Macaroon Crusted Orange Tart Recipes

Steps:

• This decorative tart goes well with ice cream and makes a good dinner party dessert. The coconut is naturally oily, which helps to preserve the tart for a few days.
• Make the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, recipe follows, leaving to chill for 30 minutes before using.
• Remove the paper and beans, brush with a little leftover beaten egg and return to the oven for 2 minutes. If there are any little holes or cracks in the pastry, just patch it up with any leftover raw pastry before you return it to the oven. Remove from the oven and set aside in the tin while you make the filling. The pastry can be baked a day in advance and kept covered until you need it.
• For the filling: whisk the eggs, caster sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add the desiccated coconut and the melted butter, and mix well. Pour the filling into the cooked pastry crust, and bake in the oven until it is golden brown and just set in the center, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cook's Note: Sometimes I turn the oven down to 325 degrees F, after about 30 minutes, if it has already turned a good golden brown and I don't want it any darker.
• Remove the tart from the oven, and let stand in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully removing and allowing to cool on a wire rack. Dust the tart with icing sugar to serve.
• Place the flour, sugar, and butter in a food processor and whiz or pulse briefly. Add half the beaten egg and continue to whiz. You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together.
• If making by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring the dough together. With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough, until it is about 3/4-inch thick, and then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag, and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• In a food processor, process the vanilla wafers to crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened.
• Press the crumbs into a 10-inch deep-dish tart pan to line the bottom and sides. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with 2 tablespoons cold water. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepot, combine the milk with another 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
• A ladleful at a time, slowly pour the heated milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking to temper the yolks. When half of the milk has been added, pour the hot egg mixture back into the saucepot, whisking constantly. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbles start appearing on the surface.
• Whisk the bloomed gelatin into the custard. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any lumps or overcooked yolks.
• Pour the strained custard into the tart shell and refrigerate for 1 hour, until set.
• In a small saucepot, bring the orange juice and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a boil. Add the dried orange slices and simmer until syrupy, 10 minutes. Set aside to cool; the orange slices will continue to soften.
• Remove the tart from the refrigerator and decorate with the orange slices in a fan pattern. Drizzle the tart with some of the orange syrup.
• Place the tart back in the refrigerator for another hour, or until the candied oranges are set.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease the base of a 9-inch spring form pie pan.
• Mix all the crust ingredients together in a bowl and evenly press crumb mixture into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Take pan out of oven and, using the back of a spoon, press the crust back into place if need be. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Set a double burner over medium heat and warm the cream
• Stir in the chopped caramel.
• Cook caramel, stirring until melted and uniform. Remove from heat. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
• Once the filling is set, make the ganache by putting chopped chocolate and cream into a microwavable medium bowl. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until the chocolate is melted. Once melted, stir in butter.
• Once melted and uniform, pour the hot ganache over the filling. Refrigerate for an additional hour, or until chocolate is set.
• Slice oranges into thin rounds.
• Make a simple syrup by cooking water together with sugar in a wide pot.
• Once sugar dissolves, poach the oranges in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pot. Poach the oranges until translucent and set them aside to dry on a cake rack.
• Mix the kumquat jam with enough poaching liquid to loosen it so it is easily brush-able. Brush oranges with the glaze and let dry on the rack.
• Once dry, arrange the slices over the set ganache in a pretty pattern.

Steps:

• For Filling:
• Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until figs are very tender, about 35 minutes. Uncover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and filling is thick, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer filling to processor. Using about 5 on/off turns, process just until mixture holds together. Transfer to small bowl; cool filling. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 13 3/4x4-inch rectangular tart pan with removable bottom onto waxed paper. Trace outline of pan bottom on paper; set paper aside. Line pan with heavy-duty foil. Grease foil; dust with matzo cake meal. Combine 2 cups pecans, sugar, ginger and salt in processor; finely grind nuts. Add egg and process until moist clumps form. Using moistened fingertips, press 1 cup dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan (crust will be thin). Bake crust until puffed and dry looking, about 14 minutes. Transfer pan to rack; press bottom of crust lightly to flatten. Cool crust completely. Maintain over temperature.
• Stir 4 ounces chocolate in top double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Spread over bottom of crust. Spoon 1 3/4 cups filling over chocolate (reserve remaining filling for another use).
• Press remaining dough over traced rectangle on waxed paper, filling outline completely. Using paper as aid, turn dough rectangle over onto tart, aligning carefully; peel off paper. Pinch edge of crust and top dough together to seal.
• Bake tart until top is golden and dry looking, about 28 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack. (Can be prepared ahead. Wrap in foil and store 1 day at room temperature or refrigerate up to 5 days.) Push up pan bottom to release tart. Peel off foil from bottom.
• If desired, dip spoon into melted chocolate and drizzle in zigzag pattern over tart; then dip pecan halves halfway into melted chocolate and arrange decoratively around edge. Chill until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Serve tart cold or at room temperature.

Steps:

• For Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with foil, carefully pressing up sides and into grooves. Brush foil with vegetable oil. Finely grind first 4 ingredients in processor. Add egg white and vanilla and blend until mixture almost forms balls. Press onto bottom (not up sides) of prepared pan, using wet finger-tips as aid. Bake until crust looks dry and feels firm, about 14 minutes. Cool.
• For Dark Chocolate Filling:
• Bring first 4 ingredients to simmer in heavy medium saucepan, stirring ocassionally. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• For White Chocolate Filling:
• Bring first 3 ingredients to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add white chocolate and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. Pour 1/2 cup of mixture into small bowl; add butter to mixture in small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside for garnish.
• Drop dark chocolate filling and remaining white chocolate filling alternately by 1/4 cupfuls onto crust. Swirl fillings together using tip of knife. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Freeze reserved 1/2 cup white chocolate filling until firm enough to pipe, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Lift tart from pan using foil sides as aid. Peel down foil sides. Turn tart on side and carefully peel foil off bottom of tart. Place tart on platter. Spoon reserved white chocolate filling into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe white chocolate mixture around edge of tart. Garnish with almonds. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead; refrigerate. Cover when firm and keep refrigerated.) Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Combine flour, butter, cocoa, and confectioners' sugar in a food processor. Blend until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add egg and blend briefly to combine into the dough.
• Roll out crust dough on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin. Place in a 8-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Prick pastry dough liberally with a fork. Chill for 1 hour.
• While crust dough chills, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake crust in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Melt dark chocolate chips in a double boiler, about 5 minutes; remove from heat.
• Beat mascarpone cheese, eggs, and sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Pour in melted chocolate and orange liqueur; stir to combine. Pour filling into the prepared crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Beat 1 egg white, the almond paste, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add Grand Marnier and orange zest, and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
• Turn out dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar, and roll into two 3/4-inch-thick logs, about 18 inches long. Cut each log crosswise into thirty 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
• Lightly beat remaining egg white. Brush onto each dough ball, and roll in sugar, tapping to remove excess. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Let stand for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently pinch each piece of dough with three fingers to form an irregular pyramid shape. Bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely. (Macaroons can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.)