Martha Stewart loves tarts and so do we. Together we dreamed up this contest to celebrate her New Pies & Tarts Cookbook...
These are not your usual contests. We have a slightly nutty system but it works. Together, the Food52 community has created two cookbooks this way -- there’s no stopping us now. Read about it
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The tart ingredients: tangerine, almonds, heavy cream, flour, brown sugar, honey, sugar and confectioners' sugar.
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Tangerines are just the funniest, aren't they?
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The juice from the tangerines was so fresh and vibrant -- it took all our willpower to save it for the tart.
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A brief pause to replenish the kosher salt.
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To make the dough, you first combine the dry ingredients in the food processor.
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And then add a stick and a half of cold butter, in pieces.
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The tangerine zest goes in now too.
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Instead of ice water, lorigoldsby has you use some of the tangerine juice to moisten the dough. Brilliant!
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It's always a good idea to pinch the dough to make sure it's coming together properly.
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We love any dough that you can press into the pan!
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This rolling pin trick ensures smooth, even edges.
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See the flecks of tangerine zest peeking out of the dough?
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While the dough chilled, it was time to make the caramel: we combined sugar, brown sugar, honey and a little more tangerine juice in a heavy saucepan and set it on the stove to melt and caramelize.
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A little heavy cream...
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As the caramel simmered and became thick, we toasted 3 cups of slivered almonds.
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We coated the almonds in the caramel -- it seems like a lot of nuts, but it ends up being just the right amount to fill the tart.
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Amanda spread the nuts and caramel into the crust while they were still warm.
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Once the tart is baked, it looks like this!
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Simple ingredients with a couple smart twists: semolina, butter, whole milk, all-purpose flour, sugar, egg, Madeira (we used Rainwater and it was lovely).
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First thing (preferably the night before) get your custard going. Scald your milk, just till bubbles appear at the edges. Don't let it boil!
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Beat yourself some eggs, with sugar and salt. Thirschfeld is a fan of duck eggs, but chicken works too.
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The magic ingredient: Madeira, which gets added in with beaten egg, sugar and salt. You could substitute a dry port or sherry.
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Grab a buddy to whisk furiously while you drizzle in some scalded milk. Don't rush this -- you don't want scrambled eggs, do you?
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Amanda dips and sweeps the flour -- our standard measurement technique -- while Merrill prepares thirschfeld's "two-finger pinch" of salt.
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One of thirschfeld's thoughtful details: adding semolina to the crust gives it a delicious, subtle crunch.
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The semolina's toothy texture, so helpful in pasta-making, also plays nicely off of the all-purpose flour and sugar.
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Unlike a pate brisee, the butter doesn't need to be ice cold here. Thirschfeld makes it easy on us by calling for softened butter...
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... which you get to just mash in with a wooden spoon (fun!).
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(Smash, smash.)
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... or your hands (even more fun!). You're going for an evenly incorporated, couscous-like texture.
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It should hold together when you scrunch it in your hand.
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Then you just press it into the tart pan -- no rolling or delicate transferring.
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First use the surface of your whole hand to jump-start the process.
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Then pinch it up the sides.
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And nudge it into the corners.
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Then toss it into the oven to par-bake for 20 minutes. You may want to stab the bottom a few times with a fork so it doesn't puff, but no need to fill with baking beans -- the semolina helps it stand tall.
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Voila! Lightly browned and (once it cools) ready for some custard.
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Pouring your well-chilled custard through a strainer is the ultimate test of how well you've made your custard -- it'll catch any scrambled bits.
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Good on us! No bits. To the oven!
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Dive in!
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