Leave your links here for these sweet little tarts!
In the Oven: Sunrise Key Lime Tarts
Next up is: Sunrise Key Lime Tarts
Recipe source: Baked Explorations, p. 43
Leave your links on Sunday, April 14th
Yield: Eight 4-inch tarts
For the Pretzel Crust
5 ounces (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 generous cups (about 6 ounces) salted thin pretzel sticks, ground
For the Key Lime Filling
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice (about 12 to 15 Key limes)
Zest of 2 Key limes or 1 regular Persian lime (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons good-quality tequila
1 tablespoon triple sec or orange juice
For the topping
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Zest of 4 Key limes or 2 regular Persian limes (about 2 tablespoons)
8 thin slices of Key lime (optional)
Baked Note: Key limes, smaller and more tart than the traditional, ubiquitous Persian lime, are quite obviously associated with the Florida Keys. They have a thinner rind, more seeds, and are less juicy (i.e., you will need many more Key limes than you would Persians to get the requisite amount of juice in this recipe). Outside of Florida, Key limes can be difficult to track down and expensive. You can substitute Persian limes (their juice and their zest) in this recipe without worry: the amount of juice and zest is a one-to-one substitution, though you will need fewer Persian limes overall to get there.
Make the Pretzel Crust
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray a paper towel with vegetable oil and use it to apply the oil to the sides and bottom of eight 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Place the tart pans on a baking sheet.
In a food processor, pulse the pretzels into a fine crumb (it is okay if you have a few coarse pieces in the mix).
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar and remove from the heat. Add the pretzel crumbs and stir until combined—the mixture should look like wet sand. Place about 3 tablespoons of the crumb mixture in each prepared tart pan. Using your fingers or the bottom of a small metal measuring cup, press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each tart pan.
Bake the tarts on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes (the tops will appear set), then remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Make the Key Lime Filling
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sweetened condensed milk until well blended. Add the lime juice, lime zest, tequila, and triple sec and whisk until combined and slightly thickened. Divide the filling among the prepared tart pans and bake on the baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes, until filling appears set. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate the tarts until the tops are cool to the touch, about 2 hours.
Make the topping
Pour the cream into a chilled metal bowl and beat it with a chilled whisk for about 1 minute. Sprinkle the granulated sugar and zest on top and continue whisking vigorously until soft peaks form.
To serve, gently push up on the tart bottoms to release the tarts from their pans. Top with the whipped topping and one thinly sliced lime pinwheel, if desired
These tarts taste best if eaten within 24 hours but can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Roundup: Lemon Shaker Pie
Take a look at all our lovely lemon pies – and a few other *Baked* treats!
Leave Your Links: Lemon Shaker Pie
How did everyone like this lemony treat?
In the Oven: Lemon Shaker Pie
Posting date is March 17th. And heads up, you’ll want to start on those sugared lemons 48 hours before assembling your pie!
LEMON SHAKER PIE
Recipe source: Baked Elements, page 51
Ingredients:
1 recipe Classic Pie Dough (page 161)
Sugared Lemons (page 52)
4 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon raw sugar
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Roll out the first dough ball into a 12-inch round. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate and carefully work it into place, leaving a slight overhang. Using your floured work surface, roll out the second ball of dough into a 12-inch round, cover with plastic wrap, and reserve on a large plate in the refrigerator.
Remove the sugared lemon slices from the sugar and spread them out over the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Set aside the lemon sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk the 4 eggs slightly. Add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and butter and whisk again until combined. Add the reserved lemon sugar and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture into the pie crust, directly over the lemon slices, and top with the chilled dough round. Trim the dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Crimp the edges together, cut 3 steam vents into the top crust, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Whisk the egg white, brush it over the top crust, and sprinkle with the raw sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown and a paring knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out relatively clean.
Place the pie on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature or cover the pie and refrigerate for about 2 hours and serve chilled (a very popular method with a lot of our taste testers).
The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days. Serve while still slightly cool.
SUGARED LEMONS
Recipe source: Baked Elements, page 52
Normally, we would insist on blanching the lemons for this recipe, as the process of submerging the lemons in boiling water for a minute or two really tempers the bitterness and chewiness of the lemon peel. However, we found that many of our taste testers preferred a pure, bitter, and chewy lemon. We realize that blanching is an extra step, so to that end, we decided to write the recipe without the blanching step. If you decide to blanch (and we think it might be worth the extra step, we really do), then just bring a pot of water to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, drop in the lemon slices, stir for 1 minute, then transfer the slices to a bowl of ice water. Drain immediately and use as directed in the recipe.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 lemons
Place the sugar in a large shallow bowl. Wash the lemons thoroughly, pat dry, and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes (this will make the lemons easier to slice). Zest one of the lemons, place the zest in the bowl with the sugar. Slice the ends off of the zested lemon and remove the pith (the white interior under the skin). Use a mandolin to slice the zested lemon into paper-thin slices. Make sure the lemon slices are sliced as thinly as possible or they will be too chewy (for us at least, though we know some of you prefer a chewier texture). Cut the ends off the second lemon, but do not zest and do not remove the pith. Again, use a mandolin to slice the lemon into paper-thin slices. Place both sets of lemon slices in the bowl of sugar (or blanch and drain the slices before adding to the sugar, if desired). Use your hands to gently toss them in the sugar to cover completely. Cover the entire bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 48 hours, stirring the mixture with your hands about every 12 hours, to macerate.
CLASSIC PIE DOUGH
Recipe source Baked Elements, page 161
Yield: 2 9-inch single crust pies or 1 double-crust pie
3 cups all-purpose flour, chilled
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. In a measuring cup, stir 3/4 cup of water with several ice cubes until it is very cold, discarding any remaining ice.
Toss the butter in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the butter pieces are the size of hazelnuts.
Pulsing in 4-second bursts, slowly drizzle the water into the food processor through the feed tube. As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, stop adding water.
Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half. Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap each disk first in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 1 hour. (The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw the dough in the refrigerator before proceeding with your recipe.)
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Roundup: Lemon Pistachio Cornmeal Muffins
Muffins galore!
Leave Your Links: Lemon Pistachio Cornmeal Muffins
Leave your links here for the muffins!
In the Oven: Lemon Pistachio Cornmeal Muffins
Up next on the Baked schedule… Lemon Pistachio Cornmeal Muffins! Posting date is January 20th. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1/2 cup pistachios, divided
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
In the bowl of of a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they are coarsely chop. Remove 1/4 cup cup of the coarse pistachios and set aside. Continue to process the rest of the pistachios until they are almost powdery but not a superfine dust.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with a little bit of vegetable spray and use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly along the bottom and sides of each cup.
In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter and whisk again until combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, the powdery (not the coarse) pistachios, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour the wet ingredients into the well, and fold the dry into the wet until just mixed.
Fill each muffin cup about three quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with the coarse pistachios and tap the bottom of the pan against the counter to level the batter. Bale for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 – 15 minutes. Pop the muffins out while they’re still warm, and serve immediately.
Leftover muffins will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 36 hours.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.