POPPY-SEED TARTLETS WITH LEMON CURD
Play around with scale to re-create full-size pies and tarts in miniature. Such diminutive treats are traditionally considered tea-party fare, welcome at ladies’ luncheons, garden parties, bridal showers, and such. Novel shapes and flavor combinations, however, make the following desserts feel right at home in any modern setting. A display of pint-size pies, for example, can serve as a whimsical and entirely fitting last course at a wedding. Look for other such opportunities to present a dozen or so of these endearing desserts.
Here, a dozen petite pies are baked in pâte sucrée–lined muffin cups. A small amount of blood-orange juice sweetens the tart cranberries, but not overly so. You can assemble and bake the pies a day ahead, but for the best presentation, wait to top each with meringue until just before serving. If you can’t find blood oranges, use a regular variety.
MAKES 1 DOZEN
All-purpose flour, for dusting
½ recipe Pâte Sucrée, Citrus Variation
12 ounces (3¼ cups) fresh cranberries
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups plus ¼ cup water
1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated blood orange zest plus ¼ cup fresh blood orange juice
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 large egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick. Cut out twelve 4-inch fluted rounds, and fit into cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin (not nonstick). Pierce bottom of shell in each cup with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Line shells with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Bake until bottoms are just turning golden, 5 minutes more. Transfer to wire racks; let cool 5 minutes. Remove shells from tin; let cool completely.
3. Bring 2 cups cranberries, 1 cup sugar, and 1½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst, about 5 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve (in batches, if necessary); discard solids. (You should have about 1¾ cups; if you have less, add water.)
4. Bring strained cranberry juice, ¼ cup sugar, the zests, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and remaining 1¼ cups cranberries to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are soft but have not burst, about 3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, orange juice, and remaining ¼ cup water in a bowl; whisk into cranberry mixture in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 1 minute. Divide mixture among shells. Refrigerate until set, 1 hour or up to 1 day.
6. Whisk egg whites and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot to the touch. With an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until foamy. Raise speed to high. Add cream of tartar; beat until medium glossy peaks form. Divide meringue evenly among pies.
7. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown meringue peaks. Alternatively, preheat broiler, and place pies under broiler for 30 seconds or up to a minute; watch carefully to ensure meringue doesn’t burn. Serve immediately.
PORT CARAMEL CHOCOLATE TARTLETS
Chocolate and caramel are enhanced with port wine, Spanish Marcona almonds, and fleur de sel, a delicate sea salt, for ultra-rich miniature tarts that are wonderfully unctuous, like fine truffles. The large yield of this recipe makes it perfect for parties; just don’t expect to have any left over. These tartlets have a tendency to disappear rather quickly.
MAKES 40
FOR THE CRUST
2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon fleur de sel, or other sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
FOR THE FILLING
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
½ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons ruby or tawny port
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ounce dark chocolate (preferably 70 percent cacao), finely chopped
1 cup salted Marcona almonds (or blanched, roasted, salted almonds), finely chopped
Fleur de sel, or other sea salt, for sprinkling
1. Make the crust: Pulse flour, cocoa, sugar, and fleur de sel in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs, and process just until dough comes together. Pat dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 10 rounds from dough. Transfer remaining dough to a dusted baking sheet; refrigerate. Fit dough rounds into 10 round tartlet molds (each 2¼ inches in diameter). Trim excess dough flush with rims. (Refrigerate scraps.) Refrigerate or freeze shells until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely in molds on a wire rack; unmold.
4. Working in batches of 10 and using remaining dough (reroll scraps), repeat steps 2 and 3 to make 40 shells total.
5. Make the filling: Combine sugar and the water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, gently stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, occasionally washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Let boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is dark amber. Remove from heat.
6. Carefully stir in cream and port (caramel will steam and spatter). Add butter and chocolate; stir until melted and smooth. Let cool until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 20 minutes.
7. Cover bottoms of tart shells with chopped almonds (about 1 teaspoon per shell). Spoon filling into shells, almost to top. Sprinkle with almonds and fleur de sel. Refrigerate until ready to serve, 3 hours or up to 1 day.
An all-time favorite fruit pie—strawberry-rhubarb—is utterly charming in miniature. These pielets would be welcome at a family reunion, graduation party, or other summer occasion. Baking the lattice-topped pies in mini muffin tins makes large batches easy to manage. If you’d like to serve the pielets à la mode, use a melon baller to form tiny scoops of ice cream.
MAKES 2 DOZEN
FOR THE CRUST
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold solid vegetable shortening
¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 large eggs, for egg wash
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
FOR THE FILLING
12 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into tiny dice
5 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and cut into tiny dice
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest plus ¼ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
1½ cups granulated sugar
1. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, granulated sugar, salt, vegetable shortening, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; pulse until dough just comes together. Divide dough in half; flatten into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 1 day.
2. Make the filling: In a bowl, toss together strawberries, rhubarb, zest, juice, liqueur, and granulated sugar.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick. Cut out 24 rounds using a 3½-inch round cutter; press into cups. Reroll scraps, and using a pastry wheel, cut twenty-eight ¼-inch strips for lattice. Refrigerate or freeze shells and lattice strips until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Strain fruit mixture and discard liquid; place 2 tablespoons in each tartlet shell. Lightly beat eggs and brush edge of each shell with egg wash. For each row of tartlets, arrange 2 dough strips lengthwise across muffin tin. Place 2 more dough strips crosswise, weaving a lattice over tartlets. Brush with egg wash. Use a 2¼-inch round cutter to trim excess dough. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer tins to baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 60 to 70 minutes.
5. Use a wooden skewer to gently loosen edges of pielets and remove from pans while still hot; if you wait until they cool, fruit juices may harden and make pielets stick. Transfer pielets to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Pielets can be stored at room temperature up to 1 day.
POPPY-SEED TARTLETS WITH LEMON CURD
Each of these tiny tea-party treats features a pastry shell flecked with poppy seeds, rich lemon curd, a candied lemon slice, and a whipped-cream rosette sprinkled with more poppy seeds. Admittedly, making a bunch of them takes more time than a larger dessert, but most of the components can be prepared ahead (the shells and candied lemon will keep nearly a week). Then it’s only a matter of filling and topping the tarts just before serving, using a pastry bag and a star-shaped tip to quickly pipe the cream.
MAKES 2 DOZEN
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Pâte Sucrée, Poppy Seed Variation
2 recipes Lemon Curd
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Poppy seeds, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick. Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut out 24 rounds. Fit dough rounds into 3½-inch tartlet pans. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Place a second tartlet pan of the same size on top; press together lightly. Alternatively, line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
2. Bake shells 8 to 10 minutes; when dough begins to brown around edges, remove top pan, and continue baking until crust is dry and turns golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Unmold. (Tartlet shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)
3. Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons curd into center of each crust.
4. As close to serving time as possible, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/16-inch star tip (#35), and fill with whipped cream.
5. Drain candied lemon slices from syrup, and remove any seeds. Place 1 lemon slice on top of each tart, and finish with a rosette of whipped cream. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and serve.
Apricot halves are poached with lemon peel, cracked cardamom pods, sliced fresh ginger, and vanilla-bean seeds to make a luscious filling for little crosshatched hand pies. Plums or peaches can be used in place of apricots; you may need to cut out larger pastry rounds depending on the size of the fruit. Be sure to keep the fruit submerged in poaching liquid or it will turn brown. This recipe is a specialty of Joey Gallagher, whose daughter, photographer Dana Gallagher, is a frequent contributor to Martha Stewart Living.
MAKES 1 DOZEN
2 cups water
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 strips (1½ inches long) fresh lemon peel, pith removed
1 piece (about ½ inch) fresh ginger, peeled
4 cardamom pods, cracked
½ vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped
6 small just-ripe apricots (¾ pound), halved and pitted
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons ice water
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
1. Bring the water, granulated sugar, lemon peel, ginger, cardamom, and vanilla-bean seeds to a boil in a saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until liquid has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
2. Add apricots to pan. Rinse a double thickness of cheesecloth under cold water, and drape over apricots so fruit is covered by cloth and submerged in liquid. (Alternatively, cut a round of parchment to fit pan and cover fruit.) Continue simmering until apricots soften slightly, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on ripeness. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. Use immediately, or transfer apricots and poaching liquid to a storage container. Make sure apricots are completely submerged in liquid at all times. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 4 days.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough into a large round, about ⅛ inch thick. Cut out twelve 3-inch rounds. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat process with remaining dough, using a 4-inch cookie cutter to make 12 more rounds; do not refrigerate.
4. Using paper towels, blot poached apricots halves to eliminate excess liquid. Place 1 in center of each chilled 3-inch round. Brush ice water around edges of dough; cover each with an unchilled 4-inch round. Gently press edges together to seal. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425°F. Using a paring knife, slash top of each hand pie in a crosshatch fashion. Brush with water, and generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. Continue baking until pastry is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.
POACHING APRICOTS
LEMON TARTLETS WITH MERINGUE CAPS
Ethereal, light-as-air sweets start with thin tuile cookies that are draped over inverted small brioche molds while still warm. Once cooled, each ruffled cup is filled with velvety curd and topped with a playful baked-meringue peaked cap. You will need a nonstick baking mat for the cups.
MAKES ABOUT 20
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
5 large egg whites, room temperature
½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup granulated sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in 2 egg whites, 1 at a time. Mix in flour and vanilla.
2. Spoon 1 scant teaspoon batter onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat. Using the back of a spoon, spread into a 3-inch circle. Repeat 3 times. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies, 1 at a time, to inverted small brioche molds; gently press to shape. Let set, about 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter, baking 4 at a time. If cookies become too cool to shape, return them to oven for 20 seconds. Shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Reduce heat to 200°F.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk remaining 3 egg whites and the granulated sugar until whites are warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Attach bowl to mixer; beat on medium until foamy, then raise speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is cool, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 7/16-inch star tip (such as Ateco #825). Pipe twenty 1¼-inch diameter, 2-inch high spirals onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 150°F. Bake until dry but not brown, about 2 hours more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Meringue caps can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
4. To serve, spoon 2 teaspoons lemon curd into each shell. Top each with a meringue cap.
FORMING TUILE CUPS
WILD-BLUEBERRY AND ALMOND TARTLETS
Martha originally created this recipe for a boating picnic in Maine. The tartlets are filled with blueberries, both fresh and preserved. Almond flavors the sturdy crust and the cakelike batter for the filling. Use wild blueberries if you can find them; otherwise, cultivated berries will do—the smaller, the better.
MAKES 1 DOZEN
FOR THE CRUST
⅓ cup blanched almonds
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water
FOR THE FILLING
2 large eggs
½ cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons blanched almonds, toasted and finely ground, plus ¼ cup sliced blanched almonds, for topping
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons blueberry jam
3 ounces (½ cup) fresh small blueberries, preferably wild
1. Make the crust: Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk and 1 tablespoon ice water; pulse until dough just comes together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water, if needed. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or up to 3 days. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using.)
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick. Cut out twelve 4½-inch rounds. Reroll scraps if necessary. Line twelve 3- or 3¼-inch tartlet pans with dough, pressing into bottoms and up sides; trim excess dough flush with rims. Divide shells between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Line shells with parchment. Add pie weights or dried beans. Bake until light golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Make the filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, fold in flour, ground almonds, and salt.
5. With an offset spatula, spread about 1½ teaspoons jam into each shell. Top with blueberries, dividing evenly. Cover fruit in each tart shell with 2 tablespoons batter. Sprinkle batter evenly with sugar and sliced almonds. Bake until tops rise and are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Tartlets can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 day.
As delicious—and easy to make—as drop cookies, coconut macaroons make airy shells when pressed and baked in tartlet molds. They will keep for days, and are very versatile. These are filled with vanilla whipped cream and candied ginger, but fresh fruit, citrus curd, and chocolate ganache are other nice options.
MAKES 1 DOZEN
FOR THE CRUST
1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2 large egg whites
¼ cup sugar
FOR THE FILLING
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger (½ ounce)
1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine coconut, egg whites, and sugar until mixture holds together when squeezed.
2. Form 1 heaping tablespoon coconut mixture into a ball. Press ball into a 2-inch brioche or tartlet tin (or mini muffin cup), making a thumbprint in the center and pressing out so mixture forms a ¼-inch-thick crust. Repeat with remaining coconut mixture. Place tins on rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake crusts until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Set crusts aside until cool enough to handle. Unmold crusts onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Make the filling: Pour cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Scrape vanilla seeds into cream; reserve pod for another use. Whisk until soft peaks form. Fill each crust with whipped cream, and garnish with crystallized ginger before serving.
FILLING AND TOPPING TARTLETS
MINI JAM TARTS (TOP) JUMBLEBERRY MINI TARTS (BOTTOM)
Let your imagination be your guide when forming these little tarts; giving each one a singular look enhances its appeal and creates an enticing display, but you can always replicate favorite patterns. Use aspic cutters (available at baking supply stores) or small cookie cutters to make designs, or cut strips of dough to form mini lattice tops. You may also want to vary the flavor—and color—of jam in the fillings.
MAKES 16
FOR THE CRUST
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
FOR THE FILLING
1 cup best-quality jam, in assorted flavors
1. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse to combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Combine 1 egg yolk with the water and drizzle evenly over flour mixture. Pulse just until dough comes together. Press dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or up to 1 day.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough just thinner than ¼ inch. Cut out round or square shapes and press into 2- to 3-inch tartlet tins. Trim excess dough flush with rims; fill each shell with 1½ to 2 teaspoons jam, and decorate tops with cutouts or thin strips of dough. (Assembled tarts can be refrigerated for several hours.)
4. Combine remaining egg yolk with the cream; lightly brush over dough. Bake until pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold tarts and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Handy no-fork treats win raves from kids for their lip-smacking taste; busy parents and other home cooks appreciate how easy they are to bake by the dozen. Once the dough is cut into rounds and pressed into mini-muffin cups, it is filled with a toss-together berry filling that becomes wonderfully jamlike during baking. Top each with a tiny dollop of whipped cream.
MAKES 2 DOZEN
FOR THE CRUST
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
FOR THE FILLING
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and hulled, sliced strawberries
FOR THE TOPPING
Whipped Cream, for serving
1. Make the crust: Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse just until dough forms. Shape dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or up to 1 day.
2. Cut dough into 24 pieces; on a lightly floured surface, flatten each piece into a 3-inch round. Press a round into bottom and up sides of each cup of two 12-cup nonstick mini muffin tins. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Make the filling: Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice, and salt in a medium bowl. Add berries; gently toss to coat.
4. Fill shells with berry mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until crusts are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly in tins, about 10 minutes. Run a knife around tarts; remove from tins. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Dollop with whipped cream, and serve immediately.
Their subtle sweetness and affinity for spices make carrots a natural choice for other baked goods besides the more familiar cakes and muffins. Here, they provide an unexpected flavor for individual tarts with another surprise: pastry crusts coated in crushed gingersnaps.
MAKES 8
½ cup finely ground gingersnaps
½ recipe Pâte Brisée
6 green cardamom pods
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
5 carrots (12 ounces), peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices (2½ to 3 cups)
1 cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon coarse salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Whipped Cream, for serving (unsweetened;)
Ground cardamom, for dusting
1. Lightly sprinkle ground gingersnaps on a surface to form a large round, about 18 inches in diameter. Roll out dough on top of crumbs ⅛ inch thick, turning over dough occasionally to coat both sides with cookie crumbs.
2. Cut out eight 5-inch rounds from dough. Press rounds into 4-inch tartlet pans; trim excess dough flush with rims. Pierce bottom of shells all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line each shell with parchment; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Remove weights and parchment. Let shells cool completely.
4. Crush cardamom pods with flat side of a large knife to split. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add crushed cardamom. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add milk, cream, and ginger; bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Cook 15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let steep 30 minutes.
5. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in sugar and salt. Cover pan; cook until carrots are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 8 minutes. Pour steeped-milk mixture through a fine sieve into pan with carrots; discard solids. Remove from heat; let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Purée carrot mixture in a food processor until completely smooth; transfer to a bowl.
6. Temper beaten eggs by whisking in up to ¾ cup carrot mixture, ¼ cup at a time, until eggs are warm to the touch. Pour warmed egg mixture into remaining carrot mixture; whisk until thoroughly combined. Let cool.
7. Place shells on a large rimmed baking sheet. Divide filling evenly among shells. Bake until a tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve tartlets warm with dollops of whipped cream, lightly dusted with ground cardamom.
PERSIMMON TARTLETS WITH CARAMEL CREAM
The secret to this filling’s silkiness and deep caramel flavor is sweetened condensed milk, which is very slowly simmered until thick and golden, then blended with a mixture of cream cheese and crème fraîche. The spicy-sweet graham-cracker crust incorporates ground ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper; persimmon slices adorn the tops.
MAKES 1 DOZEN
2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
1 box (about 1 pound) graham crackers
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1½ cups (12 ounces) crème fraîche
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ripe Fuyu persimmons, sliced ¼ inch thick
1. Cook condensed milk in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and light golden, about 30 minutes (you should have 1¾ cups). Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Process graham crackers in food processor (working in batches) until finely ground, about 2 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl. Add ginger, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; whisk to combine. Stir in butter. Press 4 or 5 loosely packed tablespoons graham cracker mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of each of twelve 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Place pans on rimmed baking sheets; bake until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Shells can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.
3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add crème fraîche, reduced condensed milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
4. Fill cooled crusts with filling and refrigerate until set, 2 hours or up to 1 day. Arrange a persimmon slice on top of each. Unmold tarts before serving.
With scalloped pastry edges and a fruit-streaked, creamy filling, these tarts are almost too pretty to eat, but they’re too delicious not to. The filling is similar to a British spoon dessert called fool, which consists of a fruit sauce (in this case, blackberry) folded into whipped cream; more sauce and fruit is spooned on top. Elderflower cordial, another English specialty, flavors the whipped cream; you can omit the liqueur from the recipe if you want. You could also use it to flavor homemade ice cream to serve alongside.
MAKES 8
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 pound (about 3 cups) fresh blackberries
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons elderflower cordial, such as St. Germain
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick; cut out eight 5-inch rounds, and fit into eight 3½-inch fluted tartlet pans. Trim excess dough flush with rims. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line shells with parchment; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake until bottoms of shells are fully browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Prepare an ice-water bath. Combine berries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until berries release their juices, sugar dissolves, and mixture begins to bubble, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and set pan in the ice bath to cool.
4. Place cream, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and the elderflower cordial in a large chilled bowl; whip until soft peaks form. Gently fold ½ cup berry mixture with juices into whipped cream (leave some streaks). Fill tartlet shells with mixture; top with remaining berries and juice, and serve.
FORMING TART SHELLS
LIME CURD TARTLETS IN MERINGUE SHELLS
In classic French cooking, a large dessert shell made entirely of meringue is called a vacherin, so called for its resemblance to a well-known cheese; it is usually layered with whipped cream and fruit. Here, small-scale meringue shells are filled with lime curd, whose bright color is especially striking in contrast with the crisp white shells.
MAKES 16
4 large egg yolks plus 2 large whole eggs
¾ cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes plus ½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Swiss Meringue (recipe follows)
1. Whisk together egg yolks and whole eggs. Combine with sugar and lime juice in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 8 to 10 minutes, or until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2. Stir to cool slightly. Strain into a small bowl; add butter, a piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Stir in zest; let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled, 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 200°F. With a pencil, trace sixteen 2-inch circles on parchment; place parchment, penciled side down, on a 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet.
4. Fit pastry bag with a 5/16-inch plain tip (#12), and fill with meringue; pipe meringue, starting in center of each circle and spiraling out to circle’s edge. Create a ¾‑inch-tall wall of meringue peaks by piping along outside of circle using same tip to create smooth peaks, or change tips for a more decorative edge.
5. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 150°F, and bake until meringue is dry and crisp, but still white, 40 minutes to 1 hour more. Let cool completely on baking sheet. Shells can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks, as long as the weather is dry.
6. Fill cooled meringue shells with chilled lime curd; serve immediately.
Swiss meringue is best for piping into shapes that will be baked until crisp. It can be kept at room temperature and rewhipped, if necessary.
MAKES 4 CUPS
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Fill a medium saucepan one-fourth full with water, and bring to a simmer.
2. Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, and place over (not in) saucepan. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 3½ minutes. (Test by rubbing between your fingers; it should feel smooth, not at all grainy.)
3. With an electric mixer, beat mixture, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until just combined. Use immediately.
These fanciful tartlets are easy to construct with make-ahead components. The fresh figs can be roasted and then chilled, with the flavorful cooking syrup, for up to a week. The cream filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated; the fluted pastry shells also can be baked the day before and held overnight at room temperature.
MAKES 8
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup (6 ounces) crème fraîche
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 cup ruby port
3 star anise
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 strips orange zest (3 inches long and 1 inch wide), plus zest curls for garnish
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise
1½ pounds fresh Black Mission figs (about 24), halved lengthwise
All-purpose flour, for dusting
½ recipe Pâte Sucrée
1. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in crème fraîche and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. (Filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before using.)
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine port, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, zest, granulated sugar, and honey in a roasting pan. Use the tip of a paring knife to scrape vanilla seeds into port mixture, then add pods. Add figs, and turn to coat. Roast, basting once, until figs are soft and liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (Figs and syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.)
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ⅛ inch thick. Cut out eight 5-inch rounds. Fit dough into 4-inch tartlet pans, and trim excess dough flush with rims. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Place shells on a rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake tartlet shells until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
5. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling into each crust. Top with figs, and drizzle with some syrup. Garnish with orange zest curls. Tartlets can be refrigerated up to 1 hour. Unmold, and serve immediately.
