Peach-nectarine-almond tart

I had the best nectarines and peaches this past summer that I've ever had in my life.  The flavor topped any organic I've had, and that says a lot considering the delicious quality stone fruit we get here in Oregon.  This past summer....as today marks fall equinox, a lovely and welcome transition.

A recipe for short crust, not quite a double amount - plus the best fruit you can find.  One cannot make up for so-so peaches with sugar.  I only had two good peaches on hand, not enough for a pie so I added nectarines. 

Peach-nectarine-almond tart

This makes a tart smaller than a pie, so if you adjust for a pie pan, you'll need more fruit.  I used an 8" tart pan with 2" sides. 

Peach-nectarine-almond tart ~

2 peaches, largish and peeled
3 medium nectarines, peel left on
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. brown sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg
The barest pinch of salt
1 T. tapioca powder

Optional streusel, approx. 3 T.
Crushed sliced almonds, approx. 2 T.


Egg wash and extra sugar, coarse grain - optional


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Mix the sugars, salt, nutmeg, tapioca flour.   
• Peel the peaches, slice into halves, then each half into four slices.  Slice nectarines in the same manner. 
• Mix dry ingredients with the sliced fruit.

• Roll out the crust, line the pan.  
• Sprinkle the streusel and almonds over the interior.
• Roll out the remaining dough and cut into 3/4" strips.  
• Add the fruit to the pan, top with lattice weaving.
• Press edges together and pinch off.
• Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Reduce to 350 degree and bake approximately another 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden as you like it.

Happy Fall.    

Tarts on Tuesday ~

Your slice.  Do you like corners?

"My.  What a long post you have."

Easy peasy.  Nice and easy.  Though long winded in word.  It's the way I am. 

Tart dough.  Heaven forbid, I was just about out of powdered sugar, thus the granulated and powdered sugars in the same dough.  This makes more than the two tins shown.  Plan on making an extra little tart with the extra dough, say a cute 6" tart. You'll have almost a third dough leftover depending on how thick you line the tins.  Or toss it.  Or cut the flour by a third, the butter by a third, the sugars by a third and use one egg and one yolk.  Or just make as listed.  Options, options, always there are options. 


The ever forgiving tart dough ~

3 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
Pinch salt
16 T. cold butter, diced 
2 eggs

• Mix flour, sugars, salt in food processor, blend.
• Add butter and cut in on pulse until pebbly.
• Add the eggs and pulse until it just comes together.
• Dump on a lightly floured counter and knead a few times if necessary.  Do not over knead.
• Divide dough into halves to roll out.  There will be quite a bit of excess.
• Roll out to 1/8"-1/6" thick to line pans.
• Chill tart pans until ready to use.  I will do five to ten minutes in the freezer if I am to use them very soon, such as baking blind or par-baked shells

Parchment is your friend.  Par-baking for the caramel ganache tart.

Apple tart ~ oh, boy ~ yummers.


Pick your apples.  For pies I prefer a mix of Granny Smith and McIntosh.  For these quickie tarts, I used Granny Smith.  


The sugar and thickener ~


I use approximately 1/4 - 1/3 c. sugar for every two apples I use in tarts.  When I slice and arrange apples as I have in these apple tarts, each serving is a half an apple. Uh huh, I believe that is very generous.  This tart pan takes two apples. Sweetness is up to you, of course.  


I keep tapioca flour on the baking shelf.  I use a teaspoon per cup of sugar for apple tarts.


What this adds up to for this tart ~
(I had extra)


Sweet spinklings ~

1/3 c. sugar
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp. tapioca flour
Scant 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg.  

Is that oatmeal? 

I sprinkle some of the sugar/tapioca on the bottom of the tart, about a tablespoon.   Add struesel and nuts if you like.  I like.  :)

• Add the apples halves that have been peeled, sliced to 1/4 tsp, fanned a little.  Eat the edges if you need to so that the apples can be laid out like falling dominos in the pan.
• Sprinkle each apple with approximately 3/4 tablespoon sugar.  More if you like, you'll have enough.
• Sprinkle optional streusel and nuts. 
• Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Delicious length

The tarts are laid out two by two, hurrah, hurrah

Cream cheese mousse cake ~

It is not that big.  I promise.  :)

No bake cheesecakes?  The idea of cooler desserts have struck my fancy during the heat of summer.  I'm not one for desserts every night after dinner.  A little something sweet after supper was something I grew up with, though again, it wasn't every night.  I attribute it to a family that had a fondness for a little sweet now and then, but did not overly indulge when it came to sugar.  Fresh fruit showed up at our table any time of day more than prepared sugared desserts.

This is not a cheesecake, nor a cake, nor a mousse cake, nor technically a mousse.  I'll just blur the lines of definition, calling it what sounds good to me.  After my 11 year old daughter took her third bite, she said, "It's dream cake!"  That sounds good, too.  Eating it, enjoying and analyzing...I thought it was just perfect.  No needed extra flavors like chocolate or lemon or berries. 

I do believe that it was the chocolate mint cookies that made the this particular simple filling just right.  I came across these cookies by mistake.  They were in graham cracker section, they are the animal cracker/cookies in a chocolate mint flavor.

Cream cheese mousse cake ~
12 servings

16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 - 1 c. sugar

2 c. heavy whipping cream(I use 40%, 32-35% will be fine)

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. crushed cookies, chocolate mint

2 T. sugar

3 T. butter, melted

• Crush cookies in a food processor until fine as bread crumbs.  Remove to a bowl.  
• Add the 2T. sugar and melted butter.  
• Save a 1/4 c. for topping, place the remaining crumbs in an 8" springform pan.

Filling ~  

•  Cream the cream cheese with a paddle attachment in your mixer. 
• Add the sugar.   Mix well.   I use an extra fine sugar, so I used a little less than a cup. 
• ***Regarding sweetness levels...you can taste the mixture (no eggs) before putting it in the pan - add more sugar if you like.***
• Add the vanilla.  Remove the bowl from the mixer.
• In a separate bowl with a whisk attachment, whip the whipping cream to medium peaks.  
• Add a blobby cup or so of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture bowl.  Fold this in.  This lightens the mixture to more easily take the remaining whipped cream.
• Add the remaining whipped cream, folding lightly and thoroughly.  Taste for you level of desired sweetness.
• Spoon the mixture into the pan, level.
• Add remaining cookie crumbs to the top.
• Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. 

 

 

Tart on a Tuesday ~

One day years ago I was browsing baking books at a bookstore and came across a recipe called Mango Tatin, from Claudia Fleming when at Gramercy Tavern.  I made it.  Oooo...sweet Gaia, it was goooooooood.  You can still find it online today by Googling "Claudia Fleming Mango Tatin".  This recipe is a off shoot of that.  There have been many similar recipes such as this, just wander the web.

My babies went to the coast with their dad for the Fourth of July weekend.  Apparently they had pretty good weather and of course, they had a good time.  Sunday evening I found a very nice phone call left by my son on my answering machine saying that he was checking in from the coast, they were having a hard time not eating the salt water taffy they purchased for me.....and that they all loved me.  Mmmm...love.  Talk about timing, it was perfect.  Thank you, Gaia ~ again.  Little reminders.  


I had this tart waiting for them upon their return from the coast. 


Not Mango Tatin coming up.


Tart dough.  French tart dough.  Sable dough.  Take your pick.  Google away and you will find the dough of your choice.   For most tarts I prefer a tart dough that is a dough made without water, instead including an egg.  

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar (or 1/3 c. granulated)
Pinch salt
8 T. butter
1 large egg

• Flour, powdered sugar, salt into a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  
• Add butter, pulse until a fine meal.  Add the egg and pulse until almost combined.  
• Remove dough to a lightly floured counter.  Kneed until smooth, just a few turns.  
• Now, I roll this out at this time and shape it into the tart ring, then put it in the fridge.  It can go in  the fridge for an hour first before rolling out, if you prefer.   If it's a particurally soft or a warm day, I suggest that.  
• Chill tart in the form for half an hour.
• Par-bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. 

Slice up two mangos of good size.  Peel and slice into 1/4" slices.  Set aside.

Brown sugar goodness ~

1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. water
2-3 T. butter

• Heat sugar and water in a saute pan on medium low until melted.  Turn heat up to medium and heat until it barely is starting to show small bubbles around the edges.  Add 2 T. butter, melt.  
• Pour half this into the bottom of the par-baked tart shell, spread lightly.
• Arrange mangos in the tart.
• Bake the tart an additional 20 minutes at 375.

I do like a brownish firm crust for some of my tarts, this being one of them.


Whipped cream ~ 

• Easy peasy.  Some heavy whipping cream, about a 1/4 c. 
• Some sugar, about 2T.   
• Some good vanilla. 
• Sprinkle with nutmeg if you desire.

Toodles ~
xoxo
 

Hot chocolate crumb cake ~

Hot chocolate crumb cake ~

Oooooo…this was a hit with the Round Table Taste Testers. It’s a diverse group, I tell ya. A six year old is honest without awareness of manners and the twelve year has had an adult palette since he was a wee one. That ten year old, well, she’s silent in her opinion if she doesn’t love something, but there is no mistaking the results by the amount of food left on her plate. This was recipe got a score of Three Clean Plates. Hey. I like that. I’m going to use it again. Where can I find how to get make a rating gif/photo like that? Anyone?

The original recipe is attributed to a Woman’s Day holiday magazine edition. I cannot find the original online. I played with changes of pan size and leavening because I wanted a higher rise than the original, a white sugar instead of brown because I didn’t want the molasses to come through, a little more sugar, added instant espresso to kick up the chocolate flavor, my favorite streusel recipe and pecans, because I want ‘em.

Why did I name it Hot Chocolate Crumb Cake? Because we cut into it less than ten minutes out of the oven and it was melty-yummy. I knew it’s consistency would be soft, but not airy because of the warm temperature. It is dense and soft the next day, but served warm….definitely worth the timing to make this particular recipe to serve soon after it comes out of the oven.

Start with the streusel ~

4 T. butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ c. flour
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. finely chopped pecans

Mix and set aside.

Hot chocolate crumb cake ~

4 oz. butter
1 c. chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 T. instant espresso
1 ¼ unbleached flour
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

• Melt the butter and chocolate on low. Set aside to cool a bit.

• Prep an 8” springform pan with with a bottom round of parchment and sides greased.

• Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

• Mix the sugar, eggs and instant espresso until espresso is dissolved and starting to lighten. Slowly add chocolate and butter mixture.

• Mix in the flour mixture until just combined without lumps.

• Add a ½ c. of chocolate chips and ½ c. of chopped pecans.

• Put batter into pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes. Start checking at 40, remove when just barely any crumbs cling to the toothpick.

• Let sit about ten minutes, slide a knife around the edges and release from pan. Serve warm.

Toodles ~
xoxo