Pink Applesauce Meringue Tart With Hazelnut Cookie Crust Recipes

PINK APPLESAUCE MERINGUE TART WITH HAZELNUT COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Make applesauce filling:
• Quarter and core apples (do not peel). In a 5-quart saucepan simmer apples, uncovered, with remaining filling ingredients 2 hours, or until mixture is reduced to about 3 3/4 cups. (Stir mixture frequently during last 30 minutes of cooking to prevent scorching.) Force mixture through a food mill fitted with coarse disk or a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and chill. Applesauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Make cookie crust:
• In a food processor grind hazelnuts fine with sugar, flour, and salt. Add butter and pulse mixture well. Add yolk mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, and pulse mixture until it forms a dough. Press dough onto bottom and up side of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Bake crust in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until browned lightly, and cool in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 3 days ahead and kept, covered, in a cool dry place.
• Spread applesauce onto crust.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Make meringue:
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat egg whites with a pinch salt until they hold soft peaks. Add sugar gradually, beating whites until they hold stiff peaks.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip and pipe some in a lattice pattern over filling. Pipe remaining meringue onto edge of tart to make a decorative border.
• Bake tart in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden, and chill 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
• To toast and skin hazelnuts:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a baking pan toast hazelnuts in one layer in oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until colored lightly, and skins blister. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove as much of skins as possible and cool.

HAZELNUT MERINGUE SURPRISE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter and line the bases and sides of 2 x 20cm springform tins with baking parchment. Grind the hazelnuts and icing sugar in a food processor until fine. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add half the caster sugar and whisk again until stiff, then repeat with the rest of the caster sugar. Fold in the vanilla, vinegar and ground nut mixture until well combined. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25-30 mins until the tops are firm to the touch. Remove and cool in the tins on a wire rack. The meringues are very fragile and may crack a little, but don't worry.
• While the meringues cool, make the chocolate cream. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool slightly, then stir in the cream and leave to set in a cool place.
• Carefully remove the cooled meringues from the tins and put one layer onto a serving plate. Lightly crush half of the berries with a fork. Using a palette knife, spread half the chocolate cream over the meringue and spoon over the berries. Top with the remaining layer, then ice with chocolate cream and decorate with remaining berries. Chill until serving.

MERINGUE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. Add vanilla, and slowly beat in sugar until very stiff and glossy. Spread mixture into a 9 inch pie plate to form a shell.
• Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Turn oven off, and leave meringue in oven for 1 hour. Cool.

HAZELNUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a food processor, pulse hazelnuts until finely ground. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and pinch of salt. Set bowl over (not in) a pot with 2 inches simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and, using an electric mixer, beat mixture on high until thick and glossy, 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold in hazelnuts.
• Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cracked on top, about 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let meringues cool to room temperature.

APPLE MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450*. Fit pie crust firmly into bottom and up side of a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake until light golden, 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350*.
• Combine water, 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan; mix well. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes clear, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Combine egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until frothy. Add remaining sugar gradually to egg whites; beating until soft peaks form and being careful not to let egg whites become dry, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; gradually add cornstarch mixture, one spoonful at a time. Increase speed to high; beat until meringue is smooth and satiny, about 2 minutes.
• Spoon apple pie filling into baked crust. Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe meringue on top of pie filling. Bake until meringue is golden, 12-15 minutes. Cool tart completely on a wire rack. Loosen crust from side of pan; remove side. Cut into wedges to serve.