Cranberry Lime Tart

I may be the last one in the world to make this pie!  After appearing on the cover of Bon Appetit in the fall, it took the baking world by storm.  I'm sure it appeared on many a Thanksgiving table!  But, in all honesty, it didn't appeal to me.  Cranberries and lime just sounded too tart so I dismissed it. 

Then, thankfully, along came our holiday gourmet group menu, hosted by friends last weekend.  Guess who was assigned this recipe?  Yep.  All I can tell you is, Thank Goodness!  It is absolutely delicious and the cranberries and lime juice are mellowed into a delicious curd with plenty of sugar, butter and eggs to take the 'bite' out of the cranberries.  And, the gingernap/pecan crust is to die for.  It is the most perfect compliment to the curd and delivers a playful crunch in every bite. 

I increased the recipe by half and used one large (9-1/2 inch) and one small (7-inch) tart pan in order to serve 10 and have some left over.  Topped with sweetened whipped cream, sugared cranberries or a sprig of fresh thyme, this needs to be on your Christmas dinner table! 

Speaking of sweetness, we've been enjoying our grandsons this past month decorating Gingerbread houses, visiting our local indoor botanical garden's holiday display, and outdoor adventures and sleepovers.  We love to have them over individually to love and spoil them ♥ We have been so blessed with these three, wonderful boys. 

More sweetness was gifted to me by my dear cyber friend of 20+ years, Monique, of La Table de Nana and @monique_qc on Instagram.  Among other goodies, she sent this beautiful hand-stitched cardinal and two beautiful paintings (the tree was painted on the craft paper in which the package was wrapped.  How stickin' cute is that? 

This likely will be my last post before Christmas and I want to wish each and every one of you peace and happiness this holiday season.  Thank you all for being so supportive to me and my humble little blog all of these years. 

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Cranberry Lime Tart

Printable Recipe

Please see my note about the amount of time required to thicken the curd below:

Crust
4 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 16 if using Nabisco)
1 cup pecans
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Filling
1 12-ounce package fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries, plus 4 ounces (about 1¼ cups) for serving
2½ cups granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest, divided
½ cup fresh lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Whipped cream (for serving)

To Make The Crust

Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse cookies in a food processor until very finely ground (you should have about 1 cup). Add pecans; pulse until finely ground. Add butter and brown sugar; pulse to combine. Transfer to a deep 9" pie dish. Using a measuring cup, press firmly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake until firm and slightly darkened in color, 10–15 minutes. If crust slides down sides, gently press back up. Let cool. Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Filling

Bring 12 oz. cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool. Purée in a blender until very smooth.

Cook purée, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, lime juice, salt, ½ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring with a rubber spatula and scraping down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, 8–10 minutes. (NOTE:  On my stove this process took at least 20-25 minutes, so go to the bathroom before you start stirring - LOL). Cool until still warm but not piping hot.  It needs to be warm enough for the butter to melt in the next step. 

Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat curd, adding butter a piece at a time and incorporating after each addition, until curd looks lighter in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Scrape into crust and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Garnish

Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add remaining 4 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.

Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar. Top pie with cranberries; serve with whipped cream.

Do Ahead: Pie (without topping) can be made 2 days ahead. Cover once filling is firm and keep chilled. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

Vintage Lemon Tart

If you're still struggling with what dessert to have for your Easter brunch or dinner, I have a super easy and delicious recipe for you!  This delicious lemon tart (or pie should you decide to make it in a pie pan) can easily be made a day ahead, which is a must when I'm entertaining.

Last weekend, we were invited to a dinner party and I offered to bring the dessert.  I knew I wanted to make something that tasted like spring and decided it would be lemon.  I consulted my Pinterest Board called "If Life Gives You Lemons" and I went down a vast worm hole of lemon recipes on the internet.

The recipe I decided on was mainly inspired by Tricia's beautiful lemon pie at Saving Room for Dessert.  There are many versions of lemon or Key Lime pies or bars that use sweetened condensed milk, many dating back more than 50 years.  The Eagle Brand website has their original version.  Many of the comments on recipes that I browsed, stated that their grandmother or great-grandmother had made the same recipe.

What won me over about Tricia's recipe was her whipped cream topping that includes cream cheese as a stabilizer.  Another do-ahead bonus! Remember I told you that is originally a very, old recipe?  The old-fashioned way to top the pie was to use the egg whites that are left-over from the pie filling to make a baked meringue topping. If you need to find another use for those egg whites, make an angel food cake, an egg white omelet or these delicious almond crisps from my friend Juliana.  Egg whites can also be frozen for up to a month. 

For the dinner party, I decided to add some finely ground almonds to the graham cracker crust.  In my research, I also saw crusts made from animal crackers and saltine crackers.  I'd love to try both!

I used a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  I had enough ingredients left to make these two individual tarts for my husband to enjoy the next day.  Just as tasty as the first day they were made!

Did you know that condensed milk was first introduced in France in 1820 and in the United States by Gail Bordon in 1856.  Condensed milk is real milk from which all water has been removed during a vacuum process.  It was used to feed soldiers during wars and to feed infants and children when lack of refrigeration lead to death from spoiled milk products.  In the 1930s, The Borden company (which is now Eagle Brand) asked homemakers to create and send in recipes made using sweetened condensed milk and I love that we are still using some of them today.

April weather has been very interesting! We've had highs in the 70s but this is what our back yard looked like on Sunday.

Thankfully, the early spring flowers are very hardy! These photos were taken yesterday, after the snow had melted. On the left, Katharine Hodgkin dwarf iris; in the center white Hellebore, or Lenten rose; and on the right, Chionodoxa or Glory of the Snow.

May you all have a save and happy holiday weekend!

Vintage Lemon Tart

Printable Recipe

Servings: 10 slices

My Notes: I used a 10 inch tart pan and doubled the entire recipe. I had enough cracker crumbs and filling left to make 2 4-inch tarts. You could also use a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, which may take slightly longer to bake.

Tip:  Since I was bringing this dessert to someone else's home, I made the whipped topping in the morning and then placed it in a large piping bag with large tip. I like Wilton's large tips. but you will then need to use the large coupler. I sealed the open end of the piping bag with a rubber band, placed it in a zipper bag, and refrigerated it along with the tart.  I was then able to cut and decorate each slice individually when we served it.

Crust:

2-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (2 packages)
1/3 cup ground almonds
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Filling:

2/3 cup sour cream
2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk (I used Eagle Brand)
9 large egg yolks
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, from about 8 large lemons, strain (I prefer to use organic lemons when the zest is also used)
2 tablespoon lemon zest, plus more for garnish

Topping:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

Fresh strawberries or raspberries
Grated lemon zest

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, almonds and sugar. Process for about 15 pulses until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and pulse until just blended.  Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of a 8-inch tart pan with removable bottom (or use a pie plate or 9 x 13 baking pan).  Tip: Use the bottom of a 1-cup round measuring cup to help firmly press the crumbs onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 8 minutes and set on a baking rack to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  In a medium bowl (I like to use an 8 cup pyrex mixing bowl with pouring spout), add the sour cream.  With the mixer speed on low, slowly add the sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time until each is blended.  Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until blended. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake for about 25 minutes or until the filling is set, but is still somewhat jiggly in the center. Cool completely on a wire rack and then refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to add the topping.

Place the cream cheese into a medium bowl and mix until smooth using an electric mixer. Add the whipping cream slowly and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spread over the top of the tart.  Top with fresh berries and sprinkle with additional lemon zest.

Inspired by Easy Lemon Pie from Saving Room for Dessert

Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart with Sweet Walnut Crust

Many of you may have seen all of the new privacy policies flooding into your inbox lately regarding the new European Union guidelines.  If you are a visitor from a European Union country, please see my updated Privacy Policy at the top of the page under my title and photo header.  My privacy policy is meant to comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulations called GDPR.  If you disagree with the guidelines you may always opt out of receiving my subscription emails by using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the my 'new post' emails at any time in the future.  I deeply value my subscribers and viewers and want you to have a pleasant experience when you visit.  

I have also finally converted my blog to https which is more secure.  It took a long while to figure out where the hidden http links were in my template and remove them, but I think I have it finally figured out and uploading is much faster now.  

Now that I have that piece of business out of the way, let's talk about this delicious strawberry-rhubarb tart, and the amazing sweet walnut pastry crust!

This beautiful spring-time tart was almost a disaster as the original recipe only called for 2 tablespoons of potato or cornstarch to bind it together (it didn't happen), but a little tweaking with the addition of unflavored gelatin, it turned into a tart that held together beautifully and tasted wonderful!

The best way to serve this tart is with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream.  You can find my post on how to make your own homemade crème fraîche (which is a lot cheaper than store bought!) by clicking here.

The sweet walnut crust alone is worth trying, even if you don't care for rhubarb desserts.  I can imagine so many delicious fillings in this pastry!  Chocolate would be my first choice :)  I think I foresee a post on that coming up!

It was an unusually hot Memorial Day weekend for the Midwest...90's farenheit with even hotter 'feels like' factor!  I seems like we went from winter, to monsoon season and then to mid summer in the month of May! Many of my early spring irises and Lily of the Valley flowers were roasted during the heat and sadly didn't last too long.  How has your weather been?

Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart in a Sweet Walnut Crust

Printable Recipe

Makes one 9-1/2 to 10-inch tart

Sweet Walnut Pastry (recipe below)

¾ cup sugar
Juice and grated zest of 1 large or 2 small oranges (4 tablespoons zest)
1 pound fresh rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
2 tablespoons potato starch (I used corn starch)
2 pints red ripe, strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 packages unflavored gelatin, sprinkled over 1/3 cup cranberry or apple juice (or water)
½ cup strawberry preserves, heated until barely runny and strained
Crème fraîche or sour cream for garnish

For the walnut crust:

2 oz. (1/2 cup) finely chopped walnuts (food processor), toasted
6 oz. (12 Tbs.) butter, slightly softened
2 oz. (1/2 cup) confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
7-3/4 oz. (1-3/4 cups) flour

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg; mix to combine. Lower the speed to slow and add the flour, mixing until barely combined. Add the walnuts and continue mixing, scraping the sides of the bowl, until the dough comes together. Divide the dough. Wrap the half you’ll be using in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Wrap the other half well in plastic and then in foil and freeze for future use.

Lightly oil a 9-1/2-inch tart pan or use a non-stick tart pan.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Arrange it in the tart pan, trimming to fit. Line the crust with foil or kitchen parchment and weight with beans, pie weights or a smaller oven-safe pan that will fit inside.

Bake until the edge is light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and foil and bake until the bottom is dry and light brown, about another 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To Make the Filling:

Bring sugar, orange juice and zest to a boil in medium, heavy-bottomed non-reactive pot. Add rhubarb and return to a boil, shaking occasionally so rhubarb cooks evenly, but without stirring, which will break it up. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft. Add butter and shake to combine.

Whisk together liqueur and potato starch until smooth and stir into boiling liquid. Cook until mixture is clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Fold in half the strawberries, remove pan from heat.

In a glass measuring cup, add 1/3 cup fruit juice or water. Sprinkle the 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin over the top of the liquid and allow to sit for 1 minutes. Then microwave the gelatin mixture on high for about 30-40 seconds, stirring once. Then pour the hot gelatin over the hot fruit mixture and carefully fold the gelatin mixture and fruit mixture together until well combined. Allow to cool slightly.

Spoon filling into crust and top with remaining strawberries. Brush strawberries with preserves to make a shiny glaze and chill tart until set, about 2 hours. If you have leftover filling, you can put it in a small dish and refrigerate and enjoy on its own.

Serve topped with crème fraîche or sour cream.

Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust

This is a recipe that I posted early in 2009 but is so good that it deserves a second post.

I've made this recipe a number of times and highly recommend it!  The lemon curd is amazingly creamy and so delicious! This is a tart that will satisfy both the lemon and chocolate lovers out there (I am both).  I added some lemon zest to the recipe for an extra lemon boost. Everyone LOVES it! 

The crust is like eating chocolate sable cookies.  In fact, I had some crust left over that I rolled into a log, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, sliced and baked into cookies!

Shop 8 and 9 inch tart/quiche pans like mine HERE.  (Affiliate Link) 

Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust

Adapted from Food and Wine
Printable Recipe

I used a tart pan which measures 7 inches across the bottom, 8 inches across the top with 1-1/2 inch sides. If your tart pan only has 1" sides, I suggest using a 9 inch tart pan.  

This lemon tart satisfies both the lemon lovers and chocolate lovers!

Makes 1 tart and serves 5-6

CHOCOLATE PASTRY

3/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons of almond flour*
1/4 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/2  large egg (whisk together and measure 2 tablespoons)

LEMON CURD

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, cocoa and salt; pulse to blend. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg; process until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic, flatten into a disk and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 7-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out to a 14-inch round 1/4 inch thick. Fit the pastry into the tart pan, patting in with your fingers to level it. Run a rolling pin across the rim of the pan to cut off any overhanging dough. Tears may be patched with scraps. Line the pastry with a piece of foil cut to fit the bottom and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is nearly dry. Remove the foil and pie weights and bake the crust for 15 minutes longer, or until firm. Let cool.

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the sugar with the lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with the whole egg and the remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pour half of the hot lemon syrup slowly into the egg mixture while whisking rapidly. Add the combined mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the lemon-sugar mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil, about 9 minutes; it should be the consistency of sour cream. If the curd has any lumps you can strain the curd through the sieve.

Preheat the oven to 300 while the lemon curd cools to room temperature, then whisk in the softened butter until the curd is light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix thoroughly.

Pour the curd into the crust and bake for 20 minutes, or until set. Cool tart on a wire rack, then refrigerate until chilled. Unmold the tart and garnish it with chocolate shavings.

The baked tart can be refrigerated overnight.

*Almond flour is available at specialty markets. Or, finely grind 3/4 cup (3 ounces) of blanched almonds which is what I did.

My Note: I have reduced the original crust recipe by half since the original called for an 11" tart pan. However, the lemon curd proportions remains the same and it fills a 7-inch bottom tart pan with 1-1/2 inch sides perfectly.  If your tart pan has 1-inch sides, I suggest moving up to a 9" tart pan.

If you have left-over crust, roll it into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Cut into slices, place on a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes at 375.  Yum!

Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust

The recipe for my Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust is from the January 2003 issue of Food and Wine.  I didn't save the magazine but I did scan the recipe.

The chocolate almond crust is delicious with lemon! Two of my favorite dessert food groups :-)  This time, I chose not to use the lemon filling called for in this recipe but used a different favorite filling from my Very Lemon-y Tart recipe. 

It's a delicious blast of lemon flavor with the zest and juice of 5 lemons!  I made one large tart to take to the party later and one little tart for my husband and I to enjoy the next two days. I made another half recipe of the lemon filling and it was just the right amount for one large and one small tart.

This tart can be garnished so many ways, with shaved chocolate as suggested in the recipe or as I'm planning on serving it as you see it above with a dollop of fresh, whipped cream and also some kiwi fruit sliced in the shape of footballs ;)

Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust
Adapted from the January, 2003 issue of Food & Wine Magazine
Printable Recipe

Makes one 11-inch tart and one 7-inch tart. You could also use the extra chocolate pastry to make about 12 rolled cookies.

CHOCOLATE PASTRY

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour (I finely ground 3-oz of blanched almonds)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg

LEMON CURD (for the above tart I used this lemon filling recipe instead of the one shown here)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE PASTRY: In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, cocoa and salt; pulse to blend. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg; process until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic, flatten into a disk and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out to a 14-inch round 1/4 inch thick. Fit the pastry into the tart pan. Run the rolling pin across the rim of the pan to cut off any overhanging dough. Patch any tears in the pastry with scraps. Line the pastry with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is nearly dry. Remove the foil and bake the crust for 15 minutes longer, or until firm. Let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 300°.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE LEMON CURD: Set a fine sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the sugar with the lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with the whole egg and the remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar. Whisk half of the hot lemon syrup into the egg mixture; add the mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil, about 3 minutes; it should be the consistency of sour cream. Strain the curd through the fine sieve and let cool to room temperature, then whisk in the softened butter until the curd is light and fluffy.

Pour the curd into the crust and bake for 20 minutes, or just until set. Cool the tart on a wire rack, then refrigerate until chilled. Unmold the tart and garnish it with chocolate shavings. Transfer the tart to a large plate and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The baked tart can be refrigerated overnight.

Pear Tart with Pecan Crust

I seem to be a little fruity lately. Enjoying a lot of fruit in desserts, that is!

This past weekend, we had friends over for dessert after eating at one of our favorite restaurants together on Saturday night.  One of those friends had given me this recipe for pear tart that she was served at a relative's home recently.  She gave me the recipe and I thought I'd surprise her by making it. I'm sorry I don't know the original source of the recipe. I tried a web search but never found an exact match.

The pecan crust is simply patted into a tart pan with removable bottom.  Pears are sliced and tossed together with sugar, cornstarch and ginger.  The recipe called for dried ginger but I decided to use lots of crystallized ginger instead. Next time, I think I'll add some freshly grated ginger along with the crystallized ginger.

The juice from the pears and the cornstarch combine while baking to make a thickened sauce around the pears that was delicious.

A quick, simple and lovely recipe that is a great way to use the beautiful fall crop of pears that you'll find at the farmers' markets and grocery stores right now.

Pear Tart with Pecan Crust
Printable Recipe

You will need a tart pan with a removable bottom. Mine was about 9-10" wide.

For the Tart:

2 heaping teaspoons of crystallized ginger, chopped fine
2 tablespoons corn starch
2/3 cup sugar
6 pears (I used Bartlett but Anjou and Bosch would work well also), peeled, cored and cut into thick slices

For the Crust:

1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine in a food processor
1 cup flour
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork. Pat firmly into the bottom and sides of a tart pan with removable bottom.

Put the pear slices into a large bowl and add the sugar, corn starch and ginger and toss until mixed together.

Place the pears in concentric circles in the prepared tart crust starting at the outside and placing largest end of each slice toward the outside of the tart, placing them as tightly together as you can. Continue with a second row overlapping the first row by about one inch. Continue until the tart pan is full of pears, using small pieces to fill the center.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before serving.

French Apple Tart with Crème Pâtissière

This past weekend I made my first 'fall-ish' dessert. Not that apple pies and tarts can't be made any time of the year but, for some reason, they taste better when the weather starts to cool and apples are at their freshest.  I decided to make an apple tart made with the crème pâtissière that I used in the peach baluchons I made last year in September. 

The creamy vanilla filling was delicious with the apples!  If you look closely, you can see the vanilla cream peaking out on the left side next to the crust :) 

As a shortcut, I used frozen puff pastry for my tart shell but you could make your own favorite pie crust recipe if you prefer. It's fun to use the puff pastry scraps to make cut outs for decorations.  Directions included in the recipe below.  

French Apple Tart with Crème Pâtissière

Printable Recipe

For the Crème pâtissière:

1 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean (I recommend using a vanilla bean but you could substitute vanilla extract)
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter

Place milk in medium saucepan over medium heat. Split and scrape the vanilla bean, and add bean to pan along with scrapings. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in separate bowl, beat together sugar, cornstarch and yolks until mixture turns pale yellow. Gradually pour milk into yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Return mixture to medium heat and whisk continually until mixture thickens and just comes to a boil being careful not to let it get too thick. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter. Remove vanilla bean. Pour cream into a bowl, and place plastic wrap directly over the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming while the cream cools. Place in refrigerator to cool.

For the Apple Tart:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (or your favorite pie crust recipe)
3-4 Granny Smith apples, depending how their size
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Using one sheet of puff pastry dough, unthawed, gently roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it will completely fill a tart pan with removable bottom with enough to cover over the sides slightly. Pat to fit and trim off the excess. Prick the bottom of the tart all over with a fork and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Set aside to cool. (If you have enough dough left, you can cut decorative shapes and bake them on another small baking sheet for about 5-7 minutes while the shell is baking)

Cut and core the apples. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice them into uniform slices about 1/4 inch thick. Fill the bottom of the tart shell with the cooled Crème pâtissière, spreading to smooth it out evenly. Place them in a mixing bowl and add the sugar and cinnamon and toss. Starting at the outside rim of the baked tart shell, start making a concentric circle with the apple slices, overlapping them slightly. The next row should overlap the first by at least 1/4 inch, keeping in mind that the apples will shrink slightly when they bake. Finish the center by cutting either one large round, thin slice of apple or three smaller ones - enough to fill the center. Brush the top of the apples with the melted butter. Alternatively, you could use apricot jelly or preserves, melted.

Bake the tart in a 375 degree preheated oven for 50 minutes.

Served with sweetened whipping cream (I added a little cinnamon to mine).

Enjoy!

Duck Confit and Caramelized Endive Tarte

I dined in France tonight!

When I saw the recipe for caramelized endive tarte with duck confit at Karyne's blog Food Addict this week, I knew I had to try it. I made a few calls, and found duck confit at a very nice grocery store about 15 minutes from my home. It was sold in the frozen meat section of the store and there were two confit legs of duck in each package. If you don't know about confit of duck here is a good explanation.

First, halved and cored endive are caramelized in butter and brown sugar water.

The caramelized endive are placed in a tart pan in a circular pattern...

and topped with the duck confit which has been removed of skin and fat and shredded.

A sheet of puff pastry is rolled to fit the tart pan and brushed with warmed duck fat reserved from the confit which is then baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.

The tart is inverted onto a platter and Voila ~You are in France!

My husband and I both love duck and we loved this recipe! The caramelized brown sugar-endive adds just the right sweetness and the duck was very tender and delicious.The puff pastry adds just the right amount of crispy texture. I couldn't resist sauteing a few potatoes in the remaining duck fat from the confit. This tart and a little salad made for un dîner très bon !

Would you like to fell like you're in France? Try this recipe! Thank you, Karyne!

Duck Confit and Carmelized Endive Tarte

Recipe adapted from Food Addict
Printable Recipe

This was just enough for myself and my husband to share as an entree.

6 heads of endive, washed, cored and sliced in half, lengthwise
2 legs of duck confit, shredded, skin and fat removed
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar
1 cup of water
1 sheet of puff pastry, rolled to fit tart pan
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter until bubbling and starting to turn brown. Add the halved and cored endive and evenly brown on both sides, adding salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, place the heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. Add one cup of water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add this to the already-browned endive and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced (I placed a cover on the pan, leaving an opening on one side for this part). The caramelizing process takes about 30-40 minutes.

Place the caramelized endive halves in a circular pattern in a 9 inch tart pan. Top with the shredded confit of duck legs, add some salt and pepper and then top with the rolled out puff pastry, pushing the edges of the puff pastry down the sides of the pan.

Brush the top of the puff pastry with some of the fat reserved from the duck confit.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.

Apple Tarts for My Sweets~

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends! 

Even though it's not Thanksgiving here in the U.S., having the whole family for dinner is always a special and wonderful event and yesterday was no exception. Having to leave dessert on the table to walk a fussy baby was all the dessert I needed :) 

Making apple tarts using frozen puff pastry is one of the quickest and easiest desserts to make!

Simply follow the directions on the puff pastry sheet box to thaw. Roll out the thawed puff pastry to fit a tart pan with a removable bottom, press into place and then chill for about 10-15 minutes in the frig. Meanwhile, peel and slice the apples. Having a mandolin to slice the apples also makes quick work of slicing. I like to leave just a little peel on the apples for texture.

If you want, you can use the excess puff pastry to make little cut-outs to decorate the tart.

I arranged the apple slices over the pastry in the tart pans, and sprinkled each tart with about a tablespoon of lemon juice, about 2/3 cup of sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon added. Then, I crumbled about 1 tablespoon of butter of the top and drizzled with approximately 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden and the apples are softened.  That's it!

Very Lemony Tart

This past week, a very good friend had back surgery. Not fun! To cheer him, I made his favorite dessert - lemon tart.

I've had this recipe for years. Do any of you remember Gail's Recipe Swap on the internet waaaay back in the 90's? That's where I found this recipe and sadly, it was before I was conscientious about also including the poster's name, so I have no idea who submitted this wonderful recipe. If you're still out there and care to identify yourself, please do! I will forever be indebted to you for this wonderful recipe!

This tart is as advertised - very lemony, which I love. It has the grated zest of 5 lemons!

Another wonderful thing about this recipe is the crust. It is baked first with chopped almonds sprinkled on top for a delightful crunch.

I hope it made my friend feel a little better :)

VERY LEMON-Y TART
Printable Recipe

CRUST:

1-1/8 cup flour
1/4 lb. butter
2 tablespoons water
2-1/4 teaspoons finely chopped almonds

FILLING

5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 5 lemons

Preheat oven to 375F. Using flour, butter and water, make crust in usual way. Roll out to fit tart pan with removable bottom. Prick all over with fork. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. Line with foil and add pie weights (or dried beans). Bake 20 minutes or until crust is dry.

In medium bowl, beat sugar and eggs together for 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Add butter, cream, juice, and zest. Mix together and pour into crust. Bake 20-25 minutes or until set.

I'm happy to share this recipe at Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum. Thank you for hosting the food feast again this week, Michael! Please pay a visit to see the rest of the wonderful Foodie posts.

You may also find a few more lemon desserts on my blog such as...from left to right Lemon Snow Balls, Lemon Sables, and Lemon-Cream Cake. :)