Two Tarts with One Tart Shell Recipe

Perhaps I should invest in a tart pan? 

Apparently a pie plate uses less of the dough. . .

I found this wonderful looking recipe on Pinterest the other day for a Ricotta Lime Tart that really sounded like a perfect taste of summer. I followed the recipe and found that when I made the dough for the tart, I was able to make two shells. The first was the "main" one I intended, a white Corningware dish that was about 11 inches in diameter and I had enough to also line an 8 inch glass pie plate.

Again, I probably should invest in a tart pan but that wasn't happening today. When I made the filling I found that I had just enough for the larger tart shell so what's a girl to do? Two tart shells require two fillings I guess. I quickly went on line to find something else to make another tart and found this Strawberry and Ricotta Tart recipe to use an alternate with some slight modifications (I didn't have orange flower water but I do have almond and vanilla extracts!) since I had fresh strawberries already sliced from this morning's grocery store run.

So my recipes are based on the two links, with little modifications. One tart shell recipe and two fillings. I added vanilla and almond extracts to both (I couldn't resist, the aroma is just as important as the taste). Because they both were baked in 350 degree ovens I was able to stagger and use the same oven. However, because I didn't realize that I would not have enough filling for two shells, I did waste some egg whites and yolks. Next time I can plan ahead!

Crust (made two shells when using pie pans)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup diced butter, chilled
• 2 egg yolks
• Lime zest from one lime
• 5 Tbsp ice water

Filling One: Ricotta Lime Tart

• 1 15 oz package of  whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 egg whites 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• grated zest from 2 limes 

Filling Two: Strawberry Ricotta Tart

• 1 15 oz package of  whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 whole egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 pint of strawberries, sliced

Instructions

Tart crust:

In a food processor add the flour, sugar, butter, egg yolks and lime zest. Pulse a few times until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the water and pulse until evenly mixed.


Using your fingers, press the dough into the tin. As I have mentioned I do not have a tart tin so I used two different dishes and ended up with enough for two, lining both the bottoms and sides of each dish.


Cover the tart shells with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about a half hour.

Filling One: Ricotta Lime Tart Instructions

In  mixing bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and sugar until combined.

Add the eggs and egg whites, a bit at a time, making sure to incorporate each time. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the ground almonds and lime zest, stir to combine.

Pour into the chilled crust and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes.

Cool on a baking rack and then garnish with powdered sugar.

Filling Two: Strawberry Ricotta Tart Instructions

In  mixing bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and sugar until combined.

Add the egg yolks, making sure to incorporate well. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Pour the filling into the chilled tart shell and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool completely on wire rack.

Place sliced strawberries on the top of the tart in a decorative pattern. Garnish with powdered sugar. 


So there you have it, two tarts. Reviews? I liked the lime one better - I really liked the ground almonds in it. Kids liked the strawberry one - how can you go wrong with strawberries?

Ode to Almond Joys in Cupcake Form!

Okay so officially they are brownie bites but let's not get technical!

I got this recipe for Almond Joy Bites off Pinterest recently and made them for a "take along" for a lunch we were invited to. I think they were a hit! They were also pretty easy, since you used brownie mix plus a couple of other ingredients (sweetened coconut, condensed milk, almonds, melted chocolate). I followed the recipe exactly so I'm not going to repost it.

I did find that my wrappers (cupcake liners) did not come off as easily as the original poster. I also baked half of the brownie bites in a silicon pan and the other half in metal. Note to self: Throw away that silicone baking pan, things just don't get crisp when you put the liner in and stay soggy! The ones in the metal pans fared much better and really were delicious.

Milk Chocolate and Cherry Shortbread Cookies

I've been thinking about shortbread a lot lately.

Okay that sounds weirder when I say it out loud (well virtually anyways) but it's true. 

Good Enough for my Grandmother's China!

My friend Jill just came back from a "once in a lifetime" trip to Ireland. While the photos and stories of her adventures were really nice, I kept thinking about two things - Bailey's and shortbread cookies. She's a good friend because she bought me a large box of shortbread cookies back with her and I keep them stashed at my desk at work. While I was munching on them last week I thought back to some homemade shortbread I used to get once a year from a family I used to work with years ago.

Years ago I worked with children with developmental disabilities, identifying in home staff and creating goals for the staff to work on when providing services. As a thank you, many parents gave little trinkets or gifts around the holidays. One Mom always made these wonderful dense shortbread cookies and would put them in a these little plaid gift bags. You could smell the butter through the wrappings and there must have been so much of it in there because the  bag was so very heavy from the dense cookies. They would be hand cut little rectangles that were almost identical in size, stacked in rows in that bag.

The drive home from their house was about 45 minutes or an hour in rush hour. As soon as I left that house, the little pep talk inside my brain started. . . Okay just one little taste before I start up the car. . . Oh that was good, just one more and I'm closing that bag. Sometimes I would exhibit some self control and get on the freeway before I took another one. Just one more. . . Just one more. . . At some point, I lost any semblance of self control and by the time I got home they were all gone. Yes all of them. I shudder to think about the caloric intake or how many fat grams are in a pound of butter. Most of all I'm sad when I recollect about this that I never asked her for the recipe in all those years.

1 Whole Pound of  Butter - 4 Sticks!

In my opinion, good shortbread has to have a lot of butter and also a good amount of salt to add some flavor. I don't think I will ever be able to recreate that wonderful deliciousness without using the Internet to track her down and contact her after all these years so instead I decided to go with something different after finding a recipe online for a Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread. This recipe called for dark or white chocolate and I'm not a fan. If I'm going to go with chocolate, in a cookie or cake, or on my ice cream in form of hot fudge, it's milk chocolate all the way. If you follow my recipes (or my revisions to other recipes) you know I'm a fan of almond extract in baking so I added that in equal parts with vanilla extract.

I found that my cookies were definitely pinker that the photos in the original recipe. I am not sure if the original recipe really was more of a candied cherry rather than a maraschino cherry. I chopped up a jar of maraschino cherries and did pat them with a paper towel to get rid of some of the juice but there was enough to stain the dough to a pretty shade of pink.


I also doubled the recipe. . . I figure if I'm going to the trouble to make cookies I'm going to really make a lot. Between kids and coworkers there is always a demand for snacks. I didn't mind doubling the recipe because there was no rolling or cutting them out - making a log and slicing it later is easy. Have I mentioned I hate rolling out dough and using cookie cutters?

Now doubling the recipe poses a problem. I have had this issue before. My mixer doesn't really like 4 cups of flour and one pound of butter but I forced it. I should not admit that but I am going to. I do that a lot and about every ten years I have to buy a new mixer. I think it's worth it. How did I force it? Well when it started bouncing up, I held the bowl down so it wouldn't tilt. Helpful hint, put the protective plastic guard on when adding the dry ingredients. I put in small batches of the flour mixture (1/4 cup at a time) and let the dough really incorporate.


When I got to adding the cherries and chocolate chips (isn't that pretty?) I really had to hold the bowl down. If you don't want to have to do this maybe cut the recipe back down. . . Like I said, I really like to make a lot of cookies at one time. Life is too short to watch my kids finish them in record time - all that work! By the way they loved them. They keep sneaking them when they think I'm not looking!

Milk Chocolate and Cherry Shortbread Cookies 

Recipe

2 cups (4 sticks - 1 whole pound!) of salter butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 16 oz jar of maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Using a stand mixer or similar equivalent, cream the butter and sugar

Mix the flour and salt, add in small batches to the creamed butter and sugar, until it starts forming a dough. I put the cover on the mixer and then put 1/4 cup batches of the flour and salt into the bowl.

Add cherries, chocolate chips and flavored extracts.

Form the dough into logs and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the logs into 1/4 inch slices, placing them on lined or greased baking sheets with a inch of space between cookies.

Bake  in oven for about 15 minutes. If your cookies are pink like mine do not wait for them to brown!

Cool completely.

Enjoy!


 

Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Scones

I think these are perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Years ago when Starbuck's and all the other coffee shops first emerged, there was a plethora of scones available. My favorite was at The Coffee Beanery and it was this slightly dry (well it's all relative if it's good at the local coffee shop when compared to other treats) and dense scone loaded with chocolate chips and a good sprinkling of sugar on top of it.

I would always discover little chunks of butter that somehow did not get mixed in thoroughly which seemed like little treasures. Fast forward to current times. . . scones are still available but I haven't found a chocolate chip one in a long time. I love Starbuck's for coffee but I am less than thrilled with their baked goods so I typically refrain. When you have a daily latte habit, abstaining from the baked goods is maybe not exactly a frugal move but a necessity for the budget anyways.

Tomorrow I have a long drive for work and I will be stopping for a coffee for the road, but packing some of these scones for our breakfast (I'm carpooling).

This recipe is based on one I have tried before at King Arthur Flour's website. They have some chocolate chip scones that are pretty darn good, and not the least bit dry. Looking at their website today, they actually have a total of 52 scone recipes, ranging from savory to sweet available.

I am going to admit right now that I did NOT use King Arthur Flour today. I do recommend it - it's really very very good but I did not have any on hand today, with the exception of bread flour and I wasn't sure how bread flour would compare to the pastry flour they recommended in the original recipe. The recipe did say all purpose flour was okay and I had some Gold Medal in the house - a new fresh package of unbleached - so I used that. I keep all my open flours in the freezer to stay fresh, rolling the package and sealing in a large Ziploc bag. Flour can go bad and it's not the cheapest thing (especially when you are using King Arthur. FYI I have a sneaking suspicion (reckless conjecture) that Trader Joe's flour is King Arthur with their private label. . . just saying!

I also added a little almond extract instead of just vanilla (it's something I seem to do a lot) and dried cranberries.  Dried Cranberries are my "Poor Man's (ahem Woman's) Sundried Cherries". Oh, and it's not a typo, I did not put extra sugar in the actual dough, just a sprinkling on top!

Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Scones Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup Half and Half
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup of dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease.

In the stand mixer combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add the butter on a low speed, until distributed and the mixture is crumbly.

In a separate bowl, whisk by hand the cream, eggs, and extracts. Reserve two tablespoons of the mixture for later, and pour the rest into the mixer.

Mix together to form a dough. Add chips and cranberries. The dough will be very soft and moist.


Transfer the dough on to a heavily floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, shape into approximately an 8 inch circle. Brush the dough with the reserved cream mixture and sprinkle with sugar.

Dip a cookie cutter (I had a glass) into flour and use to cut out circles. I think mine were about 3 inches in diameter.  Place the cut outs on the sheet and then form the leftover dough into a circle again, cutting out more. Repeat until you have as many scones as you can. The second and third batch were brushed and sprinkled on the cookie sheet.  I had 16 scones total.

Place the scones in the oven for 20 minutes until they are golden brown.

They taste delicious straight out of the oven but if you are going to eat them later put them in an airtight container when they have cooled down. You can reheat them in foil in the oven. I like them cold with some good butter!

Strawberry Sour Cream Pie

Sunday Dinner Dessert

I love Sundays even if I know the weekend is almost over. I especially like Sundays where we don't have too much in the way of plans and I can spend some time getting dinner ready. I find that I am willing to put the extra time in a dinner and can plan on leftovers for Monday lunch. Right now I have Chicken Cordon Bleu, Green Bean Casserole (with fresh Haricot Verts beans steamed!)  and Corn Pudding all in the oven while I write this.

I found this recipe for Summer Strawberry Sour Cream Pie on Pinterest the other day and used this for inspiration. I doubled the recipe and made a few changes so I thought I probably should post it. I doubled it first of all, then blended two kinds of flour, added a little almond extract to the dough, and some vanilla and creme fraiche to the filling. It smells heavenly and I can't wait to dig in after dinner. Once that happens I will add a photo of a slice at the bottom of the blog.

I mixed 2 kinds of flour to make the crust. I had both all purpose and then white whole wheat in the house so I figured I would hedge my bets and use both. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer rather than a food processor, using the wire whisk to mix the flour and salt together.


 
To this I added the Crisco, in little bits, making sure to take a rest between each addition and mix so as not to overheat the mixture. I then moved on to the chunks of butter, doing the same. I noticed at that point I had to use the paddle attachment rather than the whisk.I kept turning it on and off again, to make sure I didn't overheat everything.

I added the cold water, a little bit at a time, by the tablespoonful. I found that I needed quite a bit of water to create a dough that would actually come together and maybe that is because I used a mixer instead of a processor but it worked. I estimate it was about a 1/4 cup. Once I could see my dough was almost the right consistency I added the almond extract. I think the aroma itself makes it worth adding!


I put the dough on to a wooden board and formed two balls with my hands, and then flattened to disks. These were wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled for about a half hour. It's really important to work with chilled dough for this work. . . Also little tip. . . My board is a remnant from Ikea that I bought in the clearance section. I have tiled countertops that are not conducive to rolling anything out so this is a portable surface that I can use either in the kitchen or in the dining room and makes making breads and cookies easy too!

I turned the dough on to the board, once I floured it, and rolled each disk out to a little larger a circumference than the pie plate. I then pressed it into the pie plate and crimped. Now, I'm no expert and these aren't as beautiful as a professional but I'll take it. I then turned my attention to the filling.

In the mixer, I first sifted the flour, salt and sugar with the whisk attachment. I used two kinds of sugar, turbinado and cane sugars. I then added sour cream and creme fraiche as well as some vanilla extract and cinnamon. I then folded the strawberries in by hand, taking care not to be rough with them. I then spooned the mixture into the two pie crusts, carefully spreading but not packing the filling.

I sprinkled some more turbinado sugar on the top of the filling and then put the pies into a preheated oven at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Based on the original recipe, after ten minutes I reduced the temperature to 350 degrees and baked for about another half hour, making sure not to go too long. I then also broiled the tops of the pies for about 4 minutes on high.

Recipe:

Pie Crust (makes 2)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/2 cup Crisco, chilled
1 cup cold butter chopped
Cold ice water (approximately 1/4 cup)
1 Tablespoon Almond Extract

Filling Ingredients

2 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup Turbinado sugar
1 1/4 cup White Sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup creme fraiche
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

Directions:

• Combine flour and salt together. Add bit of shortening and using whisk attachment, combine with slow speed and with breaks in the standing mixer. Add cubes of chilled butter in the same manner.
• Add minimal amounts of cold water until dough will form a ball with shaping. Add almond extract.
• Separate dough into two balls and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for about a half hour.
• Place disks on floured board and roll out, to a little bit larger than your pie plates and then transfer to plates, trimming and crimping dough.
• Sift flour, sugars and salt in the standing mixer. Add sour cream, creme fraiche, vanilla and cinnamon and blend until creamy. Hand fold the strawberries into the mixture. Spoon into pie shells and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake in a 450 degree preheated oven for ten minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30 minutes. Broil the pies for about 4 minutes and then let cool completely before slicing.

Chocolate Covered Malibu Coconut Marcaroon Cookies

Coconut and Coconut Rum

Oh my it smells heavenly in here!

I have been surfing around the Internet trying to come up with a good recipe for Coconut Macaroons. A couple of weeks back we made coconut macaroon cupcakes and they were quite good. Today we were looking for a little more chewy a consistency to be topped off with some chocolate dipping.

I found this a Chewy Coconut Macaroons recipe in my travels  at the Best Ever Cookie Collection Website that I used as inspiration and a basis for my recipe. When I started adding extra flavors including coconut rum, I think I messed around with the delicate balance and thinned the batter a little too much. I figure if I'm going to add flavor, I'm going to add flavor. So I found that after baking the first batch I needed to add a little flour to the recipe to get back on track. My first batch was a little flat, and I can see the second sheet that went in the oven, with the addition of some flour, really look a little more substantial. I even took a photo to compare.

Yes, I can admit my own mistakes and show them to you because I believe cooking and baking is all a learning experience. Nope, I don't get this right all the time. Maybe I should put all my failures on here too!

Below you will find the recipe after I played around with it a bit.

Preparation of the baking sheets is important. Not only did I line them with parchment paper, I also buttered them per the original recipe. I think that dealing with egg whites you need a little more extra effort.

I first combined the coconut, condensed milk, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, along with the coconut rum. I used a rubber spatula to combine all of the ingredients. I think that almond extract is one of the best smells in baking. Adding the coconut rum and stirring it together? Well that was over the top. It also made the whole house smell so good while it baked and every time I opened or closed the oven door. . . well wow! I set this aside and began work on the meringue. 

I always use a Pyrex measuring cup with a spout to put my egg whites in, separating the yolk from the white with the shell over the cup. I then put the whites in the fridge to chill, along with my metal bowl and whisk.

The original recipe called for cream of tartar and who am I to disagree? So I went out and bought some but was curious what this stuff does. According to the Internet (which sometimes does have true facts), it's really potassium hydrogen tartrate, a byproduct of wine making from the powder that forms in the wine barrels during fermentation. Well, adding the fact we put rum in this, I'm a true lush! This acid is actually one of the major ingredients in baking powder so that baked goods rise. For egg whites, it increases the stability and volume. In candies it can add a creamier texture and is prevents the crystallization of cooked sugar.

I beat the egg whites on medium in the chilled bowl with the cream of tartar for about 2 minutes, waiting until the eggs were foamy. I then added some more speed, going for a higher setting, and let the mixture form soft peaks. I gradually added the sugar and beat until stiff peaks formed.

This was added to the coconut flake mixture we made earlier, folding the egg whites in gently in batches. I dropped the batter in rounded tablespoons on the lined cookie sheets. This is when I discovered that the whole thing was a little too runny so I added the flour after the first batch was baked. Again, please refer to the Before and After photo.

I baked these, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven, for about 18 minutes or so, checking for a golden brown glow. I let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes and transferred to a baking rack. While they cooled I melted the chocolate chips in a double boiler and then dipped the cooled cookies, using the back sides of my original parchment paper (see I can reuse and repurpose!).

Next time I will use a little more chocolate, I could only dip them in partially but I think with all of the flavors that might be better. The recipe made 28 cookies but I think I could get 32 if I ration next time!

Ingredients:

1 package (14 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon almond extract
1 Tablespoon coconut rum (I used Malibu Black)
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 package (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips (next time I am getting a larger pack!)

Directions:

• Combine the coconut, condensed milk, salt, extracts and rum in a bowl and set aside.
• Using a chilled bowl and whisk, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Increase speed to a medium high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the sugar slowly and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture in batches. Add flour.
• Drop onto prepared baking sheets (lined with parchment and buttered) by rounded tablespoons leaving about 1 1/2 inches between cookies.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for approximately 18 minutes, checking to make sure they are a little bit golden.
• Cool on sheet for about five minutes, transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. Dip each cooled cookie into the chocolate and let cool.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container. 

Macaroon Cupcakes

Last week while shopping at Holiday Market, we tried a sample from the bakery. You know that's how they get you right? I knew I would love it before I even tried them - how could you NOT like a Macaroon cupcake? Of course I supposed you must love coconut to really enjoy them. I know there are a few people out there that don't particularly care for coconut.

I resisted the impulse to purchase these and of course I regretted it. I always do. So my daughter and I decided to try to do this at home and did some research and found this recipe called "Macaroons a la Filipina" on the Tangled Noodle blog and based my recipe here from this foundation. I did not want to go with lemon undertones and replaced it with almond and vanilla for the flavorings with just a touch of fresh lemon juice. I also drizzled them with a quick ganache I made with semi sweet chocolate chips and heavy cream.

I can tell you that they are not exactly like the ones we had at Holiday Market. I think the ones at Holiday probably had egg whites rather than whole eggs in them as they were lighter, almost like a coconut filled angel food cake. Mine are definitely denser and heartier, a true cupcake.

Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Water
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extracts
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Package of Shredded Sweetened Coconut (about 5 1/3 cups)

Directions:
In a large bowl, put the flour, salt and baking powder in, and then quickly mix up with a wire whisk (I'm not sifting. I'm sorry). Set aside.

Brown Sugar with a Bit of Water

In a small saucepan add the water and sugar, and slowly melt. The mixture will not become a liquid but more of a paste. Set aside.

Cream the butter. Add the sugar mixture to the mixer and incorporate well.

Add eggs, extracts, lemon juice and condensed milk and beat until well mixed. I am a big fan of cracking all my eggs at once and putting in a Pyrex cup and then adding at once. This allows me to insure no shells get into the mixture as well as "check" the eggs for abnormalities. While that doesn't happen often a bad egg, well it's a bad egg, and it can ruin a dish.

After the liquid ingredients are mixed in well, start adding the dry ingredients slowly and on a low speed. We don't want to overdo it. The batter should be barely combined, not super emulsified. That sounds like a superhero power doesn't it?

Add the coconut by hand with a spoon. The mixture will be stiff and hard to work with. Place the mixture into paper lined cupcake pans. I originally filled them about 3/4 of the way like the original recipe but mine did not rise as much as I would have liked to make a crown. Fill them to the top without heaping.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden.

While in the oven, I used a double boiler and heated some whipping cream and melted some chocolate chips into it and stir with a wooden spoon. No recipe here - it's just some added goodness.