Mini Pecan Tarts

This is a very easy recipe and makes about 5 dozen mini tarts. You can make the pastry dough ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until you're ready to bake.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. To Make Pastry: Cream butter or margarine and cream cheese. Add flour and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes for best results.
   
2. Make the pastry into 48 balls. Place one ball in each cup of a mini tart pan. Use your fingers or a tart tamper to press out into a tart shell.
3. To Make Filling: Break the eggs, but do not beat. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla and pecans. Mix well. Fill the tart shells. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Share

Molten Chocolate Baby Cakes by Danny Boome

I watched the Food Network this morning and saw Danny Boome's show. He made this mouth-watering molten (as in, oozing!) chocolate baby cakes. I've been thinking about this recipe all day! The only thing holding me back from making it is that I'm out of chocolate. Hah! This'll teach me to always keep that in stock.

Well, anyway, I thought I'd share the recipe until I can try it myself.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup brandy or cognac
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup dried cherries
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 stick plus 1/2 stick) butter, plus some for buttering the ramekins
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp flour
6 teaspoons cocoa powder, for coating the baking cups

Directions:
In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the brandy and orange juice to a simmer. Add the cherries, simmer 1 minute and turn off the heat. Soak the cherries in the warm mixture until they plump up, about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Place the chocolate and the butter into the bowl and let it sit over the heat until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir to combine and continue to heat until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, beat together the whole eggs, yolks and sugar until the mixture turns light and thick.
Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Beat in the flour until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter.
Butter 6 (4-ounce) ramekins. Sprinkle each ramekin with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Divide the batter among the ramekins. Drain the cherries and put a few cherries into the center of each ramekin. Use a spoon to push the batter over the cherries to cover them.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes. The outside of the desserts will be set, but the centers will be soft.
To serve, invert each mold on a plate and let sit for 10 seconds. Slowly lift one side of the mold and the cake will fall out. (If the cakes won't easily come out, just serve them right in the cups.)
DB note: These little desserts are easy to make ahead. Refrigerate them in the baking cups and when you're ready to bake, bring them up to room temperature and bake as above.
You can also see this recipe at the Food Network website. Click here to access it.


Share

Fruit Salad

Yummy Fruit Salad! And it's so easy to make, too!

You can go with fresh fruits or, if you're in a hurry, just buy a can (a BIG can) of tropical fruit cocktail...or any regular fruit cocktail will do. That's the beauty of fruit salad, you can pretty much mix any fruits that you want.

Now that you have your fruit cocktail, all you need are raisins, condensed milk, cottage cheese and whipped cream to complete the salad. Mix enough of the ingredients to suit your taste and, voila!, you're done!

Share