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Mocha Glazed Macadamia Caramel Tart. Photo by T. Mike Fletcher |
Pastry chef Helen Fletcher has a most generous gift for home
bakers this holiday season:
European Tarts, a book with recipes for 28 tarts
plus variations, all of them impressive to look at and easy to make. And while
I've tasted only a small sampling, I've tried enough of Helen's desserts over
the years to be sure that all are delicious.
The book's two subtitles tell the rest of the story:
Pastries Like a Pro, and Divinely Doable Desserts With Little or No Baking.
For 23 years, Helen's Truffes Bakery provided desserts to
some of the top restaurants in St. Louis. (It also was open to the public for a short time.) She's closed the bakery but she's still baking, working
as the pastry chef for
Tony's, a multiple award winner that has been one of the
city's top dining destinations for decades.
Over the years, she has perfected recipes that can be made
ahead and frozen. Restaurants loved these desserts, because they could thaw and
serve just what they needed each night. Home bakers should love them too,
because they can prepare dessert days or even weeks before the party.
One reason her recipes work so well is her attention to
detail. Measurements are given in weight (ounces and grams) as well as volume.
For best results, buy a digital scale and weigh each ingredient before adding
it to the recipe. You'll find that you save time as well as ensure accuracy.
The book also details the culinary terms, ingredients and
equipment necessary for success. Pictures of the finished tarts are
mouthwatering, and step-by-step directions to making the crusts and other components are posted on her accompanying website,
europeantarts.com.
Helen plans to write five more books, which she will
self-publish, as she did this one. (The book is for sale at
Kitchen Conservatory and
Left Bank Books in St. Louis and through
Amazon, which also offers a Kindle version.) Next up is
Essential Cakes, the biggest of
the series, followed by
Small Bites, with recipes for petit fours, American and
European cookies, brownies and bars, then
Savory Pastries, Cheesecakes and
Pastry.
MOCHA GLAZED MACADAMIA CARAMEL TART
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
For crust:
One 11-inch Plain Press-In Shell, partially baked (recipe follows)
For filling:
10 ounces macadamia nuts (285 grams)
1 small orange
1 stick unsalted butter (114 grams or 4 ounces)
1/4 cup honey (85 grams or 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams or 1 scant ounce)
1/2 cup brown sugar (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon heavy (40 percent) cream
For mocha glaze:
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup heavy (40 percent) cream
1 tablespoon light
(clear) corn syrup
7 ounces good-quality milk chocolate (200 grams), coarsely
chopped or sold in discs
Bake the pastry shell and let cool.
To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast nuts in a single layer on a rimmed
baking sheet for 9 to 12 minutes (depending upon the size of the nut), until
golden brown, stirring once or twice.
Remove from oven. When cool, chop coarsely and set aside.
Grate rind from orange; set rind aside. (Reserve the orange for
another use.)
Combine butter, honey, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a
saucepan. Bring to a boil until bubbles
cover the entire surface. Remove from
the heat; add the 1 tablespoon cream and grated orange rind. Stir in the nuts and pour into the pastry
shell. Spread out quickly and
evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or
until the top is covered with bubbles.
Cool; release from the tart pan. (If necessary, insert a pointed offset spatula between the pan and every five or six scallops of the crust).
To make the glaze: Dissolve the coffee granules in the water. Combine the 1/2 cup cream, coffee mixture and
corn syrup in a saucepan. Heat until steaming, but do not let boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes, then whisk until
smooth. Immediately pour glaze over
filling. Spread out, covering the filling. Refrigerate
until glaze sets.
(If making ahead, cover with foil and freeze. Thaw in
the refrigerator, covered loosely.)
Recipe adapted from “European Tarts, Divinely Doable
Desserts with Little or No Baking” ©Helen S. Fletcher 2012. All Rights Reserved.
PLAIN PRESS-IN PASTRY
Yield: One 11-inch pastry shell
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 cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (114
grams or 4 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams or 1 3/4 ounces)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
(Step-by-step illustrations are posted
here, on the website
for
European Tarts.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if baking immediately.
Mixer Method: Combine the flours, baking powder and butter
in a mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment until the butter is cut in
very finely. Add the sugar; mix briefly.
Add the egg and yolk; mix on medium speed until the dough
comes together in a ball.
Food Processor Method: Place the flours and baking powder in
the food processor. Process to mix briefly. Place the butter in a circle over
the flours. Process until finely cut in. Add the sugar; process briefly. Add
the egg and yolk and process until a ball forms.
Spray nonstick cooking spray on the center of the bottom of
an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Divide the dough in half. (Each
half will weigh 175 grams or 6 ounces.) Divide one piece in half again (85
grams or 3 ounces). Roll one quarter portion of the dough (85 grams or 3
ounces) evenly into a rope. Lay against one half edge of the pan. Repeat with
the other quarter portion, overlapping the pieces slightly. Press into the edge
of the pan, sealing the two pieces together. Flatten the remaining half portion
of dough into a circle. Place it in the bottom of the pan. With the heel of
your hand, press the dough outward toward the edge. Continue to work the dough
outward with your fingers and lastly, seal the seam. Be sure to seal the seam
well where the edge and the bottom meet so the crust does not crack when baked.
Prick the tart bottom with a fork. Place the tart pan on a
baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes if baking partially or 18 to 22
minutes (until a rich golden brown) if baking fully.
Cool crust; fill and finish as directed.
Recipe adapted from “European Tarts, Divinely Doable
Desserts with Little or No Baking” ©Helen S. Fletcher 2012. All Rights Reserved.