Pear and almond tart

Pear and Almond Tart

This is truly a French classic tart that is so delicate and delicious it is really hard not to eat the whole thing.  Sometimes it may also be called "frangipane" which is the almond custard made in this dessert.  Usually you poach the pears but it is difficult to get it to the right texture without ruining the shape of the fruit.  For this reason, I use the canned pears in water only.  Be sure to buy a good brand, it is not something you want to cheap out on because it will make a difference in your final product.  If you don't like pears then substitute with canned apricots or peaches!

Therapeutic topic of the week: Recall a past success.

Taking five minutes to reflect on how you pulled through other stressful situations like your last breakup or when you switched jobs can help you reconnect with your resilient side.

In the moment, it may feel as though you'll never get over your present problem, but when you look back, you realize that you felt similarly before and found a way to overcome it.

If you're going through a divorce or recently lost a loved one, you also may want to seek out a support group: Research on grieving presented by the Center for the Advancement of Health in Washington, D.C., suggests that talking with peers is even more beneficial than one-on-one counseling in the initial months after a loss.

Pear and Almond Tart Recipe
Adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients
PASTRY
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk mixed with 1/4 cup ice water

FILLING
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1 stick plus 6 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
5 canned pear halves in water, sliced

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions
In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. Pulse in the butter until it is the size of small peas. Sprinkle the egg mixture on top and pulse just until a dough forms. Scrape the pastry onto 2 sheets of plastic wrap and form into 2 disks or 10 small disks for tartlets. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar with 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch. Whisk in 1 egg and the salt. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, then return it to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened and just beginning to bubble around the edges, about 4 minutes. Strain the custard into a bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter with the sliced almonds at medium-low speed until the almonds are slightly crushed. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 eggs, then beat in the custard and extract.

Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry disk to a 12-inch round 1/8 inch thick. Fit the pastry into two 9-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms. If making miniature tarts such as I did, roll each disk into a 5 inch round 1/8 inch thick for each tartlet pan.  Fold the overhang onto itself. Using a sharp knife, trim off any excess pastry.

Spoon the filling into the tarts. Place 1 pear half in the center of each tart; arrange the slices trying to keep the original shape of the pear. Bake the tarts in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the pears are very tender and the custard and pastry are deep golden. Let the tarts cool for 30 minutes, then unmold and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Fig and Mint Tart

Fig and Mint Tartlet

This deliciously satisfying, elegant miniature tart has a cream cheese and honey filling and topped with fresh figs, mint and pistachios.  Figs are thought to have been first cultivated in Egypt. They spread to Ancient Greece and Rome were later introduced to other regions of the Mediterranean by ancient conquerors and then brought to the Western Hemisphere by the Spaniards in the early 16th century. In the late 19th century, when Spanish missionaries established the mission in San Diego, California, they also planted fig trees.

Enjoy the flavors of  fall?  Try my pumpkin french toast!

Therapeutic topic of the week: 

The Stress – Metabolism Connection 

by Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating

The key to understanding the profound link between metabolism and stress is the central nervous system (CNS). The portion of the CNS that exerts the greatest influence on gastrointestinal function is called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This aspect of the nervous system is responsible for getting your stomach churning, the enzymatic secretions in the digestive process flowing, and keeping the dynamic process of nutrient absorption into the bloodstream on the move. The ANS also tells your body when not to be in digesting mode, such as when there’s no food in your belly or when you’re in fight-or-flight response.

Two subdivisions of the ANS help it accomplish its dual task of digestive arousal and digestive inhibition: the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches. The sympathetic branch activates the stress response and suppresses digestive activity. The parasympathetic branch relaxes the body and activates digestion. It might be helpful to think of these two parts of the nervous system as on-and-off switches.

Simply put, the same part of our brain that turns on stress turns off digestion. And conversely, the part of the brain that turns on the relaxation response turns on full, healthy digestive power. Eating healthy food is only half of the story of good nutrition. Being in the ideal start to digest and assimilate food is the other half.

Here’s a favorite client story of mine that will help make things a little more practical when it comes to the stress/digestion connection:

Chen, a charismatic forty-six-year-old doctor of Chinese medicine, was plagued by nagging digestive upset despite overall great health and a vast knowledge of natural healing. He felt that maybe it was time to look at his diet and requested my help. When I asked some basic questions about his eating habits, I was quite surprised by the answer. Chen would stop at McDonalds on his way to work and eat two Egg McMuffins for breakfast in the car while rushing through city traffic. For lunch he’d zip to the same McDonalds and eat two Big Macs in the car as he drove back to the office. After work, he ate two slices of pizza. Chen informed me that he wanted to feel better but he wasn’t willing to cook, bring a lunch to work, eat vegetables, or give up McDonalds. Go figure.

I told him I suspected I could actually help him despite the impossible limitations he was giving me to work with. Here is the simple strategy to which Chen reluctantly agreed. He had to eat his Big Macs while the car was parked and take twenty minutes to enjoy them slowly and sensually. I asked him to do the same with his Egg McMuffins at breakfast. He needed to take time to slow down with food, and with life. He needed to breathe deeply before, during, and after his meals.

Two weeks later Chen called me in an excited state with some wonderful news to tell. First, his digestive symptoms had disappeared. And then he said, “You won’t believe this, really, but I hate Big Macs. I’ve been eating them for fifteen years and I can’t stand them. Have you ever tried to savor a Big Mac? You can’t. You have to eat it fast and smother it with lots of ketchup to hide the taste.”

Chen was not a relaxed eater. He had plenty of patients to see throughout the day and seemingly little time for self-nourishment. The simple act of taking time to slow down and eat shifted him from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance, and his digestive upset quickly disappeared. When this happened, his body wisdom was finally able to give him feedback about his food choices, and he subsequently gave up Big Macs naturally and effortlessly. He didn’t need to use his willpower to resist a favorite food or exert mental force to make better choices. All he did was savor a Big Mac.

Are you beginning to understand the metabolic power of relaxation? Can you see how eating in the natural and necessary state of parasympathetic dominance can yield breakthroughs with food and metabolism?

Fig and Cream Cheese Tartlette Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 lb my homemade or store-bought pastry dough
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz) cream cheese
3 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp orange juice
12 to 16 figs, each cut into 6 pieces
Handful of green shelled pistachios, halved
1 bunch of fresh mint, ripped or roughly torn
Special equipment: miniature round tartlette fluted pans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll out the pastry on a floured counter to the thickness of a 1/4 inch and use it to carefully line the pan. Homemade pastry is will be quite crumbly. Don't worry, you can patch it together in the pan. Press the a plastic straw against the pastry all round the edges to coax it into the fluted grooves. Trim off the excess around the top. Put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until firm.

Remove the tart from the refrigerator. Take a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the pan and scrunch it up, then unscrunch it and line the pan with it. Fill it with pie weights or dried beans and "blind bake" in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the paper and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the filling, put the cream in a bowl and whip until beginning to thicken, then fold it into the cream cheese and mix with the honey and juice. Put the filling in the tart case, then arrange the figs on top and scatter over the nuts and mint.

Tip: This tart is best eaten on the day it is made.

Adapted from Lorraine Pascale

Clouds of Pomegranate

Pomegranate Meringue Rose Tart

A Middle Eastern inspired tart begins with a buttery pistachio crust and is filled with a orange and rose scented chocolate ganache.  The entire tart is covered in a light pomegranate meringue which you have the option to brown with a blow torch for a beautiful presentation.

Theraputic topic for the week:

Ever wonder why we love to eat?  More specifically why do fatty foods taste so good?  That creamy, smooth chocolate or the buttery, flaky crust.  It almost seems like our tongues know this is supposed to taste good.  We all know of  our ability to taste sour, salty, sweet, bitter and, rather recently, umami (which is the taste produce by the additive MSG).  But can our tongues taste fat? A recent study published in the Journal of Lipid Research by Pepino et al., claims that humans, and other animals, exhibit a protein on their tongue that can sense the presence of fat.  This would help explain why some people are more aware of fat in their food than others.  Perhaps even why we crave fatty foods and why fat tastes so darn good.

Pomegranate Meringue Rose Tart Recipe

Ingredients

For the crust:
3/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup cold water

For the ganache:
12 oz. high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/8 tsp. rose water

For the meringue:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
4 egg whites
20 drops red food coloring

Directions

1. Make the crust: Combine pistachios and sugar in food processor and process until finely chopped. Add flour and process to combine. Add butter and pulse until no large chunks remain. Add egg yolk and water and mix just until combined. Transfer to counter and knead into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. On a floured counter, roll dough to 1/8" thick. Line a 9" tart pan with dough. Prick with fork over the bottom and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oven to 375°. Bake for 20 minutes and then let cool to room temperature.

2. Make the Ganache: Place chocolate in a medium bowl and set a fine strainer over bowl. Heat juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and pour through strainer into bowl with chocolate; let sit for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir rose water into mixture until smooth. Pour ganache into cooled crust and let cool completely.

3. Make the meringue: Place the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and place on a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved.  Transfer bowl to a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks.  Add cornstarch and cream of tartar.  Slowly stream in molasses and add enough red food coloring to make it pink. Continue beating until glossy, stiff peaks form. Immediately pipe or cover the pie with the meringue. Chill until meringue is firm.

Optional:  Use a blowtorch or the broiler to brown the meringue.

Slightly adapted from Saveur Magazine

Goodbye Summer

Mascarpone Nectarine Tart with Smoky Almond Crust

A simple crust made with smoked almonds and filled with a creamy, light mascarpone, topped with juicy nectarines.

Baking is a time to relax, unwind and enjoy my passion for pastry.  To complete the "therapy" theme of this blog I have decided to add a stress relief tip with each post.  Kindly share your thoughts on the recipe, tips or pictures.  Feedback is appreciated!

Stress relief tip of the day: 

Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to intrude. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.

 

Mascarpone Nectarine Tart with Smoky Almond Crust Recipe

 

Ingredients 

 

2 cups graham crackers, crumbled
1/2 cup smoked almonds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg 

3 firm, ripe medium nectarines, peeled and cut into thin wedges

 

Directions 

 

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, combine the graham crackers with the almonds and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and process until fine. Add the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a rectangular tart pan or a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is set.

Meanwhile, wipe out the food processor bowl. Add the mascarpone cheese, sour cream, egg and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and process until smooth. Pour the custard into the crust and bake for 15 minutes, until set. Let the tart cool slightly and transfer to the freezer to chill, about 15 minutes.

In a bowl, toss the nectarines with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Arrange the nectarines in a straight line over the custard. Remove the outer ring, cut the tart into slices and serve.

Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine August 2011

Father's Day Treat

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tart

My dad loves fruit tarts, so every year at Father's Day I am always trying to make one better than the last.  This one is made from fresh organic blueberries and sweetened cream cheese with a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom crust.  It made his day.  Mission accomplished.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tart Recipe

Ingredients:

Tart Shell:

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour 

2 sticksunsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

For the ganache:
2 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. milk

For topping:
1/2 pint fresh organic blueberries

Melted semisweet chocolate, for drizzling

Directions:

Place the flour, butter, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse about 24 times, then open the machine and lift a handful of crumbs. The largest pieces of butter should be the size of raw grains of rice or barley. If there are larger pieces, continue to pulse the mixture. When the butter pieces are the correct size, transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water onto the dough. Spread the fingers of one hand as if you were about to grab a large ball, and using your rigid fingertips as if they were a large fork, stir the dough quickly and briefly until the liquid is incorporated. Squeeze a handful of the dough in your palm. The dough should have just enough moisture to stay together. Break the piece in half. If it seems dry and crumbly, cautiously add more water a few teaspoons at a time until you can squeeze it into a ball that will not crumble when broken apart. If your kitchen is reasonably cool, the butter was cold, and you used ice water, the dough should be at just the right stage of malleability for rolling out, and it will be easiest to work with immediately. If your kitchen is very warm, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 15 minutes.

Turn the pastry dough out on a lightly floured board and shape into a disk and dust the top lightly with flour. Begin to roll out the dough, using quick but gentle strokes with the pin. Start with the pin in the middle of the round and roll to the top, then to the bottom. Rotate the dough 1/4 turn each time you roll to be sure the dough is not sticking and use additional flour as necessary. When the round is larger than 12 inches and about 1/8 inch thick, roll dough onto rolling pin, then unroll onto tart pan. Push dough into tart shell  firmly and then freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Lay a large piece of foil over the dough and press firmly.  Bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and continue to bake until it is an even golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Lift a shell with a spatula and check that the underside is evenly brown. If the tart shells puff up during baking, press down the center of the pastry with the back of a large spoon. Remove foil from dough and bake another 5 minutes until golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. 

To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.  Let sit 1-2 minutes to melt the chocolate.  Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms.  If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 10 second intervals, whisking in between, until the ganache is completely smooth.  Whisk in the butter.  Spread the ganache in a thin even layer over the bottom of the cooled tart shell.  Allow the ganache to set before proceeding.

To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl on medium-high speed until smooth.  Blend in the vanilla and milk or cream.  

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled ganache in the tart shell.Starting from the outside and working toward the center, place the sliced blueberries in concentric circles slightly overlapping each other.  Gently press the berries into the cream cheese mixture to help keep them in place.  Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.  Chill until ready to serve.

Adapted from Epicurious and Annies Eats

Raspaholic

Soft Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Soft Chocolate Raspberry Tart Recipe

Ingredients:

 
For the crust:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. very cold water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

For the filling:
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2½ tbsp. sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 cup (6 oz.) fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried

Directions:

 
To make the crust, in a small bowl stir together the egg yolk, water and vanilla; set aside.  Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas.  Add the egg mixture and beat on low speed just until the dough comes together.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  When you are ready to roll out the dough, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface.  Roll out with a floured rolling pin, lifting and turning the dough occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the work surface.  Roll it out evenly until it is large enough to line a 9-inch tart pan and is about 1/8-inch thick.  Carefully transfer the dough to the tart pan, pressing it into the sides, and trim to remove the excess.

Cover the dough with foil or parchment paper and fill with baking beads.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and baking beads and using a fork, gently poke holes in the bottom and sides of the crust.  Bake until the crust is golden, 5-10 minutes more.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚ F.  Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.

Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Add the chocolate to the bowl and heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.  Remove from the heat.  Meanwhile, bring the cream and the butter just to a boil.

Pour the cream-butter mixture over the chocolate and let stand 30 seconds.  Whisk together gently until smooth and well combined.  Then stir in the sugar, eggs and egg yolk.  Rap the bowl against the counter gently to break any bubbles that might have formed.

Scatter the berries over the bottom of the crust, then pour the chocolate mixture over the berries.  Bake for about 30 minutes, so that the filling does not jiggle if you tap the pan.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature before serving.

Recipe from Annie's Eats 

Soft Chocolate Raspberry Tart Recipe




 

One of the best combinations

Choconut Bliss

Toasted chopped hazelnuts mixed with the finest chocolate chips.

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis' Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped, and toasted hazelnuts
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 store bought frozen pie crust, defrosted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and the flour. Add the eggs, hazelnuts, chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir well. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool the tart for at least 30 minutes before serving.