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  1. Tuesday, June 15, 2010

    Faye’s Spanish Nut Tart

    Remember this Spanish-inspired nut tart?

    faye's spanish nut tart from @janemaynard

    I am finally sharing the recipe with you! This Spanish nut tart is pretty gourmet…which means I didn’t actually make this recipe…I just ate it. 😉 But it was delicious, so I have to share it with you just the same. I had the pleasure of enjoying this nut tart about a month ago when my friend Faye, the pastry chef, made these tarts for her son’s elementary school class (lucky class, eh?). This tart is based on a Spanish (specifically Catalan) treat. Faye was nice enough to sit down and write the recipe out for us, which is quite the task actually. Everyone tell Faye “Thanks!” next time you see her. 😉

    faye's spanish nut tart from @janemaynard

    Faye's Catalan Nut Tart
     
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    Author:
    Recipe type: Dessert
    Ingredients
    • The dough (pâte sucrée):
    • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • pinch of salt
    • 3 tablespoons butter, cubed ( 1 stick? )
    • 1 yolk
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla
    • 2 tablespoons cream
    • The filling:
    • ⅓ cup pear juice (or juice to your taste)
    • ¼ brown sugar
    • 4 oz dates (could do any combo, such as; apples/dates, apricots/figs, cherries/figs, etc.)
    • The topping:
    • 6 tablespoons butter
    • 6 tablespoons sugar
    • 3 tablespoons corn syrup
    • 6 oz total of dry roasted nuts of your choice (Faye used 2 oz pistachios, 2 oz cashews, 2 oz almonds)
    • 1½ tablespoons cream
    Instructions
    1. For the dough (pâte sucrée): Mix the egg yolk, ½ teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream and place in the fridge so that it's cold and ready to go. Cube 3 tablespoons of butter and refrigerate also.
    2. In a food processor, pulse the 1¼ cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, pinch of salt. Add 3 tablespoons chilled butter and pulse to crumble. Add the refrigerated egg yolk mixture and pulse until you have a cohesive dough, like a cookie dough. Smoosh into a disk in plastic wrap, and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
    3. For the filling: In a saucepan, allow ⅓ cup pear juice (or other juice) and ¼ cup brown sugar to dissolve. Add the 4 ounces of dates (or other fruits). Bring to a boil over high heat then cook for 1 minute. Process the mixture in the food processor to form a thick paste then let it cool.
    4. For the topping: Preheat the oven to 400º F. Roll out your chilled dough, fill your tart shell, and blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes. It should be fully baked. To blind bake, place a piece of parchment in the tart and fill it with beans. This will keep it from bubbling up. Remove the parchment and beans at the end and put it back in the oven for a few minutes. Now it's ready to fill.
    5. Cook first 6 tablespoons butter, 6 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons corn syrup in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Boil vigorously 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add nuts and 1½ tablespoons cream.
    6. Spread fruit filling in crust; smooth the top. Set tart on a cookie sheet. Spoon nut topping over the fruit filling. Bake until filling bubbles, about 20 minutes. Transfer tart to rack and cool 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, loosen tart pan sides but do not remove. Cool tart completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Remove pan sides. Cut tart into wedges.

    Lucky me…a few friends are getting together on Thursday and Faye is bringing goodies. What deliciousness will I be ‘subjected’ to, I wonder?

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:00 am   13 Comments
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