Christmas Fruit Tart with Meyer Lemon Mousse

 
Will you be hosting a Christmas party this year?  Or, will you be a guest at a friend’s or family member’s house?  Honestly, I enjoy being a guest more than hosting a party at my place.  One reason is that I don’t really have a backyard that is spacious enough to host parties.  The other reason is the tremendous amount effort needed, such as planning, preparation, and cleanup!  As a guest, I’m always happy to bring desserts!  And I’m sure any host would be pleased to see this festive and gorgeous Christmas Fruit Tart with Meyer Lemon Mousse!  But of course, you can still make this pretty fruit tart even if you’re hosting Christmas gatherings at your place.  This tart will make a beautiful centerpiece for sure.
 

 
The crust of this tart is a simple cookie crust. It’s crunchy, buttery, and sturdy enough to hold up the Meyer Lemon Mousse fillings.  The Meyer Lemon Mousse filling is super easy to prepare.  It involves some mascarpone whipped cream and Meyer Lemon Curd.  Click here to check out my homemade Meyer Lemon Curd recipe.  If you want a short cut, it’s okay to use a store bought Lemon Curd as well.  After all, it’s the holiday and it’s alright to give yourself a break if you are in a hurry.  But the good news is that you can make the Meyer Lemon Curd ahead of time and they’ll last quite a long time in the fridge.  
 

 
I used green grapes, pineapple, pomegranate seeds, and persimmon to garnish this tart.  It’s quite self explanatory in terms of how to arrange the fruit to form the Christmas Tree.  You can be creative and use other fruits that you like.  For example, kiwi slices for the tree, yellow peach for the star, and other small fruit as ornaments as well.  These are the fruits that I have on hand so I used them.  The fresh fruit compliment the Meyer Lemon Mousse perfectly.  It’s refreshing yet decadent at the same time.  The mousse filling has a light, fluffy and silky mouth-feel, which contrast wonderfully with the crunch cookie crust.  The pomegranate seeds add a little pop and tartness in this tart.  And its natural color simply brightens up the whole tart.
 

 
It’s such a festive and simple dessert to enjoy!  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and make it for your holiday celebration.  If you do try the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a message below or email me a picture on how it turned out.  I can’t wait to hear from you!  Stayed tuned for more fun and festive holiday treats next week.  
 
Tools and Ingredients Used:
 
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Powdered Sugar (Click here for more information)
Mascarpone Cheese (Click here for more information)
Rectangular Tart Pan (Click here for more information)
Parchment Paper  (Click here for more information)
Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more information)
Pie Weight (Click here for more information)
Pastry Cutter (Click here for more information)
Pastry Bag (Click here for more information)
Wilton Closed Star 2D Pastry Tip (Click here for more information)

 
P.S. Current Giveaway: The Origami Zoo Kit (Open till December 18th, 2016)

 

 
 
 
 

Easy French Tomato Tart 簡易法式蕃茄撻

Ever since my very first trip to France a couple years ago, I’ve fallen in love with the French pastry and their roasted tomatoes!  You can read more here, here, and here! I had them almost every morning for breakfast during my stay in France!  What a great way to start the day, right?  Today, I combined the two scrumptious ideas into one delicious recipe: Easy French Tomato Tart 簡易法式蕃茄撻!




This French Tomato Tart looks elegant and gorgeous!  It’s a wonderful entree for Sunday brunch or as a side dish.  Best of all, it’s quite easy to prepare.  In fact, I made this tart for brunch on a weekday when my hubby was working from home.  We both enjoyed this tart so much! 




This tart is packed with earthy and refreshing herbs, along with tangy and creamy goat cheese on top.  The tomatoes are roasted to perfection!  The sweet and tart tomato flavors truly concentrate when the moisture evaporated during baking at a rather high temperature.  The tangy goat cheese elevated the sweetness from the tomatoes.  They are absolutely the perfect pairing! 



I also brushed the crust with a little Dijon mustard and added a drizzle of honey on top of the tart right before baking.  Boy oh boy, the combination of flavors was complex with only a few basic ingredients.  It’s amazing how the flavors turned into one scrumptious and harmony treat!  However, I have to point out that my kids are not big fans for goat cheese, just yet.  They still need a more mature palate to appreciate this fine cheese.  That’s another reason why I prepared this tart while they were at school!  Nevertheless, this is one beautiful and delicious tart that I will be making over and over again, for the grown ups, at least! 

If you haven’t check out the video tutorial at the beginning of this post, please take a few minutes to watch it.  You’ll agree that this tart is rather easy to prepare.  Take advantage of the tomato season and make this tart!  It’s the perfect way to use up those abundant tomatoes in your garden!


Tools and ingredients used:

9-inch Round tar pan (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Lemon Infused Olive Oil (Click here for more information)
Organic Honey (Click here for more information)
Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set (Click here to see product information)

Mixed Berries and Cream Tart 雜莓奶油撻 – For Memorial Day!

Are you ready for the upcoming long weekend?  Next Monday (May 30th) is Memorial Day.  It is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who pass away while serving in the country's armed forces.  I salute to all those who served our country and keep us safe!  Thank you and your family for all your sacrifices!



On a lighter note, the Memorial weekend is also the unofficial kick off of the summer grilling season!  I’ll share a few of my favorites grilling recipes at the end of this post.  If you’re hosting or attending a BBQ party this weekend, I highly recommend that you prepare this Mixed Berries and Cream Tart 雜莓奶油撻 to share with your friends and family!  What is a party without desserts, right? 



This Mixed Berries and Cream Tart is one of my favorite summer dessert.  The tart shell is a combination of buttery and almond crust.  The slightly nutty flavor adds the charming characteristic to this flaky crust.  I filled the tart with the classic pastry cream and it’s quite simple to prepare.  Be sure to check out the YouTube video at the beginning of this post for the step-by-step tutorial.




The stars of the show are really these gorgeous, sweet and juicy summer berries!  I used a combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.  You can use anything you like.  For a glorious sheen finish, I brush these berries with a simple orange marmalade glaze.  You can find the link to my homemade orange marmalade recipe at the end of this post as well.  This Mixed Berries and Cream Tart is perfect for any summer celebration!  Red, white, and blue for the patriotic colors and packed with the season’s best summer berries.  It truly is a feast for the eyes and for your tummy! I guarantee your friends and family will love this dessert! 





Tools and Ingredients Used:

Corn Starch (Click here for more information)
Ninja Food Processor (Click here for more information)
Rectangular Tart Pan (Click here for more information)
Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Silvered Blanched Almonds (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (click here for more information)

Other Grilling Recipes

Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Vanilla Coffee Rub


Hamburger with Caramelized Onions and Spicy Mayo
Grilled Vegetables Salad
Citrus Marinated Tri Tip Roast with Garlic Herb Dressing
Spinach Pesto Spaghetti with Grilled Shrimp

**Link to Homemade Orange Marmalade recipe:
http://utry.it/2012/05/orange-marmalade-with-meyer-lemon.html

Dark Chocolate Orange Tartlets and Happy New Year

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebration with your friends and family.  As for me, besides feeling a little under the weather on Christmas Eve, I had a wonderful Christmas celebration with my family and loved ones.  Of course, it's not fun being sick.  But the up side was that it reminded me what's most important, my family’s health and the time we spent making new memories together.

I had been busy baking all month long in December for the holidays, special orders, and gift-givings.  With the New Year and Chinese New Year coming up soon, it seems that my “bakathon” (baking marathon) never ends!  It’s all good though, because I really enjoy what I do and I get to shared what I love with friends and family.     



Back to these Dark Chocolate Orange Tartlets, they are simply amazing.  Dark Chocolate and orange is probably one of my favorite flavor combinations.  These tartlets simply brighten up my palates and my days.  And I hope they'll bring some sunshine your way too, no matter where you are.  The orange curd is sweet and slightly tart at the same time; the dark chocolate cookie crust is rich and super chocolate-y, buttery and crumbly, which is heavenly on its own.




Imagine having a layer of crunchy dark chocolate between the chocolate cookie crust and the refreshing orange curd, hm….I don’t think anyone can refuse these tartlets.  Plus, the dark chocolate layer prevents the cookie crust from absorbing the moisture from the orange curd so it stays flaky and crunchy.  The candied orange slice on top truly put a wonderful finishing touch on these tarts; not only they are pretty to look at, they are also delicious on their own.  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.  They are worth celebrating for. 



Last but not least, I wanted to thank you all for your supports, encouragement, suggestions, and comments throughout the years on my blog.  It’s wonderful to know each of you and words simply can’t describe how thankful I am to have you in my life.  So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  I also want to wish you all a blessed, healthy and prosperous 2014!  Please stay tuned for more recipes, reviews, and giveaways in the near future.  Happy New Year!

The Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart—Happy 4th of July

I’d made this The Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart and have taken these pictures a while ago.  Somehow, I didn’t have a chance to share it on my blog yet.  To celebrate the 4th of July, I think we can all use a little pie/tart recipe as beautiful as this one, right?  This fresh fruit tart was an attempt to recreate my favorite fruit tart that I used to purchase from a Japanese bakery.  The ones from the bakery was a 4-inch tart. But for celebration, I think a full 9-inch tart is more beautiful though.  Somehow, the bakery changed their recipe and I didn’t like their new tarts anymore.  So, this fresh fruit tart is how I remembered what the tart used to be like from the bakery. 



What is unique about this tart is that it has a crunchy and flaky butter cookie crust.  Hm….yummy right?  I can’t resist a tart that has a butter cookie crust, can you?  On top of the crust, it’s a thin layer of chocolate.  So, think about chocolate cookies now.  Topping the chocolate layer is another layer of pastry cream, and a thin layer of freshly whipped cream.  Sounds decadent?  You bet it is.  Then, I top the whole tart with different fresh fruit.  I used Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mandarin oranges, and kiwi.  The berries are in season and it’s the best time and best way to celebrate them with this Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart.  I brushed the fruit with a thin layer of glaze made with my homemade orange marmalade that was thinned out with a dash of lemon juice.  Each layer tasted wonderful on it’s own and really compliment each other all together.  This is really closed to the fruit tart that I love from the Japanese bakery, if not better.  



Due to the different layers involved in preparing this tart, there are quite a few steps in the recipe.  However, each step is quite simple to prepare.  I hope you will all enjoy today’s recipe and give it a try.  I wish you all a safe and wonderful 4th of July celebration.   




Note: I got this Pie plate a long time ago.  You can find a similar one here.

Peach And Raspberry Frangipane Tart—With Pictorial

 


Frangipane is a filling made from, or flavored with, almonds. This filling can be used in a variety of ways including cakes, tarts and other assorted pastries.  Today, I made this filling for my tart.  To be more specific, a Peach and Raspberry Frangipane Tart.



As we’re entering the summer, also known as the stone fruit season, I don’t think there’s any kind of stone fruit that I don’t like. Juicy plum, fragrant peaches, firm yet tender nectarines, sweet prunes, and floral apricots etc. They are all so wonderful. I’m a happy girl sniffing away the fruits to select the perfectly ripped ones to enter my basket. Today, my recipe features the sweet and juicy peaches.



This Peach And Raspberry Frangipane Tart might have a few more steps than most of my recipes. But I have a detailed pictorial that will guide you through each step. Keep in mind... although there are more steps involved, they are actually quite simple.  Also, this recipe involved making a tart crust.  I know some of you might feel uneasy about rolling and baking your own crust.  But trust me, it’s totally worth it.  I have a few great tips for you in preparing the perfect crust. So, are you ready to come into the kitchen with me?  Let’s go…

1) Process the crust ingredients in a food processor and refrigerate until ready to use.  Then, roll out the dough between two plastic wraps.  Here’s the neat trick, after placing the dough between the plastic wraps, fold the sides/edges into the size you desired.  I used a 13 3/4" x 4 1/4" x 1" high rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom, so I need my dough to be a 16” X 6” rectangle in order to have the height/sides of the pan covered as well. 

2)  See the “sharp” corner you get from this trick?  Of course, you don’t need a sharp corner dough as it’ll probably get trimmed off later anyway.  But this technique will give you the exact size of dough you want and super easy to roll without any dough sticking onto your rolling pin.

3) Another benefit of using the plastic wrap is easy transfer.  See how neat the dough is?  Simply remove the top plastic wrap, flip the dough over onto the tart pan and peel the other plastic wrap off the surface.  But even if your dough crack a little, no big deal, just use the excess dough to mend it back.  No one will see it and it will taste just as wonderful.

4) Roll the rolling pin over the tart pan to cut off the excess dough.  See how clean it is?  You’ll get perfectly trimmed crust every time….the super easy way too.



5) Prick the dough with a fork.  Place in the freezer until the crust is firm.

6) Cover the edges with foil (to prevent the crust from getting too brown)

7) Place a piece of parchment paper on top, then add the dry beans or pie weight (this prevent the dough on the bottom from puffing up) and bake for 20 minutes.  Then, remove the parchment paper and dry bean and continue to bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.  This would get the bottom of your crust golden brown.  Remember the foil on the sides (in picture 6)? Leave them there as they prevent the edges from getting too dark.  Aren’t you glad that you covered them while the tart pan was cool so you don’t have to do it now?  You are very welcome.

8) This is the almond paste I use for the fillings. 



9) Here’s how to make the filling.  In the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater attachment, beat the almond paste, sugar and salt on medium speed

10) Beat until mixture forms small crumbs.

11) Beat in butter until fluffy

12) Add the egg and beat until ingredients are well incorporated



13) Add the vanilla extract until well combined.

14) Turn mixer to low, add cake flour and beat until mixture just combined.

15) Spread the frangipane onto the cooled tar shell.

16) Top with peaches and raspberries. (do not press them down.  As the filling bake, it will pop up and cover the peaches and raspberries a little more.) Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the tart is golden brown. Transfer to a wiring rack and let the tart cool completely.



See how much the fillings popped up?  I also love how golden brown it is.  Last but not least, gently brush on the orange marmalade glaze to give it some sheen and a hint of citrus flavor to brighten up the tart.



This tart is simply divine.  The crust is buttery and flaky with just a hint of sweetness.  The Frangipane filling is light, smooth, fluffy and tender.  It feels like you’re eating a very moist almond cake.  The peach is tender yet still have a bite to it.  The slightly tart raspberry is the perfect balance.  Isn’t it a gorgeous tart to serve in any occasion?  Serve it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, more fresh raspberries on the side and you’re all set.  I hope you find today’s recipe, pictorial and tips helpful to you.  Happy baking!

Mascarpone Asparagus Tarts (with pictorial)—For Mother’s Day

From my previous posts, we have desserts, a home made gift, and an entrée all covered for Mother’s day.  Now, it’s time to talk about appetizers.  This is probably one of the easiest appetizer that you can prepare that’s tastes and looks so sophisticated that it’s almost a crime, almost! 



I love appetizers, and I think all celebrations and gatherings should include an appetizer, if not 2, or 3.  This one is super easy to put together that you have no reason not to give it a try.  Plus, the flavor is amazing.  The creamy mascarpone is perfectly seasoned and flavored with the herbs.  The chive adds a nice and mild oniony flavor without overpowering the delicate mascarpone.  The thyme adds a nice and refreshing lemony scent to the filling.  The puff pastry is buttery and crispy, which goes really well with the creamy filling.  The flavor of the asparagus are intensified after roasting with a crisp-tender texture, which is perfect in my opinion.



Now, let’s move on to the step-by-step pictorial, shall we? 

1) In a medium bowl, mix the chives, thyme, salt and pepper and mascarpone cheese together.
2)With a pizza cutter, divide dough into 4 equal size squares.
3) With a pairing knife, gently create an 1/2-inch border on all 4 portioned dough.
4) With a fork, gently prick on the puff pastries within the border.



5) Spread the mascarpone mixture over the puff pastry.
6) Top with trimmed asparagus.
7) Whisk an egg yolk and a tablespoon of cream together.
8) Brush the puff pastry edges and bake to golden brown.



See, I told you it is super simple, right?  The flavor is incredible too.  I cut them in half to create 8 servings for appetizer.  If you’re serving these as entrée, which is totally a wonderful option, you can serve them as is and maybe have a side salad or soup to complete the meal.




Last but not least, Happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers, Grandmothers, and Mother-to-Be’s!  Have a blast and enjoy your day with great food and wonderful family. 

Meyer Lemon Meringue Tartlets—For Mother’s Day

Mother’s day is just around the corner.  How are you going to celebrate?  It’s one of the most popular holiday for dining out as we all wanted to give Mothers/Grandmothers a break from the kitchen.  As a mother myself (and the cook in the house), I will probably be cooking at home though, just to beat the crowds.  Good thing is that I don’t mind at all.  In fact, I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, especially baking.  I found it therapeutic (yeah, you can call me a weirdo for this one!)  I guess it’s the measuring and focusing that allow my mind to wonder off to a place that is far far away…to a dream land, perhaps.  In this case, a dream land filled with Meyer lemon goodness and cloud-like meringue softness.



These Meyer Lemon Meringue Tartlets were amazing.  The slightly golden brown crusts were flaky and buttery.  They were the perfect vessels for the creamy, silky, tart and sweet Meyer Lemon Curd in the middle; top off with slightly sweetened meringue that’s perfectly caramelized on the edges, soft and tender on the inside.  It melted in my mouth without a trace when I bit into one.  Doesn’t that sound like a dream on it’s own?  Yeah, I’ve been dreaming to create these tartlets for a while until I finally got a chance to to so.  Wait, am I the only one who dream about making food and creating recipes?  Please tell me I’m not alone! 



I think these Meyer Lemon Meringue Tartlets would be the perfect desserts to end a Mother’s Day meal, or any meal, period.  Guess what?  I haven’t plan the rest of the Mother’s Day menu besides this dessert.  That’s totally how things roll here.  Who doesn’t like to talk about desserts first? 



As you all know, I love recipes that can be made ahead, at least partially, especially for gatherings.  This Meyer Lemon Meringue Tartlets is one of those recipes.  I actually pre-baked the crust and made a batch of the Meyer Lemon Curd (fillings) the day before I plan to serve them.  The meringue on top has to be whipped up on the day of the party though.  Otherwise, it’ll get a little separated.  Good thing is, your guests will have fun trying to use the blow torch to caramelize these babies for you!  Yup, you heard me right, you get to play with fire use the blow torch in this recipe.  But if you don’t have one, don’t worry, you can still caramelized the meringue in the oven.  But that just doesn’t sound as much fun though. 



I’ll be posting other recipes to complete the menu for Mother’s Day.  Stay tuned.  Oh well, if I couldn’t post them all in time, I can always have those recipes for Father’s Day.