Swissair Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
• With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a saute pan and fry the shallots until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove to a plate. In the same pan, fry the bacon until the fat has rendered and the lardons are crispy. Remove to the plate with the shallots. Divide the chard leaves from the ribs: chop the ribs quite small and shred the leaves. First, fry the ribs in the bacon fat until tender.
• Beat the eggs together with the creme fraiche, and season with salt, and pepper.
• In a large bowl, toss the shallots, bacon, chard stems and leaves, cheese, raisins, and pine nuts, to combine evenly. Taste, and season. Fill the tart shell with the vegetable mixture, and pour over the cream mixture. Bake until the tart has set, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven, and cool. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix flour and walnuts.
• Add butter and 2 egg yolks.
• Mix with your hands until it becomes a smooth dough.
• Divide into 14-18 pieces.
• Lightly flour your fingers and press each piece of dough over the bottom and sides of a 2"-2 1/2" fluted tart tin.
• Prick surface of dough with a fork.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
• Let cool in tins a few minutes, then remove very carefully.
• Place milk and cheese in a sauce pan and heat until cheese melts and mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Combine remaining egg yolks with cornstarch and light cream.
• Gradually add to cheese mixture and heat to just under the boiling point.
• Add salt, cool, and chill.
• Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
• Fold into the cheese mixture.
• Pipe or spoon mixture into tart shells.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Pastry: In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, rind and salt. Cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir together egg yolk and water; gradually pour into dry ingredients, stirring briskly. Add more water if necessary to form dough that holds together. Press into ball and flatten slightly. (Dough can be wrapped and chilled for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before continuing with recipe.).
• On lightly floured pastry cloth and using stockinette-covered rolling pin, roll out dough to slightly less than 1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness. Cut out sixteen 3-1/2-inch (9 cm) rounds. Ease into muffin tins, allowing 1/2 inch (1 cm) to come up sides. Prick bottom and sides. (Shells can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 1 day.) Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from tins; let cool on racks.
• Clementine Pastry Cream: Meanwhile, in heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, milk, sugar and salt. Blend in flour and bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking constantiv, until thickened and smooth. Blend in clementine juice and rind; reduce heat to low and simmer gently, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, liqueur and vanilla.
• Transfer to heatproof bowl and cover surface with buttered waxed paper; refrigerate until chilled, about I hour, or up to 1 day.
• Topping and Glaze: Spoon cream into pastry shells. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Peel clementines; with sharp knife, remove thin outer membrane and cut out segments. Transfer to sieve and let drain until serving time. Pat dry and divide among tarts. Heat marmalade until melted; strain and brush lightly over tarts.

Steps:

• Fill a cup with ice and water. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening to make pea-size pieces. Add the tablespoons of ice water from the cup until dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball. The dough is now complete. Put it into a plastic bag or wrap it up and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Cut the shells using a large glass or your smallest pot. You should have about 12 shells when finished. Put these shells into a greased muffin or tart pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
• Put walnuts and coconut on baking pan and roast for 5-10 minutes, until brown. Remove from oven and set temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Fill the bottom of each tart shell with about 10 raisins each.
• Whisk together sugar, egg, butter, vanilla and hot water. Add coconut and walnuts. Pour mixture into tart shells, filling 2/3 full and no more.
• Bake in 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before attempting to remove. Makes 12 tarts.