Showing posts with label pies and tarts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pies and tarts. Show all posts
All-butter puff pastry is something I keep in my freezer all the time. It is considered to be a store cupboard ingredient in my home and something I am never without if I can help it.
It never goes to waste and comes in real handy for all sorts. Its one of those convenience things that you never regret buying. And as most chef's will tell you, its a convenience food ingredient most rely on.
Making puff pastry from scratch is a really fiddly operation and very time consuming. When you can buy ready made that is all butter and made from natural ingredients, why bother. It just makes sense to use the ready made.
The convenience of it far outweighs any other argument. That is what I used today for this Quick & Easy Apple Tart recipe.
Apple season is now upon us! I love fresh picked apples. I love apples! And I especially love apple tarts!
With there only being me in my home now, I don't have much use for a full apple tart however. So I created some quick & easy apple tarts, a recipe which makes only two delicious apple tarts.
I can assure you that they lack nothing of their larger, family sized counterparts. They are delicious!
And not only that, but they are incredibly quick and easy to make. I can be rather lazy you know and if I can find a short cut around things, I will seek it out.
You won't need a full sheet of puff pastry for these tarts, but don't worry, I am going to share a tasty way to use up the remnants at the end.
You will only need 1/2 of one sheet of pastry. You need to cut that in half, which will give you two six-inch squares.
These are placed on a parchment paper lined small rimmed baking sheet.
You need only one apple for this. You want a nice sweet eating apple, on the large size. This will need to be peeled, cored and cut in half.
You then cut them crosswise into thin slices, maintaining the integrity of the apple shape. You can leave the skin on if you really want to, but I prefer to remove it.
You will also need some spiced brown sugar. I mixed together brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom and some freshly grated nutmeg. Half of this gets sprinkled in the center of each pastry square.
You then place half an apple in the center of each pastry square, trying to fan the slices out a bit, but also keeping the shape of the apple as much as you can. You want it to be pretty.
Once you have done that you roll the edges of the puff pastry up around the apple to make a kind of a lip. This is to help to keep the apple juices inside the tart as much as possible. You don't want any of those sweet juices to be wasted.
Once you have done all that you are going to brush the edges of the pastry and the apples with some melted butter. Easy peasy.
Then sprinkle the remainder of the cinnamon sugar over top of the sliced apple. They are ready to pop into a hot oven then and half an hour or so later, Bob's your Uncle! You can be enjoying a lovely fresh apple tart!
The Canadian in me loves to enjoy these warm with a scoop of ice cold vanilla ice cream. All of that cold ice cream vanilla deliciousness melting down into those tender sweet pieces of apple.
Gilding that beautiful buttery flakey pastry. This is nirvana. A quick and easy dessert made in heaven.
Of course if you are more than one or two people, you will be wanting something on a much larger scale, and you can certainly double all of the ingredients and make four apple tarts!
Or you may want to try some of my other easy apple desserts. Each one is very delicious!
Apple Pie Roll Ups (A prize winner)
Apple Pie Foldover
And what to do with the other half sheet of puff pastry? Why make Pets-de-Soeur of course!
Originally, "pets-de-sœur" were an economical dessert. They were cooked from leftover pastry to avoid waste. The name literally translates to "nuns' farts". Its a French Canadian thing.
Just spread the pastry with butter, cover with an even layer of brown sugar and then cinnamon. Roll up tightly, slice into 1 inch slices crosswise, and bake along side of the apple tarts. Yummilicious!
Quick & Easy Apple Tarts
Yield: 2
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
These rustic puff pastry apple tarts are so simple to make a child could make them. Delicious served warm with some vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 large crisp sweet eating apple, cored, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
- 1 sheet of frozen all butter puff pastry, thawed
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Line a small rimmed baking tray with some baking parchment.
- Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.
- Cut the sheet of puff pastry in half, reserving half for another use. cut the half sheet in half. Place both halves onto the baking tray.
- Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture in the middle of each pastry square. Place an apple half on top. Fold the edges of the pastry inwards all around. Brush the apples and pastry edges with the melted butter. Sprinkle the remainder of the brown sugar mixture over each.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender.
- Serve the tarts warm with or without ice cream.
Notes:
If you wish to use the other half of the sheet of pastry in a delicious way, spread the sheet with softened butter. Sprinkle evenly all over with a thin layer of soft light brown sugar. Sprinkle evenly with some ground cinnamon. Roll up tightly and then cut crosswise into rounds Bake on a paper lined baking sheet/pie tin, along side of the apple tarts. Delicious!
This is something which I cooked as a dessert on a few occasions when I worked at the Manor. I often had to cater to silver service 5 course meals and my boss usually liked me to have at least two desserts for her guests to choose from.
Normally she liked everything to be overly complicated. I always tried to temper the complicated dishes with a few simple ones and dishes that I could do a lot of pre-prep for were what I preferred.
After all I was all on my own in the kitchen. When you are talking about shopping and prepping for a huge dinner party that is a lot of work.
They would start with canapes to be served with drinks. You would think canapes would be simple, but actually they are quite fiddly. I would have to serve no less than 4 or 5 different canapes.
A favorite with me was Quail's eggs with seasoning salt. The hardest part was the peeling of the cooked eggs, but depending on how many guests there were, this was something that went rather quickly for me.
They were always served on a huge platter atop a bed of shredded lettuce, a bird's nest holding a dish of seasoning salt in the center. Another favorite was smoked salmon on brown bread. Also very easy.
Other canapes would be parmesan crisps, easy . . . I used to make these Indian shortbreads that were gorgeous. The recipe is on here. I liked doing those because they could be baked ahead of time and then just put together on the night.
I had a few other favorites I liked to do as well. Lets just say, easy was key for me, as much as possible.
The first course all depended on what the main course was going to be. I liked it when she wanted a soup of some kind because I could also do that ahead of time and just reheat it on the night.
The main course would be major work, always. I didn't mind however. I got to use the finest ingredients and really stretch my culinary abilities. I got to cook things I would never have been able to afford to cook at home.
Usually it would involve duck, or lamb, maybe beef, with a sauce. A starch of some kind (either potatoes or rice.) I made a really fabulous Dauphinoise Potatoes. This could also be made ahead of time and then reheated at the last minute.
Usually two or three vegetables to accompany on the side also.
Always, always two desserts, and she liked to go really fancy there. Most people would not choose one or the other, they usually had a tiny slice of each, whatever it was.
One favorite was the frozen Lemon Souffle. One reason I liked that as a dessert was, again, I could make them ahead of time and have them in the freezer waiting to pull out when I needed them. I tried to do that with both desserts if I could.
Another favorite would be this simple French Apple Tart. It looks impressive and complicated, but really it isn't. And lets face it, if you call something a tart, it automatically sounds special.
A simple pastry is made. Its a sweet pastry. You can make it earlier in the day and chill it. Roll it out and then par-bake it. This can all be done ahead. Bonus!
The fiddliest part of this tart is peeling, slicing and arranging the apples. They are mixed with a spice mixture, some lemon zest and lemon juice and then arranged in the tart crust, atop a flour and sugar mixture.
The flour/sugar mixture is there to help absorb some of the juices from the apples, so that the pastry doesn't get all soggy.
And then you just bake it. It bakes for a short time at a higher temperature, and then you reduce the temperature and bake it for a bit longer.
Just until the apples are crispy tender. You don't want them mushy. Once they are just right, you pull it out of the oven and brush it all over with some sieved apricot jam to glaze it a bit.
Its best served at room temperature. They always enjoyed it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Always Hagen Das.
While they were enjoying their dessert, I would be getting the cheese course ready. This was always served on a large silver tray with a silver biscuit barrel to hold the crackers. Usually six cheeses, and some fruit.
And as if that wasn't enough, once they were finished with the cheese course I would serve them coffee and chocolates in the Linen Fold room, which was a special room that had oak walls carved in a special linen-fold pattern. The manor itself dated back to Tudor times and this room and its walls were dated back to that time.
Then while they were enjoying their coffees, etc. I would start with the cleaning up. Usually I had my husband and the housekeeper to help me with that. Even so, it was a HUGE chore and we would be very lucky if we were home by 2 a.m.
All in all though they were pretty wonderful experiences. I look back on them now and I wonder at how I managed to pull it all off. There was only me to do everything, but somehow I managed to sort it every time and do it well. I am rather proud of that.
In any case I hope you enjoy this French Apple Tart! They always did!
Yield: 6
Spiced Apple Tart
A wonderful tart with a crisp and rich dessert pastry base, delectably sweet filling of apples . Serve at room temperature with a hot drink after dinner for a real taste treat!
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 280g plain flour (2 cups)
- 120g cold butter (1/2 cup)
- 56g sifted icing sugar (7 TBS)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 TBS water
For the filling:
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- the finely grated zest and juice of one large lemon
- 50g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 TBS each plain flour and granulated sugar, mixed together
To finish:
- sieved apricot jam
Instructions
- First make the pastry. Sift the pastry into a basin. Add the butter, cut into pieces and rub it into the flour until it resembled fine dry bread crumbs. Add the icing sugar. Whisk in well.
- Make a indentation in the centre of the butter mixture. Beat the egg yolks and water together. Pour into the indentation and then, using a fork, mix together to a rough dough in the basin.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Shape into a ball and then place into a zip lock bag. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, while you make the filling.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6
- Put the apple into a bowl along with the grated lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and spices. Set aside.
- Take the pastry out of the refrigerator. Roll it out onto a floured surface to a round about 14 inches in diameter.
- Line a 10 inch diameter tart tin which has a removeable base with it, being careful not to stretch it. Don't trim off any of the overhang.
- Prick with a fork and line with a piece of baking parchment and fill with baking weights. Place onto a baking sheet and place into the heated oven.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove the baking parchment and the weights and return to the oven for a further 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and run a rolling pin over the edge all around and remove the overhang and discard.
- Sprinkle the base with the flour/sugar mixture. Add the apple slices, placing them into the pastry on top of the flour/sugar mixture in a really decorative manner.
- Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160*C/325*F/gas mark3 and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the top with the sieved apricot jam. Allow to cool to warm.
- Cut into wedges to serve.
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Fluffy, creamy and tangy, this old fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie recipe is an old family favourite that goes way back. I think I probably got the original recipe from off a tin of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed many years ago.
This recipe has sat in my Big Blue Binder for probably over 40 years. It is a fabulously delicious lemon icebox pie recipe that is no bake. Quick, easy and yes, delicious. It also uses no eggs, unlike many of the lemon icebox pie recipes I have seen out there and there is no cooking at all involved.
It basically uses only three ingredients, aside from the crust. Fresh lemon juice and zest. Sweetened Condensed Milk. Pure Vanilla extra, if you are so inclined.
Its optional, but I always add it because lemon and vanilla are perfect partners.
It does use a lot of lemon juice. 1 tsp of the rind and I used the juice from 5 smallish lemons yesterday to get enough. Some lemons are juicier than others.
One way to get a lot of juice from your lemons is to make sure they are at room temperature. I also roll them really well between the palm of my hand and the countertop before juicing them. Works a charm and I always get plenty of juice from each lemon.
This is a fabulous pie to make in the summer months when you are not wanting to heat up your kitchen. I happen to think its a fabulous pie to make any time of the year that you are wanting a quick, easy and delicious lemon dessert!
We love lemon pie in our family, but I don't always have the time or want to be faffing about with a cooked filling. This has to be the easiest lemon filling to make of all time.
If you can stir things together you can make this! The filling is done in about five minutes once you have all of the ingredients assembled.
I always, always squeeze my own lemons to get the juice for this pie. I would never use the lemon juice that comes in those little lemon squeezers. I don't think they would give you the same flavour.
Maybe it is just me, but they always taste artificial and lack the clean fresh taste of freshly squeezed lemon juice. I have a wooden lemon reamer that works very well to squeeze the juice.
I also have a metal juice squeezer which works even better, plus it catches any seeds that might escape.
Aside from fresh lemon juice (and some zest) the other main ingredient in this is sweetened condensed milk. This is NOT the same thing as evaporated milk, even if they are found in the same section in the grocery store and are both made from milk which has been treated to remove 60% of its water.
One is sweetened and one is not. One is just milk. This is the one with added sugar and it is a lot thicker and creamier because of this. I usually have both kinds in my cupboard.
The evaporated milk comes in handy for making all sorts of things. Creamy sauces for one thing. I always use the low fat one and it makes an excellent substitute for cream in these recipes, especially when you are wanting to reduce your calorie and fat intake.
I like to use it when I make mac and cheese.
The sweetened condensed milk is very handy for making quick and easy desserts such as this one and I also like to use it to make fudge. Both are just really handy ingredients to have on hand.
Lemon juice is essential in helping the pie filling to set up properly. It works just like magic. Just as when making a Lemon Posset, it somehow works to thicken the condensed milk to the perfect consistency.
You do need to leave it to chill in the refrigerator for several hours, four is perfect. At that time, you will see that it cuts like a dream. You get perfect slices and wedges every time.
I used a ready made crust for mine this time. A graham cracker crumb crust. That made for a really convenient dessert to serve with our Easter Dinner.
Yes, this is the perfect dessert for entertaining, not that many of us are able to entertain at the moment. Its perfect for several reasons.
One it is made ahead of time so you don't need to be worrying about it at the last minute when you have about a bazillion other things to do. Second its so easy to make that you can almost make it in your sleep!
Using a ready made crust adds to the ease and simplicity of it.
You can of course, use a prebaked pastry crust if you wish, or make your own crumb crust, using graham crackers or cookie crumbs.
To make a crumb crust simply mix together two cups of crumbs (chocolate cookie, vanilla wafer, graham cracker or gingersnap) with 3 TBS sugar, and 6 TBS of melted butter. Press this mixture into a 9 inch pie dish and bake it at 350*F/180*C for about 8 minutes and then chill until it is completely cold.
Personally I have to say that this pie is really REALLY good when made with gingersnap cookie crumbs. Lemon and ginger are PERFECT partners after all!
But then again, all are good and even a baked pastry crust is very good. Just make sure it is a 9-inch crust. Anything larger and you won't have enough filling.
This pie can also be frozen. I know some people who keep one of these in the freezer to have on hand whenever unexpected company drops by.
Chilled, tightly wrapped in cling film and then aluminum foil, this pie will keep in the freezer for up to two months.
In the refrigerator it will keep for 3 to 4 days. Not that you will have it around that long. Its so delicious that it is bound to be inhaled I guarantee!!
I love to serve it cut into wedges, each cold sweet wedge topped with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. I got so used to having cream which wasn't sweetened at all when I was living in the UK, that I really can't abide overly sweetened cream now.
Just sweetened it to your own taste. I don't add the cream until I am ready to serve. For Easter I decorated it with a few sprinkles, but they really aren't necessary!!
In the summer months I like to top it with whipped cream and fresh berries. Its delicious!!
Lemon Icebox Pie
Yield: 8
Prep time: 5 Mininactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 5 M
This original sweetened condensed milk Lemon icebox pie recipe uses only three ingredients. Its as simple to make as stirring them together and pouring the mixture into a ready made pie crust!
Ingredients
- 2 cans ( each one being 14 oz/375g) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla (optional)
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) fresh lemon juice
You will also need:
- 1 (9-inch) prebaked pastry or crumb crust
- Whipped cream to serve
Instructions
- Open the milk and pour it into a bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla if using.
- Add the lemon juice and whisk until the mixture becomes thick.
- Pour into the prepared pie crust. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
- Serve cut into wedges with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
This fresh apple torte recipe I am sharing with you today is unlike any other that I have seen online. It boasts a delicious buttery crust, layered with jam. On top of that goes a lush cream cheese filling.
Slices of sweet apple are layered on top of that and the whole thing is sprinkled with slivered almonds before baking to perfection. Is this a cake? Is this a pie? Is this a cheesecake?
Its actually all three rolled into one delicious dessert! This is one of the most perfect winter desserts when not a lot of fresh fruit is available. We always have apples though and here in the Annapolis Valley we grow some of the best!
For this recipe you will want a sweet eating apple. I would highly recommend a Cortland. Not only are they firm and crisp, but they bake up nice and tender and are nice and juicy. They are also quite resistant to browning. They are perfect for this kind of dessert!
The original recipe for this beautiful torte comes from a Robin Hood leaflet that I saved from out of a magazine many years ago. It was destined to become a tried and true family favourite. Everyone I make it for loves it, and no small wonder!
First of all you have that buttery base, which is somewhat reminiscent of a sweet short bread cookie in texture. Short, buttery, crisp. You simply make the mixture and then press it into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan.
I suppose you could also do it in a pie plate, but a spring form pan makes for a much nicer presentation. A spring form pan also makes it relatively easy to serve.
Just undo the clip and slip off the sides. Presto, chango, the torte is ready to be cut into delicious thick wedges. (Yes, I AM a glutton, especially when it comes to dessert!)
A thin layer of jam is spread over the shortbread crust. I like to use raspberry jam. Raspberry and apples have a natural affinity for each other. Feel free to use a seedless raspberry jam if the seeds bother you.
You might be tempted to skip this part, but I am begging you not to. It adds an amazing layer of flavour to the torte that you really don't want to miss out on. If you are not fond of raspberry jam, why not use marmalade, or even strawberry jam?
I think marmalade would be an exciting flavour to add to the mix. Not only is this citrus season, but apples and marmalade also go together very well.
A rich velvety cheesecake type of filling is poured over the layer of jam. This is so delicious and somewhat decadent.
Flavoured with vanilla it is in perfect contrast to everything else in the torte. Rich and lush it adds a beautiful element of creamy deliciousness into the mix.
The only faffy bit about this is slicing and layering the apples on top. Don't be tempted to slice them overly thick. You want them to cook through in the allotted time.
Neither do you want them too thin as you also want them to hold up and keep their shape. Somewhere fair to middlin' is the perfect choice.
These crisp apple slices are tossed together with cinnamon and sugar for the ultimate experience in apple flavour. You could add a pinch of nutmeg also if you wish. Or even just use apple pie spice if you have that in the house.
I always peel my apples. I do not think that apple skins would be very nice in this. I think the texture would be off-putting to say the least.
The faffy bit is layering them decoratively on top of the cream cheese filling. I do it in circles beginning at the outside of the pan and working my way in.
Try not to layer them too much over top of each other. They cook more evenly and much better if you don't. Trust me on this. You don't want hard apples on top of your torte.
A sprinkle of slivered almonds is this tortes crowning glory. You could use flaked if you have them. Today I did not. I only had blanched almonds.
And so I slivered them with a knife. Not an easy chore if you know almonds, but I managed. Oh, if you can get marcona almonds, so much the better.
Marcona almonds are fabulously tasty. They are like the Queen of the almond kingdom. Most are produced in Spain and they have a beautiful texture and flavour.
Rounder and plumper than traditional almonds they have a texture not unlike that of macadamia nuts. They are sweeter than regular almonds with a much more delicate flavour. I love, LOVE them!
The smell when this is baking is a-maze-ing!! Truly. Your home will be filled with the beautiful scent of cooking apples and cinnamon. Your family will be drooling in anticipation. I guarantee!
One of my favourite parts is the sugary caramelization that forms around the edges of the torte as the juices from the apples work together with the sugar as they bake. Yum . . . soooooo tasty!
.
Ideally this should be served warm with a nice scoop of cold vanilla ice cream on top. We only have candy cane crackle in the house, and I don't think that goes well with this type of dessert. Plain cake maybe, but not this.
We made do with a nice dollop of whipped cream. You can sweeten it lightly if you wish. I never do. I came to love unsweetened whipped cream when I lived in the UK and much prefer it that way now.
Fact is, this is a fabulously delicious dessert no matter what you choose to serve it with. Plain or with ice cream. Whipped cream . . . dare I say it . . . clotted cream (Oh how I miss thee)!
The British would enjoy this delightful dessert with lashings of warm custard. And who can blame them. Fabulously tasty any way you serve this. Why no bake up some loving from your oven today!
Yield: 10 - 12
Fresh Apple Torte
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 40 Mintotal time: 55 Min
A very simple and easy apple dessert which cuts into nice firm pieces. With plenty of apples, a cream cheese filling and a buttery base, this is good eating. Plain and simple.
Ingredients
For the Base:
- 1/2 cup (125g) butter, softened
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (140g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (120g) raspberry jam, loosened with a fork
For the cream cheese filling:
- 8 ounces (225g) full fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (95g) granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
For the Apples:
- 4 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (bout 4 cups)
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (85g) slivered blanched almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a 9-inch round spring form pan. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter, vanilla and sugar for the base. Add the flour and mix until you have coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of your pan.
- Spread the raspberry jam over the bottom.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the cream cheese filling until smooth and pour over top of the jam.
- Toss the apple slices with the sugar and cinnamon. Arrange gently over top of the filling. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Bake for a further half an hour until the apples are tender. Cool in the pan before removing sides.
- Serve cut into wedges with or without a dollop of whipped cream if desired! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
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