MAPLE TARTE TATIN

The January 2012 edition of Bon Appetit magazine highlighted Canadian sugar shacks, along with creative Montreal chef Martin Picard and some of the recipes from his new cookbook, “Sugar Shack Au Pied de Cochon.”  (The cookbook will be available next month through the shack’s web site.  To enter for a chance to win a copy, go to bonappetit.com/go/shack.”


I was intrigued by the article.  It surprised me to learn that Canada supplies 80% of the world’s supply of maple syrup, and that affordable gut-busting feasts are available at sugar shacks during the usual March 1 through April 30 season when sap runs from the trees.  There is no counterpart in the states, with apologies to Vermont.  Reservations must be made well in advance, because the lines are long to take part in this maple syrup celebration.  You’ll not only eat, you’ll also dance.  Cabane a Sucre Au Pied de Cochon takes reservations; just be sure to email well in advance:  cabaneasucreaupieddecochon.com.  

As one could almost anticipate, Chef Picard has his own twist on the classic French dessert, tarte Tatin (the famous tarte named for its namesake hotel owners and originators, the Tatin sisters).  You guessed it:  he incorporates Canada’s beloved maple syrup into the caramel.  In spite of the fact that the apples are bathed in sweet syrup for the entire cooking process, sweetness levels are  just about perfect for hubby and me.   The apples are amazingly tender, not mushy, and infused with the decadent maple caramel flavor.  Being an apple purist, I loved tasting apple and not spices and other flavorings that are normal to, and dominate,  most apple desserts.

Selecting apples of uniform size will make the best presentation, though you probably will have to quarter some to fill in gaps.

Maple Tarte Tartin Adapted from “Sugar Shack Au Pied de Cochon” and Bon Appetit Rating:  9.5 out of 10

Click for PRINTABLE PAGE INGREDIENTS:         1/2 of 14 oz. pkg. of puff pastry (preferably all butter, but Pepperidge Farm will work), thawed in fridge 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1” pieces 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup 2 Tbsp. frozen apple juice concentrate 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 3 large Stayman, Fuji, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples (about 2 lbs.), peeled, cored, halved Maple syrup-sweetened whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or creme fraiche Unfold thawed puff pastry on a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap.  Using an upside-down 8” cast-iron or  heavy skillet as a guide, cut pastry into a 9” circle.  Refrigerate pastry circle while making filling.   Heat oven to 425F.  Combine butter, syrup and apple juice concentrate in 8” cast-iron pan or heavy skillet.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling mixture rather than stirring, until butter melts.  (To swirl, just pick up pan by handle and rotate slightly so mixture “swirls.”) Add apples, cut-side down, cramming in as many apples as possible.  Cut halves in half to fill in gaps.  Notice how the apples don’t quite fit when they first go in the pan.  They will shrink as they cook.    Increase heat to medium-high and cook until sugar melts, occasionally swirling apples in pan, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, continuing to swirl apples in pan, about 5 minutes longer.  Flip apples to rounded side down and cook, swirling apples occasionally, until syrup is somewhat thick and light golden brown, 5-10 minutes longer.    Cover apples with chilled pastry round, tucking in edges of pastry.    Bake until pastry is light golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375F; bake till pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 20 minutes longer.  (I had to cover my pastry loosely with foil about 10 minutes after oven heat was reduced because it was browning too quickly.)   Let tarte cool for 15 minutes.  Invert a serving plate over the skillet.  Using oven mitts, firmly hold plate and skillet and invert tarte onto plate.  Remove skillet; rearrange apples if needed and scrape any caramel left in skillet over the tarte.  Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream lightly sweetened with maple syrup, as I did, or creme fraiche as the French do, or with plain vanilla ice cream.  Yield:  6 – 8 servings

Kitchen Tip:  If you don’t have an apple corer, all is not lost.  Easily core an apple with a grapefruit spoon.



Another Kitchen Tip:   Save pastry scraps to cover two ramekins filled with apples that have been cooked in the same caramel mixture.   Bake these at 375F for about 20 minutes, till pastry is puffed and golden. 

LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESE TART

Woman's Day Magazine published this recipe in their April 2010 issue.  The red-white-and-blue theme would be perfect for July 4, right at the peak of blueberry season.  But the recipe seemed too sweet.  Guy & I prefer our desserts toned down a bit, and I could tell this would be over the top for us.  The crust was begging for whole wheat flour to blend with the almonds.  And, even though the red jam looked pretty, I wanted my own blueberry puree under the fresh blueberries.

These all turned out to be good changes.  The crust tastes almost like a graham cracker crust with a nutty undertone.  The lemon flavor comes through strong and complements the blueberries beautifully.  And this dessert is plenty sweet.  Because it's not over-the-top sweet (like so many of today's desserts), you can actually enjoy the taste of the blueberries.  Hubby, friend and I gave this dessert top ratings, and I’ll be making it again.  My only problem is I’m dreaming about this tart and can’t wait for another slice. 

Lemon Blueberry Cheese Tart Adapted from Woman's Day Rating:  9.5 out of 10 PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: Topping 2 pt. fresh blueberries, divided use 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. lemon juice Almond Crust 1/2 cup slivered almonds 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar 1 cup white whole wheat flour 1/4 tsp. sea salt 7 Tbsp. cold butter, cut in pieces 2-3 Tbsp. ice cold water Lemon Cheese Filling 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Neufchatel cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest 2 Tbsp. lemon juice Prepare blueberry puree.  In 1-1/2 quart heavy saucepan, combine 1 pt. blueberries and 2 Tbsp. sugar.  Cook over medium heat till mixture bubbles.  Reduce heat slightly to keep mixture to slow boil, stirring as needed for about 15-20 minutes, or till liquid is reduced and jam consistency is reached.  Stir in lemon juice.  Puree with immersion blender.  Set aside to cool.  Make almond crust.  Heat oven to 350F.  Coat a 9” tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray or oil.  Set aside.  In work bowl of food processor, combine almonds and sugar.  Pulse till nuts are finely ground.  Add flour and salt; pulse until blended.  Add butter; pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Sprinkle with water; pulse until dough comes together.  Press dough evenly onto sides and bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden.  Prepare filling.   About 5-10 minutes before crust is done, wipe work bowl and blades of food processor with damp paper towel.  Combine cheese and sugar; pulse until blended and smooth.  Scrape down sides and bottom; add egg, lemon zest and juice and pulse till well combined and smooth.  Pour mixture into hot crust; bake 20 minutes, or till edges are puffed and center is set but not puffed.  Cool completely on wire rack; cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.  Before serving, spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup blueberry puree over top of tart.  (Use more or less as desired.  Use remaining puree as jam for toast, biscuits, etc.)  Sprinkle remaining blueberries over puree.  Yield:  8 servings

STRAWBERRY CREAM TART

Strawberry season has arrived in Eastern North Carolina, and I am loving it. The California strawberries can rot in the stores for all I care, I have nice, ripe, juicy and sweet local strawberries. (No offense intended to Californians; it's just that, by the time we get your strawberries, which have been picked before they fully ripen, they are not so great. Local produce is always the best. If I lived in California, I'd be waiting for California strawberries.)We had company for dinner last night, and I made this yummy strawberry cream tart for dessert. The recipe is actually a combination of several recipes, with my own twists and turns. The only complaint I have about this dessert is that it's hard to get the crust out of the pan. I don't own a tart pan with a removable bottom. Maybe I'll try a different crust next time -- one that has more butter in it. Still, even with the difficult crust, this was delicious and the crust was tender and sweet, once it came out.

Strawberry Cream Tart
Crust:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup self-rising flour
2 Tbsp. fat-free half and half
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Strawberry Glaze:
1/2 pt. fresh strawberries
1/4 cup superfine sugar (you can put regular sugar in a food processor)
1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. Smart Balance buttery spread (or butter if you prefer)
Strawberry Topping:
1-1/4 pints fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp. Triple Sec or Creme de Almond
Cream Filling:
3 oz. Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/3 cup lite sour cream, very cold
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease bottom and sides of a 10" tart pan. Make crust: Put all ingredients in work bowl of food processor and pulse till dough comes together. Press onto bottom and sides of pan. Prick dough all around with a fork, as below:

Bake 10-15 minutes, or till light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

While crust is cooling, prepare strawberry topping: Wash and hull strawberries. Toss with liqueur and let stand while preparing other ingredients.

Make strawberry glaze: Wash and hull strawberries. Cut them up and put them in a saute' pan. Crush them with a potato masher, add remaining ingredients except butter. Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, bring to boiling. Mixture will be thickened and translucent. Strain; add butter; cool.

Prepare cream filling: Put cheese and sugar in work bowl of food processor (or medium mixing bowl) and pulse (or beat with electric mixer) till well combined and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and pulse (or beat) till whipped and thickened.

Assemble tart: Spread cream filling on bottom of cooled crust. Drain strawberries and place them on top of cream filling. Spoon or brush glaze over each strawberry (I used a pastry brush).

Refrigerate for several hours to thoroughly chill. Yield: 6-8 servings

BH&G PRIZE-TESTED RECIPES MIXED-BERRY TARTLETS, adapted

The Better Homes & Gardens Prize Tested Recipe $400 winner for the month of March for Frozen Fruits to the Rescue Category is Mixed-Berry Tartlets. This is the recipe that beat out my Blueberry-Pepper Sauce with Chipotle Chile Chicken recipe. The photo in the magazine shows the fruit still plumped up and looking quite fresh, even though it had supposedly been baked in the tartlet shell. Recommended baking time was 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, my tartlets were not cooked. The pastry shells were still half raw and the fruit wasn't even hot. They needed a full 40 minutes, at which time the fruit was cooked but deflated and didn't look so pretty; but thanks to the topping and a mint sprig, the tartlet was presentable at dessert time. When the tartlets cooled, I had trouble getting them out of my nonstick pan that I had sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Only 3 shells came out intact; therefore, I would recommend that you do use the store-bought pie crusts which are sturdier and will stand up better (I used my own pie crust which is flakier and a little more fragile).

I thought the recipe needed more sugar. Tasting the fruit tartlet by itself, it was not sweet enough, and I usually undersweeten fruit desserts. However, when the topping was added, it was perfect. I didn't use the lemon curd-heavy cream topping in the original recipe, since I didn't have any lemon curd on hand and didn't feel like making any. I'll give both recipes below so you can make whichever you want. We had this dessert Sunday night with friends. Our menu started with chicken soup, then salad and that wonderful lasagna I made recently and stashed in the freezer, and finally this dessert which we all thought was a winner, even if it did beat me.

BH&G Prize-Tested Recipes Mixed-Berry Tartlets, adapted

INGREDIENTS
1 15-OZ. pkg. rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crusts (2)
Non-stick cooking spray
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 12-oz. pkg. frozen mixed berries
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup purchased lemon curd
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Mint sprigs (optional)

Judy's Orange-Cream Topping:
3/4 cup very cold fat-free half and half
1-1/2 tsp. Triple Sec liqueur
1/4 tsp. orange extract
2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 pkg. instant French Vanilla pudding mix
1 cup frozen and thawed nonfat or lite whipped topping

PREPARATION: 1. Let pie crusts stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly coat 12 2-1/2" muffin cups with cooking spray. For pastry shells, unroll pie crusts. Use a 4" round cutter to cut 6 rounds from each crust. (I used the pastic top of a storage container that measured just slightly more than 4".) Press rounds into prepared muffin cups, pleating to fit.

2. For tartlet filling, in a medium bowl, combine the 2 Tbsp. sugar and the cornstarch; stir in berries and lemon juice. Spoon berry mixture into pastry shells. Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden. (Mine took 40 minutes to cook pastry and fruit.) Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove tartlets from muffin cups; cool completely on wire rack.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, lemon curd, 1 tsp. sugar and vanilla; beat with wire whisk or with electric mixer on medium speed until cream mixture mounds and is fluffy. Spoon on tarts. Garnish each tartlet with a mint sprig.

To make Judy's orange-cream topping, pour half and half into medium narrow bowl. Add Triple Sec, orange extract, orange zest, and pudding mix and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes or till mixture starts to thicken and is well blended. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Refrigerate till serving time.

Note: I halved BH&G's recipe to make 6 tartlets. I used all my topping on the 6 tartlets. Depending on how much topping you want, if you make 12 tartlets, you might want to double the topping.