Toffee Coffee Tartlets Food

ALMOND TOFFEE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray tart pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
• Prepare crust by cutting flour into butter until crumbly and then adding egg yolks. You may use a food processor, processing until pea-sized crumbs form. Dough will be slightly crumbly. Press dough into pan and up sides. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and increase heat to 375 degrees.
• While pastry is baking, prepare filling. Combine cream, sugar, salt, and orange zest. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add almonds and extract.
• Pour mixture into pastry crust, spread out almonds if necessary into an even layer.
• Return pan to oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, until the top is bubbly and starting to turn golden brown. **Baking time varies depending on ovens and pan so I highly suggest keeping an eye on it after about 40 minutes.
• Place pan on cooling rack and cool completely. This dessert is definitely one that is optimal after it's cooled and set (as opposed to warm.)
• When ready to serve, remove outer ring on tart pan and slice into small slices. If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream.

COFFEE TOFFEE TART

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch round fluted tart pan with removable bottom with no-stick cooking spray.
• COMBINE shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Sift flour into small bowl; add to shortening mixture. Mix on low speed until mixed.
• TRANSFER to lightly floured surface; shape into disk. Press onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan (make sure the finished edge is flat). Chill until firm.
• PLACE a square of aluminum foil over crust; fill shell with 2 cups dried beans or rice to keep crust flat. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans; bake about 20 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cool.
• HEAT 3/4 cup cream and 1 tablespoon shortening in microwave in medium bowl until boiling (about 90 seconds). Add chocolate chips; whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• RESERVE 1/2 cup chocolate mixture. Pour remainder into cooled crust. Refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy.
• ADD remaining 1/2 cup cream, 1 cup whipped topping, coffee crystals, cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Beat on high 2 minutes (or until coffee has dissolved), scraping down sides occasionally.
• STIR in 1/2 cup toffee bits. Spread over chocolate layer. Refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight, if desired). Spread remaining whipped topping over coffee layer; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup toffee bits.
• CUT tart into 8 slices; place slices on serving plates. Place remaining chocolate mixture in small resealable plastic food storage bag. Microwave until warm. Cut small corner off bag; squeeze to drizzle over tart slices; serve.

CHOCOLATE-TOFFEE PECAN TART

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, cocoa, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add the egg and pulse once or twice. (Stop before the dough gathers into a ball.) Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Place the dough on a large sheet of lightly floured parchment paper. Roll into a 12-inch round, no more than 1/8 inch thick. Invert the dough over a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and peel off the parchment; press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. (If the dough tears, just pat it back together.) Trim the excess dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
• Position racks in the middle and lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on the middle rack, 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the filling: Coarsely chop 1 cup pecans. Combine the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and kosher salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture turns dark amber, 6 to 8 minutes. Immediately stir in the chopped pecans and cook 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the corn syrup and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool until lukewarm, then whisk in the eggs and bourbon until combined. (The tart can be made 1 day ahead up to this point; cover and refrigerate the filling and wrap the cooled crust in plastic wrap.)
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and pour in the filling up to the brim. Arrange the remaining 1/2 cup pecan halves on top. Bake on the lower oven rack until the tart is evenly browned and slightly domed in the center, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

COFFEE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Process almonds, cookies and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until ground.
• Stir in 1/3 cup melted butter.
• Press into a 10 inch tart pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Heat remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, coffee granules, and chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
• Stir constantly until smooth.
• Beat egg yolks until thick and pale.
• Gradually stir about 1/4 hot chocolate mixture into yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly - 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture reaches 160 degrees.
• Remove from heat. (Mixture will be thick).
• Spread 2/3 chocolate mixture into crust.
• Cool remaining chocolate mixture 30 minutes.
• Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
• Stir 1/3 of whipped cream into remaining chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest of the whipped cream.
• Spread over chocolate layer on tart.
• Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.

SHELLEY'S TOFFEE TARTS

Steps:

• 1. Bake tart shells until brown.
• 2. Melt toffee & whipping cream in a saucepan on medium heat until smooth.
• 3. Pour into shells & place a chocolate chip in the center of each tart.
• 4. Cool.
• Please note that the prep time depends on how fast you unwrap the toffee and the cooking time depends on your oven and how fast the toffee melts for you.

COFFEE-TOFFEE CRUNCH TORTE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind nuts with ground cookies and toffee in processor. Add 5 tablespoons butter; blend until nuts are finely chopped. To moisten crumbs, if necessary, blend in 1 tablespoon butter. Using plastic wrap as aid, press mixture onto bottom an dup sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until golden, about 12 minutes. Freeze crust.
• For ganache:
• Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
• For mousse:
• Whisk sugar, yolks, 1/3 cup water and espresso powder in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water); whisk until candy thermometer registers 160°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add nutmeg. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and thick, about 5 minutes.
• Beat 2 1/2 cups cream, liqueur and vanilla in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold cream mixture and toffee into egg mixture. Spoon half of mousse into crust. Drizzle 1/4 cup ganache over. Using tip of knife, swirl mixtures together. Carefully spoon remaining mousse over; smooth top. Cover and freeze torte overnight. Cover remaining ganache; chill.
• Rewarm remaining ganache over low heat, whisking just until slightly softened but not melted. If necessary, let stand until firm enough to pipe. Spoon ganache into pastry bag fitted with star tip. Run sharp knife around torte pan sides. Release pan sides. Pipe ganache in lattice design atop torte. Pipe ganache in star shapes around border. Garnish with almonds. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Freeze until lattice sets, then cover and keep frozen.)