kolling@decwrl.UUCP (Karen Kolling) (10/28/85)
I've never made a fruit tart. I have at home a copy of Pamela SomebodyOrOther's Fruit Tart Cookbook, and these things sound incredibly labor-intensive. The glaze sounds as touchy as making jelly (let's hear it for cookbooks that use temps on candy thermometers instead of "when a spoonful solidifies after five minutes in the refrigerator", which this one doesn't). The book also says the tarts have to be served relatively promptly or the crust will get soggy. Well, the local Safeway upscale bakery sells fruit tarts, and to my ignorant tastebuds they taste perfectly fine (except that for some insane reason they use very sour (pickled?) cherries) and the crust isn't soggy, even though they obviously must sit around for awhile. I'd really like to make something similar, but am I lazy..... Is it really as difficult as the book says? Anyone have any pointers or shortcuts?
charli@cylixd.UUCP (Charli Phillips) (10/29/85)
Karen Kolling writes: > >I've never made a fruit tart. >..... Is it really as difficult as the book says? Anyone have >any pointers or shortcuts? Make fruit tarts the same way you make fruit pies, but make them in smaller pans and don't cook them as long. charli
stu4@whuxl.UUCP (SMITH) (10/30/85)
> > I've never made a fruit tart. I have at home a copy of Pamela > SomebodyOrOther's Fruit Tart Cookbook, and these things sound > incredibly labor-intensive. Fruit tarts are incredibly easy to make. Just make your favorite pie crust dough, adding a bit of sugar and substitute 1 egg for some of the water. Line tart pans, muffin tins or small pie pans with rolled out dough and brush with beaten egg. Bake for a few minutes before filling with fruit and crust won't get soggy. The glaze is just as easy. Mix COLD fruit liquid (juice or whatever liquid you're using for the glaze) with a small amount of sugar, splash of lemon juice(optional) and 2 tsp. corn starch. Bring to a boil and cook til clear - a minute or two. There you have it. Fluting the edges of the dough before baking makes the tarts really attractive. -
stu4@whuxl.UUCP (SMITH) (10/30/85)
>
Sorry - forgot to mention that if you are planning
to serve fresh fruit in the tarts - bake the crusts first.
If not, then procede as if making a fruit pie. Also -
DO NOT MAKE THE GLAZE UNTIL READY TO USE as it sets up
as soon as it's cool. It should not be reheated as cornstarch
breaks down when over cooked.johnw@astroatc.UUCP (10/31/85)
In article <1115@decwrl.UUCP> kolling@decwrl.UUCP (Karen Kolling) writes: > >I've never made a fruit tart. I have at home a copy of Pamela.... >lazy..... Is it really as difficult as the book says? Anyone have >any pointers or shortcuts? Mom frequently made 2-3 "fake-tarts" by putting her extra left over pie dough in 2-3 muffin cups, topping with ~1 T of jam. Can't get any quicker than that. If you want "tarts" that are little pies, you could cut pie/tart dough with a round cookie cutter, and make them by the dozen. The crust sounds like the hardest part. My roommate made some fantastic apple-custard tarts.....I'll find the recipie if anyone is interested. (sorry, no estimate of labor; she did it while I was at work.) -- John W - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Name: John F. Wardale UUCP: ... {seismo | harvard | ihnp4} !uwvax!astroatc!johnw arpa: astroatc!johnw@rsch.wisc.edu snail: 5800 Cottage Gr. Rd. ;;; Madison WI 53716 audio: 608-221-9001 eXt 110 To err is human, to really foul up world news requires the net!
betsy@dartvax.UUCP (Betsy Hanes Perry) (11/01/85)
I guess it comes down to The First Law of Sociology:
Some do, and some don't.
Fruit tarts certainly CAN be labor-intensive; the classical
French fruit tarts (see Mastering the Art for details) involve
1. A pate brisee crust, pre-baked
2. A concentrated fruit-sugar glaze
3. A custard filling (creme patissiere)
4. Elaborately-sliced and arranged fruit
5. More glaze.
I like the above; I tend to have them at restaurants, where I can admire
the chef's bravery at a distance. However, there is nothing wrong with
less-elaborate versions. One should always feel able to modify recipes
to accord with one's particular degree of obsession. Some (rare) days
I make tart aux pommes; some days I make apple pie. And they're both good.
Thus endeth our homily for the day.
--
Elizabeth Hanes Perry
UUCP: {decvax |ihnp4 | linus| cornell}!dartvax!betsy
CSNET: betsy@dartmouth
ARPA: betsy%dartmouth@csnet-relay
"Ooh, ick!" -- Penfoldrjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) (11/01/85)
Karen Kolling writes: > >I've never made a fruit tart. >..... Is it really as difficult as the book says? Anyone have >any pointers or shortcuts? I usually make the pastry first (in the Cuisinart, of course :-)) and put it in the fridge to chill while I make the creme patissiere. Then it goes in to chill while I roll the pastry, transfer it gingerly to my tart pan, mould it into shape, line it with foil and rice (to weigh it down while cooking) and bake. After it comes out and cools, I spread on the creme patissiere, decorate with fruit, heat up some apricot or redcurrant jelly and brush on the fruit to glaze. It takes hours but the results are spectacular and delicious. I use a pate brisee recipe from a Food Processor Cookbook by Jean Something-or-other (sorry) - it's better than Julia Child's. I use the creme patissiere recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook - it's *much* better than Julia's! (I still love Julia for other things, don't get me wrong) Shortcuts? - well, you can make the creme patissiere a day or so in advance. I guess you could make the pastry case ahead too, but I'd worry about it losing its crispness. You really have to resign your- self to devoting several hours to get the desired result. -- rod williams | {ihnp4,dual}!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw ------------------------------------------- pacific bell | san ramon | california
ariels@orca.UUCP (Ariel Shattan) (11/04/85)
> Karen Kolling writes: > > > >I've never made a fruit tart. > >..... Is it really as difficult as the book says? Anyone have > >any pointers or shortcuts? How Rod does it: [...] > Shortcuts? - well, you can make the creme patissiere a day or so in > advance. I guess you could make the pastry case ahead too, but I'd > worry about it losing its crispness. You really have to resign your- > self to devoting several hours to get the desired result. Uncooked pastry dough freezes very well. Roll it out into the pie tin and freeze right in the tin. For pre-cooked crust, prick the dough before freezing, then pop into the hot oven to bake straight from the freezer. For cooked-with-filling crust, fill while still frozen. Or, you can treat it like that store-bought crust that comes frozen all rolled out and folded. Roll it out and fold it into quarters (with waxed paper between layers), then freeze. To use, thaw, unfold, drape into pan, and use as normal. I once made 2 dozen pies (20 fresh strawberry, 4 filbert), and you can bet I didn't do all those pie crusts at one time. Ariel (no, not again!) Shattan ..!tektronix!orca!ariels
suze@terak.UUCP (Suzanne Barnett) (11/06/85)
> I once made 2 dozen pies (20 fresh strawberry, 4 filbert), and you > can bet I didn't do all those pie crusts at one time. > > Ariel (no, not again!) Shattan > ..!tektronix!orca!ariels Ummmmmm! Filbert pie? Sounds great! Please post a recipe?? Thanx! -- ************************************************************** Suzanne Barnett-Scott uucp: ...{decvax,ihnp4,noao,savax,seismo}!terak!suze phone: (602) 998-4800 us mail: CalComp/Sanders Display Products Division (Formerly Terak Corporation) 14151 N 76th street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260