Pecan Tart With Mexican Hot Chocolate And Creme Fraiche Ice Cream Recipes

TRIPLE CREME TART

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar until soft, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, hazelnuts, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between additions. Mix until the dough is well combined. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Chill for at least 1 hour, until firm.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round and fit into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim excess dough. Use a fork to prick the crust all over to prevent air bubbles from forming. Bake the tart crust until it's pale golden all over, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool. (Tart shell can be made 8 hours ahead.)
• Triple Creme Filling: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine 3/4 cup of the milk and 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the remaining 1/4-cup milk, egg yolks, cornstarch and another 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add a little bit of it to the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from cooking. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking the milk constantly as you pour.
• Return the custard to the stove and cook it over medium heat, whisking constantly until the consistency of pudding (pastry cream). Add the cheese and freshly grated nutmeg, and whisk until smooth. Strain the custard through a sieve into a clean bowl. In a small heavy saucepan, stir and combine the remaining cup of sugar, light corn syrup and water. Cook over medium heat until it reaches (soft ball) 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip whites until they are opaque and hold very soft peaks. When the sugar syrup is ready, drizzle it into the whites in a slow and steady stream on low speed. Once fully incorporated, increase the speed and whip until stiff, but still warm.
• Whisk 1/3 of meringue into pastry cream to lighten. Fold in remaining 2/3 in 2 separate additions. Mound into prepared tart shell. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until tart is golden brown and springy to the touch.

CHOCOLATE PECAN TART

Steps:

• To make the crust:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to combine. Add the butter and continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water by drizzling about 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each drizzle. Stop once the dough begins to come together.
• Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper to press it together. Pat into a disk approximately 6 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to a 13 to 14-inch circle, flouring the dough and board as necessary to keep it from sticking. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it into the tart pan. Gently lift the edges to ease the dough into the corners of the pan, then push the dough down gently to be certain the dough around the sides is 1/4 inch thick. Use a paring knife to cut excess dough from the rim of the pan. If necessary, pat a bit of the dough trimmings into any thin spots. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375degreesF. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the parchment and weights, and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom of the crust and bake for an additional minute, just to melt the chocolate. Remove from the oven and use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate in an even layer. Let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Raise the oven temperature to 400degreesF.
• To make the filling:
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, swirling the pan so the caramel colors evenly. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush with a wet pastry brush. Test the color of the caramel by drizzling a few drops onto a white plate. When the color is medium to dark amber, remove from the heat. Slowly and carefully - it will bubble up - add the cream.
• Return the caramel to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes to thicken slightly, reducing the heat to medium-low if the caramel bubbles too much. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
• Place the tart shell on a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vanilla, egg, and yolk. Slowly whisk into the caramel. Stir in the melted butter, followed by the nuts and nibs, if using. Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell. The filling will come to the top of the shell. (If the crust has shrunk during baking, it may not hold all the filling.)
• Bake the tart for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375degreesF and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the filling is set.
• Let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. While still warm, move the tart in the pan to loosen the edges where the caramel has stuck, but keep it in the pan.
• Let cool completely before removing the tart ring.
• Serve each wedge of tart with a dollop of the cocoa whipped cream.
• Cocoa Whipped Cream:
• Place the cream in a chilled metal bowl or mixer bowl. With a whisk, or the whisk attachment, whip the cream until slightly frothy. Combine the sugar with the cocoa powder. Sprinkle into the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM WITH PINK PEPPERCORNS AND LEMON THYME

Steps:

• Combine milk, sugar, and lemon thyme in a saucepan. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it and allow the milk to steep for at least 30 minutes.
• Return the milk to the stove and once again bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the eggs. Once the milk reaches a simmer, temper the eggs by gradually whisking 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolks. Repeat, until half the milk has been added to the yolks. Whisk in the remaining milk then quickly pour the ice cream base through a fine strainer into a bowl set over ice.
• Chill the ice cream base thoroughly; then add the pink peppercorns. Process the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is thick, but not yet fully frozen, fold in the creme fraiche, then continue to process the ice cream. Spoon the ice cream into containers and freeze until ready to serve.