Date Butter Tart With Vanilla Ice Cream Recipes

DATE BUTTER TART

Steps:

• Make the pâte sucrée: Whisk the cream and egg yolk together in a small bowl. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter on medium speed until you have a coarse meal. (Or use a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse meal.) Gradually add the cream and yolk and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the dough. Transfer to a large work surface and bring it together with your hands to incorporate completely. Shape it into a 1-inch disc and put in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up a little. Place it on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough and roll it out into a ¼-inch-thick circle, flouring as necessary. Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the dough over a 10-inch tart pan. Gently fit the dough loosely into the pan, lifting the edges and pressing the dough into the corners with your fingers. To remove the excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tart pan for a nice, clean edge. Chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and line the tart shell with a few coffee filters opened out, or with a piece of parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with beans or pie weights and bake 15 minutes, until set. Take the tart out of the oven and gently lift out the paper and beans. Return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is an even golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool completely.
• Make a vertical slit in each date and carefully remove the pit. Use your fingers to press the dates back into their natural shape. Place the dates, slit side down, in concentric circles in the tart shell, leaving ½ inch between each date.
• Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter. To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla-coated knife through the butter. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the vanilla-streaked butter and the vanilla pod to the pan and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Discard the vanilla pod.
• Whisk the eggs and 2/3 cup sugar together in a bowl. Whisk in the flour and salt and stir in the warm butter to incorporate.
• Pour the batter over the dates in the tart shell. Sprinkle the top with the remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake 30 minutes, until the filling puffs up, browns and is set. Cool the tart at least 20 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

GRANDMA BEATRICE'S PRIZE BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Combine brown sugar, raisins, butter, water, maple syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until butter is melted and mixture is warm but not boiling, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool a bit.
• Meanwhile, use a 4-inch round cutter to cut 12 circles of dough. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with the dough circles.
• Whisk egg and cream together in a small bowl, then whisk it into the cooled raisin mixture until well combined. Spoon it into the pastry shells, filling each one about 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue to bake, watching carefully, until the pastry edges are delicately browned, about 6 more minutes. Try to catch them before the filling bubbles up and spills over the edges.
• Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before serving.

VANILLA CREAM FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in flour (mixture will be crumbly). Pat onto a greased 12-in. pizza pan. Bake until lightly browned, 25-28 minutes. Cool., Beat melted chips and cream until smooth. Beat in cream cheese until smooth. Spread over crust. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine pineapple juice, granulated sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool., Arrange berries over cream cheese layer; brush with pineapple mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

WARM APPLE TART WITH DATE ICE CREAM AND RED WINE-CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the ice cream: Prepare an ice water bath. Place the dates, vanilla bean pulp, heavy cream, half-and-half, and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl and slowly pour in the hot cream mixture. Puree the cream mixture until smooth, return to the saucepan, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and cool in the ice water bath. Freeze in an ice cream machine and keep frozen until ready to use.
• To prepare the dough: Using an electric mixer or by hand, combine the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until pebble-sized balls form. Add the egg yolk and water all at one time and mix until the dough just comes together. Remove the dough from the mixer, pat into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• To prepare the caramel: Place the sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the butter and vanilla pulp and cook for 2 minutes. Add the apple wedges and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the apples are half cooked. Remove the apples from the caramel and reserve both separately.
• To prepare the tart: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and carefully press into an 8- or 9-inch tart ring, trimming any excess. Place the tart ring on a parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans in the bottom of the shell. Pinwheel the apple slices in the tart and brush with some of the caramel sauce. Bake the tart for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• To prepare the red wine-caramel sauce: Place the red wine in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add the remaining caramel sauce to the red wine reduction and whisk until smooth. Fold in the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans and keep warm.
• Cut the tart into 8 pieces and place a piece in the center of each plate. Spoon the red wine-caramel sauce around the tart and top the tart with a scoop of the date ice cream.

TO-DIE-FOR BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Heat currants, maple extract, and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan over low heat until currants are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spray 24 muffin cups or individual tart pans with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Cut in shortening and cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until flour mixture is moistened. Do not add more water than you need: when you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls.
• Roll out one half of dough on a lightly-floured surface. Cut tart shells out of dough with a 3 1/2-inch circular cutter, and press into prepared tins. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover tins; set aside.
• Heat brown sugar, 2/3 cup butter, cream, and vanilla over low heat until smooth, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Whisk a few spoonfuls of the warm butter mixture into beaten eggs, then whisk egg mixture into the butter mixture.
• Divide the currants, along with their liquid, into the bottom of the prepared tart shells. Fill each shell about 3/4-full with butter mixture. Place a pecan half on top of each tart.
• Bake tarts in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. With oven door closed, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C); continue baking until filling is bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; allow to cool for a few minutes before loosening tarts from pan with a knife. Remove tarts to cool completely on a wire rack.

BUTTER TARTS (WITH CURRANTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Double pie crust recipe can be used for tart shells.
• Cut pie crust into circles (use a glass or biscuit cutter). Press into buttered muffin tin.
• Cream butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in currants and egg yolk. Add beaten egg white and mix well.
• Use 1 1/2 scant teaspoons of filling for each tart to avoid overflow. Bake until filling is foamy and crust is brown, aprox. 12-15 minutes.
• Makes 2 dozen.

DATE BUTTER TART WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Line a tart pan with the pâte sucrée, according to page 196. Prick the bottom with a fork, and line it with a few coffee filters opened out, or a piece of parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with beans or pie weights, and bake 15 minutes, until set. Take the tart out of the oven, and gently lift out the paper and beans. Return the tart to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is an even golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool completely.
• Make a vertical slit in each date, and carefully remove the pit. Use your fingers to press the dates back into their natural shape. Place the dates, slit side down, in concentric circles in the tart shell, leaving 1/2 inch between each.
• Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter. To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla-coated knife through the butter. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the vanilla-streaked butter and the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Discard the vanilla pod.
• Whisk the eggs and 2/3 cup sugar together in a bowl. Whisk in the flour and salt, and stir in the warm butter to incorporate.
• Pour the batter over the dates in the tart shell. Sprinkle the top with the remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake 30 minutes, until the filling puffs up, browns, and is set.
• Cool the tart at least 20 minutes, then cut the tart into wedges and serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
• Note
• This tart is equally delicious served warm or cold.