Cranberry and Baked Brie Tartlets

These tartlets are the round ones with the red in the center. I made my own signature puff pastry dough, cut out small circles from the dough, and baked them. I also made my own simple cranberry chutney for the filling. Then I cut the pastries in half horizontally, filled them with some cranberry chutney, topped with brie cheese and baked them again until the cheese melted and the tarts were warm.

• Puff pastry circles
• cranberry orange chutney
• sliced of double cream brie cheese

Cheddar and Garlic Scape Tartlets

Homemade puff pastry tartlet
Garlic scape pesto
Locally made cheddar cheese
Roasted sweet cherry tomato
Balsamic drizzle
Fresh basil

Slice the tart in half horizontally. Spread the inside with garlic scape pesto.
Top with the cheese, Toast in the oven.
Top with another dollop of pesto.
To roast the tomatoes, toss in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast just until skin is blistered.
Top the tart with a cherry tomato, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and top with a basil leaf.

Tart Dough

This tart dough I used for my apple tart. It isn't a flaky pie dough, nor a buttery shortbread crust, not a sweet sugar cookie dough. Is is somewhere in the middle of all three. It is easy to make and not so finicky as typical pie doughs. I prefer it to be rolled thick, but this recipe can also be rolled more thinly into two pie bases.

Tart Dough

125 grams unsalted butter, softened

60 grams granulated (white) sugar

1 large egg

250 grams all-purpose (plain) flour

Cream butter and sugar together well until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour. Roll into pie or tartlet crusts.

Bake at 350◦F for 10-20 minutes depending on size and thickness.

To avoid inflating, the crust may be weighed down with pie weights, but uncovered for the last five minutes of baking.

Bake slightly longer if the filling does not need to be baked.

Caramel Apple Oat Frangipane Tart

Caramel Apple Oat Frangipane Tart
one freshly baked nine inch pie crust
one can or jar dulce de leche
6 medium cooking apples, peeled and cut into eighths
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
one recipe oatmeal frangipane (see tomorrow's post)

Preheat oven to 320◦F.
Spread the dulce de leche over the crust bottom.
Place the apples, sugar, water and cinnamon in a wide pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until apples are just beginning to soften. They will continue to cook in the oven. Drain well.

Arrange the apples over the dulce de leche.
Spread with oatmeal frangipane.

Bake for about 40 minutes until frangipane is golden and set and a toothpick inserted in the frangipane comes out clean.

Serve hot, warm, cooled, or even cold. If reheated, the oven is much better used than the microwave.

Quick Apple Tarts For Two

The inspiration for this treat just came along one day while trying a rum. Though there was nothing wrong with the rum, it wasn't all that pleasant to drink straight. The flavor did, however; spark my imagination as to all the great thing sit could pear with. I found an apple in the fridge, cinnamon and almonds in the cupboard, and went to work. Rum in an apple tart with rum caramel sauce? One of the best ways to 'drink' some rum!

Quick Apple Tarts For Two
1/2 cup almonds
1 Tablespoon syrup (honey, maple, agave)
1 green apple, thinly sliced (I left the peel on)
rum of choice
ground cinnamon
rum caramel sauce (recipe to follow tomorrow)

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Grind the almonds in a small food processor. Add the syrup until it forms into a clump. Press this mixture into the bottom of two mini casserole dishes or ramekins. Bake while preparing the topping (until the crust is golden and firm).
Meanwhile, saute the apples in enough rum to cover, add cinnamon and cook until apples are just softened and some rum has evaporated. Arrange the apple slices artistically over the crust.
Drizzle with rum caramel sauce all over and serve immediately! 

Wild Berry Tarts

A stunning, colorful, individual-sized  wild berry tartlet featuring four juicy berry flavors, lemon, coconut, cream, and almonds!

This is a fruit tart I made as my first creation and my first lunch for the New Year. My boyfriend has been hinting at me for awhile about fruit tarts with lots of berries, and I was excited to finally make one. I will definitely make another version in the summer time when fresh berries are in season, but considering I used frozen berries, this fruit tart turned out pretty darn good. Despite being composed of 0% chocolate and 100% vegan ingredients. It's also chock-full of fruit and nuts, no-bake, gluten-free, and dare I say, healthy?

Components
CRUST (almond cookie crust)
FILLING (lemon coconut cream filling)
TOPPING (four berry compote)
GARNISH (berries)
GLAZE (maple syrup)

Procedure
Prepare the crust and press into two four inch tart pans or miniature aluminum pie plates. Freeze to firm up while preparing filling.

Prepare the filling and pour over the crusts. You can now refrigerate this until firm or freeze it so it firms up within hours. I recommend freezing, especially if you just made the crust, because if the crust is not fully set, it will become too soft in the fridge. Freezing for longer does not seem to affect the texture of the coconut milk in the cream filling.

Prepare the berry compote. Ideally cool the compote completely and chill it first, but if you are short on time like me, you can spoon it straight over the partially set cream filling and smooth it out as best as possible. It may make the filling melt a little, but it will be fine once you pop it back in the freezer. Alternately, chill it in the fridge.

Take the pretty whole berries set aside from the compote and arrange them artistically on the tarts. You want to keep the berries frozen until ready to use because they are too soft to work with (without smushing them) when thawed. However, you don't want to serve a tart with frozen berries, so keep in mind this must be done a little before serving time to allow them to thaw. The tarts can also be placed back in the freezer after topping with the berries if they are being held longer.

Heat a little maple syrup in the microwave for thirty seconds or so and brush over the fruit on top to make it shine. The tarts can be frozen again if you want to hold them, held in the refrigerator briefly, or if you plan to serve them very soon, left at room temperature to warm up a bit before eating. If frozen for more than a few hours, gently place in a container or cover with plastic wrap.

Serving
Gently unmold the tarts from the pans and place on plates. I find this is really easy if you line the tart pans with plastic wrap before filling with the crust mixture - then the tarts simply lift straight out! You can add other garnishes such as lemon wedges, toasted coconut, chocolate sauce, or (coconut) whipped cream, but I like to let these fruit tarts shine on their own.

Planning these ahead and serving them can be slightly tricky. The crust can be made as far in advance as you wish, as long as you have your dates soaked - so I recommend doing this at least the day before to ensure a less soggy crust.

The coconut custard firms up much better in the freezer and causes the crust to become a bit soggy if left for too long at lower temperatures.

The berries place don top of the tart should be done as closely to serving as possible, still allowing enough time for them to thaw out, though I did have success with freezing the tart like this as well.

Glaze the berries last minute for optimum shine.

Ideally thaw frozen tarts only 6-14 hours before serving, and allow to come to room temperature to serve. Do not freeze for longer than a few days, and do not leave at room temperature. This will ensure optimum flavors and textures.

Nutella Inspired Tarts

Yesterday I featured Nutella Inspired Truffles. Today I am featuring Nutella Inspired Tarts. This creation is based off yesterday's recipe: both use the same primary ingredients and have the same flavors, but neither of them actually uses Nutella - just chocolate and hazelnuts used to recreate the beloved flavor. Actually, I suppose I featured these posts in the wrong order, as the original recipe was meant as a pie or tart crust, and I formed some truffles with the leftover mixture. Either way, the base recipe is featured in yesterday's post. Here is the process I used for making these tarts.

I used miniature aluminium pie plates and pressed the crust mixture into them in a layer thick enough to cover the pan. Then I stuck them in the freezer until firm. Once firm, I gently removed them from the pie plates. In hindsight, although this may allow for a prettier presentation, it was not the best idea for transporting and serving the tarts. Since the crust mixture is not baked, it falls apart easily when handled too much or warmed to room temperature, so the tarts would have held together much better if I had left them in the pan.

Making the best of things, I placed them on a plate and did not move them until it was time to eat. The filling is a chocolate cream cheese mixture. I then used cranberries to form a heart on each tart, and garnished with some meringue icing I had (as I prefer it to whipped cream based on flavor), as well as some strawberry slivers. 

This makes nice individual tarts where you can vary flavors to suit your tastes (see yesterday's truffle post) and create unique designs. Alternately you could make one large pie, but I like the elegance of individual servings. 

Buttertart Bars

Rich, sweet, buttery buttertarts are great all year round, but they seem to be especially popular around holiday times. Though buttertarts are not particularly difficult to make, the forming of each individual tartlet can be tedious and time-consuming. These bars are a great way to get all of the flavor of buttertarts in a convenient, handheld bar. The crust is a rich and buttery shortbread crust instead of the typical pie crust, which I think pairs even better with the filling.

Buttertart Bars
CRUST
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
FILLING
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup golden corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch pan.
CRUST: Crumble all ingredients together well. Press evenly and firmly into prepared pan.
FILLING: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. beat in the corn syrup and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Sprinkle the raisins evenly over the baked crust. Pour the filling over top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until almost set. Cool until set before cutting.

Old-Fashioned Pear Dessert

The final post in my pear entries, and definitely my favorite (although my sweet tooth may bias things a little) - dessert: old-fashioned pear dessert to be precise. Really it's a pear tart with a nice crumble on top. This dessert consists of a rich, buttery tart shell, piled high with fresh sliced pears, drizzled with a sweet, thick caramel sauce, and topped with a buttery, sugary crumble containing a few chopped, toasted nuts for added texture and flavor. I bet a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream would go lovely on a hot slice, but it isn't necessary. This tart is good cold as well, perhaps even for breakfast. We made a double recipe, which made three large tarts. Here is the step-by-step process:

1. 1. Make the tart shell crust and line three greased and floured tart pans. Parbake the crusts for about ten minutes.
2. 2. Meanwhile, peel and slice the pears and combine with a little cornstarch.
   
3. Make the caramel filling.
   
4. Make the crumble topping.
5. Divide the pears evenly among the hot crusts.
6. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
7. Top with crumble.
   
8. 8. Bake again until golden, hot, and bubbly. 
9. 9. Allow to cool for a few minutes to set up if you can stand it, then dive in!
   

Valentine's Strawberry Truffle Tart

Well, here is my great Valentine's Day dessert this year! I seem to have a theme going for Valentine desserts: lots of chocolate, strawberries, and heart-shaped. Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? Here I have a chocolate truffle tart with fresh sliced strawberries, chocolate heart truffles, whole strawberries, and chocolate filigree hearts. Now this may sound tedious and like a lot of work, but it really isn't. This recipe is composed of several simple and quick aspects, but put them together and you get a really special, impressive-looking, chocolaty Valentine dessert. I began with a chocolate crumb crust for the tart, in an 8x8 inch pan. I lined this with sliced strawberries. Then I put the chocolate truffle filling over top and refrigerated it until firm. I then cut the tart out into heart shapes. I choose a few whole strawberries for garnish. I also whipped up a quick batch of my chocolate truffles, and shaped them into hearts to go alongside the tart. With some extra melted chocolate, I made some chocolate filigree hearts to add a little to the design and heart theme. Simple. Put them all together and voila! you've got a stunning sweet dessert.
I can feature some of the other aspects of my dessert later this week, or maybe even next week, or maybe sometime later if I find this Valentine's theme is dragging on a bit too long, as these aren't necessarily Valentine-oriented treats.

Dark Chocolate Tartlets

Well, here is the finished product: cream cheese tartlets with dark chocolate filling and vanilla buttercream topping. These were quite easy and quick to make, and look very cute. They are the perfect bite-sized treat. I simply placed a spoonful of some dark chocolate ganache in each tart, and used a star tip to pipe some of my classic buttercream icing on top. Sweet and simple. The flavors of the chocolate filling and vanilla buttercream complement each other perfectly, and the cream cheese shell provides a sturdy holder and nice balance of flavors and textures. You can see some of the chocolate filling peeking out from the buttercream covering in some of the tartlets.

Cream Cheese Tartlet Shells

Here is a super simple, quick, and yummy recipe for easy and versatile tartlet shells. They are a good base for many different tarts, sweet or savory. If you are using them for a slightly sweet but not decadent filling, add a little sugar to the dough. If you are using them for a savory filling, add a little salt. These tartlet shells can be filled before or after baking, depending on your filling. Keep in mind that they puff up a little during baking, so if you fill them before baking, be very modest with your amount of filling. Otherwise, you may end up with a mess on the oven floor. These are easy to make, and miniature muffin cups are the perfect size to bake them in, as long as you don't want them to deep. They are minis - so a lot of filling is not required. I am baking them today to have them ready to fill. I will display the finished product tomorrow.

Cream Cheese Tartlet Shells
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white all-purpose flour
1-3 Tablespoons sugar, if desired
1 teaspoon salt, for savory fillings

Blend the cream cheese and the butter together until smooth. Add the flour and sugar or salt, and blend. Shape dough into a ball and press into a flattened disk. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 325◦F. Shape the dough into 24 1-inch balls, press thinly into ungreased miniature muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. These are very easy to remove within minutes of baking, just when cool enough to handle. Don't try to cool them in the muffin tin.