Alex's Egg Custard Tarts

Ingredients

1 recipe pate-sablee-french-shortcrust
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp (80g) white sugar
1/3 cup (150g) warm water
2/3 cup (75g) evaporated milk
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla

top with mandarin oranges

Preheat oven to 400° F and position rack in lower third of oven.

Completely dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Roll out the pastry dough to 12 x 12 inches and cut out 9 circles using a 4 inch cookie cutter. Gently press onto tart tins or ramekins and place on baking sheet.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, evaporated milk and vanilla together. Stir in the room temperature sugar solution. Strain the egg mixture into a large measuring cup through a fine sieve. Carefully pour into tart shells, filling to just below the rim.

Bake at 400° F for 10-15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown. Please keep an eye on the tarts as they are baking. As soon as the custard starts to puff, you need to open the oven door 2-3 inches to prevent the filling from puffing up too much and collapsing when cooled. (Alex found this wasn't necessary.)

Once the edges start to brown, reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the custard is done. You can test the filling by inserting a toothpick into the custard, if it can stand on its own, it’s done.

Linne Tart & Pastry Crust

This is a fantastic, buttery crust.  Not quite suitable for quiche's, but great for a tart or pie.  Not flaky, more granular, shortbread-like.

Ingredients

1 cups (130 g) all purpose flour
1 small egg
1/2 tsp. salt (skip if using salted butter)
1 tsp. sugar (for sweet recipes, otherwise skip)
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup (~60 ml) sour cream (full fat, NOT light sour cream)

Method

Oven @ 350° F.  It doesn't need pre-baking and works fine baking all at once.  Put all the ingredients for the crust into a bowl and mix with a pastry blender until you have a firm, doughy consistency.  You can chill for 20 minutes, but its not really necessary.  Roll out and press into either a 10 inch spring-form cake pan or a equal sized tart pan.  If you use smaller than 10 inches, you'll get a thicker crust.

Linne Butter Tart

Ingredients

Pastry crust

Filling

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 egg
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp flour

Top with pitted cherries, or nuts, raisins, etc.

Method

Cream butter and sugar and salt, blend in the egg, sour cream and sift in the flour.

Bake at 375° F for 24 minutes.  

Linne Krum Kaka

These are Norwegian cookies similar to pizelles.  This recipe will be difficult to make without a Krum Kaka iron.

2 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1 c. mik
3/4 c. melted butter
1 tsp vanilla/maple extract
1 tsp cardamon, ground
1 1/2 c. flour

Blend the eggs with the sugar.  Add the butter, cardamon, vanilla/maple, and the flour.  Mix into thick dough, gradually blend in the milk until the batter it goopy but will pour slowly from a spoon. 

Spray the iron with non-stick spray.  Place over stove burner on med-low.  Once it's very hot, use a tbsp to drop batter into center of the iron, close it up and cook for 30-35 seconds per side.  Open iron and use a fork to lift the Krum Kaka iron.

Krum Kaka cool and harden very fast.  The best way to shape it is to place the Krum Kaka on a piece of paper towel (it's very hot) and roll it into an ice-cream cone shape.  You'll start to feel it harden as you shape it. 

Fill the Krum Kaka cones with whipped cream. 

Gooey Butter Cake

1 pkg Dromedary pound cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
3 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans

Oven @ 350°F
Blend well cake mix, butter and 2 eggs.  Spread evenly in greased (not floured) 13x9 pan.  Beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Add the other 2 eggs & vanilla and continue to beat.  Gradually add 3 c. powdered sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Spread over the batter in the pan.  Sprinkle nuts on top.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Cool 20 minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Eric Linne's Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Crust
1 c. flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
5 tbsp cold butter

Filling
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla

Procedure
Oven at 350 F
Cut in butter to dry ingredients.

Press into a 8x8" pan.
Bake 15 min
For filling, mix all together, scrape/pour into the baked crust.

bake for 25 min or more til firm.

Eric normally makes a triple batch and used a 13x9 pan.  The bake time for the filling increases to ~60 min.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

1/2 large onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 c. pureed pie pumpkin
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 c. half-and-half
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning, or to taste
pasta


Fry onion and garlic in butter until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir pumpkin puree, chicken broth, half-and-half, sour cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper, stirring often, until sauce is creamy and thick, about 5 minutes.

Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.