Apple Cream Cheese Rose Tarts

I couldn't resist trying these. Any of you who are regulars on Facebook no doubt saw the video; if you haven't, be sure to follow the link under the title as it shows in detail how to make these little cuties. You'll want to take a look at it again to remind yourself how to go about it. I did, anyway. Such a clever idea too. It only makes four rose tarts with one puff pastry sheet, so if you want more, increase the ingredients. It took one apple to make four. Using the cream cheese was an interesting twist too.
Fun fall food to make, adorable to look at, yummy to eat.

Apple Cream Cheese Rose Tarts
From Tastemade

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry
1/4 cup cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
cinnamon
1 apple
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons water

Method:
Take out the core and thinly slice the apple. (Leave the peel on)
Combine the apple slices with lemon juice and water in a bowl and microwave 3 minutes. Cool the bowl in some ice water. Pat dry the apple slices of excess moisture and set aside. (I put them on some paper towels.)

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 4 even strips. Spread cream cheese and sprinkle sugar on the puff pastry strips.
Arrange the apple slices (overlapping) lengthwise on half the pastry with apple skin side out and sprinkle cinnamon on top. (This is where you should take a look at the video.)
Fold the other half of the pastry over the apples and roll them up. Place in greased muffin tins.
Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Summer Tarts with Vegetable Spirals

From what I understand, a photo of these vegetable-swirled tarts was posted on the internet a couple years ago and went viral. Dina from Olive Oil and Lemons decided to replicate the recipe...I think I may have seen it on Pinterest and it caught my eye.

To begin with..these were delicious! Well worth the patience it took to make them. We only made four little tarts and wish we had made 12! My daughter and I have been splitting them and eating them for lunch every day. 
Dina's instructions look lengthy...don't let that frighten you from making these. You'll get the hang of it in no time. I lined the 4 1/2 inch pastry tins in advance and froze them; the cheese filling is simple, you just have to make certain the cheeses are room temperature. It's the slicing and swirling the vegetables that takes patience. The slices need to be very thin so they twirl nicely..you could use your mandolin or your vegetable peeler (press down hard if you use the peeler) and you'll need to trim your veggies to make them all the same height. Press them down into the cheese a little, it will hold the twirls in place. It's simpler than it looks. Patience!

Summer Tarts with Vegetable Spirals
From Olive Oil and Lemons

Ingredients for pastry:
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup ice water

Method for pastry:
Place flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the cold butter and pulse with on/off until the butter pieces are coated with the flour.
Begin adding the water in a thin and steady stream while continuing to pulse on and off. The dough may not yet come together but no loose flour remains.
Scrape the dough onto the work surface and shape the dough into a disk, handling it as little as possible. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When ready to proceed remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. Working with one half at a time roll the dough out into a circle large enough for one 8 tart or 4 individual tarts.
To fit the dough into the tart pans I cut it into circles large enough to fit into the pans and pressed them into place individually. 
Gently press the dough into the tart pans and then roll the rolling pin over pressing it gently onto the edges. This will cut the dough into each individual tart pan.
Refrigerate until cold before filling. (I froze my tarts)

Filling:
1/2 cup cream cheese
 1/2 cup goat cheese
 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Combine the cheeses in a bowl and bring to room temperature. When they are soft, mash them together with a spoon until blended.


Ingredients for the vegetables:
2 green zucchini
2 yellow zucchini
3 carrots
1/4 cup melted butter for brushing over the spirals before baking
salt (for sprinkling over the spiral before baking)

Method for assembling:
Cut off the ends of the zucchini and carrots, then slice into vertical ribbons with a mandolin or a vegetable peeler.
 Stack the  ribbons and cut them by half vertically so they are all approximately of equal width. Depending on their size, you may not need to cut the carrots.

Remove tart shells from the refrigerator and spread with some of the cheese filling.
Begin rolling the vegetables into a spiral form. Start with a ribbon of carrot and roll it onto itself tightly. You can press the veggies into the cheese to hold them in place. Now add another ribbon of green or yellow zucchini and wrap it around the carrot. Keep the skin side of the ribbons up for better visual. Continue wrapping the ribbons around, alternating the colors and making the spiral larger until you nearly reach the the edges of the tart shell.

Place the tarts on a baking sheet, brush melted butter over the vegetables and bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is crisp and just beginning to turn golden. Do not let the vegetables brown.

Remove from oven, let cool a little and then remove from the tart pan.

Strawberry Slab Pie

Don't you love slab pies? I think I've made them with every fruit there is! This strawberry one is from Joanne Chang via Food and Wine. It's kind of sticky....which I loved....so think you'll need a plate and fork to serve this one. Use some lovely fresh, ripe strawberries and everyone will be drooling. I'm not as tidy with my crust as some of you are, but it sure didn't affect the flavor.

Strawberry Slab Pie
From Joanne Chang via Food and Wine

Ingredients for the pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 
4 teaspoons sugar 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and chilled 
2 large egg yolks 
1/4 cup cold whole milk 

Baking spray 

Ingredients for the pie:
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered (4 cups) 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1/4 cup cornstarch 
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest 
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
1 large egg, beaten 

3 tablespoons sanding or turbinado sugar 

Method:
For the pastry part:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour, sugar and salt and mix at low speed. Add the butter and mix at medium speed until almost incorporated, with some pecan-size pieces remaining, about 1 minute. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the milk. With the machine on, drizzle the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until the pastry just starts to come together, about 30 seconds; it will be crumbly. Scrape the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it together. Using the heel of your hand, smear the pastry against the work surface to work in the butter. Form the pastry into a 1-inch-thick disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving 3 inches of overhang on all sides. 

Cut one-third of the pastry off of the disk. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the smaller piece of pastry to an 8-inch square; transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and refrigerate. Roll out the larger piece of pastry to a 12-inch square, about 1/4 inch thick. Ease the pastry into the prepared pan, pressing it into the corners and up the sides; trim the excess pastry, leaving no overhang. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for about 30 minutes, until just pale golden and set. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the crust cool completely. 


For the filling:
In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and salt. Spread the filling in the pastry crust. 

To bake the pie:
Cover with the chilled piece of pastry crust, gently pressing it down around the edges. Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Using a sharp paring knife, make six 2-inch-long slits in the top pastry. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the crust is deep golden. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool, at least 3 hours. Carefully lift the pie out of the pan and transfer to a platter before serving. 

Cranberry Pie

It's a toss up whether you'll consider this a cake or a pie, but it's called pie in Sara Chase's cookbook, no doubt because it's made in a pie pan. You don't even need a mixer to make it, it's all done by hand and in short order, too. My daughter thought it was scone-like in texture. I think you'll find it somewhat like an upside down cake, but while there seems to be plenty of sugar in it, the cranberries are the balance and it isn't too sweet. It actually does need the ice cream addition.

Sara Leah Chase's Cranberry Pie
From her cookbook, Cold Weather Cooking

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup all purpose flour

Method:

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 10 inch pie plate.

Place cranberries in the pie plate along with the brown sugar, zest, cinnamon and walnuts. Toss so it is evenly mixed.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl, beat in the butter, sugar, vanilla and sour cream until blended. Gradually stir in the flour and mix until smooth. Pour evenly over the cranberries.

Bake until the fruit is bubbly and it is browned on top, about 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream.

Sandy's Strawberry Pie

This 60's recipe belonged to an old friend from those days, Sandy Albers. And it's also another of those "almost too simple to post" recipes....the kind we like to see in the summer, right? Even though it's nearly over....good news for South Florida, bad news for most everyone else.  
Recently during my mad spring cleaning, I came across a couple manila envelopes filled with index cards of old recipes. This was one of them. I'd forgotten all about it and haven't made it for 50 years! (Nor have I seen Sandy for that length of time either.)

Such a simple recipe. Whole strawberries are scattered points up over the graham cracker crust with mashed and cooked strawberries poured over them. Those whole strawberries actually make this pie less sweet than you'd expect, but still plenty sweet enough. It's not a terribly firm pie, most strawberry pies aren't, but it spells summer so beautifully, I thought I'd share the recipe. Messy to cut....you need a good sharp knife. 
Who knows? Perhaps Sandy or someone who knows her will see this and I'll hear from her.

Sandy Albers' Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:
One baked graham cracker crust, cooled
1 quart strawberries, washed, stems removed
sugar to taste
4 tablespoons flour
salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup whipping cream, whipped and sweetened

Method:
Place whole strawberries, points up, all over the crust. 
Mash remaining strawberries, add sugar to taste, add flour, dash of salt and the lemon juice.  Mix well and cook until slightly thickened. Cool. Pour over strawberries. Refrigerate until firm and cold. Top with whipped cream and refrigerate again.

Blueberry Slab Pie

Looking for a dessert for your 4th of July picnic? Slab pies are the answer!  They serve a lot of people, you can eat them by hand, no plate, just a napkin. It's a nice surprise not to have to think about your blueberry pie being a little runny....this one holds together nicely. And frankly, I think making slab pie crusts are easier than making a regular pie crust. Almost like a galette: just tuck those edges under. No fuss.
If you have paper plates on hand, you could serve them on a plate as well, with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. For the 4th, I chose blueberries for this slab pie, but I've made peach and apple as well. I just think a blueberry pie goes better with the July 4th celebration.

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH EVERYONE!

Blueberry Slab Pie

Ingredients:
For the crust:
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 to 1 1/2 cups ice water

For the filling:
2 1/4 pounds fresh blueberries (8 cups)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
good dash of cinnamon, maybe even a scrape of fresh nutmeg

Method:
Make the crust:
In your food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar a couple times. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add 1 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. You can add more water in tablespoon increments, but just until dough holds together...do not overmix. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a floured surface, roll out the first disk to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Place in a 10-by-14-by-1-inch rimmed jelly-roll pan. 

Make the blueberry filling:
Toss together blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice. Pour evenly over the unbaked bottom crust.
On a floured surface, roll out second disk to an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water. Lay the second piece of pastry over the blueberry filling; press along moistened edges to seal. (The bottom is bigger than the top, so I fold the bottom crust over the top and crimp to seal so the blueberries don't run out while baking.) 
Make some slices in the top, cut out some small stars or you could even do a lattice top crust if you like.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with a bit of sugar.
Place pie in the oven, reduce heat immediately to 375 and bake for about 50 minutes until crust is golden and blueberries are bubbling.
Cool at least an hour before slicing.

Grilled Fennel Tarts

Fennel is one of my favorite vegetables....love it roasted and make it frequently. One thing I don't like much is raw fennel in salads...the anise flavor is more pronounced, which I don't particularly care for. But caramelized, it's divine. We all have our little quirks.

When I saw this tart, I knew I'd love it and, cut into smaller pieces, it would also make a nice appetizer. I made it for lunch, left the puff pastry whole and placed whole fennel slices on it, then sliced it afterwards. You can do it my way or follow the instructions below.

Grilled Fennel Tarts
From Spoon Fork Bacon

Ingredients:
2 medium fennel bulbs (with fronds intact)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
1 ounce mascarpone, softened
2 teaspoons oregano, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon, zested
2 sheets puff pastry, cut into 2 x 5” rectangles
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Thinly slice fennel heads into 1/2 inch slices (lengthwise) and cut each piece in half. (I left them whole.) Brush each piece of fennel with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat and lightly grease. Grill fennel for about 3 minutes on each side or until nicely charred and softened. Remove from heat and allow fennel pieces to cool.
In a small bowl combine Gruyere, mascarpone, oregano, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and mash together with the back of a fork until fully combined. Cut your puff pastry into rectangles. (I left my puff pastry whole.) Spread a small amount of the cheese mixture over each piece of puff pastry, leaving the outer 1/4 inch perimeter bare.
Top each rectangle of cheese spread puff pastry with a piece of grilled fennel and gently press down. Place each tart onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the fennel begins to caramelize and the puff pastry turns golden brown.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Frozen Maple Mousse Pie

Keep this dessert in mind for the coming holidays, whether for family or for an upcoming dinner party. With the fall flavor of maple and a splash of gorgeous candied cranberries for a colorful garnish, this mousse is rich and has special occasion written all over it. The roasted pecan base adds yet another flavor and texture.
And you know me, I love that you can make it in advance and keep it ready to go in the freezer. I found it in Food and Wine's Great Fall Desserts slideshow; I picked out several to try in the future...check it out, there are some gems there.
This is one of those lick the spatula clean recipes, especially right after incorporating the hot maple mixture...oh my. You'll find it doesn't freeze as hard as ice cream, so it's a snap to slice.

Frozen Maple Mousse Pie
From Kathleen Callahan via Food and Wine

Ingredients:
For the crust:
 2 cups pecans (8 ounces)  
 3 tablespoons light brown sugar  
 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg  
 Pinch of salt  
 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened  

For the mousse: 
 1 cup pure maple syrup  
 2 large egg whites, at room temperature  
 Pinch of cream of tartar  
 Pinch of salt  
 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream  
 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract  

For the candied cranberries: 
 8 ounces fresh cranberries (2 cups)  
 1 1/4 cups sugar  
 3/4 cup water  

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool completely.  

In a food processor, pulse the pecans, sugar, nutmeg and salt until the nuts are finely chopped. Add the butter and pulse to incorporate. Press the crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan in an even layer. Refrigerate until firm.  

In a medium saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until slightly reduced and a candy thermometer inserted in the syrup registers 235°, about 8 minutes; be careful it doesn't boil over.  
In a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until firm peaks form. With the mixer at medium speed, drizzle the hot syrup onto the whites and beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat the meringue until cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes.  

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with the vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold the meringue into the whipped cream until blended. Scrape the mousse into the crust and spread evenly. Freeze until firm, at least 8 hours but preferably overnight. 

Put the cranberries in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the syrup over the cranberries and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook undisturbed over very low heat until the syrup is rosy and the cranberries are tender but not broken down, about 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let the cranberries cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled.  

Remove the ring from the springform pan. Cut the mousse pie into wedges and transfer to plates. Spoon the candied cranberries over the pie and serve.  


You can freeze it for up to 4 days and the cranberries can be in the fridge for the same amount of time. 

Nutmeg Maple Cream Tart

If the New York Times and Smitten Kitchen said so, this tart just had to be good! Deb adapted the Times recipe and I slightly adapted hers. It's a lovely custard tart with strong maple overtones and a touch of nutmeg. Perfect for fall, easy to make and the only problem is keeping your fork out of it before it cools!

Nutmeg Maple Cream Tart
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie crust or tart shell (I used my tart crust recipe, see below)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pie refrigerated pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until golden. If shell puffs during baking, press it down with back of spoon. Cool on wire rack. Lower temperature to 300 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Whisk together egg yolks and egg in a bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.


Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Tart Crust

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk

2 Tbs. very cold water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into

  1/4-inch cubes

Method:

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal.

Mix the yolk, water and vanilla together and add to the dough. Pulse until it comes together. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Barbara's note: Check out this recipe on my other blog for some quick and easy maple tarts; click HERE.

Fontina, Pear and Caramelized Onion Galette

Savory galettes and tarts are a favorite of mine. I make them frequently and there's nothing better than a little slice with with a glass of wine. Or for lunch. Or a lovely first course at a dinner party. This one was, along with a salad, served as our dinner.
The cornmeal in the rustic, buttery crust added just the right texture in your mouth alongside the lovely melted fontina (love that cheese!) and fresh herbs. The sweetness of the pears and caramelized onions balanced it all off beautifully. I think your family will really enjoy this recipe, kids included, especially if they have adventuresome palates! (Well, galettes sort of look like pizza, right?)

Fontina, Pear and Caramelized Onion Galette
By Ali from Alexandra’s Kitchen

Ingredients:
(Recipe makes two galettes)
For Cornmeal Dough:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup medium or fine grind yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup ice-cold water

For Caramelized Onions:
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups onion slices (about 3 to 4 small to medium onions)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

For Galettes:
2 cups (8 ounces) Fontina Cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly cracked
2 small rounds cornmeal galette dough
1 cup caramelized onions
2 pears, thinly sliced

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon milk or cream

Method:
For Cornmeal Dough:
Cut butter into small cubes and place in freezer for approximately 5 minutes.
In food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt until blended. Add butter and pulse until butter is size of small peas. Add ice water. Pulse at 1-second intervals until dough starts to form, about 10 seconds total. 
Scoop half of dough onto center of sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap, forming dough into ball and pressing into disk: chill. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour.

For Caramelized Onions:
Heat butter over medium heat in large sauté pan. Add onions with pinch of salt. Cook, covered, 15 minutes.
Remove cover, stir and increase heat slightly. Continue to cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to reduce sticking. Cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes, stirring more frequently until onions have turned a nice deep brown.
Add vinegar, turn off heat and scrape bottom of pan with wooden spoon or spatula to remove any browned bits. Remove pan from heat and transfer onions to large bowl to cool.

For Galettes:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. In small bowl, combine Fontina, salt, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Set aside.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. On lightly floured work surface, roll each dough round into 8- to 10-inch circle. Use flour as needed to prevent sticking and pat dough together if it crumbles. Fold each round into quarters and transfer to prepared baking pan.
Unfold one galette round and top with layer of caramelized onions, leaving 2-inch border exposed. Cover onions with layer of pears. Top with layer of herb-Fontina mixture. Lift edges of dough and fold them inward, pleating as you go, to form folded-over border, pinching together any tears. Brush egg-yolk mixture over exposed crust. Repeat assembly with remaining galette. Chill assembled galettes 15 minutes.

Bake until crust has browned and Fontina has melted, 35 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes on the parchment, then slide carefully onto a serving platter.

Corn, Spring Onion and Ricotta Tart

A lovely meatless dish....and you can serve it hot or cold. The polenta crust has a nice crunch to it and the sweetness of the corn is balanced by the scallions. Each mouthful has a creamy texture from the ricotta. Lots of flavors going on here and not only does it make a pretty presentation, but is simple to make. Your entire family will love it.

Corn, Spring Onion and Ricotta Tart
By Jade Donohoo, Eat This My Friend via Food 52

Ingredients for the tart shell:

1 cup flour, sifted
3/4 cup uncooked polenta

1/2 cup butter, cold, plus extra for greasing

1 egg

pinch sea salt

1 tablespoon ice water

Ingredients for the filling:

3 ears of corn

4 eggs

3 scallions, thinly sliced

Scant 1/2 cup fresh ricotta

1/4 cup heavy cream

few big pinches of salt

Freshly-ground pepper

Method:

Place flour, polenta, butter, and salt into a food processor and pulse until the butter is combined. Add the egg and iced water. Pulse until the mixture comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured bench and knead for a minute. Form the dough into a ball and cover with cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 395°F. 

Remove pastry from fridge and roll out until you have a circular shape thick and wide enough to fit in a large flan tin. 

Grease a flan tin with butter and lay the pastry over the top. (It will not hold together very well, that's OK, you can fix it later) Press the pastry in the pan and up the sides in with your fingers. Keep the leftover pastry in case you need to patch up any holes. 

Place foil over the top and fill it with dried beans or pastry weights. Place in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes. 

While the pastry is baking, remove the kernels from the corn cobs. Place the 4 eggs, cream, salt, and corn kernels into the food processor (no need to wash it after making the pastry!) and pulse briefly until combined. Stir in the thinly sliced spring onions. When the pastry is baked, remove the weights and pour in the corn mixture. Break the ricotta up into small chunks and dot it evenly around the mixture. Place it back into the oven and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Grind over some freshly-cracked pepper before serving.

Vermont Apple Slab Pie

Absolutely the perfect fall dessert! And while this was made in an 8 inch square pan, you could make this stretch to 16 servings if you cut the squares small enough. Which is why slab pies were invented, I should think, plus the ease of eating....sort of like a hand pie.
I really lobbed on the frosting. (As my father used to say when cutting into his birthday cake: is there cake under all this frosting?) The pie itself isn't all that sweet, but I found myself scraping off some of the frosting when I tried a square, so be more prudent than I was when slathering it on. Wouldn't this be fabulous for tailgating at a football game? No fuss, no muss.
Love the maple syrup in the frosting. I remember as a kid tapping a maple tree (and hanging a pail on it) to get the sap and eventually make syrup for a science class. Does anybody teach this anymore?


Vermont Apple Slab Pie
From Kate at Framed Cooks

Ingredients:
2 refrigerated uncooked pie crusts
4 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 4-5 apples)
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes (I used plain bread crumbs)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup

Method:
Preheat oven to 375
Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with nonstick foil, using 2 pieces so you have some overlap hanging over all sides. Cooks note: The non stick foil is all well and good, but I found it still stuck in places. Next time I'll spray the foil with Pam as well.
Cut the piecrust dough into rough 9x9 inch squares. Place the first square in the baking dish, pressing the edges a little ways up the sides.
Scatter the cereal over the dough. Refrigerate while you prepare the apples. 
Put the slices apples in a layer on top of the dough.
Stir the cinnamon into the sugar and then pour the cinnamon sugar evenly over the apples.
Top with the second crust and press the edges down towards the bottom crust. They don't have to be sealed. Cut a few steam slices in the top crust and bake until golden, 50-60 minutes.
Cool in the pan for about ten minutes and then carefully remove from the pan, using the foil edges as handles. Cool on a rack in the foil until completely cool. 

When the pie is cool, make the glaze by mixing the maple syrup into the powdered sugar. If it is too thick add a little more syrup.
Carefully transfer the pie from the foil to a serving plate (I use two big spatulas for this) and then drizzle the glaze over the top. 

Peach Slab Pie

Slab pies seem to be all the rage, not least because you don't have to fuss with the crust. Well, I fussed a little with the lattice, but you can just cover the peaches with a single crust and prick it with a fork if you really want easy. 
I combined several recipes to come up with this one...a little juicier than than an apple slab pie, which I have every intention of making this fall, but totally delicious and not too sweet, either. You can get lots of servings from a slab pie, another reason they're so popular.
Think ice cream would be fabulous on top? Oh yes.

Peach Slab Pie

Ingredients:

Your recipe for crust, pate brisee, or use ready made

4 peaches, skinned by immersing in boiling water for a minute or so, peel, remove pit and slice somewhat thinly

3/4 cup sugar

scant 1/4 cup cornstarch

pinch salt

fresh lemon juice, about a tablespoon

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with nonstick foil, using 2 pieces so you have some overlap hanging over all sides. (The juice still seeps out and gets sticky, even with non stick foil...I'd spray the foil with Pam the next time. Can't hurt.) On a lightly floured surface, roll out a piece of dough to an 8 1/2 inch square and fit into the square baking pan, pressing into corners and a bit up the sides. Fold back the pastry on the sides, forming a container for the peaches. Chill while assembling filling. 

In a large bowl, stir together fruit, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Spread mixture over chilled pie shell. 

Chill again while you roll out the top crust. 

Roll out another piece of dough to the same size and either form a lattice top or lay the entire piece on top of the peaches. If you do the latter, be sure to vent the crust. Fold edge of bottom dough over top dough. Crimp if desired.  

Brush entire surface of pie with cream or an egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. 

Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Dawn's Tomato and Cheddar Hand Pies

Nifty idea for you today. When Dawn mentioned her Tomato Hand Pies in one of her Friday links I didn't even write it down, but just let it simmer in the back of my mind until the opportunity arose to try them. So the other day I looked around my kitchen and was surprised to find: 1 single roll of Pillsbury pie crust rolled up in the freezer (!), some nice sharp leftover cheddar in the fridge and fresh garden tomatoes from a farm stand nearby (served yesterday with burrata for our lunch). Mental light bulb goes off...all the ingredients for the pies at hand so I could finally try Dawn's awesome looking little pies.
And awesome they were. You've got to make them. If you have some of your own homemade crust in the freezer, that's even better, but I didn't and the point was a quick lunch for two so I used packaged. No problem, these were scrumptious! That kosher salt and freshly ground pepper on the top? Perfect final touch.

Fresh Tomato and Cheddar Hand Pies
From Dawn at Vanilla Sugar Blog

Ingredients:
Pie crust or premade pie crusts 
Tomatoes, sliced very thin 
Extra sharp cheddar 
Extra virgin olive oil 
Salt & pepper 

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  
Slice the tomatoes really thin, and let them dry out a bit on paper towels or you will get soggy hand pies.
I used one package of prepared pie crust, rolled it out a bit thinner and cut it in half. On half of each half, I used three thin slices of tomato and some shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Then I folded one half over the other, folded and crimped the edges with a fork.
Place a very thin slice of tomato on top of the hand pie, brush with a little extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make sure to prick a few holes on top to let any steam escape during baking. 
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges are nice and crispy brown. 

The Picnic Game: Fourth of July Picnic S'more Tartlets

Did you ever play the picnic game as a child? Well, Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations is hosting a virtual Picnic. In order to participate in the Picnic Game, each blogger chooses a letter and brings a dish that begins with that letter.  Join in the fun!
To see the entire list completed, come back and click on the basket on July 1st....in time for Picnic Month!

I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing.....


A. Angel Food Cake

B. Basil Leaves in Caramelized Prawns

C. Chicken Piccata 

D. Darned Easy Potato Salad

E. Eccles Cakes filled with Leeks, Spinach and Blue Cheese

And my letter is F: Fourth of July Picnic S'more Tartlets
Adapted from the cookbook Cutie Pies by Dani Cone

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce bag) of semisweet chocolate chips
5 cups mini marshmallows
6 graham crackers, crushed
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 packages ready made Pillsbury pie crust ( or make your own pie crust)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix all ingredients except crust and set aside.
Roll out your crust fairly thinly and cut 3 inch rounds out of your pie crust, re-rolling unused dough. You should get 30 or so.
Press each circle into mini-muffin cup, pressing down and up the sides to form a little pie crust. Spoon the filling into the shells to just below the top. Bake 15 minutes.  Cool.

Cook's Note: I found after 10 minutes the marshmallows and chocolate had melted into a puddle before the crust was even baked. So I left them in there the full 15 minutes, made certain the crust was baked through, then removed them from the oven, added more filling to each cup and put it quickly under the broiler. 
Cute idea, gooey when warm, but they firm up nicely after they cool and are a snap to take along on a picnic. Decadently delicious!