The holidays are rolling in and my kitchen is loaded with butter, sugar and flour. Dessert is the focus in my house, and we tend to overdo it.
There are traditional recipes that we love to share, but this year I am focusing on The Art of the Tart. Tarts and pies are extremely similar and loved because they are loaded with butter for a tender crust and a variety of decadent fillings. Although they are in the same family of sweets, there are a few differences.
Pie
A pie is made of sweet or savory ingredients using a deep or sloped pan. Pies can have a single or double layer of crust with a flaky and crisp texture. Pies and tarts can have the same fillings, but pies do not need to be removed from the pan, so they tend to be filled to the maximum.
Tart
A tart also can be made with sweet or savory ingredients but it's baked in a shallow pan, usually with a removable bottom. Tarts are made of a buttery, tender crust that is stable enough to be removed from the pan. Tarts can be round, rectangular or square depending on the pan you choose.
I recently created two tart recipes that can be the centerpiece of any Thanksgiving table.
Kristen Massad of Dallas, a pastry chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, blogs at inkfoods.com.
Caramelized Nut Tart
Assorted nuts are always at our Thanksgiving table, whether it's in a bowl or in a pie. Try taking all of your favorite nuts and pouring them into a buttery tart shell.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
Caramelized Nut Filling (recipe follows)
Make the dough: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add in eggs, salt and vanilla extract.
Add the flour and mix until fully combined.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and lightly knead on a floured surface until smooth. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Once the dough is chilled, roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick.
Place the dough in a 9-inch round tart pan and press the bottom and sides of the tart down to create an even and smooth shell.
Refrigerate the shell for another 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 F. Pour Caramelized Nut Filling into the unbaked tart shell. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until nuts are golden and the syrup is thick. Allow the caramelized nut tart to cool before removing from the tart pan.
Caramelized Nut Filling: In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, mix together 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter until creamy and smooth. Add in 5 eggs, 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Remove the bowl from the mixer and pour assorted nuts (1/2 cup pecan halves, 1/2 cup cashews, 1/2 cup pistachios and 1/2 cup walnut halves) into the syrup and coat them completely.
Butterscotch Pretzel Tart
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely crushed pretzels, plus more for serving
1/2 cup flour
Butterscotch Filling (recipe follows)
Brown Sugar Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add in egg and vanilla extract.
Add the crushed pretzels and flour, and mix until fully combined.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and lightly knead on a floured surface until smooth.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Once the dough is chilled, roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick
Place the dough in a 9-inch round or rectangle tart pan and press the bottom and sides of the tart down to create an even and smooth shell.
Refrigerate the shell for another 30 minutes.
Bake the shell for 15-20 minutes or until dough is cooked through.
Pour the Butterscotch Filling into the baked tart shell. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the custard until cooled. Once the pie is cooled, spread the Brown Sugar Whipped Cream. Sprinkle crushed pretzels around the edge and serve.
Butterscotch Filling: In a small bowl, whisk 3 egg yolks and set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cups milk. Set aside.
Melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter over low heat in a large saucepan until it turns a light brown color. Stir constantly so that it doesn't burn. Add 1 cup light brown sugar to the butter and whisk until melted. Slowly add 1 cup boiling water to the butter and sugar mixture to create a caramel. It will bubble a lot, so pour it slowly while whisking.
Add the flour mixture to the caramel mixture and stir on low heat until it begins to boil.
Once the butterscotch mixture has thickened, add a few tablespoons of it to the egg yolks, constantly whisking, and then pour the egg yolks back into the saucepan with the butterscotch. Continue whisking over low heat until the butterscotch begins to boil and thicken. Remove the butterscotch filling from the heat and add in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Brown Sugar Whipped Cream: In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk 2 cups heavy whipping cream until it starts to thicken and creates a ribbon texture. Add 1/4 cup light brown sugar and continue whisking until the cream is smooth and stiff enough to hold its shape.