tart with apricots and 'frangipane' by ernst knam

Recipe taken from the book by Ernst Knam "The Art of Sweet"

Ingredients for 8/10 persons:
For the pastry
150 g butter
150 g caster sugar
1 free range egg
vanilla powder or the seeds
6 g of baking powder
300 g flour 00
a pinch of salt

delicious apple tart with meringue

Ingredients for 6:

for the pastry dough

 250 g all purpose flour

 50 g corn flour

 125 g caster sugar

 the grated rind of 1/2 lemon

 1/2 tbs baking powder

 1 free range egg

 125 g butter

 for covering 

 500 g apples

 100 g biscuits

 2 egg whits + 1 egg yolk

 250 g powdered sugar

 for the mold

 butter

 bread crumbs

tart with fresh fruits and cheese cream

Prepare the pastry for a baking pan in 28 cm diameter, according to this recipe or to your favourite one.

Grease the cake tin  and place a sheet of parchment paper so that it bleeds profusely from the edges (so that you can remove it from pan without breaking it).

Roll out the pastry and prick the base inside. The time cooking will vary depending on the thickness you want to give to your tart.


Put the pan in the freezer only the time necessary to prepare the filling. Will be perfectly cooked.

For the filling you need:

250 g di ricotta cheese (goat ricotta is perfect) 

90 g caster sugar

1 lemon zest

50 g yogurt (or cream)

2 free range eggs

A very quick and delicious tart stuffed with ricotta cheese, wich embraces the flavors of summer fruits, you will choose according to yout taste.

Whip the ricotta cheese with the sugar and yogurt (if you use the cream, whip it a bit before), add the eggs and the grated rind of lemon. I also added a few drops of home made vanilla extract. 

Take the tin with the pastry out from freezer, pour in the filling of ricotta cheese and dip in the fresh fruit you prefer.  (here I used grape, peach, apricot, pear) sprinkle some almonds and bake at 175° for 1 hour. If your pastry needs extra time cooking (this depend on its thickness) cover the surface with aluminium foil. I have cooked it for 1 h and 20 '.

Store in the fridge. Itwill be much more exquisite!

       

tart with chestnut flour and quince jam

For those who like the rustic and ancient flavors, which pervade the mouth without leaving a too sweet trace, permitting the taste to re-learn something of the past, that does not belong to the affectation of the small coloured and too sweet pies, but instead evokes the natural colours of the woods, where the taste memory , after battling against a flavour that is not instantly familiar, abandons itself completely to it, recognizing something bound to some old aunt or grandmother, who lived in an uncontaminated nature...only then...this tart is for you.

rustic tart with chestnut cream

Experiment shortbread nr. 100....In my path made of butter-egg-flour, the adjustments and attempts to create new balances of flavours really abound over the years. This is another very successful for me and the tasters for the rustic texture and quite sweet base. The sugary scent is perceived through the fruits and the chestnut cream used on the bottom of tart; while  the pastry makes balance with a dry flavour that tastes like vanilla and adjusts the sizzle of the taste buds. The flavours of late summer and early autumn met to pass the baton. 

Ingredients for a cake tin of 28cm.

• 200g flour 00
• 400g yellow corn flour foil
• 200g brown sugar
• 50g icing sugar
• 250g butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 Bourbon Vanilla Bean
• 2gr salt
• grated rind of 1 lemon 

To decorate:

• grapes
• pears
• chestnut cream (I used the one of Trappiste)
• 4gr gelatin sheets
• grated coconut

Method:

Sift the flours and make a fountain in the middle of a work table. Open the berries lengthwise, draw out the seeds and put them in the two sugars. Break the eggs in the center of the fountain, add the sugar and vanilla and mix as a batter, add salt, lemon rind and the melted butter, mix well without taking the flour in the sides. When the mixture is homogeneous start to take the flour and knead briefly, form a ball, flatten between two sheets of baking paper and store in the refrigerator for 30'.

Roll out the pastry into the  greased tin. Pour 3/4 of the chestnut cream and bake for 45' at about 190°. While the tart cools, you can peel the fruits and make the slices and cut the grapes in half. Arrange the fruit slices in circle. Prepare a jelly: soften the gelatin sheets in cold water for few minutes, melt them on low heat with two tbs of jam and brush it thoroughly over the tart and fruits. Sprinkle the grated coconut (if you like). 

I participate in the contest of Matteo

Lemon and coconut tarte

 

Lemon and coconut tarte



The idea came to me reading Alessandra,  I thought to try her tarte, she had read in turn in Marie Claire Kitchen. As I get this magazine I read it in the original one. I must admit that the little changes made by Alessandra were right to me; I find that this magazine has beautiful and very cool photos, but the recipes in it are disappointing, at least that's my experience. So starting from the method applied by Alessandra, I made my own small changes, concerning the pastry (the one by Montersino) and the use of Boubon Vanilla Liqueur.

fruit tart for a glutenfree birthday!

This pie has the doses of Sir Montersino (if I were Queen Elizabeth II, I would give him the title of pastry baronet) infact after having tried his pastry it's hard to go back. The only difference that I made is related to the flour, that I have substituted with almond-flour, pistachios and rice flour, because it was a glutenfree birthday!  The result is a pleasure beyond description, though I should not say, but the dried fruit gives the pastry an unparalleled quid; this demonstrate the fact, that even glutenfree food can be excellent, furthermore it's a good reason to explore an approach that otherwise, at least I, would have not dared.

my grandmother's pie!

This is the recipe of my grandmother's pie, which I found after a long time, to participate in the contest of my friend Sonia of the blog La Cassata Celiaca, which consist in giving a recipe of "my house's tradition"; prefacing her too that when I was little in my house we were especially fond of savory dishes, but asking  here and there I found this absolute delicious recipe, thank Sonia for letting me redescover.



Ingredients:

• 200g almond flour
• 150g flour 00
• 200g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• grated lemon zest 
• 1 pinch of salt
• sour cherry jam
• fresh fruits, apricots, peaches, kiwi
• 1 jelly sheet
• 2 tbs jam for the jelly

Method:

Soften butter at room temperature. Mix all ingredients very quickly in a food processor (but can also be made by hand!) form a ball with the rolling pin, flatten it between two sheets of baking paper and store it in the fridge for about 30'.

Grease and flour a rectangular mold, or whatever you prefer, roll out the dough, prick with a fork and spread the sour cherry jam. Bake for about 50-60 minutes at 180°, until golden.

In the meanwhile wash dry and cut into wedges fresh fruit. Lay it on the pie at the end of cooking. Soften gelatin in cold water for few minutes, squeeze and dissolve over low heat with 2 tbs of jam. Brush jelly over the fruit still warm and the edges of the tart. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 8 slices

With this recipe I participate in the contest of Sonia !!!

Soft Lemon Tart

Yesterday afternoon on my way back home, it was raining cats and dogs, so I got inspired to make a very delicious and cuddy cake. Here is the recipe taken by "La Cucina Italiana"; it's long but very simple and believe me worthwhile!  



Lemon Tart

 

Jam Tart

Several years ago I found out this recipe for jam tarts in the magazine "The Italian Kitchen" and I've never forgotten it. It is practically perfect, here are the ...

                


Ingredients

• 300 g flour
• 150 g soft unsalted butter
• 150 g sugar (half white, half brown)
• 1 egg
• grated lemon peel
• 2 amaretti or digestives
• 60 almands finely minced
• salt

METHOD


Preheat the oven to 190°


1. Sift the flour and make the fountain, put in the center the sugar, egg, the minced almonds, the lemon peel and a pinch of salt; melt these ingredients very well till you get a smooth paste. Leave it for 30' covered with greaseproof paper. If you are in a hurry put it in freezer for 10 minutes. 
2. After this time take the paste and work it few minutes to make it soft again (if necessary add a pinch of flour). Put the paste on a baking-pan, already covered with butter and flour (or if u prefer with greaseproof paper ), crumble over the 2 buiscuits, spread your favourite marmelade and garnish as you like with the left paste. 3. Cook it for about 50 minutes.

Here in this photo the quantities are double and then I decorate the tart with some caramel.

the tart of Luca Montersino

This is a wonderful recipe to make the tart because the recipe is of Luca Montersino: here the ingredients for a grat pie of 30 cm diameter.

pastry by Luca Montersino



• 200 g icing sugar
• 500 g flour
• 300 g softened butter
• 80 g egg yolks
• lemon zest
• 2 g di salt
• 1/2 vanilla Bourbon

1. With the sifted flour make the fountain. In the middle put the egg yolks, sugar, seeds of the vanilla, lemon zest, salt and knead well without taking the flours in the sides. So you prepare the egg batter.
2. Add now the butter and mix well, without taking the flour until it will be well absorbed and becomes a smooth dough.
   Begin now to take the flour from the sides and knead until it forms a ball. 
3. Flatten with a rolling pin and put between two sheets of baking paper; store in the fridge for 2 hours or in the freezer for 15 minutes.  
4. Before you lay the jam on the top, make some little holes on the pastry and crumble over 2 digestive biscuits. Decorate with slices of almonds. Bake at 190° for about 50 minutes.

Serve: 15 slices

pumpkin tarte and renette apples

Ingredients: 

• 4 "renette" apples
• 430gr sugar
• 400gr peeled pumpkin
• orange marmelade
• butter
• sugar

For the pastry dough

• 350gr flour
• 200gr softened butter
• 100gr caster sugar
• 1 egg
• cinnamon
• lemon zest
• salt

Method:

Prepare the pastry dough working quickly all the ingredients and put it wrapped in plastic wrap in refrigerator for 30'. Prepare a syrup with 700g of water and 400gr of sugar, dip in the pumpkin reduced in small pieces. Left simmer until it becomes soft. Peel the apples and cut into wedges and flavour in a pan with a tbs of butter and and the remaining sugar. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and line a mold with the diameter of 26cm. and 5 com high. Spread on the bottom ornage marmelade and put in concentric circles a layer of aplle slices and a layer of pumpkin till all ingredients are finished. Sprinkle with icing sugar and bake at 180° for about 1 hour. When out of oven let cool, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. 

Serve: 10 slices