Tuesdays with Dorie - Tarte Noire

I recently posted a picture of this tart on Tumblr and as of now, only 8 hours later, it has been re-blogged over 100 times. So, I thought I would re-post the original post, with the recipe, for anyone who might have missed it the first time. This is a Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, from her book "Baking, from my home to yours". If you could only have one baking cookbook, this is the one to have.

Hello again! I hope that this finds everyone well and rested after a big holiday weekend. Did you have a cookout? Did you watch a fireworks show? Did you spend time with friends and family? I did all of that and also played in the pool, slept late, and, made one of the best desserts I have made in a long time. What dessert would that be you ask? It was this weeks TWD choice, Tarte Noire, that Dharmagirl of bliss: towards a delicious life picked.  If she lived closer I would visit her so I could kiss her for choosing such a fabulous recipe. Well, I probably wouldn't kiss her, but I would definitely hug her or shake her hand or something. This may be my favorite recipe so far. I kid you not. Please drop by Dharmagirl's blog and get the recipe. You won't be sorry.

We had my hubby's best friend come and stay with us for the weekend. He arrived on Saturday and settled in for the festivities. We cooked steaks on the grill...nice juicy rib-eyes. Some corn and some baked fries rounded out the meal. We went out in the field after dinner and had our own little fireworks show. My hubby set off the fireworks while I snapped photos and the hubby's best friend shot video.

The guys hopped in the pool after the fireworks show and floated around for a while. I passed...it was a bit too cool for me to get in the water. Then, before bed, I served the two of them a slice of the Tarte Noire. They loved it! They both scarfed it down in what seemed like seconds, and all but licked the plates clean. I like it when something I make brings such a satisfied expression to my hubby's face, not to mention his friend's face(who, after all these years, is also my friend).

I put this recipe together in no time early Saturday morning. I decided to make the chocolate shortbread crust and it came together quickly and perfectly in my food processor. I baked it after letting it sit in the freezer for 30 minutes. When I pulled it from the oven, to cool before adding the ganache, I got the brilliant idea to cover the bottom of the crust with a thin layer of caramel! I thought about nuts, but decided to just go with the caramel.

The ganache came together as easily as the crust, becoming this dark, shiny, smooth bowl of deliciousness. :) I used a combination of bitter-sweet and semi-sweet chocolate and poured it over the caramel in the crust. Put the tarte in the fridge for 30 minutes to set up and then sliced a piece for myself  a picture. Yeah, that's it. For a picture. :)

I also tasted it, just to see if it was okay before serving it to the guys later that night. Couldn't serve them something I hadn't checked was edible, right? The ganache was silky smooth and  so creamy. Not too sweet. Rich and delicious! The caramel underneath was a perfect touch, adding just a little sweetness and texture to the chocolate. And, the crust? Crunchy, tender, buttery, chocolate-y, and perfect against the creamy chocolate and chewy caramel. With as easy as this was to put together, I can see making it again and again. I wonder if you could do a white chocolate version. Almonds would be wonderful in this too. Maybe in the crust. Of course, it was fabulous just as I did it, and I would certainly make it the same again.

So, a really big, BIG thanks to Dharmagirl for this weeks pick. Just awesome! And, check out what the others thought of it by clicking here. :)

Sweet Melissa Sunday - Double-Crusted Caramel Apple Pie

(Forgive the 45 minute early post...I worked all day today and have to work 8 1/2 hours tomorrow. If I don't post now, it will be 9:30 or later tomorrow night before I will be able to post this.)

I'm so excited and nervous! My pick is being showcased this week. I have been anxiously watching the days tick by, getting closer and closer to the 21st. And, here it is! And, here you are! Welcome!!

It seemed like it was going to be forever until I got to pick a recipe for our SMS group, and yet, just 6 short months later, here we are with my pick, Double-Crusted Caramel Apple Pie.  I am so excited to be hosting this week(I know I said that already) and I sincerely hope that my choice didn't cause anyone too much trouble. I know there were a few out there with pie crust anxiety.  Hopefully those concerns were for naught. :)

I really gave a lot of thought to my choice. Last time I got to pick a recipe-in another group-it was a choice between an apple tart and a chocolate cake. I chose the chocolate cake and then wished I had chosen the apple tart. (I made it later and it was wonderful!) This time while looking through Melissa's cookbook I spied this recipe and knew I had to try it. I love apple pie and I love caramel and couldn't wait to try the two together.

I chose to use Melissa's All-Butter Pie Dough for my pie. She gives you a choice between that and her Flaky Pie Dough. I had not tried the All-Butter and that's why I picked it. It was super easy to put together. I made it in a bowl with a pastry cutter, but you can also make it in a food processor. How great is that?!

I recently made some vanilla sugar and decided to use it in the caramel. I followed the directions to a "t" and my first batch of caramel seized up and became a pan of hard, lumpy sugar. Not caramel at all. It was like all the water cooked out leaving just sugar. Not good. I was thinking "Of course, the recipe I pick is going to give me the most trouble!". I dumped the clumpy sugar and started again. The second time it stayed liquid. However, after 15-20 minutes, it was still not amber in color. I was afraid if I left it on the burner much longer the water would cook out again and I would have another pan of sugar. So, I pulled the pan off the stove, added the cream, butter and vanilla and let it cool. Not very dark or amber in color, but it tasted great!

The next little kink in the recipe was the apples. My hubby had brought home a 3 lb. bag of apples that someone at work gave him. They were Galas (I think) and I couldn't see buying Granny Smith apples (even though I know they are tarter than Galas) when I had so many apples here at the house. What I did was up the lemon zest some and added the juice from the lemon. I debated long and hard about whether to add cinnamon to the apples. The recipe doesn't call for any, but all my apple pies have cinnamon in them. It's what makes it an apple pie, at least in my opinion (and we all know what opinions are like :D) However, at the last minute I decided to stick with the recipe like it was written.

One thing I did do that was not in the recipe was add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of pecans. The hubby asked if I could do that. Other than that (and the vanilla sugar) I made no other changes.


So, what did I think? I commented in the P&Q that I liked it, but  have to say that I wasn't overly impressed. Maybe it was the lack of cinnamon. Perhaps it was the vanilla sugar or the fact that the caramel never really got caramel-y. Could have been the apples. I liked it okay, but not as much as some other apple pies I have made.  Not much flavor at all. The crust was sensational! Flaky, buttery, perfect in every way. The caramel tasted good in the pan, but seemed to lose something when mixed with the apples. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being awesome, I would give this a 4.  The pie itself was kind of a let down for me. I was even disappointed with the pictures I took of it. Such a bummer. To finally get to pick a recipe and then have it not live up to the expectations I had. Maybe I will have better luck next time I get to pick. :} But, don't take my review as gospel. Head over to SMS and see what the other bakers thought. Perhaps someone else had better luck than I did with this recipe.

Double-Crusted Caramel Apple Pie

This double-crusted apple pie has a creamy caramel sauce that is mixed into the apples right before baking. The addition of lemon zest keeps the rich caramel in check.

For the Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons water

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Pie crust

All-Butter Pie Dough

All-butter Pie Dough bakes up more crisp than the Flaky Pie Dough and is great for pumpkin pie, pecan pie, as well as fruit pies. It has a rich buttery flavor.

Makes enough dough for 1 double-crusted pie or 2 single-crust 10-inch pies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

6 to 8 Tablespoons ice water

To Make the Dough by Hand
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine.
2. Add the butter pieces, tossing with your fingers to coat each cube in the flour. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of large peas.
3. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the water over the mixture and toss with a fork. The dough should hold together when you squeeze it in your hand. If it is too dry, add the rest of the water (or more if absolutely necessary).

To Make the Dough Using a Food Processor
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine.
2. Add the butter pieces, carefully tossing with your fingers to coat each one in flour. Pulse briefly, until the butter is the size of large peas.
3. Add 6 tablespoons of the water and pulse to combine. The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it in your hand. If it is too dry, add the rest of the water (or more if absolutely necessary).

To Rest the Dough
1. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat it together into one piece. Divide the dough into two equal parts, flatten each into a round disk, and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

To Roll the Dough
1. When the dough is chilled through, lightly flour a work surface. Unwrap the dough disk, lightly flour the top, and , using a rolling pin, press gently on the dough, from the middle upward, and then the middle downeard. Turn the dough disk a quarter turn and repeat the light pressing process. Add more flour if needed to prevent sticking.
2. The dough should now be a round, flatter version of the original dough disk. Sprinkle lightly with more flour if necessary, then gently roll the dough so that it is an inch wider all around than it was. Make a quarter turn, lifting the dough if it is sticking and lightly flouring the work surface below. Repeat this process until the round is roughly 12 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Slide it onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and chill it in the fridge until you are ready to prebake or assemble your pie.
3. When you are ready to bake the dough, transfer it to a pie plate by sliding both palms under the dough and gently lifting it and placing it down over the center of the pie plate. Gently press the dough into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch it. Patch any rips or tears by pressing the dough together with your fingers.
4. Using clean scissors, trim off any dough in excess of 1 1/2 inches around the edges. Then gently roll the dough's edge under itself, creating a nice uniform edge to crimp. Lightly flour a fork and press the times along the top of the folded edge all around, or pinch the dough all around between your index finger and your thumb.
5. Put the pie crust in the refrigerator to rest and chill for at least 30 minutes.

For the Apple Filling

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1.2-inch slices

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar, for sprinkling

For the Egg Wash

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Pinch kosher salt

To Make the Sauce

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream to hot, but not boiling, 3 to 4 minutes

2. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, and water and heat until amber in color (live clover honey), about 10 minutes. Immediately remove the caramelized sugar from the heat. (Please be careful when caramelizing sugar-no kids in the room. Hot sugar is a very bad burn.)

3. Slowly pour the cream into the caramel, stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Let cool to warm.

To Prepare the Pie Crust

Roll out the dough into two rounds 14 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Gently fit one into a 10-inch pie plate and lay the other flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble, at least 30 minutes.

Before you make the Filling

Position a rack in the bottom third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum.

To Make the Filling

1. In a large bowl, stir together the apples, zest, flour, sugar, and salt to combine.

2. Stir the caramel sauce (which should be warm but not hot) into the apples.

To Complete the Pie

1. For the egg wash: Whisk together the egg, heavy cream, and salt with a fork.

2. Pour the caramel apple filling into the unbaked pie shell. Brush the edges of the crust with some of the egg wash.

3. Place the second dough round on top of the filled pie shell. Fold under the edges and crimp.

4. Brush the top crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons sugar. Cut 4 steam vents in the top crust.

5. Place the pie plate on the freshly lined cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and thick and the apples are tender. Remove to a wire rack to cool before serving.

This pie is best served warm or at room temperature. As with all fruit pies, it is best eaten the day it is baked.

(Next time I am choosing a recipe that doesn't require as much typing! Whew!)

Tuesdays with Dorie - Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake

It's the most wonderful time of the year! :) Fall. Colorful leaves. Apple cider. Pumpkin pie. Crisp, cool nights. I love this time of year. I think all of the recipes this month for Tuesdays with Dorie make me think of Fall. We were given the choice of making any of the November recipes in any order this month, because they are all good for fall/holiday gatherings. I chose to make the Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake, the recipe that Katya of Second Dinner picked.

There were a lot of steps to this one, though none of them hard. First, you make a chocolate caramel ganache. I almost quit after making that. Not because it was hard or because the rest of the recipe intimidated me. It was because the ganache was so delicious, just as it was, all by itself. I was tempted to just put some in a bowl and eat it as a pudding. It's rich, and smooth and the caramel flavor blends perfectly with the combination of milk and bittersweet chocolates. But, hard as it was, I showed some self-control and put the ganache in the fridge to cool overnight.

Next I baked the cake. I searched high and low for chestnut spread. I was able to find chestnuts (I think it was in the 4th store I tried) but no spread anywhere. I finally decided to try and make my own. I took all but 10 of my chestnuts and placed them in a pan with water and sugar. I simmered this on the stove until it reduced. Added a touch of vanilla, poured it into my small food processor and processed away! I ended up with a something that was smooth and spreadable and made of chestnuts, so I called it chestnut spread and continued with the recipe. :D Once the cake was baked  and cooled I wrapped it in plastic and set it on the counter to rest overnight.

I next made the brandy syrup. That was easy. Brandy and brown sugar. Done.

I did all the above on Sunday (while also working on my Bread Pudding for SMS and making biscotti for my Secret Baker) and when I got home Monday night I started the glaze for the cake. Another simple step. Chocolate melted with boiled cream that has water and sugar added. Let it set on the counter till it thickens.

In addition to my cleaning business, I bake and decorate cakes...wedding, birthday, anniversary, most any occasion. So, I have a supply of edible dusts on hand and, gold was one of the colors I had. I dusted my chestnuts and then got ready to put all the steps together to complete the cake.

Pretty simple and straightforward. Cut the cake into thirds. Put a layer down, brush syrup over it, cover it with ganache, place next layer on that, repeat, place third layer on top, cover with glaze, place chestnuts on top.

It's very pretty when it's all done, smooth ganache with the gold chestnuts marching across diagonally. But, the proof is in the pudding and I wondered if it would taste as pretty as it looked.

It did not disappoint. There are so many different flavors going on with each bite. I was able to taste the bittersweet of the glaze, then there was just the tiniest bit of heat from the brandy syrup. Next the subtle flavor of the chocolate caramel ganache, both the chocolate and caramel blending with the other tastes. And, the cake! While I think I may have over baked it a bit, it was still moist and soft and delicious. There are so many complex blendings going on with this cake, yet each one compliments and works with the others. I liked it! It is definitely something I would bake again. It would be great for a holiday gathering. I might even sprinkle a little gold dust over the glaze to add more pizazz to it.

So, thank you Katya for choosing this one. If you would like the recipe, head over to her blog to check it out. And, if you want to see what the other bakers thought, you know the drill...Me? I am going to go cut another slice of this cake. :)

Tuesdays with Dorie - Chocolate Crunched Caramel Tart

This weeks recipe was chosen by Carla of Chocolate Moosey. I think I love her! :D Chocolate, caramel and peanuts...when I read this recipe I fell in love. :) So, first of all, thank you Carla for choosing such a fabulous dessert.

This tart is rich. Donald Trump rich. No, Oprah rich! Silky smooth bittersweet chocolate covering a layer of homemade caramel studded with honey-roasted peanuts. All of this sitting on top of a buttery, tender, almost flaky (cookie? pie?) dough. So very rich. It's something I would expect to see on the menu of a very upscale restaurant. And, I would have paid big bucks to try it too! :) Now I can make and eat it whenever the mood strikes me. Which I hope isn't often because my waistline can't afford it. But, oh how good it is.

I thought this was a pretty easy tart to put together. I don't own a tart pan (will have to rectify that) so I made mine in the bottom of a 9" springform pan. The dough was very easy to do. Mine didn't seem crumbly. It was soft and pliable. I used cold butter, but maybe next time (oh, there will be a next time!) I will freeze it and see if the dough is more like described in the recipe.

I have made caramel in the past so I wasn't too concerned with making it for this tart. The only problem I had was some of my sugar became little lumps and were slow to dissolve. I'm not sure what I did to make that happen, but I just kept pushing on the lumps with my wooden spoon till they broke up and dissolved.

I had all the ingredients ready and had it put together in no time. Set it in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes. I was home from work yesterday (no houses 3 Mondays a month) and while I don't usually eat dessert in the middle of the afternoon, when the buzzer for the timer went off after 30 minutes I was ready. I had a plate, fork and cup of coffee all set out in anticipation of the first slice.

Oh My! The first bite was amazing. The chocolate is smooth, silky, creamy, not too sweet. The caramel is not overpowering, and mine was soft, not chewy like some caramels can be. And the peanuts, with  their salty-sweet flavor. Oh My! My crust was tender and buttery and the perfect accompaniment to the rest of the ingredients. As delicious as this was, I ate it slowly, savoring each and every bite. It's a very grown-up dessert I think. One I would serve at a dinner party if I were trying to impress someone. (Not that I am that kind of person, but this would be the recipe to do just such a thing). Rich, decadent, fabulous!

So, thank you again, Carla. Great choice! Head over to  TWD to see what the other bakers thought about this weeks deliciousness!