Plum Almond Tartlets

My 35 degree bike ride to work this morning has finally convinced me that it is in fact fall. Pumpkins and apples are everywhere, my freezer is being stocked with chili and german goulash, and I finally had to turn the heat on. I supposed that it was time to share these late summer tarts with you before the weather turned to

full on winter. That would just be cruel to tout these stone fruit beauties when snow is falling, no? These are such a staple in my dessert arsenal, some puff pastry, either homemade (recipe below) or store bought, almond frangipane, some ripe fruit and a sprinkle of sugar are all you need to make a decadent, yet light and crispy tartlet.

For a fall spin, change out the fruit to apples or pears, or even persimmon if you can find it.

Plum Frangipane Tartlets

Blitz Puff Pastry
adapted from Saus - Advanced Bread and Pastry

16 oz ap flour
16 oz unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
8 oz cold water
1/4 oz salt

Dissolve the salt into the water. In a food processor, pulse the butter and the flour together until combined, leaving the butter chunks fairly large. Add the water-salt mixture and pulse just until moistened. Flatten dough into a rectangular disc, wrap in plastic and let rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a large rectangle the long side should be horizontal to you. Take the left edge and fold it so it reaches the center. Take the right edge and fold it into the center. Now take the left side and fold the entire thing in half, meeting the right edge, like a book. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You will repeat this two more times, letting it rest for 30 minutes between each fold. After the last fold, let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight or freeze for future use.

Frangipane
adapted from Martha Stewart

7 TBL unsalted butter
1/3 cup almond paste
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup AP flour

In a food processor, cream together the butter, sugar, and almond paste until very smooth. Add the eggs, one a a time, blend until smooth. Add the flour and pulse just until combined. Chill until ready to use.

Assembly

1 Book puff pastry
Frangipane
2-3 Ripe but firm plums, sliced thinly
turbinado sugar
almond slices (optional)
1 egg yolk + 1 TBL water

Preheat oven to 400 F. Take one book of puff pastry and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/8-1/4 thickness. Cut as many 4 inch rounds as you can fit. With half of the rounds, cut out the center with the next smallest round cutter, this will be the border for your tart. Swipe a bit of water around the edge of one of the whole circles and place the cut circle on top, lining up the edges. With a fork, dock the bottom surface of the tart shell, but do not dock the cut circle edge. This will allow just the edge to puff up around the filling, keeping the bottom of the tart flat to hold the filling in. Arrange tart shells on a sil-pat or parchment lined baking sheet. Chill completely. When ready to bake, place 1-2 tablespoons of frangipane in the inner circle, do not overfill. Arrange a few slices of plum on top of the frangipane. Whisk together the yolk and water and brush the edges of the puff pastry. Sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar around the edges and on top of the plums. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and the frangipane has set. Let cool completely. Dust with a bit of powdered sugar prior to serving.

Easy Does It

There are things in life that just work. The perfect cup of coffee, weekly brunch dates, long bike rides on the first warm day in the spring,  pajamas and reruns. Routines, traditions, patterns.

There are also thing in life that you have to work at; friendships from afar, love on opposite schedules, family ties being stretched thin, career in constant adaptation and change. They need effort, they need attention, they just need more of myself than I have been giving them. As my career is taking up so much of my time, sometimes I feel that the other areas of my life suffer. They get neglected, pushed aside. Just until tomorrow, I tell myself.

This concept of 'tomorrow' finally materialized. I was able to fly home for a short 48 hours to try to pack in as much as I could. And pack it in I did, by meeting new babies, spending some girl time with my sister and mom, sharing meals and wine with my dad and soon to be brother-in law. So many sentimental and rather emotional activities in such a short period of time left me kind of a mess, exhausted and a bit emotional myself. But I would do it again in a second, because you know what? It works. I just don't have the time off or the money to travel home that often, so when I get the chance I make it work, no matter how short the visit, or sad the goodbyes.

When I get a bit of time to myself, sometimes I can let my brain overload on all the possibilities of things to do, new recipes to try, and crazy projects in the kitchen. Lately though, I have been focusing on easy, simple, and classic. A disc of leftover pate brisee hanging out in the freezer, some berries on sale at the grocery store, and just enough eggs left in the fridge to make pastry cream, it just came together without much effort. For those few hours alone with my coffee that morning, it was the perfect thing to keep my hands busy and let my mind wander. Its something that doesn't happen as often as it should these days, plus pastry cream with fresh berries is just one of those things that works. Always has, always will.

Pate Brisee Crust

(this is enough for 16-20 3-inch tarts)

400 grams (14 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar

100 grams (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar

2/3 cup water, chilled

665 grams (1 lb 7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Remove butter from fridge 20 minutes before mixing.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, water, and vinegar, stir to aid the dissolving of the sugar. Set aside in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then, stir again to completely dissolve sugar.

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together a few times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse in one second bursts about 3-4 times until butter is cut in and evenly dispersed. You should have visible chunks of butter in your flour mixture, this is where the flakiness comes from.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and make a little well in the middle of the flour. Pour the vinegar water mixture into the well, along with the almond extract, and gently mix liquids into the flour with a fork. When liquid is evenly dispersed, dump dough out onto a clean surface and knead gently a few times, just until dough comes together in one cohesive ball. It may be a bit shaggy or falling apart, but that's okay, while it is resting the moisture will bind everything together.

Cut ball of dough in half and shape each half into a disc about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours, or overnight. Take dough out of fridge about 15 minutes before you roll it out. For the 3-inch sized tarts, I cut each disc in half, rolled it out into a square, 1/8 inch thick, then cut the disc into four pieces, placing each one of the four pieces in a tart mold. How you roll the dough out will depend on the size and shape of the tart mold you are using. Always start in the center of the disc and roll outward, turning the disc 30 degrees after each roll to get an even thickness throughout. Carefully move the dough to your tart pan and press evenly into all corners, pinching off the excess.

Dock with a fork (meaning poke a bunch of tiny holes in the bottom of the tart crust with a fork) and freeze for twenty minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Place a piece of tin foil over your tart shell, pressing it down to fit the form of your tart, and fill with beans or rice or pie weights. Blind bake your tart for 15 minutes, flipping the pan front to back halfway through. Remove the pie weights and tin foil and bake for another 5-7 minutes, until the crust is golden brown (the times on this will depend again on the size of your tart pans) . Let cool completely.

Orange Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
(makes enough for 16 3-inch tarts)

1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 oz butter, chopped into small pieces
1/2 vanilla bean
zest of 1 orange

In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup of the cream, and the vanilla bean pod, split and scraped. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let steep for about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh seive, then return to burner. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. While mixture is heating, combine the eggs, yolks, cornstarch, and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.

When the cream/sugar mixture reaches a simmer and the sugar is completely dissolved, temper into the egg mixture,  whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens.

Since it has cornstarch in it, it does technically need to come to a boil for it to thicken properly, so once that first bubble pops, remove from heat and immediately put through a fine sieve to ensure that no scrambled eggs make their way into your pastry cream. Whisk in butter and orange zest and chill about 4 hours or overnight before using.

Tarts - Assembly

Pipe the pastry cream into each of your tart shells, using just enough to cover the bottom. Arrange blackberries on the surface of the pastry cream and top with chopped pistachios, and more orange zest. These are best eaten within a few hours, if you are making them much ahead of time, I would spread a thin layer of apricot jam onto the pastry crust before filling to keep the shell from getting soggy.

Pumpkin Tartlets + A Giveaway!

** First and foremost, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a $45.00 CSN Stores gift certificate HERE. Just leave a comment on the linked post to enter before this Friday (11/12) at midnight! **

The Thanksgiving season has officially arrived. As of now, I have  four Thanksgiving celebrations to attend this November, and checked one of them off the list this past weekend. The hosts of the party were nice enough to provide the main meal, and just asked guest to bring a dessert and drinks. There ended up being about 20 different desserts at a party that had about 30 people at it, but somehow I managed to be the only one that brought some sort of pumpkin pie. What is thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?



I confess I am not really that into pumpkin pie, but it is just one of those things that has to be there on the table at the end of the meal. It's tradition! It's iconic! It's like the much neglected cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving just wouldn't be right without it.



This is a pretty standard, no frills pumpkin pie. I used my now-favorite pate brisee recipe for the crust, and Paula Deen's recipe for the filling (surprisingly it only has 1/2 stick of butter in it! Well the filling at least). Oh yes, and of course I made them miniature, I couldn't help myself. I liked them this way because there was a higher crust-to-filling ratio than a full sized pie. If you are one of those people that typically eats all the filling out of the pie and leaves the crust behind (not that there is anything wrong with that) this may not be the recipe for you.

 

Pumpkin Pie Tartlets
adapted from Food Network and Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook
Makes about 24 3 1/2 inch tartlets

1 batch pate brisee, rolled out to 1/8 inch thick sheets and chilled (see recipe here)
1 cup pumkpin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 stick of butter (2 tablespoons) melted
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Using a 4 inch round cutter, cut 20-24 circles out of your pre-rolled pate brisee. Line each one of your tarts shells with one of the circles, being careful not to stretch the dough. Freeze lined tart shells for at least 20 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt and beat again until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and yolk, butter, half and half, and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, ginger, and cinnamon and beat just until incorporated.

Line tart shells with tin foil and fill with pie weights (I use beans or rice, whatever I have on hand). Par-bake your shells for about 10-12 minutes until they are just barely starting to brown and have dried out a bit.

Remove from oven, and take out the pie weights and tin foil and add a large spoonfull of the filling into each tart. Reduce oven heat to 350 F and bake for 40-45 minutes, until filling has set and the crust turns a golden brown.

Let cool completely on wire racks before un-molding from tart pans. Serve with fresh whipped cream, or nothing at all.


Here's to many more thanksgiving feasts to come!

Creme Brulee Tartlets

How do you make creme brulee better than it already is? Add some cinnamon and vanilla bean, and put it inside a buttery, flaky pastry tart shell. That's how. Plus there is always the added bonus when making creme brulee of using a kitchen torch. There is nothing like a little pyrotechnics at 7:00 am on a saturday morning, am I right?

It may be a little more involved than your typical creme brulee, but it is so so worth it. Someone commented on the post I did about the mini fruit galettes, praising/giving me the crazy eye for taking the time to roll out each little disc of dough, and meticulously crimping each tart. Well folks, its true, I am kinda crazy. I will be the first to admit that. I take pleasure in the little things in life, and by 'little things' I mean teeny weeny food items. Making them is all part of the fun. Do most people like to sit at their center island for 12 hours rolling and re-rolling, filling and chilling, baking and cooling, freezing and thawing? No. But I do. I realize I am getting into Dr. Seuss territory here, so lets get on with the recipe.

I used the same pate brisee (short crust) recipe as I did for the mini stone fruit galettes. This made the baking marathon much easier by utilizing one component in two desserts, but they were so different from each other, that I don't think it was obvious. These rich little morsels are a fantastic addition to any dessert table, and next time you make creme brulee, think about putting it in a pastry shell, your taste buds will thank you.

Cinnamon & Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee Tartlets
adapted from Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook via AlmostBourdain.com
Makes about 20-24  3.25" Tartlets

720 ml heavy whipping cream
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise to expose seeds
10 egg yolks
80 grams granulated sugar, plus extra for torching
1 batch pate brisee, recipe below

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean and bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat, pour into a glass or metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight.

Reheat the cream mixture just to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside.

In a large metal or glass bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar for about a minute until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Pour about 1/4 of the hot cream mixture through a sieve into the egg yolk mixture and whisk well to combine. Pour the rest of the cream through the sieve into the egg yolk mixture, and discard the leftover cinnamon stick and vanilla bean pod. Whisk well to combine.

Set bowl containing egg/cream mixture over a pot of barely simmering water to create a double boiler, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water itself. Cook, whisking constantly (this will give you arm a fantastic workout) over the simmering water for 10-15 minutes. Note that if you double this recipe, you will be whisking for much longer, about 25-30 minutes.

Once the custard has thickened, remove from heat and whisk for another two minutes to start the cooling process. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour, whisking every 5-10 minutes or so to aid the cooling. Once it has cooled, set a layer of plastic wrap directly on the custard, this will prevent it from getting a skin, and chill overnight to set up a bit.

The next morning fill the tart shells (see directions below for pastry crusts) with the custard. You can overfill them a bit and then use a off set spatula to scrape any excess off the top, leaving a nice flat surface for the torched sugar. Once all the tarts are filled, chill them for at least 30 minutes before torching.

Sprinkle about a teaspoon or so of sugar in a thin layer over each tart, and use a kitchen torch to caramelize sugar. Concentrate mostly on the center, and torch gently around the edges being careful not to burn the edges of the pastry. Chill the tarts for another 30 minutes to reset the melted custard and sugar. You can sprinkle on some chopped nuts, or garnish with some fresh raspberries.

Pate Brisee Tart Shells
from Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook via AlmostBourdain.com
makes about 20-24 shells

400 grams (14 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
100 grams (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup water, chilled
665 grams (1 lb 7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Remove butter from fridge 20 minutes before mixing.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, water, and vinegar, stir to aid the dissolving of the sugar. Set aside in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then, stir again to completely dissolve sugar.

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together a few times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse in one second bursts about 3-4 times until butter is cut in and evenly dispersed. You should have visible chunks of butter in your flour mixture, this is where the flakiness comes from.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and make a little well in the middle of the flour. Pour the vinegar water mixture into the well and gently mix liquids into the flour with a fork. When liquid is evenly dispersed, dump dough out onto a clean surface and knead gently a few times, just until dough comes together in one cohesive ball. It may be a bit shaggy or falling apart, but that's okay, while it is resting the moisture will bind everything together.

Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut 10-12 circles out of each disc of dough. Press each disc into a 3 1/4 inch fluted tart mould, being careful not to stretch the dough, as this will cause shrinkage when baking. Push the excess off the edge with your thumb, and make sure the dough gets into each nook and cranny of the tart mould. 

Freeze shells for at least 20 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line each tart shell with a small piece of tin foil and fill with beans, rice, or pie weights. This is called blind baking. It helps the dough to stay fairly compact and not puff up too much to give you ample room for your filling. Place tart shells on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until shells are a golden brown. You should flip the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through for even baking. 

Let shells cool in moulds for at least 15 minutes, then gently un-mold and cool completely on a cooling rack. You can make these ahead of time, then freeze until ready to fill. 

Between these, the mini galettes, and the macarons, the bridal shower dessert table was a hit. The extra effort was absolutely appreciated by bride, groom, and guests alike. 

Mini Stone Fruit Galettes

The heat is on. 120 mini desserts down, 1 two-tiered wedding cake to go.


I am officially halfway through another baking marathon, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But as you may imagine, I don't find myself with a lot of free time right now. So I will let these next few desserts mainly speak for themselves through their pictures.


I will say though that I tried a new pate brisee (sweet shortcrust) recipe, and I won't be going back to the old one. Ever. The last one I used from Dorie Greenspan was good, almost sugar cookie like in taste and texture (maybe I did it wrong, who knows) but this one, oh my god, this one turned out flaky, buttery, and almost like a dense puff pastry. My boyfriend actually uttered the words "this is my favorite thing you have ever made". It's that good.

Take that crust and fill it with fresh stone fruit and ground nuts, and you have a winner. This is my kind of dessert, lots of butter, not too sweet, and comes in a compact size.

I made these galettes miniature of course, but you could also use this to make one big galette, for a fairly quick and quite easy dessert. Personally though, I can barely handle how cute the little guys are. I mean come on, look at them.

You know how some people gush and coo at any little baby they see on the street? Well that's how I am with miniature baked goods. I think I have a problem.

Mini Stone Fruit Galettes

makes 20-24 galettes

1 batch Pate Brisee (sweet shortcrust pastry), rolled out to two 1/8 inch thick discs and chilled (see recipe below)

2 large nectarines (or 4 large black plums), pitted, cut in quarters, and sliced crosswise very thinly

3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup pistachios (I used pistachios with the nectarines, and almonds with the plums) ground finely
1/2 cup turbinado sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together your fruit, 3 tablespoons of sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Let the flavors mingle for at least an hour in the fridge. Meanwhile, remove one disc of dough from the fridge and use a 4.5-inch round cutter to cut 10 circles. (you may fit more, I got 12 out of some of my dough). Place circles back in fridge, and repeat with the other disc.

Pour fruit mixture into a sieve and set over a large bowl. Let as much liquid drain off as possible so your galettes don't get soggy.

I didn't get my dough as thin as I wanted it, so as I was assembling these, I placed each disc between two sheets of parchment paper and rolled them a bit thinner, and wider (about 5-6 inched across).

Working with 6-7 discs at a time (if you can fit all 20 of these onto two baking sheets, go for it, I chose to work in smaller batches) re-roll each disc if needed, and space evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place about a teaspoon of you ground nuts in the center of each round, and top nuts with about 1-2 tablespoons of your fruit mixture.

Gently fold dough up around the fruit, crimping and pinching it together every so often. A trick here is to dip your crimping finger into your egg wash before each pinch, this way, they won't unfold and fall apart in the oven, as the egg acts as a glue. Brush some more egg wash over all the exposed dough (I just used my finger) and sprinkle about a teaspoon of turbiando sugar over dough and fruit. Repeat with remaining dough.

Chill assembled galettes for at least 20 minutes before baking. This will also help them stay together in the oven, and encourage the flaky dough to develop properly.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Bake on middle racks for 25-30 minutes, depending on how big your galettes are, and how thick the dough is, until the fruit is a little bubbly and the crust is a deep golden brown, switching pans top to bottom, and front to back halfway through baking time. Let cool completely on a baking rack, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you are able not to eat them all straight from the oven.

These are delicious served warm, but were really really good served the next day at room temperature. Three days later, they are still wonderful straight out of the fridge.


Pate Brisee
recipe from Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook

400 grams (14 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
100 grams (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup water, chilled
665 grams (1 lb 7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Remove butter from fridge 20 minutes before mixing.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, water, and vinegar, stir to aid the dissolving of the sugar. Set aside in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then, stir again to completely dissolve sugar.

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together a few times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse in one second bursts about 3-4 times until butter is cut in and evenly dispersed. You should have visible chunks of butter in your flour mixture, this is where the flakiness comes from.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and make a little well in the middle of the flour. Pour the vinegar water mixture into the well and gently mix liquids into the flour with a fork. When liquid is evenly dispersed, dump dough out onto a clean surface and knead gently a few times, just until dough comes together in one cohesive ball. It may be a bit shaggy or falling apart, but that's okay, while it is resting the moisture will bind everything together.

Cut ball of dough in half and shape each half into a disc about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours, or overnight. Take dough out of fridge about 30 minutes before you roll it out. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 1/8 inch flat disc. Always start in the center of the disc and roll outward, turning the disc 30 degrees after each roll to get an even thickness throughout. Place thin discs on a flat platter or pan, and chill for two hours to let the gluten relax. You are now ready to cut dough into circles for the galettes.

I used this crust for another yummy dessert for this bridal shower, so stay tuned, more minis to come!

Mango Curd Tartlets

Someone at the latest bridal shower I attended/baked for asked me when I started baking, and as followers of my blog and spying all the recent dessert posts, I think expected me to stay "oh forever!!". I actually had to think about it for a second, and I surprised even myself that my answer was "December". It's true that I have been my mom's helper in the kitchen, you know, decorating sugar cookies, sampling chocolate chip cookie dough, etc., since I was little, but I didn't really start baking on my own until this past winter, save for a random cake or cookie here and there over the years.

I was a self proclaimed "cook", definitely not a baker. I didn't even have a muffin tin until last year, folks. I blame most of this lack of interest in baking on the fact that I am not really into eating sweets. I am wholeheartedly an appetizer and main course girl, dessert has always been an afterthought. As you may have noticed, there has definitely been a shift over here as I am realizing that not only am I cooking to eat and savor the food that I make, but I am also enjoying the process of cooking/baking just as much as, if not even more than, the final outcome.

I have also learned, and this will make my parents and their empty wallets happy, that my design degree turns out to be a great background to have in the world of baking. It is quite often that I find myself using the knowledge that I attained while studying hard for four years (okay five, but who's counting?) getting my bachelors in industrial design. My main job as an industrial designer is to make things look good. Superficial? Yes, most of the time, but its also about spending the hours, days, and weeks to make sure what you are designing actually works. Modeling, testing, throwing it away, and starting from scratch is how I spent countless nights in the design studio.This gave me the patience to accept that baked goods don't just miraculously happen, you have to test and test again (and sometimes, test again...twice).

Years of building prototypes of various kitchen utensils and power tools has given me solid, concrete, tangible skills that make me not think twice about the logistics of baking and building a wedding cake. I got this. Wrapping two layer cakes in fondant? Pshh, how about carving a wacky plunger handle out of wood and covering it in a perfectly smooth layer of bondo? I realize that it's not exactly the same, but my experience in design has allowed me to jump into the deep end of dessert land and not look back. I mean, the first thing I made when I got my stand mixture for Christmas this year was French Macarons. Talk about the deep end...

I feel a sense of confidence in the kitchen that I haven't felt in a long time, and its really refreshing in this time of uncertainty. Working two part time, possibly temporary, jobs when you feel like you need to have a 9 to 5 really takes a toll on your sense of stability and direction in life. But, at the end of the day, (and sometimes all night) I can step into the kitchen and create something beautiful and delicious, and it does wonders to boost my ego back up to a normal level. Who needs prozac when you have tart molds and a stand mixer?

[Insert shameless segue here] I am thinking something along the lines of 'speaking of tart molds and stand mixers, nudge nudge wink wink'...

In addition to the cute orange, blue, and white cake pops I made for the shower a few weekends ago, I went a little overboard and made tartlets with the same color scheme. Cake pops are fine and good, but they are pure sugar bombs, and I wanted something fresh and fruity to balance out the dessert selection.

I was aiming for a more natural incarnation of the orange and blue theme, and behold, mango curd tartlets with fresh whipped cream and blueberries were born. These were delicious, rich, tart, and creamy. The mango curd you could probably just eat out of a bowl with a spoon, but putting it in a nice compact little tart shell might make you feel better about yourself.

Mango Curd Tartlets with Blueberries

adapted from Dorie Greenspan and Smitten Kitchen

Mango Curd:

1 - 15 ounce, very ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cubed

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lime juice

4 large egg yolks

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Place mango, sugar, lime juice, and salt in your food processor and blend until smooth. Add egg yolks and puree another 15 seconds. At this point, you can strain the mixture through a fine sieve and remove all the little mango bits, which in turn will make your curd much more translucent and shiny. I skipped this step. Why? Because I couldn't find my strainer and it was 1:00 in the morning. Thats why. Still turned out wonderfully.

Place the mixture in a medium metal or glass bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk puree constantly until temperature reaches 170 F and has thickened. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter one piece at a time. Let cool a little on the counter, then place in an air tight container and refrigerate at least overnight.

Tart Shells:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

Place flour, sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle butter over flour and pulse until butter in in pea sized pieces. In a small bowl break up the egg yolk with a fork and pour over the flour-butter mixture. Pulse to combine, and increase your pulses to around 10-15 seconds until large clumps form. The mixture will be crumbly, but will stick together when you press it into the tart forms.

Turn dough out onto your counter or a large cutting board and knead two or three times just to combine any stray dry bits. At this point you can press the dough into one large tart pan or you can get about 20-24 small 3-inch round tart shells out of this batch. Press the crumbles in gently to the tart molds, you want the dough to be able to bind together when cooking, but not press so hard that the lovely flaky layers get pulverized. Place filled tart molds in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake tart shells for 10-15 minutes, turning pan once halfway through, until they turn a light brown color. Feel free to press the bottoms of the shells down with the back of a spoon if they start to puff up during cooking. Let cool in molds then gently remove and let cool completely on wire rack.

When shells are completely cooled, fill with 1-2 tablespoons mango curd and top with fresh whipped cream and a few fresh blueberries or blackberries (or really any other fresh fruit).

I will leave you dear readers tonight with the wish that you find your happy place whether it be in the kitchen or otherwise. The place where you can get lost for a few hours and not think about any of the stresses in life, the place where you feel confident and in control. Because we all need that place.

The Final Chapter

Photo by Glen Abog Photography

Well, that sounds a little extreme, no? What I mean is this is the last post about the wedding dessert table, then it is on to new and exciting adventures.

The fourth and final dessert on the table was sort of a re-do of the lime tarts I made for the bride's bridal shower. I used Dorie Greenspan's sweet shortbread tart crust instead of the macadamia nut crust I had used previously. I needed a more sturdy, leak-proof vessel for the filling, and these worked wonderfully.

After weeks of planning, and stressful days and long nights spent baking, I can't tell you how relieved I was when all 700 or so desserts were plated, packaged, and delivered.

I think I yelled "someone get me a glass of wine", which may not have been appropriate since we were on our way to the church for the rehearsal dinner, but I digress.

Would I do this again? Absolutely, as long as I am not in the wedding. It was a blast, and a huge learning experience. The excitement that it gave the guests at the end of the evening was priceless, and absolutely worth the sleepless week leading up to the big day.

So congratulations to Rebecca and Michael on a beautiful wedding, and here is to a wonderful life together. I hope I am still baking desserts for you two on your 50th wedding anniversary.

Spring-ing

I think spring has sprung here in Chicago. Well maybe it is still in the process of springing, but close enough right?

This year it seems spring = wedding season. Not mine of course, but I am involved in one of my close friend's wedding festivities. This morning her bridesmaids threw her a shower, full of friends, flowers, presents, champagne, and way too much delicious food.

I was in charge of desserts and decided to make a few different items to cater to many people's tastes. It was also an excuse to purchase some super cute tartlet pans. For the fruit lovers there was a lime, coconut, and macadamia nut tartlet, and for the chocolate lovers: (including the bride herself) a chocolate truffle tartlet with raspberries. For the cookie lovers, I brought some green and pink macarons, to coordinate with her wedding colors.

Also, we were asked to decorate wine bags, with a bottle wine wine inside for the bride-to-be to guess who brought it. I may or may not have gotten a little ambitious here...but look at how cute my little sushis turned out :-) Me (unemployed designer) + craft store + too much time on my hands = sushi wine bag.

The shower was gorgeous, the bride was beaming, and the guests' tummies were full and happy.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tartlets

adapted (barely) from Tartlette.com

This makes 6 5-inch tartlets or 8 4-inch tartlets.

The crust:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 egg yolks

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

The filling:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brewed coffee, use a dark, flavorful roast for this

4 eggs

The ganache:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

To finish:

1 1/2 pints of raspberries (or about 15 raspberries per tarts)

powdered sugar for dusting

For the crust:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar together and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix just to combine. Turn dough out onto floured surface, and knead breifly just until the dough comes together, about 10-15 turns. Flatten dough into disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Place your tart rings on a heavy baking sheet.

Roll out dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 7-inch rounds from the dough and press them into the tart pans. If there is not enough area for 6 rounds, re-roll scraps once and cut from there. If the dough tears while you are putting it into the tart pans (and it most likely will) just press it back together. Gently prick the tart dough with a fork all over the bottom surface, this will help the bottom from bubbling up too much.

Bake shells for 12 minutes, turning the pan front to back halfway through the baking time.

For the filling:

While the tart shells are par-baking, place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat the butter, sugar, and coffee in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring just to a boil then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes.

Whisk the chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time while whisking, until incorporated and smooth.

When tart shells have finished par-baking, remove them from the oven and gently press down the bottoms if they have bubble up at all. Divide batter evenly among tart shells, leave about 1/4 inch room from the top for the ganache. Bake for another 12 minutes until filling is set and cooked through.

Let cool completely then remove from tart pans.

For the ganache:

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just boiling. Pour over chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then add in the butter, whisking vigorously until smooth and shiny.

Divide evenly among tarts and smooth with an offset spatula. Let cool for about 5 minutes before adding raspberries.

To Finish:

Arrange raspberries in concentric circles on the tarts and dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

These guys are pretty sturdy and can be made a day or two in advance, just keep them covered and chilled, saving the powdered sugar dusting for immediately before serving.

These were a huge hit at the shower. Poor little lime tarts were completely neglected next to these beauties (not to mention two flavors of macarons).

But its okay, that just left more for me to eat, and I will share them with you in the next post. Crap, I have to be in a swimsuit in two weeks...this isn't good.