Annas Apple Ginger Pecan Tart Recipes

APPLE CAKE "TATIN"

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the apples in the dish, cut side down.
• Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the apple slices.
• Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.
• Pour the cake batter evenly over the apple slices and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If an apple slice sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

APPLE-PECAN TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Pulse to blend. Dice 8 tablespoons butter, place in food processor and give it about 20 quick pulses, until butter is in tiny lumps. Beat egg yolk with 4 tablespoons ice water. Open cover of machine and sprinkle in egg mixture. Pulse briefly. Ingredients should start to clump together to form a dough; do not allow a ball of dough to form. If dough is too dry to hold together, add another teaspoon or two of water and pulse again.
• Transfer dough mixture to lightly floured work surface and gather together to form into a flat, smooth disk. Roll to a circle about 13 inches in diameter and fit into a 10-inch fluted tart pan. Line with foil, weight with pastry weights and bake 10 minutes, until dry-looking. Remove foil and weights, prick bottom of pastry in a few places and bake until golden, about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven.
• While pastry is baking melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add apples and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Stir in brown sugar, then add pecans. Sauté another minute. Remove from heat and spread in baked pastry. Beat eggs, stir in syrup and vanilla and pour over apples and pecans.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until set and browned on top, about 25 minutes more.

ANNA'S APPLE GINGER PECAN TART

Steps:

• For crust, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
• Add flour and stir until dough comes together.
• Shape into a disk, wrap and chill for 2 hours, until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick and line an 8-inch, removable-bottom fluted tart pan.
• Freeze while preparing filling.
• For filling, whisk butter and the SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend.
• Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition.
• Stir in ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
• Place chilled tart shell on a baking tray and arrange apples and pecans in shell.
• Gently pour filling over apples and pecans.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until edges of pastry are browned and filling no longer jiggles when pan is moved.
• Let tart cool for an hour before slicing.
• Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

PEACH-GINGER TART

Steps:

• Butter an 8-inch-square pan and line with parchment paper. Press half of a 16-to-18-ounce package refrigerated sugar cookie dough into the bottom of the pan and bake at 375 degrees F, 8 minutes. Toss 1 1/2 cups sliced peaches with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and a pinch of salt; arrange on the crust. Increase the oven to 425 degrees F and bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

BARBARA TROPP'S PECAN-GINGER TORTE

Steps:

• Lightly grease two 8-to-9-inch springform pans or two 9-to-10-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Line the bottoms with greased paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Toast the four ounces of pecans for 15 minutes in the oven, rotating the tray once midway. Let cool.
• Mince the pecans with a sharp knife or with an on-off food processor motion, until fine but dry.
• Beat the egg yolks until light. Add the sugar gradually, until the yolks turn very creamy and form ribbons on the beater.
• Add the lemon juice, ginger juice and pepper. Beat to mix.
• Add the minced pecans and matzoh meal. Beat until blended.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they are blended. Add salt and continue whipping until the egg white forms firm peaks but are not dry.
• Lightly fold the egg whites into the nut mixture, until well blended.
• Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans.
• Sprinkle the crystallized ginger, glaceed apricots or kumquats evenly over the top. Space eight pecan halves around the edges of each tart, putting a ninth in the center.
• Bake in the middle or the bottom third of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester in the center of the cake comes out dry.
• Let cool completely in pan. The cake tastes best baked a day in advance. Wrap air-tight overnight. Serve with a selection of seasonal berries. Or, if having a vegetarian seder, serve with Chantilly cream or Barbara Tropp's fresh ginger ice cream, the recipe for which is in ''The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking.''

APPLE GINGER PECAN TART

Steps:

• CRUST: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and stir until dough comes together. Shape into a disk, wrap and chill for 2 hours, until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375°F On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and line an 8-inch, removeable bottom fluted tart pan. Freeze while preparing filling.
• FILLING: Whisk butter and Splenda. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Place chilled tart shell on a baking tray and arrange apples and pecans in shell. Gently pour filling over apples and pecans. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until edges of pastry are browned and filling no longer jiggles when pan is moved. Let tart cool for an hour before slicing.
• Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

APPLE & GINGER PIE WITH WALNUT PASTRY

Steps:

• For the pastry, put the flour and butter in a bowl, and use your fingertips to rub together until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, ground walnuts, lemon zest and a pinch of salt, and mix together. Add the egg yolk, then work into the pastry to combine, until you have a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr.
• For the filling, soften the apples, sugar and ginger in a pan for about 5 mins, then stir in the flour but don't cook all the way through as it will continue to cook in the oven. Add the Calvados and sultanas, then leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Fill a large (23cm) pie dish that's about 5cm deep with the apple mixture and brush a little beaten egg around the edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit the top of the pie. Put the lid on top and trim any excess; trimmings can be used to decorate the top. Use your fingers to pinch and crimp the pastry all the way around the edge and use the egg to glaze the top. Cut 3 little slits to let the steam out. Bake for 40-45 mins until pastry is crisp and golden.

SPICED PECAN PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out pastry dough into a 17-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into a 10-inch glass pie plate (1 1/2 quarts), and crimp edge decoratively. Chill shell, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In an electric coffee/spice grinder finely grind anise seeds. In a dry heavy saucepan cook 1/2 cup sugar over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork (to help sugar melt evenly), until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel, without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Add corn syrup and simmer, stirring occasionally, until caramel is dissolved (caramel will harden before dissolving).
• In a bowl whisk together remaining 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, spices, and salt. Remove pan from heat and cool caramel mixture until it stops bubbling. In a slow stream carefully whisk caramel mixture into egg mixture. Spread pecans in shell and pour in filling, tapping down pecans to coat thoroughly.
• Bake pie in middle of oven until crust is pale golden, 40 to 45 minutes (filling will not be set), and transfer to a rack to cool completely (filling will continue to set as pie cools).
• Serve pie with ice cream.