Tuscan Picnic Tart Recipes

CATELLI'S TENNESSEE TART

Steps:

• Add the mint to a cocktail shaker and muddle, if desired. Add the lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, bourbon, bitters and ice to the shaker. Shake well. Add 1 large ice cube and a lemon slice to a coupe glass. Strain the cocktail over the ice. Garnish with a mint leaf.

TUSCAN PICNIC TART

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, salt, and basil. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pieces are pea size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water over part of the mixture; gently toss with fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat with remaining water, until entire mixture is moistened. Divide in half; form each half into a ball. Cover and set aside. Remove casing from sausage, if present. In a large skillet, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, mushrooms, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain well. Stir in tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir until heated through. Cover and keep warm. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the pastry into a 13-inch circle. Place pastry in a 9-inch springform pan so dough extends about 2 inches up the sides. Sprinkle bottom with half of the mozarella cheese. Spoon meat mixture over cheese. Pat spinach dry with paper towels. Combine spinach, roasted sweet peppers, whole egg, and remaining mozarella cheese. Spread mixture over meat mixture. Roll remaining pastry into a 10-inch circle; cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Twist strips and place on spinach mixture to form a lattice. Fold edge of bottom pastry over lattice ends; crimp to seal. Brush pastry with mixture of egg yolk and water; sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. To transport, cover with foil and place in an insulated container. To serve, remove sides of springform pan; cut tart into wedges. Serve within 3 hours. Makes 10 servings.

FRESH FRUIT FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place 1 piece of puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Lightly moisten one of the short edges with water. Connect the end of the other puff pastry to the moistened edge. Press pieces together to form a long rectangle, trimming off loose ends with a dough scraper as needed.
• Cut the third puff pastry piece lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Moisten the outer edges of the long rectangle with your finger; stick the pastry strips on top. Poke shallow holes all over the bottom of the dough using a fork. Do not prick the raised border.
• Bake pastry shell in the preheated oven until it starts to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Readjust the borders and push the bottom down with the flat side of a fork. Let cool completely while preparing the filling.
• Place butter and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl; smear together using a spatula until combined. Whisk in egg until mixture is creamy. Add almond flour, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly. Cut each pluot into 6 wedges. Fill pastry shell with the almond paste. Stick the pluots snugly, but not too deeply, into the filling.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and almond filling is set, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer tart onto a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 40 minutes.
• Combine apricot jam and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring to a boil in the microwave. Let cool until warm. Brush glaze over the cooled tart.

NUT PICNIC TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place twelve 4-inch tart pans with removeable bottoms on a baking sheet. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out twelve 6-inch circles of dough with a sharp paring knife, using an overturned 6-inch bowl as a guide, if necessary. Press dough into tart pans; trim excess. Dock tart shells by piercing the bottom all over with a fork. Chill in refrigerator until ready to fill; set aside.
• Spread pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast, shaking pan halfway through, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Spread nuts in separate rows on another rimmed baking sheet; toast, shaking pan until halfway through, until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let seeds and nuts stand until cool.
• Rough chop macadamia nuts. Combine nuts in a medium bowl; set aside. In a different medium bowl, combine heavy cream and salt; set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Using a sharp paring knife, split vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out pulp and seeds; add scrapings and pod to melted butter. Swirl pan so butter does not burn; butter will bubble as it brown. Continue cooking until bubbles subside and butter is dark brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove vanilla bean; pour butter over cream mixture, whisking to combine.
• In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine water, sugar, and corn syrup; bring to a boil without stirring. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down the sides of the pan, dissolving any sugar granules. Allow caramel to cook, swirling pan to ensure even coloring, until it reaches 268 degrees on a candy thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in seeds, nuts, and cream mixture; mixture may spatter. Return pan to heat; simmer on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until mixture registers 210 degrees and is a pale caramel color, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; pour into a heatproof bowl and cool until barely warm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Fill each tart shell with caramel mixture. Place tarts on a rimmed baking sheet, spaced 1/2-inch apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until crust is nicely browned, about 25 minutes.