Category Archives: Tarts

Key Lemon Tarts

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You may remember from a previous post that a friend gave me a dozen small lemons from her tree and I made Lemon-Honey Madeleine cookies for her in return. That prompted her to give me two dozen more lemons. I made some gluten free tartlet shells for QC’s mahjong group (one of whom is gluten intolerant) and 5” tart shells for the neighbor QC Corps.

I did a search for different meringue/tart piping ideas and liked this one. After torching, I sprinkled some lemon zest on the top and will ultimately add a blueberry to each small tartlet and two or three to each large one.

Key Lemon Pie and Tarts

INGREDIENTS
Filling
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 1 can
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons fine lemon zest no white
• 1 graham cracker crust gluten-free if desired
• optional whipped cream lemon zest and lemon slice(s) for garnish
Graham Cracker Crust
• 1 ½ cups finely crushed regular or cinnamon graham crackers (24 squares)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 beaten egg white
• 3 tablespoons sugar

METHOD
Filling

  1. Zest, then juice lemons, to get 2 teaspoons of zest and 1/2 cup of juice.
  2. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, zest and lemon juice (add half at a time) until well combined.
  3. Pour filling into prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes at 350 F. Cool pie completely on rack, then chill for a minimum of 1-2 hours (filling will continue to set as it cools). Store covered.
  4. Optionally, before serving, top with whipped cream rosettes, lemon zest and lemon slice(s)

Graham Cracker Crust

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a food processor pulse the crushed graham crackers several times, then add the rest of the ingredients until well mixed.
  3. Reserve 3 tablespoons crumb mixture for garnishing top of pie before serving, if desired. Press remaining mixture firmly and evenly against bottom and side of pie plate.
  4. Bake at 350 F for 10 min. Set aside to cool

OPTIONAL Tartlet Shell
INGREDIENTS
• 50 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 100 g all-purpose flour
• 30 g icing sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 egg – ½ for the dough and the other ½ reserved for an egg wash

METHOD

  1. Mix butter with sugar
  2. Add salt then vanilla
  3. Add egg and beat until incorporated. It may not be smooth.
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated
  5. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  6. Butter or spray tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
  7. Roll dough to ~ ⅛” thick, then lay over tart mold and press into all crevices and roll top to cut off excess. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes
  8. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  9. Fill tarts with pastry weights (I put weights in a cupcake paper for small tartlets and crumpled and form fitted to the larger tart molds.)
  10. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  11. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 15 min (Remove wights and papers 5 minutes before the end of the bake.)
  12. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

ITALIAN MERINGUE

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g (or ¾ cup) granulated sugar
  • 60ml (or ¼ cup) water
  • 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)

METHOD

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to come to a boil.
  2. In the meantime, add the egg whites to a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and mix (with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until foamy and the whites are almost able to hold soft peaks.
  3. Once the syrup is boiling, clip on a candy (or sugar) thermometer.
  4. Cook until the syrup reaches 116°C/240°F, then take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl with the foamy egg whites, mixing continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Don’t pour the syrup onto the whisk, or the syrup may splatter against the sides of the bowl (or into your face!). Instead, aim for a spot close to the whisk.
  5. Once all the syrup has been added, keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the meringue has cooled down to body temperature.
  6. Use immediately or keep in the fridge (covered) until ready to use. It’s a very stable meringue, so it won’t start weeping, leaking or collapsing.

NOTES

Italian meringue can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge until needed (covered with plastic wrap).

Blackberry/Yuzu Meringue Tarts

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I am trying to remember how these tarts made it into Dede’s baking schedule. I didn’t have any leftover ingredients from another bake, or some ingredient that was about to expire. Most likely a picture caught my attention, and as I have no will power…

I used my go to short crust pastry for the tart shell and a standard Italian meringue to top the tart. The blackberry/yuzu curd was a new recipe but again, pretty standard. The final result was an outstanding synergy between all the parts. A real keeper.

Blackberry/Yuzu Meringue Tarts

INGREDIENTS
Plain flour, for rolling

Shortcrust pastry
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 egg – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash
• 200 g all-purpose flour
Meringue
• 150g (or ¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 60ml (or ¼ cup) water
• 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)
Curd
• 450g blackberries
• 2 Tbl yuzu juice
• 4 Tbl corn starch
• 325g caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 egg yolk
• 1 large egg

METHOD

  1. For the Shortbread Pastry – Cut the butter into the sugar
    a. Add salt then vanilla
    b. Add egg and mix until incorporated
    c. Stir in flour. Mix by hand like you are kneading bread until incorporated
  2. For the pastry case – Roll out the pastry to ¼” thick. Gently push the pastry into the tart case leaving a little overhanging the edges.
    a. Trim the excess pastry but leave a little overhang. Chill for 30 minutes.
    b. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line the pastry with baking parchment, fill with baking beads and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans; bake for a further 5-6 minutes, until golden. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
  3. For the curd – put the berries and yuzu juice in a food processor, blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a large bowl (you should have 1 ½ c). Discard the seeds.
    a. In a large, heavy-based pan, mix the corn starch and sugar, then stir in the blackberry mixture. Cook over a medium heat, stirring with a balloon whisk, until thick and smooth.
    b. When it starts to bubble, take it off the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Leave to cool slightly, then whisk in the egg yolks and the whole egg. Return the mixture to the heat, whisking for 5-8 minutes until it becomes a very thick dropping consistency. Set aside.
  4. For the meringue –
    a. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to come to a boil.
    b. In the meantime, add the egg whites to a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and mix (with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until foamy and the whites are almost able to hold soft peaks.
    c. Once the syrup is boiling, clip on a candy (or sugar) thermometer.
    d. Cook until the syrup reaches 116°C/240°F, then take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl with the foamy egg whites, mixing continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Don’t pour the syrup onto the whisk, or the syrup may splatter against the sides of the bowl (or into your face!). Instead, aim for a spot close to the whisk.
    e. Once all the syrup has been added, keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the meringue has cooled down to body temperature.
    f. Use immediately or keep in the fridge (covered) until ready to use. It’s a very stable meringue, so it won’t start weeping, leaking or collapsing.
  5. Assembly –
    a. Fill the tart case with the warm curd and let cool.
    b. Pipe the meringue as stars covering about half of the top and add a raspberry or other decoration.

Apple/Pear Tarte Tartin

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With perfect timing this recipe crossed my FaceBook feed a while ago when I needed a dessert like this for a reception coming up in a couple of weeks.

The first rendition of the original recipe was sampled by QC and me and was subsequently “binned.” There was too much caramel and it was too runny. As I was making in accordance with the recipe I felt, and even told QC that this was wrong, but I persevered and it failed.

Next, I researched several other recipes, combining the parts that I thought were sensible and voila!

Fruit basting in caramel
Puff pastry covering tart with edges tucked under,
Finished tarte tartin, still in frypan

I cut the pears in halves and cut out the cores. I cut the apples in eighths to position three thick slices between each pear half. I did siphon off a half cup of caramel as I felt it was too “soupy”and if I cooked it down too much more the apples would disintegrate.

Apple And Pear Tarte Tatin

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
100 g butter
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cut in eighths
1 large Bosch pears, peeled, quartered
2 sheets frozen butter puff pastry, slightly thawed
1 egg-yolk, beaten
½ cup water
¼ cup caster sugar
thickened cream, to serve

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to very hot, 425°F.
  2. Heat an 8-inch frying pan on medium. Add sugar and water and heat, stirring, until it starts to bubble.
  3. Then, simmer without stirring, for 4-5 minutes, until it begins to turn golden.
  4. Add butter and swirl to mix.
  5. Add apples, cut side up, firmly packed. Simmer, gently stirring and basting for 12-15 minutes, until beginning to caramelize.
  6. Add pears and simmer an additional 3-5 minutes. The pears will break down faster than the apples so should be caramelized for a shorter time. (I removed some caramel at this point to remove some liquid.)
  7. Brush one sheet of pastry with a little egg yolk. Place second sheet on top and press firmly to sandwich together. Roll out slightly. Place over fruit to cover, tucking excess overhang inside pan.
  8. Cover handle of pan with foil, if necessary, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until pastry is golden and crisp.
  9. Place a rimmed serving dish over pan. Invert pan and carefully lift pan off (remember to use an oven mitt).
  10. Add the water and extra sugar to same pan. Cook, stirring, until sugar and caramel residue dissolves.
  11. Bring to boil and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes, until thickened and golden. Drizzle over tart. Serve warm with thickened cream.

Thickened Cream

  1. Mix cold water with equal parts cornstarch to form a paste-like substance
  2. Blend the mixture with a hand whisk to avoid clumping.
  3. Heat your cream to just below boiling
  4. Add the cornstarch mixture, constantly whisking.
  5. Let it simmer for a few minutes until the desired thickness of the cream.
  6. It will require about 2 tablespoons of the water and cornstarch mixture for about 1 cup of cream to be thickened.

Orange Tart

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Oh, there is so much I could say about an orange tart, but this is neither the time nor the place.

I saw this recipe and decided to give it a try. I changed out the orange custard for another recipe I had, and used my standard tart shell recipe. Actually, all I kept was the orange filling. It intrigued me because it seemed like it would produce an orange jelly without any gelatin (which I never use) or agar-agar (which is my go to “gelling” agent.)

Once one of the small tartlets was submitted to QC we both thought it needed something else. I made a quick batch of basic meringue and piped stars around the perimeter of the large tart. I should have taken the time to make Italian meringue. It would have been firmer and kept its shape longer.

Orange Cream Tart

INGREDIENTS

CUSTARD FILLING
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks (Save the whites for meringue)
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

ORANGE FILLING
• 1 cup (250ml) orange juice, strained
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• ⅓ cup (50g) corn starch
• 2 Tbl (30g) unsalted butter

SHORTCRUST PASTRY
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other reserved for an egg wash

METHOD
For the pastry shell:

  1. Mix butter with sugar
  2. Add salt then vanilla
  3. Add egg
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated
  5. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  6. Butter tartlet pan, or use non-stick pan
  7. Roll dough to about ⅛” thick
  8. Lay over tart mold and press into all crevices
  9. Roll top to cut off excess
  10. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  11. Fill tart with pastry weights (I put beans in crumpled, then flattened parchment paper and remove 5 minutes before the end of the bake.)
  12. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  13. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 15 min
  14. Immediately remove from pan and cool on a wire rack

    For the custard filling:
  15. Heat milk in medium saucepan until hot but not boiling.
  16. While milk is heating, add sugar and cornstarch to mixing bowl. Whisk together.
  17. With an electric mixer or by hand, whisk egg yolks into sugar mixture until pale yellow.
  18. Whisk in orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla.
  19. Remove milk from heat.
  20. While whisking/mixing on low, very slowly pour heated milk into egg mixture. Mix slowly until combined.
  21. Pour mixture back into saucepan and place over medium heat.
  22. Heat and whisk continuously for 5 minutes, until custard has thickened to consistency of thick
    pudding.
  23. Once thick, remove from heat and whisk in butter.
  24. Pour custard into large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic wrap onto top of custard to prevent skin from forming.

    For the orange filling:
  25. Place 1 cup (250ml) water, orange juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to just below the boil.
  26. Whisk cornflour and ¼ cup (60ml) water in a bowl and add to orange juice mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes or until thickened.
  27. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then add butter, whisking to combine. Slowly pour into tart, over cold and set custard filling.
  28. Chill for 1 hour or until firm.
  29. Cut into wedges to serve.

Meringue – Basic

INGREDIENTS
• 3 egg whites (90g), at room temperature
• ¼ tsp ( 1.25 mL )cream of tartar
• ¼ cup ( 60 mL )granulated sugar
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METHOD

  1. Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer until frothy.
  2. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.
  3. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until sugar is dissolved and stiff, glossy peaks form.

Raspberry Pistachio Chiboust Tartlets

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I made a slightly larger version of these tartlets a couple of weeks ago. In that version, I combined crème patisserie and buttercream to make the filling. This time I combined the same crèmepat with Italian meringue to create a creme chiboust for a lighter filling. Unfortunately, it didn’t set as well. They looked great and tasted even better but the texture of the filling was off.

I see three options here: first go back to the buttercream version, or use less than the recommended Italian meringue in an attempt to keep the creme chiboust firmer OR use agar agar to set the crèmepat firmer. (I never use gelatin in baking.)

Stay tuned, I have 5 hours to make a decision. (That’s when the second 4th of July party begins.

Raspberry Pistachio Chiboust Tartlets

INGREDIENTS
Crust:
• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 tablespoon cold water
• 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream
• ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Crème Patisserie:
• 240 mL full-fat milk 1 c
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 25 g sugar ~ 2 generous Tbl
• 4 egg yolks from large eggs (save the egg whites from these eggs for the meringue)
• 30 g cornstarch – 4 Tbl
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 30 g butter 2 Tbl
• 3 tablespoon pistachio oil
• 1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
Italian meringue:
• 4 egg whites at room temperature
• 150 g white sugar – ¾ cup
• 80 g water – ⅓ cup
Garnish:
• fresh raspberries
• chopped white chocolate
• chopped pistachios

METHOD

Crème Patisserie

  1. Whisk eggs and milk together then add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly
  3. Cook until it slightly thickens (it will look lumpy, its ok)
  4. Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, and pistachio oil and green food coloring (if using) mix thoroughly
  5. When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the crème patisserie and cool about an hour.

    Crust
  6. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  7. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse sand.
  8. Make a well in the middle of the pastry and pour in the ice water and egg yolk {save the white for later}; work it in with your hands until no longer overly wet and sticky. If the dough is overly crumbly, add in the heavy cream a little at a time until the pastry is relatively pliable and no longer floury.
  9. Pat into a circle, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
  10. Lightly flour a clean work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out a large rectangle with the dough. Divide the dough evenly among 6 tartlet pans {you can also use one large tart pan}, pressing down the bottom and up the sides. Prick the bottoms with a fork, then top with a piece of foil. Fill the crust with pie weights or dry beans. Place in fridge for another 10 minutes.
  11. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  12. Bake tartlets for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, spoon 1-2 tablespoon of jam in the bottom of each and brush the sides of the crust with the reserved egg white. Bake for 10-12 more minutes, until lightly golden but not brown. Set aside to cool.

    Italian meringue
  13. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to come to a boil without stirring.
  14. In the meantime, add the egg whites to a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and mix (with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until foamy and the whites are almost able to hold soft peaks.
  15. Once the syrup is boiling, clip on a candy (or sugar) thermometer.
  16. Cook until the syrup reaches 116°C/240°F, then take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl with the foamy egg whites, mixing continuously. Don’t pour the syrup onto the whisk, or the syrup may splatter against the sides of the bowl (or into your face!). Instead, aim for a spot close to the whisk.
  17. Once all the syrup has been added, keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the meringue has cooled down to body temperature.

Assembly

  1. When ready to assemble, take the pastry cream from the fridge. Whisk until smooth and creamy, then add 1/3 of the meringue and fold gently. Add another 1/3 and again fold then add the remainder and gently fold until all the white meringue is incorporated.
  2. Pipe the cream evenly among the prepared tartlets, then refrigerate at least 2-3 hrs but optimally overnight.
  3. Just before serving, top tarts with raspberries, white chocolate, and pistachios. Serve chilled!

Raspberry/Pistachio Tartlet

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I saw a recipe for a raspberry/pistachio mini tart and my mind went “Boing!” It usurped everything else in Dede’s Upcoming list.

I made several modifications to the recipe. I used an alternate creme patisserie, alternate tart shell but used the same basic buttercream recipes. When I try these again (today was a test for an Independence Day party) I will try a pistachio creme chiboust. (It’s a bit lighter.)

Raspberry Pistachio Tartlets

INGREDIENTS
Pastry cream
• 2 egg yolk
• ¾ c cup whole milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ c sugar
• 4 Tbl cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbl butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon pistachio oil
• 1-2 drops green food coloring
Shell
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash
• ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Buttercream
• 4 tablespoon {½ stick} unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
Garnish
• fresh raspberries
• chopped white chocolate
• chopped pistachios

METHOD

  1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and egg yolks. (You can, so why not?)
  2. Add the salt, sugar and cornstarch then beat until smooth. (We use 2% milk so I add heavy cream to it.)
  3. Add the butter and heat while constantly whisking until it just starts to look lumpy
  4. Sieve into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
  5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  6. Mix butter with sugar
  7. Add salt then vanilla
  8. Add egg and mix until incorporated
  9. Stir in flour. Mix by hand like you are kneading bread until incorporated
  10. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  11. Butter tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
  12. Roll dough to about ⅛” thick
  13. Lay over tart mold and press into all crevices
  14. Roll top to cut off excess
  15. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  16. Fill tarts with pastry weights. For mini tartlet pans I put beans in a cupcake paper. For large pans use crumpled parchment paper filled with beans. Remove 5 minutes before the end of the bake. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the bottom is dry.
  17. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  18. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 15 min
  19. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.
  20. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter for the buttercream until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and cream, and mix until a fluffy frosting forms.
  21. When ready to assemble, grab the pastry cream from the fridge. Whisk until smooth and creamy, then add in the pistachio cream and mix until well incorporated and silky. Add in a drop of food coloring if desired.
  22. Gently fold the buttercream into the pistachio pastry cream.
  23. Pour ~1/8” of raspberry jam to cover the bottom of the tart shell
  24. Pipe the cream evenly among the prepared tartlets, smooth the top then refrigerate at least 2-3 hrs but optimally overnight.
  25. Just before serving, top tarts with raspberries, white chocolate, and pistachios. Serve chilled!

Sometimes You Just Want to Tart It Up

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We went to a luncheon with a group of friends today. As usual, we volunteered to bring a dessert. During yesterday’s golf game I discussed this with one of my golf companions. I was vacillating between raspberry and key lime tarts or tartlets.

On the 18th green she asked me if I made a decision. I told her the key lime. Of course, I could still change my mind as I wasn’t baking until this morning. Untimately, I made a single 8”x11” key lime tart with a gluten free shell, Italian meringue and lime zest topping.

There were several desserts on the table, but at the end of the meal there was no key lime tart remaining.

Key Lime Tarts and Tartlets

(Gluten Free suggestions at the end)

INGREDIENTS
SHELL
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 60 g icing sugar
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash.

FILLING (For the large tart, double the amount of filling.)
• zest (grated rind) of 1 lime
• 4 large egg yolks
• 14-ounce can (397g) sweetened condensed milk, (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup (170g) Key lime juice or lime juice
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lime oil, optional

METHOD

SHELL

  1. Mix butter with sugar until well incorporated 3-5 min
  2. Add salt then vanilla.
  3. Add egg and mix 3-5 min – for almond flour: suggest using only the egg white to reduce the moisture in the dough.
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated and forms a thick smooth(ish) sticky dough
  5. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  7. Butter or lightly spray tartlet pans or use non-stick pans. (I sprayed them then wiped with a paper towel.)
    For AP Flour
    a. Roll dough on floured surface
    b. Cut into circles 1” larger diameter than the mold
    c. Press into molds filling all parts of the mold
    For Kim’s Gluten Free Flour
    a. Roll dough between parchment paper to about ⅛” thick
    b. Freeze rolled dough still between parchment paper until firm: 20 – 30 minutes
    c. For tartlets:
    Cut frozen dough to rounds about 1” larger diameter than the mold. Cut all the rounds at once while still frozen. I used an offset spatula to remove the circles from the parchment paper. Keep the spatula clean.
    d. Lay tart dough circles over molds. This allows the dough to thaw slightly and be pressed into the molds and fill all crevices.
    e. For tarts:
    Refrigerate rolled dough and parchment paper on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
    f. Remove upper layer of parchment paper and gently lay the tart pan upside down on the cool rolled tart dough.
    g. Gently flip the cookie sheet, dough and tart pan
    h. Gently press the dough into the pan assuring there is adequate dough on all edges and corners. Pinch off excess with wet fingers. (Dough is sticky)
    i. Use excess scraps from the sides if necessary.
  8. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  9. Fill tarts with pastry weights (I put beans in mini cupcake papers or parchment paper.)
  10. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  11. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 8 min until edges are dry
  12. Remove pastry weights and bake an additional 4-6 minutes to dry the bottoms. Bake until the edges begin to turn light brown.
  13. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

FILLING

  1. Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, appearing similar to Hollandaise sauce.
  2. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker and gain a bit of volume.
  3. Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken again. Add lime oil to taste.
  4. PIPE the filling into the crust and return the tart (on the baking sheet) to the oven. Bake the tart for 12 to 18 minutes, until it appears set around the edges though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F on a digital thermometer.
  5. Remove the tart from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
  6. Once chilled, serve the key lime pies cold with whipped cream, or merengue and a lime slice or zest, if desired.
  7. Store leftover pies in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week. If they last that long!

ITALIAN MERINGUE

INGREDIENTS
• 80g (or 0.4 cup or 6.5 Tbl) granulated sugar
• 30ml (or 1/8 cup) water
• 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)
• 20 g icing sugar

METHOD

  1. Whisk the egg whites into a light and fluffy foam, using an electric (stand) mixer.
  2. Add the icing sugar and continue whipping until you’ve got a glossy stable foam. It should stay in place if you turn the bowl upside down. Set aside.
  3. Add the granulated sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil. Once all the sugar has dissolved, refrain from stirring. Continue boiling at moderate/high heat while continuously keeping an eye on the temperature.
  4. Once the solution has reached 121°C (250°F), take it from the heat immediately*.
  5. While SLOWLY beating the egg whites, gently pour the hot sugar solution into the whipped egg whites (this is where the stand mixer comes in handy!).
  6. Once all the sugar syrup is in, turn up the speed to high and continue whisking until the foam is lukewarm.
  7. Use the meringue immediately to top whatever it is you want to cover.

NOTES
Italian meringue can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge until needed (covered with plastic wrap). Store in a piping bag, sealing the tip.

Kim’s Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend

Yield: 700g (5 c)

285g Bob’s Red Mill potato starch
250g superfine white rice flour (DON’T use regular rice flour, ie Bob’s Red Mill)
75g Tapioca flour
75g Whey protein isolate or egg white protein.
15g Xanthan gum

Key Lime Tartlets Re-revisited

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I am making key lime tartlets for a Gala/fundraiser in a week and wanted to practice. It’s a good thing I did. The meringue never whipped to peaks. I binned the first attempt and made some minor changes to the second, which resulted in perfect, smooth, silky Italian meringue.

I used a kitchen blowtorch to brown the tops. The lime zest incorporated in the filling and lightly dusted on the top added the tartness to balance the meringue.

Key Lime Tartlets

Gluten Free suggestions at the end

INGREDIENTS
SHELL
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash (try egg white only for Almond flour.)

FILLING
• zest (grated rind) of 1 lime
• 4 large egg yolks
• 14-ounce can (397g) sweetened condensed milk, (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup (170g) Key lime juice or lime juice
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lime oil, optional
METHOD
SHELL

  1. Mix butter with sugar until well incorporated 3-5 min
  2. Add salt then vanilla
  3. Add egg and mix 3-5 min – for almond flour: suggest using only the egg white to reduce the moisture in the dough
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated and forms a thick smooth(ish) sticky dough
  5. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  7. Butter tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
    For AP Flour
    a. Roll dough on floured surface
    b. Cut into circles 1” larger diameter than the mold
    c. Press into molds filling all parts of the mold
    For Almond Flour
    a. Roll dough between parchment paper to about ⅛” thick
    b. Freeze rolled dough still between parchment paper until firm: 20 – 30 minutes
    c. Cut frozen dough to rounds about 1” larger diameter than the mold. Cut all the rounds at once while still frozen. I used an offset spatula to remove the circles from the parchment paper. Keep the spatula clean.
    d. Lay tart dough circles over molds. This allows the dough to thaw slightly and be pressed into the molds and fill all crevices.
  8. Pinch off excess with wet fingers. (Dough is sticky)
  9. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  10. Fill tarts with pastry weights (I put beans in mini cupcake papers
  11. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  12. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 6-8 min
  13. Remove pastry weights and bake an additional 4-6 minutes to dry the bottoms. Bake until the edges are begin to turn light brown
  14. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

FILLING

  1. Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, appearing similar to Hollandaise sauce.
  2. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker and gain a bit of volume.
  3. Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken again. Add lime oil to taste.
  4. PIPE the filling into the crust and return the tart (on the baking sheet) to the oven. Bake the tart for 12 to 18 minutes, until it appears set around the edges though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F on a digital thermometer.
  5. Remove the tart from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
  6. Once chilled, serve the key lime pies cold with whipped cream, or merengue and a lime slice or zest, if desired.
  7. Store leftover pies in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week. If they last that long!

Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Up to 1 day in advance, you can prepare the crust ingredients and the filling ingredients separately. Store each covered tightly in the refrigerator until ready to assemble and bake. You can bake the key lime pies and store in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving. Key lime pies freeze well, up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Gluten Free:
Substitute Almond flour for AP flour or 1:1 Almond and coconut flours
Add 1 Tbl psyllium husk per cup of almond flour.

ITALIAN MERINGUE

INGREDIENTS
• 80g (or 0.4 cup or 6.5 Tbl) granulated sugar
• 30ml (or 1/8 cup) water
• 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)
• 20 g icing sugar

METHOD

  1. Whisk the egg whites into a light and fluffy foam, using an electric (stand) mixer.
  2. Add the icing sugar and continue whipping until you’ve got a glossy stable foam. It should stay in place if you turn the bowl upside down. Set aside.
  3. Add the granulated sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil. Once all the sugar has dissolved, refrain from stirring. Continue boiling at moderate/high heat while continuously keeping an eye on the temperature.
  4. Once the solution has reached 121°C (250°F), take it from the heat immediately*.
  5. While SLOWLY beating the egg whites, gently pour the hot sugar solution into the whipped egg whites (this is where the stand mixer comes in handy!).
  6. Once all the sugar syrup is in, turn up the speed to high and continue whisking until the foam is lukewarm.
  7. Use the meringue immediately to top whatever it is you want to cover.

NOTES
Italian meringue can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge until needed (covered with plastic wrap). Store in a piping bag, sealing the tip,

Key Lime Day

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Today should be the last of a long line of rainy days. At least I hope so. I have two days of golf this week, something that hasn’t happened since December.

To celebrate the sun I decided to make some Key Lime Tartlets. I guessed how much tart dough I would need, and was pretty close.

I used all the prepared tart pans that I had and missed by two! Not bad.

I also guessed how much key lime filling would be required and missed it by a country mile. (Which makes me wonder, is a country mile longer that a city or suburb mile?)

If you know (or follow me) you know I am not one to throw away anything, so I made two 6” graham cracker pie crusts to use the excellent left over filling

Once the tart dough rested 30 minutes in the fridge I rolled it, and used a cookie cutter to cut circles about the diameter of each tart pan, plus twice the height. Once pressed into the pan I docked the bottoms with a knife then lined them with parchment paper. It’s easier to line them if you crumple the paper first.

I should have applied the egg was before filling the paper lined cups with beans. I had to unload, egg wash, and replace the paper and beans. Live and learn.

I used Italian merengue to counter the tartness of the key lime. I also added some lime zest to counter the sweetness of the merengue… a never ending wormhole.

The filling was sharp, the shell sweet and melt-in-your-mouth, and the merengue perfect. What more could you ask for?

Key Lime Tartlets

INGREDIENTS

SHELL
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 egg – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash

FILLING
• zest (grated rind) of 1 lime
• 4 large egg yolks
• 14-ounce can (397g) sweetened condensed milk, (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup (170g) Key lime juice or lime juice
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lime oil, optional

METHOD

SHELL

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix butter with sugar
  3. Add salt then vanilla
  4. Add egg
  5. Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated
  6. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  7. Butter tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
  8. Roll dough to about ⅛” thick
  9. Lay over tart mold and press into all crevices
  10. Roll top to cut off excess
  11. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  12. Fill tarts with pastry weights (I put beans in a cupcake paper and remove 5 minutes before the end of the bake.)
  13. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  14. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 15 min
  15. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

FILLING

  1. Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, appearing similar to Hollandaise sauce.
  2. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker and gain a bit of volume.
  3. Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken again. Add lime oil to taste.
  4. Pour the filling into the crust and return the tart (on the baking sheet) to the oven. Bake the tart for 18 to 22 minutes, until it appears set around the edges though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F on a digital thermometer.
  5. Remove the tart from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
  6. Once chilled, serve the key lime pies cold with whipped cream and a lime slice if desired. Store leftover pies in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week. If they last that long!

Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Up to 1 day in advance, you can prepare the crust ingredients and the filling ingredients separately. Store each covered tightly in the refrigerator until ready to assemble and bake. Likewise, as noted in set 4, you can bake the key lime pies and store in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving. Key lime pies freeze well, up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

ITALIAN MERINGUE

INGREDIENTS
• 150g (or ¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 60ml (or ¼ cup) water
• 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)

METHOD

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar has
    dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to come to a boil.
  2. In the meantime, add the egg whites to a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and mix (with a mixer fitted with the
    whisk attachment) until foamy and the whites are almost able to hold soft peaks.
  3. Once the syrup is boiling, clip on a candy (or sugar) thermometer.
  4. Cook until the syrup reaches 116°C/240°F, then take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into
    the bowl with the foamy egg whites, mixing continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Don’t pour the
    syrup onto the whisk, or the syrup may splatter against the sides of the bowl (or into your face!). Instead, aim
    for a spot close to the whisk.
  5. Once all the syrup has been added, keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the
    meringue has cooled down to body temperature.
  6. Use immediately or keep in the fridge (covered) until ready to use. It’s a very stable meringue, so it won’t start
    weeping, leaking or collapsing.

    NOTES
    Italian meringue can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge until needed (covered with plastic wrap).

Fruit Braided Tarts

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Ok, so I made fruit tarts in braided tart shells. Should the title be Braided Tarts with Fruit, or Fruit Braided Tarts, or Braided Fruit Tarts? Reminds me of Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

Did I fail to mention I had some frozen choux pastry, and as creme diplomat is made with creme patisserie which when piped inside choux and coated with chocolate makes profiteroles and as long as the oven was hot, decided to add some frozen chocolate chip cookies to conserve energy?

QC had the day off and was out with some friends, leaving me home alone, heh, heh, heh. What to do, oh what to do?

There were braided tart shells in the freezer and I recently bought a kiwi and picked an orange from my neighbor’s tree. I promised a couple of friends I would make them some fruit tarts when everything came together and yesterday all the stars aligned.

First freshen the frozen tart shells (notice the braided sides) in the over at 400F for 5-8 minutes, then an additional 5 minutes at 320F.

Peel and cut the kiwi into thin slices and slice the orange and strawberries.

Make the Crème Diplomat and pipe into the cool shells, add the fruit in your best imitation of a pretty pattern. Sprinkle a few blueberries around the other fruit for color.

Serve as soon as possible as the Crème Diplomat will deflate fairly quickly.

A good, quiet “me” day.

Crème Diplomat

INGREDIENTS
• ½c sugar
• ¼c corn starch
• Pinch salt
• 2 c whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 Tbl butter
• 2 cups heavy cream, cold

METHOD

  1. Whisk eggs and milk together and add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring to boil whisking constantly
  3. Cook until thickened (it will look lumpy, its ok)
  4. Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add 1 tsp vanilla, mix thoroughly
  5. When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the cream and cool about an hour.
  6. Whip the cold heavy cream to medium peaks.
  7. Fold a few spoonfuls of the custard into the cream. Gradually add the rest of the custard, being careful to not knock the air out.

Notes

  1. You can make the custard or creme patisserie ahead of time, it will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. However, I would not add the whipped cream until you were ready to serve it. It is best served immediately.
  2. Mix crème patisserie 1::1 with whipped cream if making crème patisserie in advance,