.
• To splatter on the jam and chocolate, I use a silicone pastry brush with thick bristles. Line your work surface with parchment paper, then dip the pastry brush into the jam. Flick the brush over the tarts, and the jam will splatter randomly. Clean the brush, then do the same with the chocolate.
• Recipe courtesy of THE FEARLESS BAKER by Erin Jeanne McDowell.
• Get the book here:.
• https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Baker-Simple-Secrets-Baking/dp/0544791436.