Bon Appetit Desserts (79 page)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust sides are light brown, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until crust is cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes longer. Cool crust completely in pan on rack.

MOUSSE
: Combine white chocolate and ¼ cup whipping cream in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool chocolate mixture until lukewarm, about 15 minutes.

Beat remaining 1 cup chilled whipping cream and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with cream of tartar in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in whipped cream. Transfer mixture to cooled crust; smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Combine jam and lemon juice in small saucepan; bring to simmer, stirring over medium heat until jam melts. Remove from heat. Arrange sliced strawberries in concentric circles atop tart. Brush berries with melted jam mixture. Chill tart up to 2 hours. Remove pan sides from tart. Transfer tart to platter.

Cherry Lattice Tart

This thin, cookie-like tart with a lattice crust is inspired by a feast-day dessert from the Mediterranean island of Malta. The recipe calls for cherry preserves and dried cherries in the filling, but apricot preserves and dried apricots would be great, too.
8 to 10 servings

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large egg

1 cup cherry preserves

½ cup chopped dried Bing cherries or other dried sweet cherries (about 2½ ounces)

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¼ cup unsalted natural pistachios, chopped

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons sugar

CRUST
: Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.

FILLING
: Mix preserves, chopped cherries, lemon peel, and almond extract in medium bowl.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan; trim overhang even with top of pan sides. Spread filling in crust; sprinkle with pistachios. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round; cut into ¾-inch-wide strips. Arrange several strips, spaced ¾ inch apart, over filling. Top with more strips at slight angle, forming lattice. Press strip ends to edge of pan, trimming overhang.

GLAZE
: Beat egg and milk to blend in small bowl for glaze. Brush some of glaze over lattice crust; sprinkle with sugar.

Bake tart until crust is golden brown and cherry filling is bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

Cherry Linzertorte

Although the fillings may vary, the Linzertorte always has a tender nut crust (usually made with hazelnuts or almonds). This recipe makes enough dough for the torte and for a few extra cookies. To make cookies, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out decorative shapes and bake at 350°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet until golden, about 10 minutes.
8 to 10 servings

1¼ cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, cooled

2⅓ cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided

¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1½ cups cherry preserves (preferably imported; about 18 ounces)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Combine nuts and ½ cup flour in processor; finely chop nuts. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add remaining 2 cups flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg to bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter. Using electric mixer at low speed, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms (this will take several minutes). Add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat until moist clumps form.

Gather dough into ball; press 1½ cups (packed) dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Spread preserves on dough. Roll remaining dough out on sheet of parchment paper to 13×10-inch rectangle. Freeze rectangle 5 minutes to firm. Cut twelve ½-inch-wide lengthwise strips from rectangle. Arrange 6 strips across torte, spacing evenly. Arrange 6 more strips across torte in opposite direction, forming lattice. Seal ends of strips to dough edge; trim excess. Reserve all dough scraps to make cookies, if desired.

Bake torte until crust is golden brown and preserves are bubbling thickly, about 40 minutes. Cool torte completely on rack.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil; store at room temperature.

Push bottom of pan up to free torte from pan. Sift powdered sugar over edge of torte, if desired, and serve.

Sour Cream Tart with Santa Rosa Plum Compote

This tart combines a nutty short crust with a vanilla bean-infused, sour cream-lightened pastry cream. It then gets topped with a lovely plum compote. Alternatively, you could top the tart with fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries.
8 servings

¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour

¾ cup assorted nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts), toasted, cooled

¼ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons water

¼ teaspoon unflavored gelatin

3 large egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

1½ tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup whole milk

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

½ cup sour cream

Santa Rosa Plum Compote (see recipe)

CRUST
: Butter bottom of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Finely grind flour, nuts, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolk; blend until moist clumps form. Press dough over bottom and up sides of pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.

FILLING
: Place 2 teaspoons water in very small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Pour milk into medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring milk to simmer. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture; return to saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until custard thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape in gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes.

Transfer custard to medium metal bowl. Discard vanilla bean. Set bowl over another bowl filled with ice and water; stir until custard is cool but not set, about 15 minutes. Fold in sour cream. Spread filling evenly in crust. Chill tart until filling sets, at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Cut tart into wedges. Spoon Santa Rosa Plum Compote over and serve.

Santa Rosa Plum Compote

Santa Rosa plums are large fruits with purplish crimson skin and red-blushed yellow flesh. When stewed into a compote, they become intensely colored and flavored. The pits are left in while cooking, which also adds to the flavor. The compote is great when paired with the tart, but it’s also delicious served over vanilla ice cream.
8 servings

2 pounds red plums (preferably Santa Rosa), quartered

1⅓ cups (about) sugar, divided

2 cinnamon sticks

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Combine plums, 1 cup sugar, and cinnamon sticks in large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over low heat until plums are very tender and compote thickens, stirring often and adding ⅓ cup sugar if desired, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool completely. Transfer compote to bowl, discarding plum pits, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Cheesecake Tart with Tropical Fruits