Posts from the ‘Pies’ Category

May 4

Mango Cream Tart With Mango Whipped Cream

Mango Cream Tart

The contest on Food52 is all about mango’s and this is my entry. I love that you can use mango in both sweet and savory applications. I chose to highlight a dessert. The mango cream is adapted from the genius recipe for lemon cream from Tartine Bakery. I really love how creamy and thick the curd is and it works beautifully as a filling for tarts or cakes, it is truly genius. When I think of mango, tropical flavors come to mind, so I added coconut to the pastry dough, its filled with mango cream and topped with mango whipped cream. The mango cream stabilizes the whipped cream and gives a subtle mango flavor, it’s not too sweet I just used a tbs of powdered sugar. I suggest serving with julienned fresh mango.

Mango Cream

2 large ripe mango pureed – Tommy Atkin mango are quite large or use 3 ataulfo mango’s

3 tbs lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg

8 oz cool but not cold butter cut into tbs size pieces

Set double boiler with a few inches of water to simmer on stovetop. Place all the ingredients in bowl and whisk to combine. Place over simmering water and bring to 175-180 degrees. It will be quite thick when done, remove from heat strain through a sieve and cool to 140 degrees. Add to blender, with blender running add the butter a tbs at a time making sure each tbs is incorporated before adding the next one. It will be very thick and creamy. Refrigerate at least 4 hours preferably overnight before using.

Coconut Tart Dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup shredded coconut (toasted coconut would also be delicious)

8 ounces cold butter chopped into pieces

3 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 egg yolks

2 tbs heavy cream

Pulse the flour, coconut, sugar and salt in food processor, add the butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and cream and pulse until it forms a cohesive dough. Dump onto work surface and form into two discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour. You can make this the night before and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to assemble the tart remove dough from the refrigerator, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Press one dough disc into 9 inch tart pan or tartlet pans, prick bottom with fork. Put back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes you want the dough to be chilled before baking. Bake until golden brown approximately 25 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool before adding the filling.

Mango whipped cream

4 ounces very cold heavy cream

1/4 cup mango cream

1 tbs powdered sugar

Whip cream until it is thick and billowy, add the mango cream, powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until thick and soft peaks form. Fill tart shell with mango cream and pipe on the mango whipped cream.

Apr 9

8 Comments

Re-purposing Leftovers- Spicy Merguez Hand Pies

Spicy Merguez Hand Pies

I hate wasting or throwing away food, I freeze when its feasible, and try to come up with creative ways to use scraps and leftovers to create something new. I made a pie yesterday, the double crust lemon pie posted here and the other day I made a spicy merguez filling for a food52 contest to go with semolina pancakes. So I thought I would roll out the pie dough, cut into circles and fill with the merguez filling. The result is delicious and a wonderful lunch with a crisp salad, and you would never know its leftovers. This is not meatless (Meatless Monday) but using food rather than wasting it should apply any day of the week. These would be great filled with vegetables or cheese or both also. Here is the link to Semolina Pancakes With Spicy Merguez Filling. So if you have leftover dough from your pie, don’t throw it away, re-invent it.

Rolled out left over pie dough cut into circles, I was able to make 5 good size pies, I added a heaping tablespoon of filling closed into half moon shape, crimped edges with fork and baked at 375 degrees until golden brown. I served with a salad with yogurt, lemon and herb dressing.

Apr 8

8 Comments

Double Crust Lemon Pie (Super Good Two Crust Lemon Pie)

I love vintage recipes and although my Mother does not know how old this is for sure, she guesses that it was from the 1950’s or earlier, this was my Grandmothers recipe, she said her quest was to find the perfect double crust lemon pie, she tried many different recipes and then found this one in the newspaper, (Mom still has the original it’s so faded you cannot see the date). It’s tart and sweet and lemony. Oddly, my Mom never made it for our family and until today I had never tasted this delicious pie. I am so glad she decided to share it, I love lemon pie, this is different and very nice. The actual name of the recipe is “Super Good Two Crust Lemon Pie”. Serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche whipped cream.

Makes one 9 inch double crust pie

Double pie crust (homemade or pre-made) see my recipe below.

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 rounded tbs flour- not level

3 large eggs at room temperature

2 tbs melted butter

1/3 cup lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons (1 heaping tbs)

3 tbs water

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Whisk sugar and flour in small mixing bowl and set aside. In another bowl beat eggs until they are thick and creamy and light in color, add the sugar flour mixture and stir until smooth, add the butter, lemon juice and water and mix well to combine.

Line pie pan with bottom crust, pour lemon filling in and roll out the top crust, lay on top crimp or flute the edges to seal, make a few vents I just cut a few x’s . Refrigerate the pie for 15-30 minutes so that the pie crust is chilled before putting in the oven. I like to brush the top of the pie with egg wash or cream and sprinkle with sugar, this is optional of course.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, the crust will be golden brown. Let cool completely before serving. Serve with whipped cream of your choice I added elderflower liquor.

Juilia Childs Pastry Dough

Makes enough dough for a double crust 9 inch pie

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 oz cold unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces

4 tbs shortening or leaf lard cold

1/2 cup ice cold water

You can make this either by hand or in the food processor. To make by hand, put flours, salt, butter, lard or shortening into mixing bowl, use pastry cutter to combine until it resembles pea size crumbs. Add water mix with fork, gather with your hands, divide dough into a 2 discs and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In Food Processor, add the flours, salt, butter and shortening or lard into the bowl of the processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles pea size crumbs. Add the water and pulse a few times until it becomes a cohesive dough. Divide dough into two discs and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Mar 14

20 Comments

Tarts With Coconut,Almond Sweet Pastry Crust-For Pi Day

Fruit Tarts

In honor of “Pi” Day I am posting a recipe for fruit tarts, the pastry crust has toasted almond flour and coconut, filled with pastry cream and topped with fresh berries. The pastry and pastry cream are adapted from Martha Stewarts recipes from her website.

Pate Sucree: (Sweet Pastry Crust)

Serves 6

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup Toasted almond flour ( I get it from King Arthur)

1/4 cup flaked coconut

2 tablespoons sugar

8 ounces Unsalted cold butter cut into pieces (I like to use butter with a high fat content like Plugra)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Put flour, almond flour, coconut, sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse just to combine. Add your butter and pulse until it resembles crumbs. Add the egg yolks and 2 TBS cream pulse until the dough comes together. If too dry add the other TBS of cream if you find it still has not come together add cream a tsp at a time, Be careful not to over process.

Remove dough from processor and form into two disks wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

You can roll your dough or press into tart or tartlet pans I found the dough to be a little temperamental when it was cold and pressing was so much easier. Prick with fork and put on sheet pan and place in freezer. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. When your dough is well chilled take out of freezer and put a parchment round in each and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for approx 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and remove the parchment and pie weights or beans and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until lightly brown

Remove from the oven and let cool, before you fill the tart refrigerate for at least 30 minutes preferably an hour. Remove tart rim and bottom and fill with your favorite filling

If you want to make a plain pate sucree increase flour to 2 1/2 cups omit the almond flour and coconut and increase the sugar to 1/4 cup.

Pastry Cream:

2 cups half and half or whole milk

1 vanilla bean split or 2 tsp pure vanilla extraxt see note in step 1.and step 3

1/2 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks at room temperature

1/4 cup Corn starch or flour

1 tablespoon butter

Place half and half or milk (I used half and half), vanilla bean in medium saucepan. (NOTE: If you are using vanilla extract do not add your vanilla now) Cook on high heat scalding the milk Remove from heat. In medium bowl whisk eggs and sugar until thickened sift in cornstarch or flour and beat until combined.

Pour half of the hot milk into egg mixture whisking as you pour. Pour back into saucepan and cook on medium high heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens takes approximately 2 minutes and if you are using a thermometer then take it off the stove when the temperature reaches 170-175. It will be thick. Remove vanilla bean.

Transfer to bowl. Add vanilla extract now if you did not use a vanilla bean and add the butter stir and cover with plastic wrap pressing it directly onto the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until completely cooled.