Chocolate, hazelnut pie slices

 

Blackberry tart

This is my first fruit tart. I had some blackberries and wished to used them for a dessert. I decided to make a blackberry tart. I didn't know where to start so I searched on the onternet and came across this recipe . It was delicious. Usually I don't like fruit tart especially those with pastry cream but this one I really liked it. I glazed the blackberries with homemade plum jam/jelly. Delicious!

Plum and peach turnovers

Summer is here! Summer brings a lot of delicious fruit, like peaches and cherry plums. I used these to make these turnovers. The recipe comes from here There is also different fruit varaitions. I modified slightly the recipe, Here is my version.

Fresh peach turnovers
Sour Cream Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• /4 cup (1/2 stick/2 oz./56g) unsalted margarine
• 1/3 cup fresh whipping cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Fruit Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (or plums)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Glaze: (optional)

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F/218 degrees C.Lightly grease and flour a large baking sheet.

Sour Cream Dough: Mix the cream with the lemon juice. Place the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the cream, and mix with a fork. Stir in the milk. Gather the dough together in your hand, it will be very smooth, and if it holds together without crumbling, it is ready to roll out. If the dough brakes up and does not hold together when pressed, add a few drops of milk, stirring with a fork to distribute them. The dough should be quite soft, but not sticky. Place the dough, on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about one-eighth inch, as thick, as you would roll pie dough. With a round cutter about four and one-half inches in diameter, cut out as many rounds of dough as you can (you'll probably get 7 from this first cutting). Gather up the scraps of dough, press them together, and reroll them to cut the remaining 3 rounds.

Fruit Filling: Place 2 tablespoons of the peaches on each round of dough, and sprinkle each mound of fruit with 2 teaspoons of sugar. With your finger tips, moisten the edges of the dough with water. Fold each round of dough over, to form a half moon shape. Press the edges gently with your fingers, then press them together with the tines of a fork. Brush the turnovers with cream and sprinkle each one, with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining sugar. Place the turnovers on the baking sheet, leaving at least 1-inch between each. Bake turnovers for about 20 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. If desired, drizzle while warm with glaze. Serve turnovers warm or at room temperature.

Glaze: (optional) In a small bowl combine confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle over warm turnovers. Makes 10 (4 1/2-inch x 2-inch) turnovers.

Butter tart squares

Oh these are so rich! but they were delicious! These bars have a shortbread base topped with a gooey filling speckled with raisins. Next time I'll try them with walnuts instead of raisins. This recipe comes from http://joyofbaking.com/ButterTartSquares.html

Here's the recipe as published on http://joyofbaking.com/

Butter tart Squares

Shortbread Base:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
3 tablespoon (40 grams) granulated white sugar
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (215 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (60 ml) light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (15 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup raisins or
2/3 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or use a non stick cooking spray) an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) pan.

Shortbread Base: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling

Filling: In your food processor or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Then beat in the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Sprinkle the raisins or nuts evenly over the baked shortbread base. Then pour the filling over the raisins (and/or nuts) and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Toasted almond lemon bars

This is this month's Cookie carnival recipe. Holly of Phemomenon (http://phemomenon.blogspot.com/) is guest hosting the Carnival for April. Holly has chosen TOASTED ALMOND LEMON BARS. The only modification I made to the recipe is to use unblanched almonds and to quarter the recipe. I know I only made a small amount and perhaps that is why they came so thin. Here's the recipe:

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted (used unblanched almonds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

20 Tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

For the Lemon Filling:

4 large eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

To Toast the Almonds:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Before You Start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Make a parchment "sling" by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil). Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with the cooking spray.

To Make the Crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
2. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/4 inches up the sides. (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling. So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides - no cracks!). Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights ( you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

To Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice, and whisk to combine.

To Complete the Bars:
1. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
2. When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2 - inch bars. Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners' sugar.
The bars keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Do not unwrap before defrosting. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Caramelised pine nut tart

I made these tarts with some leftovers, but I have to say that I had a pleasant result. These tarts are made with pine nuts and a caramel mixture. From the quantity below you ll make about three 3" tarts. As I told you they were leftovers so only made three :)

The recipe for the pastry comes from Joy of Baking and its the one for Pate Brisee. Here's the link http://www.joyofbaking.com/PateBrisee.html

Caramelised Pine nut tart
2 tbl brown sugar
4 tbls golden syrup
2 tbl cream
2 tbl butter
1/2 cup pine nuts

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Fill tart cases with filling and bake till caramelised.

Hazelnut Pie

For this pie I used the same ingredients as for the pecan pie. In fact I had some leftover filling and no more peans so I just substitute them for crushed hazelnuts. I like this version too :)

Mini pecan pie

This is my fist pecan pie the recipe comes from Joy of Baking. I had never eaten a pecan pie before.I'm glad I tried this recipe cause it's delicious. The one underneathis a mini pecan pie since it's about 5". The one above is a super mini pecan pie :) Here's the link to the recipe http://www.joyofbaking.com/pecanpie.html