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Mini Fruit Tarts

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , on August 2, 2010| 17 Comments »

Mini Fruit Tart

Mini Fruit Tart

These Mini Fruit Tarts are not completely homemade. As a matter of fact, they are a quick and easy dessert to put together when you don’t have the time to make a homemade tart shell. I found these handy-dandy, pre-made, ready-to-fill sweet tart shells at the store.  I was intrigued and thought they could come in handy should the occasion arise, and it did. When we had company visiting and I already had a lot on my plate, these little tarts saved me quite a bit of time. And I love fruit tarts! Now this filling is very different from the filling I used in my Fresh Fruit Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream. The two taste nothing alike. When you make this Mascapone filling, start with just 1 tablespoon of Amaretto and taste it since the Amaretto can sometimes get to be a little overpowering, and then add more according to your taste. I hope you enjoy this beautiful little summer dessert.

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoon sugar

8 oz. Mascarpone cheese (1 container)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoon Amaretto

fruit – Kiwi and Mandarin

package of ready-to-fill sweet tart shells

Apple jelly – for glaze

Directions:

In a mixing bowl add egg yolks and sugar and mix on high-speed until mixture is light yellow and creamy (about 4-5 minutes). Add Mascarpone cheese and mix well. Add vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of Amaretto. Taste the mixture and add more Amaretto according to taste.

Line up ready-to-fill tart shells on a baking sheet and fill with Mascapone cream mixture. Spread mixture evenly and place in refrigerator to let cream set up for 1 hour.

Drain liquid from the Mandarin’s and place them on a paper towel to soak up excess liquid. You do not want your fruit wet when you place them onto the filling. Peel and slice Kiwi fruit, if very moist pat dry with a paper towel. Take out filled tart shells from refrigerator and arrange fruit in a circle on top of cream filling. Place some Apple jelly in a microwave safe bowl and heat jelly in the microwave until melted and smooth. Heat in 10 second increments for approximately 1-2 minutes depending on how much you need. Once Apple jelly is melted, use as a glaze and brush onto the arranged fruit on the filled tart shells. It will give your tarts a beautiful shine. Enjoy.

Kiwi Mini Fruit Tart

Source: adapted from Bell’ alimento

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Honeydew-Kiwi Smoothie

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Lunch, Smoothie, tagged , , , on June 21, 2010| 8 Comments »

Honeydew-Kiwi Smoothie

This smoothie is a little tart and acidic but very refreshing. Kiwi is one of my favorite fruits. It tastes a little like a cross between banana and pineapple. If you don’t do well with the seeds from the kiwi, run smoothie through a fine mesh sieve before enjoying. The original recipe called for mint but since I am not really a mint lover it was an easy decision to leave it out. I hope you enjoy this.

Lets blend

Ingredients:

2 cups honeydew melon, seeded (cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 1/4 cups kiwi, peeled (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups ice cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Serve cold.

Honeydew-Kiwi

Source: adapted from Bon Appetit

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Fresh Fruit Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , on May 3, 2010| 4 Comments »

Fresh Fruit Tart With Vanilla Pastry Creme

Fresh Fruit Tart With Vanilla Pastry Creme

When I first saw this Fruit Tart I just knew I had to make it and the perfect event was coming up. I get together with a group of Danish ladies once a month and it was my turn to host the party. So I decided on having an afternoon tea party. This in one of the desserts that I made that day and it was a huge success, everyone loved it. The pastry cream with the fresh fruit is simply delicious.

Making Fresh Fruit Tart

Making Fresh Fruit Tart

Ingredients:

For the tart dough:

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp. heavy cream

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

¼ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

For the pastry cream:

2 cups half-and-half

½ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

5 large egg yolks

3 tbsp. cornstarch

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:

2 large kiwis, peeled and sliced

2-6 oz. raspberries

1-11 oz. mandarin oranges in water, drained

Apple jelly, for glazing

Directions:

To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture, process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than one hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edges, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven and carefully remove weights and foil. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off he heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To assemble the tart, spread the cold pastry cream evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the fruit on top of the pastry cream as desired. Heat the jelly in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, just until slightly melted and easy to stir. Using a pastry brush, paint a light layer of jelly over the fruit. Serve.

Source: slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats

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