Toasted Nut Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Crust:
• Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse to work in just until mixture is the texture of coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
• Beat egg yolks with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl just to combine. With the motor running, gradually pour into food processor. Process until dough starts to come together in large pieces.
• Using lightly floured fingers, press dough about 1" up sides and then evenly into bottom of springform pan, making sides slightly thicker than bottom. Use a floured flat, straight-sided measuring cup or glass to compact and smooth dough; freeze until solid, 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick bottom of dough in a few places with a fork and bake until golden all over, 20-25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack. (Leave oven on if you're not making the crust ahead and are making the filling next).
• Do Ahead
• Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Let cool; store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• Filling and assembly:
• Bring honey and 1 tablespoon water to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat, swirling pan often, until mixture is darkened in color and nutty smelling, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar, heavy cream, butter, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla and carefully stir until mixture is smooth. Increase heat to medium; bring to a boil. Cook, swirling pan, until caramel is slightly darkened in color and thick enough to coat a spoon, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, add nuts and seeds to caramel, and stir to coat.
• Scrape filling into warm or roomtemperature crust, pushing to the edges to evenly fill. Bake until filling is deep golden brown and caramel is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Let cool.
• Do Ahead
• Tart can be made 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. Set the sliced tomatoes on top in a single layer. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Use it to season the tomatoes evenly on both sides, cover with another paper towel and let sit, 15 minutes, allowing the salt to draw moisture out of the tomatoes.
• As the tomatoes sit, heat the oven to 400 degrees and set a rack in the middle of the oven. Working on a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the puff pastry into a 9-by-11-inch rectangle, trimming any uneven edges. Prick the inside with a fork every few inches, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Using a pastry brush, coat the center of the puff pastry with the crème fraîche, leaving the border unbrushed.
• Working within the border, layer the tomatoes and red onion on top of the tart, allowing them to overlap slightly. Transfer to a sheet pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until puff pastry is browned and puffed, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Sprinkle tomatoes with Aleppo pepper, if using. Dollop with fresh ricotta. Thin pesto with olive oil until it reaches the proper consistency for drizzling; drizzle on top of tart to taste. Top with basil, if using, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• For the tart crust: Add the flour, granulated sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until small pebbles form. With the machine running, add the egg yolk, vanilla and water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Remove to a piece of plastic wrap and press together into a dough ball. Flatten into a disk then refrigerate, at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the honey and pine nut filling: Add the honey, brown sugar and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter and whisk until melted. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and allow to cool for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 13-inch circle and place in an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill 30 more minutes.
• Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork. Place a piece of parchment in the center of the tart and fill all the way to the top with dried beans. Bake until the crust is set but still slightly pale, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove the parchment and beans.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, whisk the heavy cream, egg yolk, lemon zest and juice into the cooled filling. Place the cooled tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet and scatter the pine nuts inside the shell. Evenly pour the filling into the tart crust and bake until the top is golden brown, the filling is set and the very center still has a slight jiggle, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Cool completely before slicing, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Serve dusted with confectioners' sugar.