Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Rustic Plum Galette

Tart is really my favourite type of dessert, because it can be paired with any fruits that are in season.  Although it's mid-October and it's already getting chilly, I can still get various types of plums and peaches in Toronto.  If you don't like plums or peaches, you can use figs, berries, apples or any fruits you can think of!  This is so delicious, I don't mind having it for breakfast.  

Flaky Pie Pastry
(Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma, "Essentials of Baking"):
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons ice water


- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Mix on low speed until blended.
- Add the butter and shortening, and then continue mixing on low speed just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.
- Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix on low speed just until the mixture begins to hold together.  
- Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape the dough into a 6-inch disk. 
- Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.  


Filling:
6 firm plums, halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
sugar for sprinkling
1 tablespoon apple jelly or peach jam and a tablespoon water for glaze


Preheat over to 350F.  On a lightly-floured surface, roll out dough to 12 x 16 inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick.  Transfer dough to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Arrange plums on top.  Fold and pleat edge of dough over plums.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until crust is golden, about 60 minutes.  Glaze and allow to cool before slicing.  



Wednesday, October 12, 2011

French Apple Tart

http://www.joyofbaking.com/FrenchAppleTart.html


I baked this French Apple Tart for the Thanksgiving dinner.  This simple and elegant tart is really easy to make.  I could have cheated by using store-bought apple sauce as filling, but I decided to try the home-made version because I like having chunks of apple in the apple sauce.  The store-bought ones are usually too runny.  Anyway, this is a great and healthy dessert.  Please note that I only used 1 tablespoon of sugar for the filling and it's already quite sweet.  The tart is usually served at room temperature but I think it's best to serve warm.