Cranberry Crackle Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie - Baking Chez Moi

Cranberry Crackle Tart

This tart is the reason I love Tuesdays with Dorie.

It has meringue.

You might think I'm excited about the recipe because I love meringue.

But it's quite the opposite. I hate meringue. (It's this sweet, sticky cloud that gets in the way of the lemon filling in a lemon meringue pie). And that's why this group is awesomesauce.

Tuesdays with Dorie makes you bake things outside your taste and comfort zone. If you know me, you know my comfort zone is Bundt cakes, scones, muffins, and Jello. Never, ever meringue. But since this is Recipe #2 of Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking Chez Moi edition, it was time to settle in and get those eggs to room temperature to whisk, whisk, whisk!

By the way, I'm so excited to see so many friendly faces from the first round of Tuesdays with Dorie!! This is a fun baker's reunion! And I'm looking forward to meeting the new faces too! :)

First, you make sweet tart dough and put it into the tart shell or pie tin. Um, I seem to have moved my rolling pin someplace very very safe and secret...and can't seem to find it. So, garbanzo beans to the rescue! Yes, I was even too lazy to get out the step stool to grab the bottle of vodka on the top shelf of the cabinet!

Dorie reveals her new technique - that I LOVE. Instead of making the dough, forming into a disc and chilling it for a couple hours, THEN rolling it out (which is a pain because it is hard and cold).... Dorie now makes the dough, forms it into a disc and rolls it out between sheets of parchment paper while still soft! Brilliant! She does chill the dough in the pie or tart shell before baking or using it.

I made a 4" tart and a few mini tarts (I used 1/2 a recipe of sweet tart dough). I did make a two egg white meringue and tossed some of it because I know it is difficult to whip up just one egg white - at least two eggs work better.

A layer of jam is placed at the bottom of the shell and the meringue with cranberries it layered on top.

My tart shells got a little too brown, but they were tasty!


The tart bakes at 300 degrees for an hour (mine baked for less time because they were smaller).

I'm not sure if this is how the meringue is supposed to turn out. The crackle top was tasty, but, as I said before, not a fan of the meringue so I didn't care for the eggy middle. I did enjoy the added cranberries - that was a tart treat amid all that meringue.

The mini minis had very little eggy meringue inside and were mostly crackle crunch (so I liked them best!).

We aren't publishing the recipes on Tuesdays with Dorie...but this recipe happens to be online at The Splendid Table and on Dorie's website.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and their creations here!

Happy Thanksgiving! - mary the food librarian

Mini Fruit Tartlets with Mascarpone Filling

Mini Fruit Tartlets with Mascarpone Filling

Okay, I'm writing this post during commercials while watching the Olympics. I'm one of those crazy Olympic watchers that walks into work completely sleep deprived everyday for 17 days. I love the Olympics!

I made these mini fruit tarts for the wedding buffet earlier this month. Originally, I planned to fill them with lemon curd, but the curd didn't firm up enough for my liking (don't worry, we just ate the lemon curd later) so I improvised and made a mascarpone cream filling and topped it with fruit. I think that was even better! I'm going to make that from now on.

 

The tart dough is from Sweet Miniatures: The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts by Flo Baker. This is a wonderful book with so many great ideas and hints for making small desserts. I picked up these mini tart tins at Sur la Table years ago....I haven't seen them since though. I think these from Amazon are pretty close. 

   

Miniature Tartlet Pastry

From: Sweet Miniatures: The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts

Makes 8 dozen round fluted miniature tartlet shells, 1 1/2 inch diameter

2 1/2 cups (350 grams) unsifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (65 grams) sugar
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flo Baker has excellent instructions in her book...be sure to pick it up for full directions and hints.

1. Put flour, salt, sugar in food processor. Pulse a couple times to blend. Scatter butter slices on top, and pulse in one second intervals until mixture is like cornmeal.
2. Whisk egg and vanilla together. With motor on, pour egg mixture into tube. Process until it forms a ball (doesn't take very long!). Remove and press together until smooth.
3. Pinch about 1 teaspoon of dough (depends on the size of your tart shell) and roll into a ball. Drop into the tin, and press into tin. As Flo suggests, I pinch off the dough and roll all the balls, then press all the dough into the tins. I highly suggest watching TV while doing this as it is very assembly line.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Cool on rack. Gently squeeze them out of tins.

Flo says you keep unfilled shells in an airtight container for up to a 1 week. I prepped all the tins and froze them (with dough in the shell). The day before the wedding, I baked them from the frozen state...just added a few minutes to the baking time.

Mascarpone Cream Filling
8 ounce tub of mascarpone cream (I used one from Trader Joe's)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, chilled

In a mixer with whisk attachment, whisk together the mascarpone cream and sugar until blended. Add the heavy cream and whisk together until desired consistency. It will be stiff. I used an off-set spatula to fill my little tartlet shells. Next time, I think I might put it into a piping bag and pipe the filling.

Assembly
Fill tart shell with mascarone cream filling.
Top with fresh fruit. I didn't use a glaze - just put strawberries and blueberries on top. If you want to use a glaze, heat some red currant jelly or strained apricot jam, and brush on top of the fruit.

Fresh Fig Tart on Puff Pastry (You want pies with that?)

For this month's You Want Pies With That? Challenge, Jenn of Piccante Dolce chosen theme is: Summer Vacation.

As a kid, we didn't go away much but I do remember visiting with cousins and grandma on our summer break. One of the relatives had a tree and would bring figs. Oh, the love affair begins. I love figs and I would take a plate of figs over a box of chocolate.

Fresh figs.
Puff Pastry.
Butter and sugar.
Yum Summer Fun.

I used Pepperidge Farms Farms Puff Pastry. This is my first time using it as Trader Joe's doesn't carry their butter puff pastry now (it might be a seasonal item). Um, maybe I'm reading the label wrong, but this PF stuff has NO BUTTER. I didn't know you could make puff pastry without butter. Anyway, I cut this palm oil puff pastry into a few circles and squares, sprinkled on some sugar, and placed the fresh figs atop. I sprinkled the figs with a tiny bit of butter (it needs to come from someplace!) and some brown sugar.

These figs were from a colleague's parent's tree. It's good to have friends in high places, and friends with fig trees.

Be sure to check out all the other delicious summer pies on the You Want Pies with That? website! I hope you are all enjoying the last days of summer!!

Thanks Jenn for picking a fun theme!

Parisian Apple Tartlet - Tuesdays with Dorie

Make this!
Make this!
Make this!

...and people will love you for it.

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jessica of My Baking Heart picked Parisian Apple Tartlet on page 319 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Sorry, my arms are really acting up so I can't type much tonight (need to go ice and rest them).

Puff pastry, fruit, butter, brown sugar. It is so easy you think you are forgetting something!

I made my delicious and super easy tarts with Trader Joe's all-butter puff pastry. Some TWD bakers made their own puff pastry! I don't want to make it myself because I seriously don't want know how much butter is in puff pastry. :)

The Trader Joe's puff pastry comes in squares. I made 4 circles and two rectangles with the dough. This one has fresh pineapple and yellow peaches. Delicious!

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers! Thanks for a great pick, Jessica! For the recipe, buy Dorie's fantastic book or check out Jessica's blog, My Baking Heart.

Tartest Lemon Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie

Tartest Lemon Tart...with something missing!

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Babette of Babette Feasts picked Tartest Lemon Tart on page 336 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I was really looking forward to this one! I love lemon. I love tarts. I love Dorie....And I'm a dork.

I forgot the heavy cream in the filling!

I took it out of the refrig but somehow it missed making it into the food processor. Um, perhaps I should mention it was 4:15 in the morning when I was bakin'.

Anyway, it was okay, but I'm sure the missing 1/2 cup of heavy cream would have given it a smooth, silky finish. I'll will definitely try this one again! (I have a bunch of Meyer lemons that need to get back in the tart again!)

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers! And buy Dorie Greenspan's book. It rocks.

(I'm in the Washington DC area now helping a pregnant friend on bed rest. I may or may not have internet access...so I apologize in advanced if I can't visit other TWD blogs! I've scheduled this post to be published on Tuesday morning...oh, technology is too cool. Take care and see you next week with Mango Bread! Yes!)

Chocolate Cream Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Kim of Scrumptious Photography picked Chocolate Cream Tart, pages 352 and 353 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I woke up this morning...contacts completely stuck to my eyes, TV playing some infomercial about a snuggie blanket that can also shape your abs with absolutely no exercise (or money down!), and with the thought, Oh darn [insert a more descriptive word here]! I fell asleep last night before making the Tuesday with Dorie Chocolate Cream Tart!

I raced home from work, used too much math to figure out 1/4 of the recipe, and felt like I should be using my easy bake oven with the tablespoons of ingredients! :)

I love the chocolate cream! So much so that I decided to skip the whipped cream and just make it a chocolate delight!

Whew! 10:31 pm Pacific Daylight Time! Just in time!

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

Find the recipe on Kim's beautiful blog, Scrumptious Photography

California Citrus Tart (Navel, Cara Cara, Tangelo, Blood & Clementines)

California Citrus Rocks! Tart

If we were face-to-face, I would look you straight in the eye, get all serious and say:

"I have something to tell you.
{pause for emphasis here}
California. Citrus. Rocks."

I'm not kidding.

I went to the Studio City Farmers Market last weekend and picked up a bunch of citrus to make this Ode to California Citrus tart!

The Oranges:
Navel (front right big one)
Cara Cara (behind the blood)
Tangelo (funky top, back left)
Blood (middle front, reddish skin)

Clementine (note to self: not fun to section a little itty bitty Clementine tangerine!)

Outside alternates between the navel and pinkish Cara Cara orange. Next circle is tangelos and blood followed by those little tiny sectioned clementines.

Isn't the blood orange awesome!?

I made Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Tart (fully baked) and Ina Garten's Pastry Cream (I skipped the liquor and added the zest of one navel orange)

The pastry cream was a bit too soft so it oozed when sliced; next time I might make little tarts or figure out a way to make the cream more solid (cook it more?)

I glazed the tart with a bit of simple syrup to add a bit more sweetness and shine. I think I can skip that next time or use a warmed marmalade.

Recipes:
Cafe Johnsonia has great step-by-step photos to make Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Tart Dough. Ina's Pastry Cream recipe is on the Food Network's website.

This is a delicious dose of Vitamin C in a tart shell! My co-workers liked this a lot and I was really pleased with the combo of fresh citrus and well, lotsa butter and eggs! Caroline said it was like eating an orange creamsicle! :)

French Pear Tart (Tuesdays with Dorie)

Dorie Greenspan's French Pear Tart

Happy Anniversary Tuesday with Dorie group! We're one year old! I didn't start at the beginning (need to go back and make the recipes I missed) but I have learned so so so much! I tried different recipes that I would have (sorry, Dorie) completely skipped over! I just love this group!

And guess who picked this week's recipe?
Dorie herself!! How cool is that?!

So, go to Dorie's cool blog for the recipe of the French Pear Tart...or better yet, buy her fantastic book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 368-369).

This delicious tart uses Dorie's partially baked sweet tart crust, an almond cream made with ground blanched almonds, and canned pears (you can also use fresh or poached pears too). This is similar to the Partridge in a Pear Tart I made last month. Both are sooooo delicious. I'd like to poach my own pears in the future too. I decided to mix it up and use my rectangle tart pan!

Thanks TWD group for all the great baking fun! Looking forward to another year of recipes! Be sure check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!