Lavender Crème Caramel Tart Recipes

LAVENDER CRèME-CARAMEL TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cook 1 cup sugar in a dry large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, swirling and shaking pan (to help sugar melt evenly), until sugar is melted and caramel is deep golden. Immediately pour caramel into pie plate, tilting to coat bottom and sides evenly.
• Bring cream, milk, lavender, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a simmer and remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes, then reheat. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding lavender. Whisk whole eggs and yolks together in a bowl and slowly whisk in hot cream mixture. Pour custard over caramel.
• Bake custard in a water bath in middle of oven until set but still trembling slightly (custard will continue to set as it cools), 40 to 45 minutes. Remove pie plate from water and cool cr me caramel on a rack. Chill, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours.
• Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water over mixture and toss with a fork until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture, it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add remaining ‚ tablespoon water.
• (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.) Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. Smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and form it into a disk.
• Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10 1/2-inch round and slide onto a baking sheet. Trim dough to a 9‚-inch round (use 9 1/2-inch plate turned upside down as a guide). Prick round all over with a fork and chill 30 minutes. Bake round in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, and cool completely on baking sheet on a rack.
• Run a thin knife around edge of crème caramel and rotate pie plate back and forth to make sure crème caramel is loosened. Slide crust on top of crème caramel, centering it carefully, and invert serving plate on top of crust. Invert tart onto serving plate (caramel will run to edge of plate).

RASPBERRY CRèME FRAîCHE TART WITH LAVENDER HONEY

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Pulse together all crust ingredients in a food processor just until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Put tart pan on a baking sheet and press dough evenly onto bottom and up side of tart pan with your fingertips. Chill shell, covered, on baking sheet until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line shell with a buttered sheet of heavy-duty foil (buttered side down) and fill shell one third of the way up with pie weights.
• Bake (on sheet) until edge is pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove pie weights and foil, then bake until edge and bottom are golden, about 20 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack.
• Make filling:
• Beat cream cheese in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until smooth, then add crème frache and 1 1/2 tablespoons honey and beat until combined well. Spread filling evenly in shell, then top with raspberries. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons honey in a very small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until liquefied, then drizzle over raspberries. Serve with additional melted honey on the side.

STRAWBERRY CREME CARAMEL TART

Steps:

• Make creme caramel: Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
• Spread strawberries on a baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes to dry slightly.
• Transfer baking sheet to a rack to cool strawberries.
• Increase temperature to 350 degrees F.
• In a dry heavy saucepan cook granulated 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.
• Immediately pour caramel into a 9-inch glass pie plate, tilting plate to coat bottom and sides evenly.
• Put pie plate in a baking pan.
• In a saucepan heat cream just to a boil and remove pan from heat.
• In a bowl whisk together egg, yolks, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until combined well and in a stream add warm cream, whisking.
• Skim off any froth and carefully pour custard into pie plate.
• Arrange strawberries decoratively on their sides in custard (custard should completely cover strawberries) and add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up side of plate. Bake creme caramel in middle of oven about 40 minutes, or until custard is just set but still trembles slightly (custard will continue to set as it cools).
• Remove plate from pan and cool custard completely on a rack.
• Chill creme caramel, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make crust: In a large bowl with fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add 1 tablespoon ice water and toss mixture with a fork until incorporated.
• Add some or all of remaining ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork to incorporate until mixture just begins to form a dough.
• On a work surface with heel of hand smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions to help distribute butter.
• Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 10-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and transfer to a baking sheet.
• Using a 9-inch plate as a guide, trim dough to a 9-inch round.
• Prick round all over with a fork and chill 30 minutes.
• Bake round in middle of oven until golden, about 30 minutes, and cool completely on baking sheet on a rack.
• Just before serving, assemble tart.
• Have ready a flat serving plate at least 10 inches in diameter with a slight lip.
• Run a thin knife around edge of creme caramel and rotate pie plate back and forth to make sure creme caramel is loosened.
• Slide crust on top of creme caramel and invert serving plate on top of crust.
• Invert tart onto serving plate (caramel will run to edges of plate) and garnish with strawberries.