Raspberry Tarts

I have no idea why these tarts are called Babsie's tarts but I shall it raspberry tart because that is what it contains. But, the name is really cute. I chanced upon this recipe while using almond as the key search word for ingredients. You might have guessed right. The tart base used almond flour, and also plain flour.

This tarts are easily to bake, looks really cute and sweet. Great for a tea time snack with a cuppa. Almond flour gives it a special and "French" feel.

Raspberry Tarts (adapted from my adventuresinthecountry.com)

Ingredients: ( I did half the recipe)

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
• 3/4 cups fine granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks, room temp
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of one lemon (i omitted but i think lemon zest is a taste enhancer)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 cup package of blanched, slivered almonds, finely ground ( I used ready bought almond flour)
• 1 15.5 oz jar seedless raspberry jam (my experience is to not use sugar-free jam as their texture is different and seem to be produce liquid during handling)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350degF (176degF). Prepare two 12-cup muffin tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. 
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix when necessary.
3. Whisk together AP flour, ground cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Gradually add this mixture to the butter mixture and stir until well combined. Add the ground almond and mix until combined.
4. Use a small cookie scoop (about 2tbsp size), scoop dough into 24 muffin cups. Pat the dough evenly around in the bottom of the muffin tin; even out the surface.
5. Use a teaspoon and dollop two teaspoonful of raspberry jam onto the top of each section of dough. 
6. Bake in preheat oven for 15-16 min or until the dough raises up around the jam and is slight brown at the edges.
7. Cool the tarts in the pans until cool to touch (1hr). Very Carefully remove them from the pans (a pointed offset spatula should work well here).

Lemon Curd Tart

This was Dear's birthday cake for 2012. I wanted to make a special "cake" and decide to make a tart instead.

I thought the lemon curd was quite sour. I have a habit of reducing the sugar that the recipe calls for. I can say that that doesn't affect all of the recipes I have tried but for this one, the lemon was more powerful than the baker!

Lemon Curd Tart (adapted from cherryteacakes.com)
makes a 10-in tart/pie

Crust

Ingredient:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp cream (I used milk; not sure if that was the reason why the crust was crumbly)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat over to 204degC.
2. Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, kosher salt, cream and vanilla, until mixture is moist and crumbly.
3. Press dough tart pan and press it up the sides, making sure the layer on the bottom is even.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is set and firm at the edges. Cool, then fill with desired filling and bake as that recipe directs.

Lemon Curd

Ingredient:

• 1 cup sugar (I used 194g)
• 2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained ( I had two lemons and yielded a bit less than 2/3 cup)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into half inch pieces

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together zest, eggs and egg yolks. When sugar mixture comes to a boil, pour very small amounts down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to temper the mixture. Continue to add only a few tablespoons at a time until all has been incorporated.
3. Transfer egg mixture back to sauce pan and return to stove. Cook on medium heat until thickened, about 8 minutes, whisking frequently.
4. Remove custard from stove and whisk in butter, adding in one piece at a time.
5. When all butter has been added, cool curd for 15 minutes before pouring into prepared tart crusts.
6. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours before serving. (Mine cut better when refrigerated for 24hrs)
7. Decorate with icing sugar, as desired.

Apple Pie - using a lattice structure crust

i'd finally realized one of Dear's request! 


i'm glad i took an extra effort to make the pie crust from scratch instead of buying readymade frozen pie crust. 

Apple Pie 

Pie Crust (adapted from simplyrecipe.com) - for recipes that need double pie crusts 


Ingredients:


2 1/2 cups --------------- all-purpose flour
1 cup --------------------- unsalted butter, cubed, frozen
1 tsp ---------------------- salt
1 tsp ---------------------- sugar
6 tbsp -------------------- ice-water


Method:


1. in a large mixing bowl, mix well flour, sugar and salt
2. cut in butter. mix until mixture resembles coarse meal
3. add ice-water 1 tbsp at a time until mixture just begins to clump together. do not over add water
4. remove dough from the large bowl and place in a mould on a clean surface. gently shape the dough mixture into 2 disks, work the dough enough just to form the round disks; do not over-knead
5. sprinkle a little flour around the disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 2 days
6. remove one disk from refrigerator. let it sit at room temp for about 5-10mins and roll out on a well-flour surface into a 12-in circle (1/8-in thick).
7. carefully transfer the rolled-out dough onto a 9-in pie dish. gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of pie dish. using a pair of scissors, trim the dough to within 1/2-in of the edge of the pie dish
8. add pie filling
9. roll out the second dough, as before, gently place pie dough on top of filling. pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. design the sides as you wish. (after rolling out the second disk, i cut it into strips)
10. score top of the pie with four 2-in long cuts


Apple Pie Filling (adapted from allrecipes.com)


Ingredients:


115g --------------------- unsalted butter
2 tbsp -------------------- plain flour
60ml --------------------- water
100g --------------------- white sugar
110g --------------------- packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peel, cored and sliced


Method:


1. preheat oven to 220degC
2. melt butter in a saucepan. stir in flour to form a paste. add water, sugars, and bring it to a boil. reduce heat and simmer...
3. place the bottom crust in pie dish. fill with apples, mounted slightly. cover with a lattice work crust.
4. gently pour the sugar-butter liquid over the crust, very slowly so that it does not run off
5. bake in the preheat oven for 15min
6. reduce the temp to 175degC and continue baking for 45 min until apples are soft