Crawfish Tart

Craving seem to be marvelous things for me lately.  One night, not too long ago, I was dying for some crawfish.  Luckily, I had some in the freezer (care of my brother-in-law's dad who rocks).  Until recently, the only way crawfish was prepared at my house was in etouffee, and always with the same recipe.  I was being so unfair to crawfish!  Luckily, this day that I was craving it, I did not want our etouffee, no sirree!  I still had some puff pastry left in the fridge from our housewarming party and quickly hit on the idea of a crawfish/puff pastry tart.  I still had some mushrooms left over as well and what goes better with crawfish and mushrooms than onions?  So into the pot (well, saute pan) they all went.  But I was worried my little creation might be dry so I simply melted some butter in with it all then whisked flour into the liquids.  After explaining what I had done to hubby as we ate, he quickly pointed out that I basically made etouffee.  He's right and I'm okay with it for two reasons.  First, I just sort of made the etouffee without planning it and not at all going by the usual recipe.  Second, I put it on puff pastry, not rice.

Hubby and I both thought this was absolutely divine; he thought it would make a wonderful appetizer or party food.  We both agreed though that the long rectangular shape would have to change; the pastry is not stable enough to support the toppings so it was a bit floppy.  Doing smaller, bite-size rectangles (or other shapes) would solve this problem quite easily. 

Crawfish Tart

• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb crawfish tails, thawed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 package mushrooms (you know, the little blue cartons)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• salt and pepper  to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  On a well-floured surface, roll puff pastry to an approximate 8 by 16 inch rectangle.  Using a sharp knife/pastry cutter/pizza cutter, score a border 1 inch in from the edges of the pastry (making a "crust") taking care not to cut all the way through the dough.  Using a fork, poke many holes in the inner rectangle (to prevent it from rising as much as the outer crust).  Brush with beaten egg. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden and beginning to puff up.  The middle might puff a bit as well, and if it looks too inflated, just give it a few more stabs with Mr. Fork.  I advise keeping an eye on the pastry as it bakes.

While the pastry is baking (and you're keeping an eye on it) heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onions, mushrooms, and garlic until they are tender.  Stir in the crawfish and let cook over medium heat for five minutes.  There will be a fair amount of liquid and this is okay.

Push the crawfish, onions, and mushrooms to the edges of the skillet, leaving the juices room to accumulate in the center.  Add the butter and let it melt.  Whisking constantly, slowly add the flour into the liquids, taking care to leave the crawfish and veggies on the sides undisturbed.  Add flour until you have a fairly thick sauce.  Now stir together everything you've taken such care to keep separate.  

Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the crawfish mixture into the inner rectangle of the puff pastry, taking care to create an even layer.  Try to get as close to the "crust" as possible.  

Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the puff pastry has risen and is golden. 

Lemon Meringue Tarts

As a kid, I really disliked lemon. Loved oranges, hated lemons. They were just too tart, especially for my tongue. (I have a "special" tongue that is uber-sensitive to acidic foods.) At the age of 18, I suddenly developed a liking for lemonade, then slowly I began to enjoy a few lemony things. But lemon still isn't really my thing, which is unfortunate for hubby who loves lemon. I avoid baking things that only one of us likes, so no lemon treats for him, not even his favorite lemon meringue pie! .. Until now, because we live with Mama Sarah's Papa, who LOVES lemon meringue pie. With two boys who love it and a recipe that looked fun, I decided to go for it.


Having completed this recipe, I feel like a total badass. It's a two day project that involves three things I consider tricky: a pastry crust, a cream, and meringue. And let's not forget the most BA part; I had to buy a blowtorch (and by "had" I mean that I really wanted to). The tarts came out really well; my dad, husband, and brother-in-law all really enjoyed them, but wished they were bigger. This is definitely a classic dessert that will impress any lemon-lover. Though beware; it is tart and not for the (lemon)weak-hearted!

Lemon Meringue Tarts
(adapted from recipes by Pierre Herme and Dorie Greenspan)
(makes 1 large tart or 4 mini tarts)

Lemon Cream

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
• zest of 3 lemons, finely grated (use the finest zester you can)
• 4 large eggs
• 130 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 4-5 lemons)
• 13 tbsps unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into big chunks

Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 9 tbsp very cold/frozen unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten

Meringue

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp caster sugar*
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tbsps sugar

* caster sugar is more finely ground than granulated sugar, but IS NOT confectioner's sugar. You can buy it as the store, possibly marketed as "superfine" or you can just pour some granulated sugar into your blender/food processor and pulse for a few minutes. Be careful: let the sugar sit for a minute so the sugar dust settles. (This sugar is great to have around; it dissolves very well and quickly into cool liquids.)

Day One

We begin with the lemon cream as it needs to chill overnight. Fill the sink with 3-4 cm of cold water. Next, you'll need to find a big heatproof bowl (preferably the bowl of your stand mixer if you have one) and a large pot that it can sit atop; we'll be making a double boiler of sorts. Pour water in the pot, but not enough to touch the bottom of the bowl when it is on top; set the water to a simmer. In your large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon, rubbing it between your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. The sugar will resemble damp sand. Whisk in the eggs then the lemon juice.

Place the bowl over the pot with simmer water, and start stirring with a wooden spoon. Stirring CONSTANTLY, cook the lemon cream until it reaches 85C (185F). It will take awhile. You'll start with a liquid that looks like :


For a good portion of the time, the liquid will remain thin. Only in the last few 10 degrees or so will the cream begin to thicken and become opaque. at 85C, your cream should be thick and look like this :


As soon as your cream reaches 85C, remove it from the heat and place it in the cool water bath. Let it cool to 60C (140F). Then, gradually inccorpated the butter chunks, whisking after each addition (and this is where the stand mixer is nice).

Once the butter is fully incorporated, switch to a hand-held mixer if you weren't using one to begin with. Blend the butter for 8 minutes, which will ensure a "too-smooth-to-be-true lemon cream." Pour the cream into a containerm, and press a piece of saran wrap against the surface of the cream. Make sure you've got an airtight seal. Refrigerate overnight. The cream can last in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Day Two

Time to begin the pastry. The original recipe assumes you're using a food processor. Since I don't have one, I couldn't. If you'd like the original food processor instructions (lucky dog), you can go to the original recipe.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Scatter the small pieces of butter over the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is coarsely cut in. You'll have pieces of butter the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Like this :


Next, gradually add the egg, stirring well after each addition (I continued using the pastry cutter here and it worked fine). After the whole egg is added, continuing to cut/stir the dough until it begins to clump up. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly and sparingly knead the dough to incorporate any dry ingredients that were not mixed in. Form the dough into a ball or disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours (I chilled mine longer and it was fine).

When your dough is chilled and you're ready to proceed, butter your pan(s) well. If you're making mini tarts, divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, making sure to lift and turn the dough occasionally to prevent it from sticking. You want the dough in a roughly round shape and a few inches bigger than your pan. (If you're making 1 tart, roll the dough out to 12 inches. If you're making 4 tarts, roll each piece of dough out to about 5 1/2 inches.)

Centering the dough over the pan, place the dough in the pan. Seal together any cracks that appear. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch and fold the overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crusst all over with a fork.

Freeze the crust(s) for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oveen to 375F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of foil and fit tightly against the crust (buttered side touching the crust, of course). Place the tart pan(s) on a baking sheet and place on the center oven rack. Bake 20-25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the crust is firm and golden brown. It is important that the crust browns; this adds scrumptious flavor. Transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature.

Once the crusts are cool, remove the lemon cream from the fridge and whisk it to loosen it up. It might seem to get a little lumpy, but it's okay. Pipe or spoon the meringue into the crust(s), nearly to the top. Tap the pans to smooth out the cream. Refrigerate for at least an hour before starting the meringue.

Has an hour passed? Yes? Ok. Let's start the meringue. The delicious, airy, sinful meringue. But only make it if you're just about ready to serve your tarts. Otherwise, the meringue will weep (and separate). Also, the two aspects of this part (egg whites and sugar syrup) go quickly, so call in a buddy if you can. It works best to do the two parts simultaneously.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt at slow speed until it is fully frothy. Not just a little layer of froth at the top; it needs to be foam all the way through. Gradually add the caster sugar, increasing speed as you go. Beat to soft peaks and turn mixer to low while making simple syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to 115C (239F). Return the mixer to medium speed and slowly pour in the boiling syrup. Increase the speed to high and beat until th ebowl is no longer hot (it will be warm).

Pipe the meringe onto the lemon cream and caramelise using a blow torch.


So pretty! So fun! Now, this was my first time piping meringue so I had t play around a bit. I don't think any of my tips were quite right, but that's okay. Next time, I might just spoon some meringue on top and swirl it with a spoon.

I wanted to take a pretty cut-in-half tart so you could see the gorgeously smooth cream with the beautiful crust and meringue, but I was too busy eating it to cut it. So I apologize for the teethy marks. It couldn't be helped.

Tomato Chevre Tarts

Thinking of these tarts, I just made a Homer Simpson drooling sound in my head. These went over very well (though hubby removed the tomatoes and left them on the plate!) which makes me happy because I just sort of threw them together. I've never really worked with goat cheese and thought they'd go well with tomatoes, which I wanted to use. I wanted to make a tart, single-serving size. So, voila! Tomato chevre tarts.


Tomato Chevre Tarts

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 15-20 cherry tomatoes
• 5 oz chevre, crumbled

(rough approximations)

Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Let the pastry sheet warm to room temp. Roll out to approximately 9 by 9 inches. Using a pizza cutter, cut the sheet into 16 squares (about 2 x 2 inches).

Using a knife, score about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in from the edge, creating a square within a square. Make sure to not cut all the way through the pastry. Next, use a fork to poke a bunch of holes in the interior square. This will prevent the interior from puffing up as much as the edges.

Place squares on prepared baking sheet and bake 10ish minutes, until it has slightly puffed and is lightly golden.

Once the pastry is a bit puffed and golden, place a piece or two of chevre in the center of each square.

Next, cut a cross into the bottom of each tomato, then place a tomato on top of the chevre on each tart. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.

Bake another 15-20ish minutes until pastry is puffed and richly golden.