Salted caramel truffle tarts - FINALLY!

[On 13th October: Its late .. will update soonish.. missing my space here .. night night xoxo]

How do i begin.. where do i start.. each time i start to type in something.. i end up deleting it.. its been awhile.. been too long since i last pinned my thoughts here.. suddenly i feel like a virgin all over again muahahaha

I hv been well.. not been travelling that much this year.. every year come December.. i will sit back and try to think of what i hv done for the year.. i had wanted to do something more fruitful this year and i think i managed to do that.. i wanted to bake more celebration cakes and i got to do that almost every week.. each week i will keep it to two or three orders of bday cakes cos i know that if i were to take in many.. i will not be able to enjoy what i am doing.. i love to try out new designs for my cakes.. even if i hv to keep on using the same technique (customer request) i will still try to make it look a little different..

With that said.. guess what.. hubs signed me into another macaron class in Paris... am super excited to be able to learn more on macs.. there are never ending things u can learn abt these little devilish thingy called Macarons.. its not true that once u mastered it.. ur good to go.. hopefully with all my knowledge on baking .. i will be able to open up classes and teach to those that are interested to learn abt baking.. i know for sure that if u hv the passion for baking.. u will be able to bake just abt anything under the sun..

So ok.. lets get on with this long overdue recipe.. i guess with all the FB and IG spreading viral on anything that uses salted caramel.. there is no harm for me to share another good salted caramel recipe.. i hv a few which i hv shared bef in my previous post.. i personally like this recipe tho.. always remember when it comes to making caramel.. keep a close watch on ur sugar .. dont burnt it or u will not like the taste..

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CRUST

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and softened

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons. confectioners' sugar

2 egg yolks, room temperature

1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the Crust: In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients. Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Evenly press each portion into the bottoms and sides of 6 3.5-inch tartlet pan with removable bottoms. Refrigerate tartlet shells for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, prick the tart shells all over with a fork. Bake in preheated oven until cooked through, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

FOR THE GANACHE

1⁄2 cup heavy cream

4 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped - I used Valrhona

Vanilla Fleur de Sel for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the Ganache: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Spoon ganache evenly over tartlets and refrigerate until set, 3-4 hours. If desired, sprinkle tart with sea salt and slice. Serve cold.

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

Makes about 2 cups

400gm sugar

165gm butter

250ml cream

Salt to taste -i used Fleur de Sel

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the sugar in a heavy based pot and as soon as the sugar has all dissolved, remove it from the heat and add the butter in parts whilst continuously whisking . warning it is VERY hot - the butter will splatter quite a bit, just keep whisking and ensure that you do not touch this sauce.

Return the pot to the heat and add the cream immediately, still whisking vigorously.

When the sauce has become smooth and amalgamated (this happens quickly) remove it from the heat and add a good sprinkle of salt which dissolves.

Allow it to completely cool and stir in another good sprinkle of salt which remains in its granular form.

Notes

If you add the cream to the sugar too soon it may split. If this happens return it to the heat and continue heating and stirring vigorously and it should amalgamate to form a sauce.

Crust and ganache recipe is fm My baking addition

pies/ tarts

16

Condensed milk egg tarts

This is gonna be a short entry... i think i must hv dozed off like three times while waiting for my pics to load.. dont know why but for some reason the connection seems to be a lot weaker if i wanna update my blog fm our living room grrr

Sooo hubs is back home fm his trip.. Alhamdullilah... he was there for three days and i hv successfully filled my days with what i love most - baking for my family lol... i told myself that i needed a break fm taking orders and i did just that... this coming weekend order will be my first order for this year... ty Waty for all the repeat orders .. see u soon girl!

... And for the past couple of days we also had a live-in nanny lol.. my niece who is now on school hols "volunteered" herself to sleep over which made things easier for me.. theres someone to play with my little princess and her mama gets a little "time off".

Oh.. Talking abt Sonia .. did i tell ya that her wishes to hv her ear pierced came to reality last Christmas?? she did it together with kakak Dafinah and we are so proud of both girls .. super brave!!

Alrighty.. lets not waste any more time... had wanted to bake these egg tarts last weekend but didnt get to it.. decided to bake it today simply bec i knew my family loves it.. ty mbak Ricke Indriani for sharing all your wonderful recipes with us... there are a couple more recipes which i hv jotted down and hopefully am able to try out this weekend :o) - one thing for sure..  Enak banget egg tarts nya! hehe

Ingredients

Shells

300g frozen butter - cubed - i used SCS unsalted

500g flour

pinch of salt

2 tbsp sugar

3 egg yolks

Egg custard

300ml condensed milk

400ml warm water

8 egg yolks - whisk a little with a fork

30g custard flour

1 tsp milk vanilla - i used vanilla essence

Method

Get ur mould ready - preheat oven 160C

Measure the flour and pour into a food processor with the regular blade attached. Add the unsalted butter, cut into cubes (Your butter should be frozen or very cold). Add salt and sugar. Pulse three times with three counts per pulse to lightly mix the ingredients.

With the motor running, pour egg yolks into the processor bowl just until the dough just starts to get noticeably crumbly. Don't wait until it is a big clump or it will be way too wet and will turn out tough.

Stop the machine, dump the crumbly dough into a bowl, and gather the dough into a ball with your hand. you can squeeze it a bit to make it stick together.

Roll out dough.. with a round cutter, cut out a few pcs.. press it into small tart moulds.. let it rest in ur fridge while u prepare ur egg custard

As for the egg custard.. Whisk condensed milk and warm water - put aside.

Whisk eggs lightly and pour into the milk mixture and whisk again. Do not whisk till frothy.

Add in vanilla essence and lastly add in custard powder.

Sift the egg custard mixture and pour into tart moulds.

Bake at 160C for 45 mins or till egg custard sets... once baked.. let it sit for 10mins bef u take it out

Please take note that i did 1 and a 1/2 recipes for egg custard as I prefer a thin crust and needed more filling..

Ish ish... the weather nowadays is very unpredictable.. one min its so so hot and windy and another min its raining heavily... night night beautiful ppl!

pies/ tarts

20

Aria Chocolate Tart

Oh yeahhhh babyyyy! finally i did it! The tart that i hv been eyeing for the past oh dreadful weeks.. it was love at first sight for both hubster and me.. i was smitten by it and judging by the way it looks.. i know for sure.. this is it... my search for a luscious chocolate tart that has three delish chocolate layers ends here .. period! ohhhh thank you Citrus and Candy.. u got me at Hello! hahaha

Lets not talk more.. enjoy the pics.. enjoy the recipe cos i know for sure.. we will be having this tart over and over for the next two days! passt - u hv got to share this super rich chocolate tart with ur loved ones cos this tart is freaking devine.. plus sharing is caring ahaks!

Oh bef i go.. please please go and do urself a favour.. get the best chocolate there is.. i used a mixture of Cocoa Berry 66% and also Valrhona Equatorial (55%) for this tart.. u can also use a mixture of Valrhona Manjari 64% and Valrhona Jivara (40%) if u hv any on hand.. we are dark chocolate ppl.. so 66% and 55% works well with our tastebuds and ohhh.. i used Valrhona Cocoa Powder for my chocolate pastry and sauce! woot woot!

Aria Chocolate Tart
[Chocolate Pastry]
320g plain flour
60g cocoa
160g caster sugar
Pinch salt
160g cold butter, diced
2 eggs

[Chocolate tart mixture]
210g good quality dark chocolate (with high cocoa content), chopped
60g Valrhona Jivara chocolate, chopped – if unavailable then just use another 60g of the dark chocolate
60g butter, diced
315ml cream
3 eggs
2 egg yolks

[Chocolate glacage]
300g dark chocolate, chopped
240ml cream
300ml chocolate sauce (recipe below)

[Chocolate sauce - for the glacage]
60g cocoa
200ml water
120g caster sugar
25g butter, diced

Method

To make the pastry, preheat oven to 180°C. Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the eggs and process until dough just starts to come together.

Turn on to a lightly floured surface and gently knead until just smooth. Shape into a disc and cover with plastic wrap, then place in the fridge for 10 minutes to rest.

Roll out the pastry to a 15 x 40cm rectangle, about 3mm thick. Line a shallow rectangle 10 x 34cm (base measurement) fluted tart tin with a removable base with the pastry and trim any excess. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.. I used mini round tart tin..

Line pastry with baking paper and fill with rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and rice and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until firm to touch.

To make the tart mixture, preheat oven to 160°C. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl.

Place cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour cream over chocolate in bowl and stir until smooth, stir in eggs.

Pour chocolate mixture into tart shell up until about 3/4 full (you’ll need to leave enough room for the glacage). Bake for 25 minutes until the centre has just cooked and the top has just set. Take the tart out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before topping with the chocolate glacage (recipe follows after). Refrigerate tart in fridge until firm before serving. (i baked mine for 15mins at 150C)

For the chocolate sauce (for the glacage), combine cocoa, water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, stir in butter until melted and mixed. Strain through a sieve placed over a bowl and set aside.

To finish the glacage, place chocolate in a large bowl. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour cream over the chocolate in the bowl and stir until smooth. Add in the chocolate sauce that you just made and stir (recipe above). When the completed tart has cooled, spoon or pour the glacage over the tart and place in fridge until firm.

Do hop over to Masterchef where she got the original recipe fm.. hv a wonderful weekend kids!

pies/ tarts

49

Salmon & Spinach Quiche

Every single morning right after dropping Sonia off to school .. both hubs and I will head straight to Starbucks where we will meet up with Jens .. The whole quick coffee session will usually last for half an hr bef both of them start working... so yesterday while having our coffee.. i overheard these two men talking abt what they had prepared for their wifey on mothers day.. Jens told hubs that he had prepared a quiche for his family while hubs talked abt his infamous scrabbled eggs and out of the blue.. just like that - hubs turned to me and asked me why i hv never made him one since quiche is his all time fav.. i of cos told him off by saying - "if i wanna bake it for u.. let me do it cos I  wanna do it.. dont ask me to do it ok".. there!

So with that in mind.. i decided to surprise hubs with his fav salmon and spinach quiche.. had it for dinner and oh boy.. lemme tell ya.. someone felt like hes in heaven hehehe.. the quiche is delicious.. hubs kept on praising it.. told me to keep a slice in the fridge so that he can have it again later.. awwww... am happy when his tummy is happy :o)

Ingredients

Crust
190g flour
1/4 tsp salt
120g butter
1 egg yolk

Filling
1 small onion - very finely chopped
125g spinach
a pack of smoke salmon - i used 100g of prime smoke salmon
3 eggs beaten
425ml milk and single cream (50:50)
75g Gruyere cheese, finely grated - i used cheddar cheese
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

- Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat the oven to 220C.

- To make the pastry, sieve the flour and salt into ur food processor. Cut butter into cubes. gv it a few pulse until well blended. Add egg yolk and continue to pulse till it form smooth dough.. remove and knead lightly on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 30 mins.

- Roll the pastry out into a circle on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 20cm greased tart tin, abt 4cm deep.

- Heat oil.. stir fry onion till brown.. add spinach fry for five minutes over a gentle heat in a nonstick frying pan. Spoon into the tart tin... add in ur smoke salmon.

- Using ur mixer beat the eggs .. add in ur milk/cream, then add most of the cheese with some salt and black pepper and beat again. Pour mixture over salmon and onion/spinach and scatter the remining cheese on top

- Place the quiche on a baking tray and bake for 10mins. Lower the temp to 190C and continue baking for another 30 to 35 mins, until the filling is just set. Allow to cool slightly bef cutting. Serve the quiche warm or cold.

Anyway earlier today I had to drive Sonia to RELC for her dance rehearsal.. managed to squeeze a little time for a quick coffee bef groceries shopping and am back home now.. hubs just called me and told me that we will be heading up to KL on Sunday.. gulp - ponteng again? :o/

Source: The Ultimate Mixer Cookbook (got this cookbook when i bought Mr Aid!)

pies/ tarts

45

Quick Classic Berry Tart

When the cat is away.. the mouse gets bored.. exactly how i feel whenever hubs is out of town.. hes my partner in crime.. without him around theres no one to "test" my bakes.. honestly.. i dont even know how this tart tastes like.. i am assuming it tastes delish since the recipe is fm Dorie Greenspan..

Baking tart has always been a quickie thang for me.. the sweet pastry can be prepared in advance.. pastry cream u can prepare a few hrs ahead of time and when ur ready to serve it to ur guests.. all u need to do is to assemble it and voila!.. u got urself a stunning looking dessert... (pls take note that this tart is best assembled at the last minute.. oppss i guess hubs will hv to make do with a day old tart haha)

Anyway.. Sonia went to her first school excursion yesterday .. she was super excited the night bef cos she was going to wear her school attire for the very first time.. nothing fancy mancy.. tshirt with super cute drawing on it.. she woke up earlier then usual.. got ready and couldnt stop talking abt her upcoming excursion.. right after that I had to send hubs to airport .. drove back home and started to prepare the sweet pastry and also pastry cream.. drove back to Sonia's school and unlike always when hubs is not around .. i decided to just take Sonia home and not take her to anywhere.. thought it'd be best to just spend "mother daughter" time at home instead since she had a full on day in school..

Quick Classic Berry Tart
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Abt 1 1/2 cups pastry cream (recipe follows), cooled or chilled
1 9' tart shell made with sweet tart dough (recipe follows), fully baked and cooled
2 pints fresh, perfectly ripe berries (blacberries, blueberries, raspeberries, strawberries or an assortment)
1/3 cup red current jelly mixed with 1 tsp water, for glazing

Whisk the Pastry Cream until it’s smooth. Spoon enough of the Pastry Cream into the tart to come almost to the rim, and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
Lay the berries on the cream however you like. (If you are using strawberries, halve them vertically or cut them into slices.
Bring the jelly and water to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop. Using a pastry brush, dab each berry with jelly, or glaze the entire surface of the tart, including the pastry cream showing through the berries.

STORING: This tart should be eaten as soon as possible after you assemble it. If you must store it for a few hours, keep it in the refrigerator, far away from any food with strong odors.

Pastry Cream
Makes about 2 cups

2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn starch - sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract - i used vanilla bean
3 1/2 tbsp high quality unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temp

Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks with the sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk to temper the yolks so they won’t curdle.
Whisking the entire time, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk.
Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (to the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil.
Keep it at a boil. still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
Discard the vanilla bean.
Whisk in the butter until the bits are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth.
Scrape the cream into a bowl, and place the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water. Stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is completely chilled, about 20 minutes.

Sweet Tart Dough
Makes one 9-inch crust

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 tbsp (9tbsp) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a food processor, and pulse to combine.
Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas and flakes of oatmeal.
Stir the egg, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition.
When the egg is in, process in 10-second pulses until the dough forms clumps and curds. (Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine will change.)
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly, knead the dough just to incorporate any loose dry ingredients.
To Press the Dough Into the Pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes.
To Fully Bake the Crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side-down, tightly against the crust.
Put the tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake the crust for 25 minutes.
Carefully remove the foil. If the crust is puffy, use the back of a spoon to gently press it down.
Bake for another 8 minutes or so, until the crust is golden brown.
Transfer the crust to a wire rack (still in the pan), and let it cool to room temperature before filling.

STORING: You can wrap the unbaked crust inside the tart pan and freeze it for up to 2 months. To bake it directly from the freezer, add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

Such a long winded recipe?? hehe not really.. it has three steps and thats it.. so ok.. i will probably not be able to blog for the next few days.. a little busy with this weekend orders and oh yes.. . i wanna thank Shikin for ordering Lenotre Coffee Macarons last wednesday.. was nice to see u again and ty for ur kind words.. much appreciated.. glad u loved it!

Enjoy the wkends dearies!

pies/ tarts

16

Best ever - Lemon Tart

Calling all lemon lovers... calling one.. calling two.. SOLD!

Yes i am SOLD.. honestly whenever i go to any cafe its not the chocolaty kinda dessert that i go for cos i know i can whip up something at home so delicious using the best chocolate there is.. I would usually end up ordering any citric dessert.. or if i do go to Cafe Baviamo.. i will always end up ordering sticky date pudding.. but... u do know that .. right??

Anyway this lemon tart was baked last night.. didnt take that long to prepare and i am so so so so in love with this creamy yummylicous lemon cream.. i tell ya.. nothing beats this one.. not even the one that I would usually have at hmmm lets not compare cos really i still need my lemon fix whenever i go to that cafe.. this lemon cream is so refreshing.. the sweetness is just right.. i might even use this lemon cream recipe for my mac fillings! yummeh!!

So let me gv my thanks to Chelle of Foodagraphy for sharing this super wonderful lemon cream recipe with us.. i decided to use the same shortcrust pastry recipe that i used for my apple crumble pie.. the whole yummylicous lemon cream goes really well with that crunchy crust...

Ingredients
Crust
190g flour
40g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
120g butter
1 egg yolk

To prepare the crust
Sift the flour in a big bowl. Add the salt and sugar in the middle.
Add the cold cubed butter and make a crumble with the dough, using the tips of your fingers.
Make a hole in the middle and add in egg yolk. Work the dough with the tips of your fingers. Make a ball with it and place it in plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours, if possible.
Roll dough and place it in greased tart mold. Make little holes with a fork and chill in fridge for at least an hour. Cover with aluminium foil. Bake in the preheated oven at 175°C for about 25-30 mins.
Remove the paper and continue to cook for another 10 till crust is brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack
Once the crust is cold, fill with lemon cream. Level it and chill in fridge overnight, before serving.

Lemon cream recipe is adapted fm Bea at La Tartine Gourmande

Enjoy the recipe peeps and hopefully i am able to update again tmrw.. we are very excited here as tmrw is Sonia's first day in school.. :oP

pies/ tarts

32

I've got my mojo working....

My bad.. its been a few days since i last updated my blog.. no specific reason.. i am feeling lazy at the moment tho i managed to bake a batch of mocha macs to be given away..

Last weekend was superb.. after dropping off my bakes i went to visit Ken to hv my hair cut. we later took Sonia home and called in our babysitters to sleep over at our place since we planned to watch a midnight movie with sis lyn n her hb.. long story short.. both my hb and lyn fell asleep while watching Rango lol

I woke up pretty early the next day eventho we only got home at half past 3 in the morning.. did my ironing and went out right after that.. had coffee at Vivo and by 5pm we were walking on the Sentosa Boardwalk hehe.. it wasnt planned and i wish i had taken along my camera.. was my first time there since USS was build.. didnt wanna enter USS either since it was already late so we ended up spending our time exploring our the newly revamped Sentosa island.. Sonia wasnt too happy when we told her that we were not gonna go to USS.. she kept on saying.. "I want to go Disneylandddd" .. poor girl.. my heart broke when she started to cry.. i promised her that i will take her there some day.. soon? pls babe.. pretty plsssssssss

Sunday was spent doing our typical cleaning in the morning and attended a wedding lunch of my ex SIL's daughter.. was good to see everyone especially mak and bapak.. got home early and thought of baking this tart but was too lazy.. so of cos for obvious reasons.. i decided to bake this tart today.. recipe is slightly different but its still fm Am-Flora..

Ingredients
Pastry
1 egg
100g butter
75g icing sugar
200g plain flour

Method
Using wooden or rubber spatula.. mix butter and icing sugar.
Once mixed add in egg and continue to mix till well mixed.
Add in flour and knead.. scoop 1 tbsp of dough and roll it.. using ur thumb press dough into tart mold.. prick a few holes using a fork.
Bake for 15 minutes at 160C

Cream Cheese
250g Philadelpia cream cheese
60g icing sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp lemon essence/ extract - i added

Method
Beat all ingredients until smooth flat.. add in lemon extract.
Take out 1tbsp of cream cheese filling and add blueberry or any colour paste that u like..
Next arrange ur tarts in ur baking tray.. Spoon a little blueberry filling and pipe cream cheese filling to cover each tart.
Draw pattern on ur tarts and bake it again for a further 5 mins


I hope i will get my mojo back cos i had bought passionfruit, mango and lemongrass last weekend to bake this cake which i had planned to bake for the longest time!

Cheerios!

pies/ tarts

44

Banoffe Pie

OMG this is H.E.A.V.E.N.. I just had it for breakfast!! muahahahaa

Soooo this is Banoffe Pie.. ohhhh gosh.. a simple desert and yet so so fulfilling.. It is an English desert that has a dreamy combo of toffee aka dulce de leche, crumbly base, bananas and whipping cream.. Banoffe Pie is said to be a favorite at Buckingham Palace too and since hb is not an english guy i only piped in a thin layer of whipping cream cos he hates any cake that uses lots of whipping cream .... in fact hb had a slice without the whipping cream last night. I bet later after he comes home fm his course I will be able to convert him into liking whipping cream muaakakakaaahh

I used my new deep tart pan that i bought in Jkt for this pie simply cos i had planned to use lots of bananas and a bottle of dulce de leche that i got as a gift each time hb's Argentinian supplier is in town.. mmmmmm HAVANA.. how i miss that cafe... i miss their coffee.. i miss their chocolate.. i miss flying on a 30 odds hrs flight to Argentina... eerrrr NOT!!!

Ok ok back to my banoffee pie.. lets do this together.. close ur eyes.. dream that ur in Buckingham Palace.. eating a slice of this pie with a cup of tea.. muahahahha.. dreammmm onnnn.. no need to close ur eyes.. prepare the dough, chill it, roll it, bake it, slice bananas, pour toffee, chill it, pipe whipping cream and drizzle it with melted chocolate or use chocolate shaving..chill it again and chomp chomp ur pie hehe

Pastry
Ingredients
300g flour
150g unsalted butter - diced
5 Tbs sugar
2 egg yolks
3 Tbs cold water






Method

Combine the flour, butter and sugar in the food processor and process until well mixed. Then mix in the egg yolks and process in small bursts until the mixture appears crumbly. Add the water a little at a time. As the crumbs get larger, turn the motor off and check that the pastry will come together when pressed between your fingers. Turn the mixture on to a clean board or bench and work very gently into a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough to line 20-22cm flan or loose-bottomed tart tin, prick the base of the pastry with fork several times. Set aside for 30 minutes. (i used a deep 24cm tart tin)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the base of the pastry with baking paper and beans, bake blind for 12-15 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown. Remove the paper and beans. (Return the pastry base into the oven for 5 minutes or until the base becomes dry.)

Filling
Ingredients
75g butter
50g brown sugar
3 Tbs milk
300g sweetened condensed milk
(I didnt do the filling and uses my dulce de leche instead)
2 firm bananas (I used 10 hehe)





Topping
300ml cream (I used double cream)
1 1/2 cup white chocolate curls OR grated white chocolate (I used lindt chocolate curl)


Method

Place the butter and sugar in a non-stick pan and heat gently until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for one minute, stirring continuously using a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and add the milk and condensed milk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil. Allow to gently bubble for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and turns a light golden brown. Cool slightly.

Preparation

Cut the bananas and put them on the base of the pastry. Pour in the caramel mixture. Leave to cool then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve topped with the whipped cream, spooned or spread over the caramel, and the grated chocolate. (You can always use your piping bag and noozle! Feel free to use nuts instead if u like).

Well ok peeps.. hv a good weekend.. Rima has a car today and shes going on a date with her little princess to buy her a new pair of boots and a few winter clothing!! Cheers!!


Source: Foodtown Magazine 2007 and KBB

pies/ tarts

30

Blueberry Cheese Tart

A dessert that I've prepared to gv to my neighbour.. as u already know.. we moved here like a year ago and no doubt bef this we hv been living in an area where there were not many malay families around..err in fact there were no malay families around hehehe.. so this year when one of our neighbours started giving us food for iftar .. hb felt really really touch and excited.. he said... "ahhhh now this is the kampung feeling that i likeeee" hahaha

Soo every single day.. whenever we hv our iftar at home.. hb wud gladly volunteer to be my delivery boy kahkahkah.. ty Am flora for the wonderful recipe.. hb loves it!

Ingredients
1 egg
125g butter
6og icing sugar
250g flour
1/2 vanilla essence
1-2 tbsp water


Method
Preheat oven 160C
Mix all ingredients and divide dough into small balls (size shud be as big as ur thumb)
Press dough into a tart mold.. prick dough with fork and bake it for 15mins


Cream Cheese
Ingredients
250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
60g butter
60g Icing sugar
1 egg

(I used blueberry pie fillings)

Method
Beat all ingredients until smooth & flat
Pipe in a little bit of blueberry fillings and then pipe in cream cheese.
Do whatever pattern u like on ur cream cheese filling and continue to bake for about 5 minutes.





Source: Am-Flora

pies/ tarts

30