Fruit Tart

I'm in love with fruit tarts. Have I mentioned this before? Everytime we go to the grocery store I always have to resist getting one (you know, one of those little individual size ones). Half the time I can hold back, but the other half I usually just give in and get one. I've been waiting to make this recipe for a while now thinking I would need to wait until I had a group gathering to take this to.. but me and Matt finished over half of it in one sitting..as you can see in the picture. To me, the crust is the star of this. It tastes a little like a sugar cookie and is nice and sturdy, but not hard. I know i'll be making this one again!

Fruit Tart
Baking Illustrated via. Annie's Eats


Ingredients:
For the tart dough:
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the pastry cream:
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp. cornstarch
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:
(whatever fruit you prefer, really)
2 large kiwis, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
6-9 oz. raspberries
1/2-1 cup blueberries
Apple jelly, for glazing

Directions:
To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edge, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To assemble the tart, spread the cold pastry cream evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the fruit on top of the pastry cream as desired. Heat the jelly in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, just until slightly melted and easy to stir. Using a pastry brush, paint a light layer of jelly over the fresh fruit. Serve.

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Matt's favorite kind of pie is banana cream. I'm not a big banana person..but I got so excited when I saw this, especially since I needed something to take to a potluck. Banana cream meets chocolate cream..best of both worlds! This pie is exactely how I thought it would turn out. It was so good! Like a chocolate covered banana. First there's a layer of the cream, then bananas, then chocolate cream and topped with whipped cream. I wish you could see the layers better. They say the first slice is the worst though, but since I was taking this somewhere..I couldn't really cut out any more slices. Who takes a pie somewhere with some if it missing? I do. With all my hard work you bet im gonna make sure and try it!
The pie itself was easy, but the crust took some time. I've never made a pie crust before (aside from a graham cracker one.- and hence the shabbiness of it). It was a little time consuming, but I made it the night before so it didn't seem like such a labor of love doing everything at once. I actually enjoyed the process of making the crust, I thought it was kinda fun. However I might get lazy next time and just try a frozen one.

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Love and Olive Oil

Makes 1 9 inch pie

Ingredients:

For Pie Crust:

1 cup plain all purpose flour

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

For Filling:

3/4 cups sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole milk

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 medium bananas, sliced
1 cup heavy cream3 tablespoons sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate curls/shavings for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Prepare pie crust according to the technique outlined here adding in cocoa powder and sugar. Roll out and gently press into a 9" pie pan. Place pan and crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes prior to baking (or while your oven is preheating).

Line crust with foil or parchment paper and fill full with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove weights and lining. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until set. Allow to cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt. Stir in 1 cup of milk, mix until smooth, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Beat the egg yolks with the remaining cup of milk. Temper the egg mixture with a small amount of the slightly cooled milk mixture then blend this into the larger saucepan with the cooling milk mixture.

Return saucepan to the heat and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly, lower heat and simmer until mixture is the consistency of thick pudding, about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and quickly stir in butter and vanilla. Transfer half of the filling mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Add chocolate chips to remaining filling and stir until melted and smooth.

Allow fillings to cool for 5 minutes, then pour plain filling into cooled pie shell. Arrange a single layer of banana slices on top of the filling. Pour chocolate filling on top. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Gently spread whipped cream on top of cooled filling, smoothing top into a slight dome. Garnish with chocolate shavings or curls if desired.

*Linked up to Sweets For A Saturday

Snickers Mini Tarts

These look like more work than they actually are. They come together quickly are a cute little treat. Overall they don't really taste like a snickers (still really good, though!). I think the peanut butter in the filling threw it off for me. The center is creamy and tastes almost like a cheesecake in a pie crust with snickers on it. You could also easily swap out the snickers for another candy bar, like twix. I didn't have any milk chocolate chips for the ganache so I melted Hershey Kisses I had instead. The bottom of a cup works well for cutting the dough into circles. Be sure to press the dough against the walls and bottom of the muffin cups so air doesn't get under and create a big air pocket. So speaking of Hershey, kind of... a couple years ago I discovered online the Scharffen Berger factory in Berkeley and wanted to go take a tour. Of course I never got around to it. Then just a couple of weeks ago I remembered and decided to look into it again and actually go. Only to discover it's been closed down! Hershey bought the factory a few years back and in 2009 announced it's closure. Also, another chocolate company I wanted to check out, Charles Chocolates, which was also in Berkeley, recently closed down as well! They moved their factory to SF but due to the small space they don't do tours. I was just a little bummed about that.. On to the recipe!
Snickers Mini Tarts
recipe girl

CRUST:15 ounce box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

FILLING:

2½ regular-sized Snicker’s Bars

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 Tbs + 2 tsp. granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 Tbs sour cream

2 Tbs creamy peanut butter

Topping:

2 Tbs whipping cream

½ cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Unroll pie crusts on work surface. With rolling pin, roll each crust lightly into 12-inch round. With 3-inch round cutter, cut 24 rounds from crusts, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Press 1 pie crust round in bottom and up side in each of 24 ungreased mini muffin cups, so edges of crusts extend slightly above sides of cups. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until very light golden brown; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
2. Cut candy bars in half lengthwise; cut into 1/8-inch pieces; chop coarsely. Place candy bar pieces in bottoms of cooled crust-lined cups, reserving some for garnish.
3. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in egg until well balanced. Add sour cream and peanut butter, beating until mixture is smooth. Spoon 2 teaspoons cream cheese mixture over candy bar pieces in each tart. Bake at 325°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely (about 30 minutes).
4. In pyrex measuring cup, place whipping cream. Heat in microwave until bubbling. Remove and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. If necessary, return to microwave for 30 seconds until hot enough to melt. DON’T OVERHEAT.
5. Place a dollop of chocolate ganache on top of each tart. Garnish with pieces of Snicker’s Bar. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before serving. Keep any unused tarts refrigerated.
Servings: 24

Poptarts

I don't remember the last time I had a poptart, it's been a while. I've seen recipes for homemade poptarts around the internet and decided to give em a try, especiaaly since they had such good comments and ratings. These don't really taste like poptarts though (that could be good or bad depending on your feelings for them). I kinda like poptarts, even though I never really eat them. The crust on these tasted just like the hand pies crust. One major thing I noticed though is poptarts have a frosting/glaze on them, these did not. I'm sure you could easily find or make one if you desire to though. They were fun to try and I made a few variations including strawberry jam, chocolate (using mini chocolate chips), a smore's (mini choc. chips, marshmallow creme and graham cracker crumbs) and brown sugar. However I don't think this is a keeper for me. If I want poptarts, I'll buy them. If I want a good pastry/dessert i'll make something else. I'm usually up for trying a recipe atleast once though. However, Matt really like them and when I told him what I thought he said, "What? you're crazy! These are as good, if not better than poptarts!" He really liked them and wanted to make sure I put that in here.
Poptarts
King Arthur Flour

(I do realize they're not very attractive, I guess I need some work with my pastries as my hand pies were pretty homely looking also)

Pastry:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup (3 ¾ ounces) brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
4 teaspoons Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

Variation: Instead of brown sugar and cinnamon, fill the tarts with a tablespoonful of chocolate chips/Nutella.

Or with jam filling: 3/4 cup (8 ounces) raspberry jam, 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

To make the jam filling, mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.

Make the dough:

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible. Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive.

Divide the dough in half; each half will weigh about 10 ounces. Shape each half into a rough 3" x 5" rectangle, smoothing the edges. Roll out immediately; or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Make the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

Assemble the tarts: If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9" x 12". Laying a 9" x 13" pan atop the dough will give you an idea if you’ve rolled it large enough. Trim off the edges; place the scraps on a baking sheet, and set them aside, along with the 9" x 12" rectangle of dough. Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first. Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you’ve just rolled, to gently score it in thirds lengthwise and widthwise; you’ll see nine 3" x 4" rectangles. Beat the egg, and brush it over the entire surface of the dough.

Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each marked rectangle. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make nine tarts. Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork, to seal again. Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries.

Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Remove the tarts from the fridge, and bake them for 25 to 35 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.

Yield: 9 tarts.
Notes: You can sprinkle the dough trimmings with cinnamon-sugar to make a wonderful snack. While the tarts are chilling, bake these trimmings for 13 to 15 minutes, till they’re golden brown.

You can also make a whole wheat variation by sub. 1/2 or all of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour.

Or you can make savory tarts by adding cheese, egg or whatever else you think sounds good as a filling.

Strawberry Hand Pies

Remember those little packaged pies that came in like every flavor..cherry, lemon, chocolate..well here's a homemade version. I've seen these things on several blogs. It's funny how most of the same food pops up on like every blog.. Anyway, I used the recipe from Annie's Eats. These turned out really good. A little more work than a regular pie I think since you do these individually, even though they were super easy and pretty quicker than I thought. But a lot cuter than a regular pie since they're handheld. Mine didn't turn out as visually appealing as they could have since I was trying to put as much filling as I could fit in them and then they didn't seal as nicely..didn't want to waste any. Even though I still had a little bit of filling left over. You could also fill these with whatever you want (blueberries, raspberries, etc.).

I made a half batch and ended up with 6 pies.

Strawberry Hand Pies

Ingredients:
For the pie dough:
½ tsp. vanilla extract
6-8 tbsp. cold buttermilk
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter, cut into ¼” pieces
powdered sugar, for dusting

For the filling:
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

For finishing:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:
To make the pie dough, in a small bowl, combine vanilla and buttermilk. Stir to combine and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Add in butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal and pieces are less than pea sized. Add buttermilk mixture and stir until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a powdered sugar-covered surface and shape into a flat disk. Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
In a medium bowl combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside. Meanwhile, place the pie dough onto a powdered sugar-covered surface. Cut the disk into 12 equal sized pieces. Gently form each section into a small disk. Roll out disks into 6-inch circles, about 1/8” thick.
Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (Do not use wax paper, they will stick to the pies!) Place a dough round onto a prepared baking sheet. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the strawberry mixture into the center. Using a pastry brush, brush the edge of half of the dough round with the beaten egg. Fold the dry edge onto the egg-brushed edge forming a semi-circle shape. Press the edges together to seal with the tines of a fork. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds and strawberry filling. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar, if using. Use a small knife to make a 1-inch slit in the top of each pie to allow the steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven until the tops begin to turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 7-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely