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European Tarts Divinely Doable Desserts With Little or No Baking by Fletcher, Helen S
European Tarts Divinely Doable Desserts With Little or No Baking by Fletcher, Helen S
Fletcher
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1479127086
ISBN 13: 9781479127085
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62347-336-5
Helen S. Fletcher, St. Louis, Missouri
European Tarts, Divinely Doable Desserts with Little or No Baking
Dedication
Foreward
Introduction
About the Blog Photography
Culinary Terminology
Ingredients
Equipment
Weight and Measurement Chart
Crusts
neral Notes on Crusts
in Press In Crust
ocolate Press in Crust
ocolate Crumb Crust
in Graham Cracker Crust
Curd Tarts
neral Notes on Curds
anberry Curd
ocolate Cranberry Tart
mon Curd
esh Blueberry Lemon Tart
mon Raspberry Tarts
me Curd
rgarita
ange Curd
ange Blossom Tart
Pastry Cream
neral Notes on Pastry Cream
esh Fruit Tart
ricot Crumble Tart
Truffle Tarts
neral Notes on Truffle Tarts
fé au Lait Truffle Tart
ramel
ocolate Caramel Truffle Tart
ocolate Chip Truffle Tart
ocolate Mint Truffle Tart
ocolate Truffle Tart with Candied Cranberries
ocolate Strawberry Truffle Tart
ocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart
pical Truffle Tart
Nut Tarts
neral notes on Nuts
mond Raspberry
anberry Linzer
ney Almond
ocha Glazed Macadamia Caramel
anut Butter Mousse
Mores
alnut Lace
ocolate Walnut Lace
ocolate Raspberry Walnut Lace
spberry Walnut Lace
Miscellaneous Tarts
ocolate Coconut
ocolate Pear Tart
ach Frangipane Tart with Rosemary
m Raisin Tart
ple Chocolate Tart
Foreward
When I first started my bakery, Truffes, Inc, some people
warned that pastries made totally from scratch using all
butter, 40% cream, the best of chocolate and nuts, with no
box mixes, no bucket fillings and icings couldn’t possibly
make a profit. My belief that quality, consistency and service
always sell kept me going in the lean, early years. However,
it didn’t happen all at once and we were, as many
successful businesses, a ten-year “overnight” success.
In the
Beginning
Left, Rum Raisin Tart, page 94
Right, Honey Almond Tart, page 70
European Tarts Introduction
The uniqueness of this book lies in the fact that all of these
tarts were made in my bakery, Truffes, Inc. in St. Louis,
Missouri for more than 23 years and sold wholesale to
restaurants, caterers and hotels. Although they were
produced in quantity at the bakery, each recipe and their
component parts have been tested and re-tested for a single
recipe made in a home kitchen for this book. There are many
factors that are different when baking for production and
baking at home. Key among them are ovens used, various
mixer sizes (we had five different sized mixers that could
accommodate bowls from 5 quarts to 80 quarts) as well as
ingredients not available to consumers. While this book uses
seedless red raspberry jam, at the bakery we used a product
called European Raspberry Filling from Henry and Henry. It
was bake proof, meaning it would not turn liquid when baked
and it had more body for piping, making it much easier to
use than jam, which loses its body when whisked for piping.
However, I have fortified the jam used in this book so it
works fine and there is no difference in taste. Emulsified
powdered sugar is another example. We could sprinkle items
with emulsified powdered sugar and it would not liquefy in
the refrigerator or on thawing as will normal powdered sugar.
At home, sprinkling with powdered sugar when ready to
serve solves this problem.
Cream. This has two meanings. 1. Cream is the milk fat that
rises to the top of milk after it sits. It comes in various
forms, depending upon the amount of milk fat it contains.
Coffee cream, half and half (consisting of half milk and half
cream), whipping cream which is 36% fat and 40% or heavy
cream that is 40% fat are among the most common
products available to consumers. 2.To cream refers to
beating an ingredient or several ingredients (most notably in
baking, butter and sugar) until soft, lightened in color,
increased in volume and homogeneous.
Eggs as used in baking come from hens and are graded and
sized by the USDA. Eggs are graded AA, A, B and C in
descending order with the classification being determined
by both exterior and interior qualities with the freshness of
the egg the main criteria. Exterior quality is determined by
shape, texture, soundness and cleanliness. Interior quality is
determined by the size of the air cell between the white and
shell at the large end of the egg (the smaller the size of the
air cell, the higher the quality and freshness of the egg).
Also important is the portion and density of the white and
the firmness and defects of the yolk. In fresh eggs both the
white and the yolk stand high when cracked. Eggs are sold
by the weight of a dozen eggs. Each egg does not
necessarily weigh the same but they must total the given
amount for the specified size. Jumbo size is 30 ounces, extra
large is 27 ounces, large is 24 ounces, medium is 21 ounces,
small is 18 ounces and pee wee is 15 ounces per dozen.
Large eggs are the most used in baking and the eggs
specified in this book. The exterior color of the egg has
nothing to do with the quality or taste.
Nuts are used throughout this book both as the star and in
supportive roles. The nuts used are almonds, macadamias
and walnuts. Peanuts, thought of as a nut, are actually
legumes. Nuts benefit from toasting to amplify their flavor.
While cups are fine for some items, weighing dry ingredients
is used by professionals and is encouraged for pastry/baking
success.
Pastry Tips – are used with pastry bags. The tips used in
this book include #5 and #8 open star, #48 basket weave
and #1 and #5 ateco plain tip.
My best case
for a scale!
Top, Margarita Tart, page 26
Bottom, S’Mores Tart, page 76
Crusts
Getting to the
bottom of tarts
Press In Crusts
The four most used crusts are included here. The general
rule for the crumb crust is 2/3 of the crumbs are used for
the sides and 1/3 for the bottom of the tart. At the bakery
we pressed them in and froze them in freezer proof bags, to
be used as needed. I do not recommend baking the plain
and chocolate press-in crusts and then freezing them as
they have a tendency to crack if not filled. Besides they are
fresher if they are just baked and then filled. Some recipes
call for partially baking the crust if they are to be filled and
baked again. If the tart will not be baked again, then the
crust should be completely baked.
11” Plain Press-In Pastry
(go to www.europeantarts.com, Chocolate Press- in Pastry, for how to
photographs) 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (170 grams or 6 ounces) 1/2 cup
sifted cake flour (50 grams or 1 3/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces (114
grams or 4 ounces) 1/4 cup sugar (50 grams or 1
3/4 ounces)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees if baking immediately.
1 egg
See directions above.
1 egg yolk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees if baking immediately.
No Whey!
Curd Tarts
Cranberry Curd
Lemon Curd
Lime Curd
Margarita Tart
Orange Curd
Egg yolks have traditionally been the only thickener used for
curds. In my first book, The New Pastry Cook, 1986 by
William Morrow Co., I gave a recipe for Lemon Curd that
added a bit of gelatin that will guarantee a firm curd every
time. The gelatin also makes it possible to pipe the curd
without it breaking down. Without the gelatin, the curd will
hold its points at first when piped but as it is worked the
curd loosens and no longer pipes well.
You will notice all of the curd tarts are topped in some way
to protect the curd.
Pour the lemon curd into the shell just under the top. There
will be a bit leftover. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and
chill in the refrigerator overnight. Release from the pan.
Shortly before serving, remove the wrap from the tart and
starting at the outside edge arrange the blueberries in
concentric circles. If there are not enough to completely
cover the tart, it is just as attractive with the lemon curd
showing in the middle. Refrigerate.
Spread the bottom of the shell with the raspberry jam. Make
the lemon curd and pour it not quite to the top of the shell.
Leave a bit of room for the glaze. There will be some curd
left. Cover the surface of the curd directly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate several hours until firm or overnight. Release
from the pan.
Pour lime curd into tart shell just to the top. There will be a
bit left over; store separately. Cover surface of tart directly
with plastic wrap and chill several hours to set or overnight
in the refrigerator. Release from the pan.
Topping
1 cup 40% cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar (45 grams or 1 1/2 ounces) 2
tablespoons clear tequila
Combine all the ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form.
Release the tart. Fit a pastry bag with a number 6B tip. Pipe
small stars of whipped cream to cover the tart. Fit another
pastry bag with a #1 writing tip and fill the bag with lime
curd. Dot the top of each star with curd. Refrigerate or
freeze.
To Serve: Cut into 10 to 12 pieces.
Orange Curd
While the use of gelatin in the lemon and lime curd is not
strictly necessary, the use of it here is definitely a necessity.
This is a most interesting curd as when it is completely
cooked, it is still very, very liquid. Do not panic at this point
(like I did). It will set up perfectly upon chilling. The use of
lemon juice in addition to the orange juice and rind gives
the requisite tartness to this curd. The rind is necessary
here to reinforce the juice, which is not as assertive as
lemon or lime. Microwave the lemon for 15 to 20 seconds
and the orange for 30 seconds to make the juicing much
easier as the fruit readily gives up its juice when the fruit is
warm.
Fill the shell with the orange curd to just below the top.
There will be some curd left. Cover directly with film and
refrigerate overnight to firm.
Topping
1 batch pastry cream, chilled (see the Pastry Cream chapter)
1/2 cup 40% cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar (40 grams or a scant 1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk the pastry cream until smooth. Do not over whisk. Set
aside. Place remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl fitted
with a whisk attachment. Beat until the cream is very stiff.
Fold the pastry cream and whipped cream together. Fit a
pastry bag with a #8 star tip.
Release the tart and remove the film from the tart. Pipe two
rows of large rosettes to cover the top of the orange curd. If
it does not completely cover the tart, that’s fine. Refrigerate
or freeze.
Cut into 10 to 12 servings.
Left, Apricot Crumble Tart, page 39
Right, Café au Lait Truffle Tart, page 48
Pastry Cream
If using the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add to
the milk along with the pod; heat the milk until hot but not
boiling.
Whip the cream very stiff. Whisk the pastry cream in a large
bowl until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread in the
shell. Release from the shell. (At this point the filling can be
covered directly with plastic wrap and frozen. Thaw in the
refrigerator.) Arrange the fruit as desired over the cream.
Some of the pastry cream showing in the center is fine -
don’t worry if you run out of fruit. Cover lightly with plastic
wrap and refrigerate until shortly before serving.
Apricot Filling
1/2 pound dried apricots (225 grams)
2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons butter (45 grams or 1 3/4 ounces) 1/3 cup
powdered sugar (40 grams or 1 1/4 ounces) 1
teaspoon vanilla
Assembly
Spread the cooled apricot filling over the bottom of the
baked crust.
Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until
stiff. Whisk the pastry cream to smooth and fold in the
whipped cream. Spread this over the apricot filling. Top with
the Almond Paste Crumbs. Chill until needed. Release and
cut into 10 to 12 pieces.
Left, Chocolate Chip Truffle Tart, page 52
Right, Tropical Truffle Tart, page 61
Truffle Tarts
Where Chocoholics
go for a fix!
Truffle Tarts
Caramel
Heat the cream, butter and sugar until steaming and butter
is melted. Whisk gently to make sure butter is melted and
sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the
chocolate and vanilla submerging the chocolate under the
cream. Let sit for 4 to 5 minutes. Gently whisk to smooth out
the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, go around the bottom
edges of the pan to make sure all of the chocolate is melted.
Use as directed.
Café Au Lait Truffle Tart
9” Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumb Crust 1 1/4 cup 40%
cream
1 tablespoon instant coffee
15 ounces milk chocolate (424 grams)
1 ounce semisweet chocolate (30 grams)
Crust
5 tablespoons butter (70 grams or 2 1/2 ounces) softened
1/4 cup brown sugar (50 grams or 1 3/4 ounce) 1/4
cup granulated sugar (50 grams or 1 3/4 ounce) 1
egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour (114 grams or 4 ounces) 1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (85 grams or 3
ounces)
Filling
1 cup + 2 tablespoons 40% cream
6 tablespoons butter (85 gram or 3 ounces) 1/2 cup +1
tablespoon sugar (60 grams or 2 ounces) 11 1/2
ounces semisweet chocolate (325 grams) 1 1/4
teaspoon vanilla
Heat the cream, butter and sugar together just until the
cream is steaming, the butter is melted and the sugar
dissolved. Remove from the heat and submerge the
chocolate under the cream. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir to melt
chocolate, changing to a whisk to smooth out completely.
Whisk in vanilla. Remove 1/2 cup and refrigerate. Pour the
remainder over the chocolate chip base and refrigerate.
Release the tart.
Finish
1/2 cup 40 % cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla
Whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff. Pipe
10 rosettes around the edge of the tart. Scoop 10 small
truffles with a #100 disher or scoop, rolling them into
smooth truffles and place on top of the rosettes, pressing
down slightly.
Serves 10.
Chocolate Mint Truffle Tart
(go to www.europeantarts.com for how to photographs) 9” Chocolate Graham
Cracker Crumb Crust 1 cup + 2 tablespoons 40% cream
6 tablespoons butter (85 grams or 3 ounces) 1/2 cup + 1
tablespoon sugar (60 grams or 2 ounces) 11 1/2
ounces (330 grams) semisweet chocolate 1 1/4
teaspoon peppermint extract
1 to 1 1/4 cups crushed peppermint candies, optional
Candied Cranberries
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1 3/4 cup sugar (350 grams)
Prepare the truffle filling and fill the shell to within 1/4 inch
from the top. There may be a bit of filling left. Cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate to set or freeze for longer
storage. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before topping.
Release from the pan. Using a slotted spoon, fill the tart with
the cranberries. If the syrup is too thin to glaze the
cranberries, pour it into a small saucepan, bring it to a boil
and cook it to a temperature of 220 degrees. Cool
completely. Spoon as much syrup over the cranberries as
the tart will reasonably hold. Store in the refrigerator. Bring
to room temperature before serving. Cut into 10 to 12
servings.
Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Tart, page 59
Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Tart
(go to www.europeantarts.com for how to photographs)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the nuts on a baking
sheet and toast for about10 to 12 minutes, stirring several
times, until golden brown. Cool completely; chop coarsely.
Keep the oven on.
General Notes
S’Mores Tart
Cranberry Filling
1 bag fresh or frozen cranberries (340 grams or 12 ounces)
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup sugar (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces)
Linzer Pastry
5 ounces toasted almonds or hazelnuts or a combination of
the two (140 grams) 1 1/2 cups flour (205 grams or
7 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, refrigerated (1 1/2 sticks or 170
grams or 6 ounces) 3/4 cup sugar (150 grams or 5
1/3 ounces)
2 egg yolks
Divide the 3/4 cup pastry into 10 even balls. Roll into ropes,
placing 5 evenly spaced across the tart sealing the edges
firmly into the crust. Place the next 5 ropes diagonally
across the tart again sealing the edges together.
Shortbread Crust
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams or 4 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (50 grams or 1 3/4 ounces)
1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour (210 grams or 7 ounces)
Filling
10 ounces almonds, chopped (285 grams)
1 stick unsalted butter (114 grams or 4 ounces) 1/4 cup
honey (85 grams or 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar (25 grams or 1 scant ounce) 1 cup
packed brown sugar (200 grams or 7 ounces) 2
tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
Mocha Glaze
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup 40% cream
1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
7 ounces good quality milk chocolate (200 grams)
Whip the 1/4 cup cream until stiff. Fold into above mixture
and spread evenly into the prebaked shell. Refrigerate to set
up.
Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces) 5
tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cream
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cream
150 grams whole peanuts (5 1/3 ounces)
Combine the sugar, butter, water, 2 tablespoons cream and
corn syrup in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil and
cook to a temperature of 240 degrees. Remove from the
heat and stir in the 1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon cream. Lastly
sir in the peanuts; pour over chilled filling. Return to the
refrigerator to set up.
*The walnuts should not be too fine, as they will bubble out
of the crust upon baking. If you are chopping walnut halves,
cut one in quarters and use that as a good guide.
An eclectic collection
of misfits (the best kind)
Miscellaneous Tarts
General Notes
Glaze
1/4 cup 40% cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons clear corn syrup
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut up finely (115 grams) 2
ounces white chocolate, cut up finely (58 grams)
Set aside.
Notes: This can be made the morning before serving and left
at room temperature. It can also be made and refrigerated
the day ahead and returned to room temperature for
serving. However, the glaze will not be as shiny.
*I do not peel the pears as the glaze follows the line of the
pears and if the pears are peeled they are not round and
smooth which is why the pears must be very ripe. Either
way is fine.
Peach Frangipane Tart with Rosemary, page 93
Peach Frangipane Tart With
Rosemary
This unusual tart is perfect in the summer when fresh
peaches abound. However, frozen peaches can be used out
of season. If using frozen peaches, thaw them first and drain
well. However, it is a must to use fresh rosemary.
Topping
6 amaretti cookies (25 grams or 1 ounce) 3 tablespoons
toasted almonds (25 grams or 1 ounce) 3
tablespoons packed brown sugar (35 grams or 1.33
ounces) 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, cold (15 grams or .50 ounce)
Filling
2/3 cup raisins (preferably the moist baking version) 2
tablespoons dark rum
3 eggs
1 cup sugar (200 grams sugar or 7 ounces) 1/2 cup flour (70
grams or 2 1/2 ounces) 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 sticks butter (170 grams or 6 ounces)