Pear Custard Tart

I've been on a pie-baking frenzy this fall, and I don't think I've run out of steam yet!  The latest is this Pear Custard Tart.  Bartlett pears are poached with vanilla bean and orange peel, then layered in a buttery crust and soaked in a vanilla custard before being baked and topped with toasted almonds.  It sounds amazing, and yet the result is understated.  The first day I found it plain and was a bit disappointed, but on the second day the flavors had developed -- the pears had more of a presence and the custard and almonds complemented them well.

I'm chalking the difference up to using pears that could have been more ripe, and not including the brandy the recipe called for.  We rarely have hard stuff in the house, but this simple tart could use something to punch it up.  I would definitely make it again, using riper pears and the brandy.  The tart doesn't have loud flavors: no chocolate, cinnamon, clove, or cayenne.  Still, it's gorgeous, elegant, and tasty (at least on the second day), and would make a light but showy finish to a Thanksgiving feast.

Maple-Glazed Apple Crostata

I always look forward to baking an apple pie in the fall.  The oven warms the house, and fills it with the smells of cinnamon and nutmeg.  My favorite is a traditional double-crust apple pie, but it's kind of a production.  So when I don't have all day, I turn to open-faced pies like this crostata.  I had made an apple crostata previously with cranberries, but plain ol' apple is usually what I want.  This version is packed with apples.  The recipe calls for just dumping them all onto the dough, but I wanted a fancier look.  Unfortunately, shingling the apples instead of dumping them into one big mound meant not all of them fit, plus they were so packed in that the slices became vertical instead of slanted.  No matter, still delicious.  My aesthetic quibble was actually the crust edges -- I didn't think the crostata needed a 3-inch border like the recipe called for so I went with 2 inches, and you can see it came up short.  But like I said, still delicious.

And it still managed to wow a crowd.  With the leftover apples that didn't fit, I made a halved recipe for the crostata, resulting in this smaller one we ate at home.  I used gala apples, which have great flavor and hold their shape well during baking.  And the bulk bag of organic galas cost the same per pound as the loose galas.  My one disappointment with this recipe was that you don't really taste the maple syrup you brush on the apples at the very end.  I suggest skipping that step, or using more syrup and then telling me how that turned out.

Citrus Tart

If you like lemon bars, you'll like this citrus tart.  It's like the lemon bar's lighter, more sophisticated cousin.  At first glance you expect a heavy, rich custard, but the texture is light and the taste tart and tangy.  And it was way more successful than the lemon souffles I made around the new year and would rather forget, after they fell and tasted awful eggy.  But everyone raved about this tart, and my friend Charmie asked if it would "make an appearance on wasb."  "What does that stand for?" I asked.  "What about second breakfast!" she said.  It was so cute, I figure I have to start using the acronym.

On an unrelated note, check out this bottle of vanilla extract!  This monster is 32 ounces of top-quality Madagascar bourbon vanilla, with your usual-sized bottle next to it for comparison.  I was both horrified and excited to get this gift, which is larger than a bottle of cough syrup.

Strawberry Tartlets

Strawberries from the store have been so delicious lately, I had to make strawberry tarts. Except for the arm workout I got while whisking the pastry cream, these were easy. For visual interest, I usually also top each one with a blueberry and sliver of kiwi, but I love the pure strawberry of this version and it made for lighter work. And they were still plenty tasty.

Strawberry Tarts
Half-recipe of Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee
Pound of Strawberries, washed, dried, and hulled
Pastry Cream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out the tart dough and cut it into squares a little larger than the square tart wells, or whatever mold you plan to use. Tuck the squares of dough inside the wells, cover the entire tray with a sheet of foil, and bake 12 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake 10 more minutes. Let it cool before removing the pastry shells, and repeat with remaining dough. Allow shells to cool completely before assembling.

Strawberries last longer if you wait until you use them to wash them. Darker ones tend to be sweeter. Choose 12 small berries that won't be bigger than the tart, and slice them in half.

Spoon or pipe the pastry cream into each shell. I like to pipe it with a star tip. Top each tart with a strawberry half. For extra shine or sweetness, you can also melt a bit of seedless jam and brush it on top of the berries. That's it! Makes 24 tartlets.

Pastry Cream

From Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup cornstarch, sifted

1½ tsp pure vanilla extract

3½ tsp unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Neanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well-blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about ¼ cup of the hot milk -- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get into the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly -- as I always do -- put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Spinach in Small Bites

I was amazed by the reception these spinach mini-tarts got. I knew they were good, but I didn't know they were that good! So I'm posting them here, and it's not my recipe and I haven't changed much except to show how to make them minis. Personally, I like the higher crust-to-filling ratio you get from the minis, and they're more fun for parties!

Oh, and I used Martha Stewart's pate brisee instead of the crust in the original recipe, which called for shortening. Shortening weirds me out, and the pate brisee was easy because I've got it committed to memory. I made them in a square tart mini pan with 2-inch wells that's cool because you push up the bottoms for easy extraction.

Mini Spinach & Pine Nut Tarts
Adapted from Emeril's Pine Nut and Spinach Tart
Half-recipe of Martha Stewart's pate brisee
½ cup pine nuts (about 3 oz)
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
10 oz fresh spinach, stems removed, well rinsed and chopped, or 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs
¾ cup heavy cream (I prefer half-and-half in this)
½ cup (about 3 oz) crumbled goat cheese, or feta

Preheat oven to 375°.
Roll out the chilled pate brisee and cut it into 2½-inch squares. Tuck each square into the wells of a mini-tart pan. A little excess riding above the sides of the wells is fine. Lightly wrap a sheet of foil over the top of the pan and bake for 5 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 5 more. Allow the crusts to cool.

In a dry pan, toast the pine nuts for a few minutes until fragrant. Set the nuts aside. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and cook the liquid is evaporated, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and cream (or half-and-half). Stir in the spinach, cheese, and half of the pine nuts. Spoon the filling into the crusts, almost to the top of each, and sprinkle the reserved nuts on top.

Set the pan on a baking sheet to avoid any leakage from dripping in the oven. Bake them for 20 minutes, until golden. When the pan is cool enough to handle, remove the tarts, then repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Makes about 30.

The Best Pumpkin Tart/Pie

This pumpkin pie is different. It's smoother and mellower than your usual pumpkin pie, and has the versatility of being dressed up as a fancy tart. I love it chilled, but some want it warm. I also make mine more festive with a few cutouts from leftover pie dough. Top it off with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, and it feels like the holidays!

Dorie Greenspan's Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie (or Tart)

9-inch single crust, partially baked and cooled *recipe below*

2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1½ cups heavy cream

⅓ cup sour cream

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1½ tsp ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves (I omitted)

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

3 tbs dark rum (I also omitted)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat and put the pie plate (or tart pan) on it.

Mix together all the filling ingredients, then pour into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300° and continue to bake for 35 to 45 minutes longer (20 to 25 minutes for a tart), or until a knife inserted close to the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

You'll have filling left over if you make a tart, but use it to make mini-tarts or possibly another tart.

I used Martha Stewart's pate brisee because I know it like the back of my hand, but here's Dorie's pie dough recipe.

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1½ tsp salt

2½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

⅓ cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

About ½ cup ice water

Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the fats are cut into the flour. Pulsing on and off, gradually add 3 tbs water, then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. Pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Lightly knead the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling.

To partially bake the crust, preheat the oven to 400°. Butter one side of a sheet of aluminum foil and place that down on the crust. Fill the foil with dried beans or rice or pie weights. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights, and if the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Return the pie plate to the oven and bake for 8 minutes more, or until the crust is very lightly colored. (I skipped the 8 minutes when making the tart.) Cool to room temperature before filling.