Another Year, Another Birthday

I'm a couple of weeks late with this one, but Ryan's birthday was this month and as per tradition, I did not make him a cake. He doesn't like cake remember? Or chocolate? Or ice cream? Lucky for me, he does like fruit tart, and this couldn't get any simpler. I used different fruit this year, cherries and peaches instead of berries and it turned out just as delicious.

FRUIT TART:
Just a new spin on an old favorite - berry tart

Make the crust and filling as directed in the berry tart. Peel and slice a peach - I needed a little more than 1 peach, so buy two and snack on whatever remains of the second. Pit some cherries, this used less than a bag of the prepacked kind, it seems like maybe a cup or two. Slice your cherries in half. Arrange artistically. This time I painted the glaze using warmed up ginger preserves, but it didn't taste particularly gingery. I'd use apricot if I were to do it again, no use in wasting the ginger. Just use a pale color so the peaches don't get painted red or something. Stick it in the fridge. Serve.

Beautiful Berry Tart

My husband's indifference in the face of dessert is never more obvious than when he is in a bakery or pastry shop. Where the rest of us drool and ooh and aah, he is entirely unmoved by the rows of plump eclairs, the delicate sfogliatelle, the deepest darkest layers of chocolate . If you totally twist his arm, he will reluctantly agree to a fruit tart. When he gets around to eating it though, he will exclaim over its deliciousness. I'm pretty familiar with the routine now, so for his birthday I always used to get him a little one. Now, if you've ever priced one of those suckers at a bakery, you know where I'm coming from when I say that stuff ain't cheap. So out of respect for my budget, I learned to make one. It's really not difficult and there are ways to cheat so that it's even less work. Also, it looks very fancy schmancy, which is nice if you have guests or just like praise.

BEAUTIFUL BERRY PART
Crust - Julia. Cream - Bon Appetit by way of epicurious.

INGREDIENTS:
for Julia's dough - for an 8-9 in. tart pan
1 1/2 C sifted flour (so, sift the flour, then measure it)
1 1/2 T sugar
8 1/4 T butter (Julia calls for a mixture of butter and shortening, but I never use shortening)
3-5 T ice water

for the filling
1 8 oz container of cream cheese
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C whipping cream
3/4 t vanilla
1 T lemon juice

for the topping
1/4 C jelly or jam (pick a complementary flavor for your fruit of choice, apricot works best on light color fruits) - I used blueberry, but had planned to use raspberry.
3 pints berries (or other fruit)- I used 1 pint of raspberries, 1 of blackberries and filled in with just enough blueberries. 3 pints may be too much, but better to have left over berries than a naked tart.

DIRECTIONS:
For the crust:
You need a pie crust. You can purchase one (clearly the easiest tactic). You can make my standard pie crust. You can make a crust of your choosing, or you can try Julia Child's pie crust (well, her Patee Brisee Sucre). Start by sifting the flour, then measure out one and a half cups, and add the sugar to this. Then pour into a food processor, and add the butter. Process until it has a sort of sandy consistency. Then add a bit of water. Don't add too much. I like to work it by hand, sort of kneading, once I've added the water, it's easier to tell if the dough is right that way. Form it into a flat disc and refrigerate for about an hour. For heaven's sake do NOT listen to Julia and put it in the freezer for an hour. It would come out solid like a rock (not that I know from personal experience or anything). You want it cold so it's easier to work with, but still pliable. Roll it out to the proper size, then put it in the tart pan. I use one with a removable bottom, similar to this. It makes it much easier to get out later. Anyway, when you get the dough in the pan, use a fork to prick all over the bottom. Then cover the whole pan/dough with foil and weigh it down with pie weights. Bake at 400F for 8-9 minutes. Then remove the foil and weights and bake an additional 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the tart pan and cool on a rack.
For the filling:
Use a mixer to combine the cream cheese and sugar. Then add the vanilla and lemon, and mix again. Finally, add the whipped cream, and run your mixer on high for a few minutes until the whole mixture is much lighter and fluffier. It should be much less dense than frosting. When finished, you can use a spatula, and fill the center of your (cooled) tart crust. Please make sure the crust is completely cool or the creamy stuff will melt and you'll be sorry.
For the fruit:
It is time to pretend you are an artist. Arrange the fruit so that it looks pretty. Heat up the jelly in a sauce pan until it is no longer gelatinous. When it is basically a liquid, you can use a pastry brush to brush it on all the fruit, which will make the fruit shiny, but also help in case your fruit isn't perfectly ripe and sweet.

Ta Da! You are done.

Peach and Raspberry Tart

I'm not so sure this qualifies as a tart, but Donna Hay says it's a tart and who am I to disagree with a professional on that score (I'm going to disagree with her about other things, later, never fear). Ryan says it's dessert, and I say it's breakfast, so it's multipurpose whatever else it is. Also, it's *cross your fingers* the last thing I've had to photograph using the computer, since I got a shiny new camera!!

The bottom is a little sweet, not too sweet and definitely more like a shortcake than a tart shell or pastry crust, it's really very rustic despite my fancy peach and raspberry arranging (which I should point out is entirely unnecessary).

PEACH AND RASPBERRY "TART"

adapted from Donna Hay's Off the Shelf, Cooking from the Pantry

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick of butter softened (125 g)

1 C superfine sugar (remember my make your own tip: Pour 1 C regular sugar in your food processor and give it a few buzzes)

1 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

1.5 C flour

2 1/4 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 peaches halved and cut into thin wedges (I peel mine, my mother has a terrible allergy to fruit skins, so I've made this both ways, a prefer it with the skins off)

5 oz raspberries

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 F (160 C). Line a 9" (22cm) cake pan with parchment paper. It is highly desirable to have a cake pan with a removable bottom. I honestly cannot imagine trying to do without. Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and beat well . In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the dry ingredients. The batter will be much stiffer than cake batter, almost like a biscuit dough. Spoon into the cake pan and smoosh down to create an even layer. This can be tricky as the dough is sticky and the parchment wants to move with it. Top with the peaches and raspberries, pretty designs are not necessary. A tip though, keep the fruits in a bit from the edges, because they will burn if they're directly up against the metal pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 and then another 45 at 325*. I haven't found a way to make it cook quicker yet, but I'm working on it. It should come clean when poked with a skewer, but don't hold your breath for a clean knife. Remove from cake pan and serve.

*if you live in Australia (and I only bring this up, because I've been noticing Australians googling for this recipe), Donna Hay claims you can do this at 160 C for an hour. In the US, an hour at the equivalent (350 F) is not long enough. So you this might take a smidge longer than she says.

The Easiest Onion Tart You'll Ever Make

Quiches and tarts are not inherently difficult to make but with the sauteeing of ingredients, making the crust and mixing the custard, they can end up being a giant pain in the you-know-what. This tart is different. It doesn't have a million ingredients. Just the basics, done right. And it is heavenly.

EASIEST ONION TART
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion (maybe even a tad wee bit more than this)
1/2 to 3/4 C grated cheddar. (Now I'm usually all for adding more cheese to anything, but I've only ever made it with 1/2 C and it's seemed right).
2 eggs (or 1/2 C eggbeaters - that's right, I didn't even use real eggs)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 T fresh thyme (use less if you're using dried)
1 recipe crust
DIRECTIONS
Slice the onion so that you have long strips of onion, not a dice. Add a T of oil to a non-stick pan on low heat. Cook the onion until carmelized, this can take 20-30 minutes, you can make the crust while it's happening, if you're a good multi-tasker. Onions are carmelized when they turn a golden brown and taste very sweet. Make sure the heat is low, or they will start to crisp up on you, which is not what you want at all. When they're done, add salt and pepper to taste, and the thyme. Put in a bowl and mix with the cheddar and the egg mixture. Pour into the crusts.

I cook mine in the toaster oven at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until the center is set and the crust is browned a bit. If you try it in a regular oven I would probably increase the heat slightly, but feel free to share what worked for you.

Here's the crust:

CRUST
1 C flour
1 T sugar
pinch salt
1/3 C butter
4-6 + T of ice water
DIRECTIONS:
This is a million times easier with a KitchenAid mixer. Cutting shortening/butter in by hand is no fun. So, mix together dry ingredients in the mixer. Add butter (still cold from the fridge, make sure it's not warm or room temp) in small chunks (I tend to cut my in tablespoon sized slabs). Mix until the whole mixture has a coarse sand or pebbley consistency. And this is where it gets hard. Add water. The amount you need varies based on where you live, the weather, the mood of your crust. You'll need to learn to add enough that it all holds together as a dough, but not so much that it's a wet mess. Go slowly, mix carefully. I don't measure anymore. I pour straight from my Brita of ice water into the mix (while the mixer is running) and see if it becomes a ball. I separated it into 4 small disks (because of making the mini-tarts) and let it refridgerate while I was grating the cheddar and finishing the onions. Then I rolled each out, and stuck it in the pie tins.