For having a semi-gross sounding name, lemon curd is one of my all-time favorite tart fillings. It's creamy and indulgent but that strong citrus flavor really comes through and alleviates that richness from the butter and egg yolks.
Friday, May 22, 2020
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Vanilla & Fig Tart
Did you ever have a climbing tree growing up? I remember the only mature tree in my yard was a big old fig tree, it had a perfect branch that cradled my back and made for many lovely afternoon naps. Ever since those days, I've never found myself eating fresh figs so when I saw some at my local market, I couldn't resist transforming them into something delicious...
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Marzipan Pear Tarts with Sour Cherries
There are lots of things going on in my kitchen right now, fruity buttery flaky yummy things...
I have had these cute little mini tart pans in my kitchen for far to long with out using them so I decided to combine my obsession with dark cherries and pair them with something I am equally obsessed with - marzipan! I've said it before and gosh darn it I'm gonna say it again American bakeries need to use more marzipan!
You can use it in fillings, to line crusts and desserts, on petite fours instead of gross plastic fondant - need I say more?!
This is a kinda mad mash up of recipes from around the web, I kinda tweaked the crust recipe which I prefer because you can use your hands to form the dough to the pan instead of having to worry about rolling out dough and then trying to place it in there (which, let's be honest is always a hot mess) also with this recipe, it isn't necessary to place anything on top of the crust for blind baking.
Marzipan Pear Tart with Sour Cherries
makes 5 mini tarts or one large (9 inch) tart
While you're baking you might want to start poaching the pears and soaking the cherries, you can use canned pears as well, just make sure to blot them dry before placing on the tart.
For the crust...
1½ cups all-purpose flour
5 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1.Position one oven rack to middle, and move the second rack to the top slot. Preheat to 350 degrees F.
2.In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Add melted butter and combine to form dough.
3.Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. With your hands press dough down to spread on bottom and onto the rims of the pan.
Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. When ready remove crust from oven and let sit to cool. Leave oven on.
For the Filling...
6 ounces (170 g) almond paste
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp flour
6 TBS butter, salted or unsalted, cubed, at room temperature
1 large egg, plus one egg white, at room temperature
a few drops almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons rum, Calvados, or kirsch (I used Cherry kirsch)
1.In a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the almond paste with the sugar and flour, until smooth. Some almond pastes may be drier than others. If yours is dry, just mix until the almond paste is finely-broken up.
2.Gradually beat in the butter, until smooth, then beat in the egg and the egg white, the almond extract, and the liquor.
3.Spread the almond filling evenly over the tart shell(s).
4.Fan the pears out evenly over the almond filling, then press them in slightly.
5.Bake the tart for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the almond filling between the pears has browned.
6.Cool slightly before serving, or serve at room temperature. Glaze, as desired.
For the poached pears...
1 quart water
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 Bosc pears; peeled, cored, and quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1. In a large saucepan, heat the water and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved. Add any of the additions that you wish.
2. Slide in the pears and cover with a round of parchment paper, with a small hole cut in the center.
3. Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears.
4. Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.
For the cherries...
1 cup dark sweet cherries, pitted
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tsp cherry kirsch
Let soak for at least 30 min. Place in spaces around pears OR if you ran out of room (like me) you can serve them on the side as a garnish.
I have had these cute little mini tart pans in my kitchen for far to long with out using them so I decided to combine my obsession with dark cherries and pair them with something I am equally obsessed with - marzipan! I've said it before and gosh darn it I'm gonna say it again American bakeries need to use more marzipan!
You can use it in fillings, to line crusts and desserts, on petite fours instead of gross plastic fondant - need I say more?!
This is a kinda mad mash up of recipes from around the web, I kinda tweaked the crust recipe which I prefer because you can use your hands to form the dough to the pan instead of having to worry about rolling out dough and then trying to place it in there (which, let's be honest is always a hot mess) also with this recipe, it isn't necessary to place anything on top of the crust for blind baking.
Marzipan Pear Tart with Sour Cherries
makes 5 mini tarts or one large (9 inch) tart
While you're baking you might want to start poaching the pears and soaking the cherries, you can use canned pears as well, just make sure to blot them dry before placing on the tart.
For the crust...
1½ cups all-purpose flour
5 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1.Position one oven rack to middle, and move the second rack to the top slot. Preheat to 350 degrees F.
2.In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Add melted butter and combine to form dough.
3.Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. With your hands press dough down to spread on bottom and onto the rims of the pan.
Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. When ready remove crust from oven and let sit to cool. Leave oven on.
For the Filling...
6 ounces (170 g) almond paste
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp flour
6 TBS butter, salted or unsalted, cubed, at room temperature
1 large egg, plus one egg white, at room temperature
a few drops almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons rum, Calvados, or kirsch (I used Cherry kirsch)
1.In a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the almond paste with the sugar and flour, until smooth. Some almond pastes may be drier than others. If yours is dry, just mix until the almond paste is finely-broken up.
2.Gradually beat in the butter, until smooth, then beat in the egg and the egg white, the almond extract, and the liquor.
3.Spread the almond filling evenly over the tart shell(s).
4.Fan the pears out evenly over the almond filling, then press them in slightly.
5.Bake the tart for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the almond filling between the pears has browned.
6.Cool slightly before serving, or serve at room temperature. Glaze, as desired.
For the poached pears...
1 quart water
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 Bosc pears; peeled, cored, and quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1. In a large saucepan, heat the water and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved. Add any of the additions that you wish.
2. Slide in the pears and cover with a round of parchment paper, with a small hole cut in the center.
3. Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears.
4. Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.
For the cherries...
1 cup dark sweet cherries, pitted
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tsp cherry kirsch
Let soak for at least 30 min. Place in spaces around pears OR if you ran out of room (like me) you can serve them on the side as a garnish.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Chicken, Potato, and Brie Tart With Onion Jam
Being married to a meat eater has taught me to vastly expand my standard chicken recipes. I mean, you can only make so many chicken salad sandwiches...
When I saw this chicken tart recipe from The Kitchen, I was very intrigued. Not only does it sound fancy, but it is fairly easy to make (especially if you're lazy like me and used a pre-made puff pastry-shhhhh). I also rediscovered my love of Brie cheese which is, in my opinion, the lord of all cheeses - it's soft, melts beautifully, and has that rich creamy taste that allows you to pair it with sweet or savory meals. For a pre-meal snack I cut up thin slices of apple and topped them with some of the onion jam and a dot of brie and it was amazing. The tart itself was a perfect balance of richness and a sweet/sour flavor from the onion jam, all in all a perfect brunch or dinner meal!
Chicken, Potato, and Brie Tart With Onion Jam
makes one 11" tart
Recipe adapted From The Kitchen
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium sized onions, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS sugar, leveled
1 sheet of thawed puff pastry
2-3 large waxy potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups cooked chicken, torn into big shreds
1/2 cup brie, pinched off into bite sized pieces
4 eggs
2 tsp dried thyme (I also garnished with fresh German thyme)
1/2 cup cream
Directions
1.For the onion jam, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes until nice and soft, stirring every once in a while so that they don't catch on the bottom. In between stirring, half covered with the pot lid. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar, remove the lid and cook a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
2.Put potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water, season with salt and bring to a boil. reduce heat to a simmer and cook potatoes 15-20 minutes until just able to be pierced with a knife. Drain and set aside to cool.
3.Roll out pastry to fit a 11" round removable base tart tin. Pop in the freezer to chill while the oven heats to 180˚C (350˚F). Layer the onions, potato and chicken into the pastry shell. Dot with brie. Whisk eggs, cream and thyme, then pour evenly over filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is golden. Serve immediately on it's own or paired with a salad.
On a side note - Houston had some pretty major storms last night which resulted in flooding. This is the second time the weather has tried to kill us lol, I am starting to get a complex Houston - what's your problem?! Seriously though, I hope everyone is okay and my prayers go out to those that lost their cars and homes last night, stay safe!
When I saw this chicken tart recipe from The Kitchen, I was very intrigued. Not only does it sound fancy, but it is fairly easy to make (especially if you're lazy like me and used a pre-made puff pastry-shhhhh). I also rediscovered my love of Brie cheese which is, in my opinion, the lord of all cheeses - it's soft, melts beautifully, and has that rich creamy taste that allows you to pair it with sweet or savory meals. For a pre-meal snack I cut up thin slices of apple and topped them with some of the onion jam and a dot of brie and it was amazing. The tart itself was a perfect balance of richness and a sweet/sour flavor from the onion jam, all in all a perfect brunch or dinner meal!
Chicken, Potato, and Brie Tart With Onion Jam
makes one 11" tart
Recipe adapted From The Kitchen
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium sized onions, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS sugar, leveled
1 sheet of thawed puff pastry
2-3 large waxy potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups cooked chicken, torn into big shreds
1/2 cup brie, pinched off into bite sized pieces
4 eggs
2 tsp dried thyme (I also garnished with fresh German thyme)
1/2 cup cream
Directions
1.For the onion jam, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes until nice and soft, stirring every once in a while so that they don't catch on the bottom. In between stirring, half covered with the pot lid. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar, remove the lid and cook a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
2.Put potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water, season with salt and bring to a boil. reduce heat to a simmer and cook potatoes 15-20 minutes until just able to be pierced with a knife. Drain and set aside to cool.
3.Roll out pastry to fit a 11" round removable base tart tin. Pop in the freezer to chill while the oven heats to 180˚C (350˚F). Layer the onions, potato and chicken into the pastry shell. Dot with brie. Whisk eggs, cream and thyme, then pour evenly over filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is golden. Serve immediately on it's own or paired with a salad.
On a side note - Houston had some pretty major storms last night which resulted in flooding. This is the second time the weather has tried to kill us lol, I am starting to get a complex Houston - what's your problem?! Seriously though, I hope everyone is okay and my prayers go out to those that lost their cars and homes last night, stay safe!