Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée Tarts

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée Tarts

Crème Brûlée is everyone’s favourite dessert. And what’s not to love about it? Hearing the sugar crack when you plunge your spoon through the caramelized toffee on top is sheer bliss. The silky smooth custard, the hint of real vanilla; these are all things that make crème brûlée a classic that you shouldn’t really mess with. Which is exactly why I’m about to change it! I have a killer crème brûlée recipe but have always felt the dessert needs short, buttery pastry to complete it – so I encased the custard filling in it to make tarts. The result is pure heaven!  Find the recipe below…

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée Tarts

Serves 4

 
SWEET PASTRY
 
250g cake flour
 
 
120g salted butter, coarsely chopped
 
3 large egg yolks  

FILLING

185ml fresh cream

1 x The Kate Tin Gourmet Vanilla Bean, split

2 large egg yolks

40g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar + extra, to top

    For the pastry, blitz the cake flour and icing sugar in a food processor to combine, then add the butter and continue blitzing until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the 3 egg yolks and blitz until just combined. Tip out the pastry onto a clean work surface and bring the pastry together with your hands to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180C (or 160C for fan-assisted ovens). Roll out the pastry on a lightly flour-dusted work surface to 0,5cm thickness and line 4 fluted, loose-bottomed tart tins (10cm-diameters) with the pastry. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and refrigerate to rest, 1 hour. Once the pastry case has chilled, line it with baking paper, fill with baking beans or pulses, and blind-bake in the preheated oven, 8 –10 minutes, until crisp and light brown and crispy. Remove from oven, take out the baking beans and discard the baking paper used for the blind baking. Return the pastry case to the oven to bake, a further 8 –10 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. For the brûlée, lower the oven temperature to 140C (120C for fan-assisted ovens). In a small saucepan, heat the fresh cream along with the split vanilla pod and seeds to just below boiling point. Cream the 2 egg yolks and castor sugar together in a medium bowl. In a steady stream, pour the warm vanilla cream into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Strain the mixture through a sieve, discard the bits and divide the filling among the baked pastry cases. Bake, 35 – 40 minutes, until set and the centre wobbles slightly. Remove the tartlets from their tins and allow to cool down to room temperature. Store the tartlets in the fridge until needed. They can keep for 2 days in the fridge. Sprinkle a layer of sugar over each tartlet and brûlée them, using a kitchen blowtorch.

    TIP: If a kitchen blowtorch is not available, preheat the oven’s grill and place the tartlets underneath the grill for a couple of seconds to caramelise.

     

    Chocolate Silk Tart with Coffee Meringue

    Chocolate Silk Tart with Coffee Meringue

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    From the buttery bitter chocolate pastry to the velvety smooth chocolate filling and torched pillowy meringue, every mouthful of this tart is pure heaven! 

    SPONSORED

    Today is World Chocolate Day but you know I don’t need a day to celebrate that – I celebrate it all year round! I’ll never pass up an excuse to indulge, though so it seems like a good enough occasion to share this incredible dessert which I’ve created using the delicious Nutriday Double Cream Yoghurt!

    I absolutely love including yoghurt into my baking as it adds a nice tang to desserts which balances out the sweetness (you know how I love my not-too-sweet desserts!). Chocolate and yoghurt are a match made in heaven for this exact reason – the one provides sweetness and bitterness and the other acidity and creaminess. Let’s start with the base: I made a rich, buttery chocolate pastry and instead of ice water, I’ve used the Nutriday Double Cream yoghurt – the acidity helps keep the pastry nice and short. It’s a stroke of genius if I do say so myself. I’m pretty sure I’ll never make pastry any other way again! 

    The chocolate silk filling is a baked chocolate ganache, enriched with cream, double cream yoghurt and eggs. When baked in the oven, it sets to a slight wobble which gives you a silky smooth chocolate truffley texture that melts in your mouth! The key is to not over bake it – the filling will go from shiny to matte and wobble like jelly. That’s when you know it’s ready. 

    And then there’s the crowning glory – the coffee meringue. *Sigh!* With a texture like marshmallow, you might want to make extra to make up for the amount you’ll eat… I’ve blowtorched the top of mine because I love playing with fire, but you could totally put the pie under a preheated grill set to the highest setting and let it toast that way. 

    If you’d like to see how I made this baby, you can follow me over on Instagram – I often do step-by-step baking on my Insta Stories and it’s a great way to learn some of the techniques you need to master to perfect your bakes. Happy World Chocolate Day, everyone! 

    Chocolate Silk Tart with Coffee Meringue
    Serves 8
    Print
    0 calories
    0 g
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    Nutrition Facts
    Serving Size
    0g
    Servings
    8
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 0
    Calories from Fat 0
    % Daily Value *
    Total Fat 0g
    0%
    Saturated Fat 0g
    0%
    Trans Fat 0g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0g
    Cholesterol 0mg
    0%
    Sodium 0mg
    0%
    Total Carbohydrates 0g
    0%
    Dietary Fiber 0g
    0%
    Sugars 0g
    Protein 0g
    Vitamin A
    0%
    Vitamin C
    0%
    Calcium
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    Iron
    0%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
    Chocolate pastry
    1. 50g cocoa powder
    2. 400g cake flour, plus extra for dusting
    3. 250g salted butter, chilled and cubed
    4. 130g icing sugar
    5. 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
    6. 60ml NutriDay Double Cream Yoghurt
    Silky Yoghurt Chocolate Filling
    1. 60g butter
    2. 125ml cream
    3. 240g dark chocolate, chopped finely
    4. 50g caster sugar
    5. 125ml NutriDay Double Cream Yoghurt
    6. 2 large eggs
    Coffee Meringue
    1. 3 large egg whites
    2. 160g caster sugar
    3. 2 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
    Instructions
    1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (or 160 °C for fan-forced). Grease a 24-cm round springform tart tin and place it on a standard baking tray.
    2. To make the pastry, place the cocoa, flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the egg yolks and yoghurt to form a dough. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll the pastry out to 5 mm thick and line the prepared tart tin, allowing the pastry to roughly hang over the sides (we’ll trim it later), and prick the base with a fork.
    3. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes, then blind bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until crisp.
    4. To make the filling, bring the butter and cream to the boil and immediately pour over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 2-3 minutes then stir until smooth. Allow to cool until lukewarm then whisk in the caster sugar, yoghurt and eggs.
    5. Pour into the cooled tart case and bake for 12 minutes. Allow the tart to cool in the pan slightly, trim the pastry edges with a sharp knife and allow to cool completely in the refrigerator.
    6. Just before serving, make the coffee meringue, place egg whites, instant coffee and sugar in a heatproof stand mixer bowl. Place over a saucepan of gently simmering water and stir with a whisk until sugar dissolves and egg mixture is hot. Remove from heat. Whisk to stiff peaks until cool. Pile the meringue on top of the chocolate tart and use a blowtorch to caramelise the top of the meringue. Serve immediately.
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    The Kate Tin https://thekatetin.com/

    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart with Figs

    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart with Figs

    This Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart with Figs is topped off with edible flowers to create a show-stopping dessert that is bang on trend. 

    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart

    Say hello to your new favourite tea-time-or-anytime treat; this sparkling wine buttercream tart laden with figs and flowers. But this isn’t just any tart, this tart is completely customisable and can be turned into whatever shape/size/flavour you want. So, when Food & Home Entertaining challenged me to make my own version, I knew it would have to be a little fancier than an everyday tart. And by fancy, we all know I mean there’s a little bubbly in it!

    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart

    If you’re not a big fan of cake, or you’re feeling slightly daring this sparkling wine buttercream tart is the perfect alternative. It’s layered, there’s frosting, it’s got toppings and above all, it’s as tasty as it looks!

    The best part of this dessert that it’s completely up to you how you want to make it. Make the biscuits chocolate flavoured or fill it with your favourite raspberry buttercream or even chocolate mousse, top it off with macarons or berries – you have complete control here! You can create any shape you want; cut the biscuits into a number for a birthday or create a monogram for an anniversary. Or just make a heart for one because you’re worth baking for too! 

    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart

    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart with Figs and Flowers
    Serves 4
    Print
    Prep Time
    40 min
    Cook Time
    20 min
    Total Time
    1 hr
    Prep Time
    40 min
    Cook Time
    20 min
    Total Time
    1 hr
    10064 calories
    1082 g
    2590 g
    591 g
    78 g
    365 g
    2466 g
    2066 g
    679 g
    23 g
    184 g
    Nutrition Facts
    Serving Size
    2466g
    Servings
    4
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 10064
    Calories from Fat 5203
    % Daily Value *
    Total Fat 591g
    910%
    Saturated Fat 365g
    1824%
    Trans Fat 23g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 27g
    Monounsaturated Fat 157g
    Cholesterol 2590mg
    863%
    Sodium 2066mg
    86%
    Total Carbohydrates 1082g
    361%
    Dietary Fiber 10g
    39%
    Sugars 679g
    Protein 78g
    Vitamin A
    375%
    Vitamin C
    1%
    Calcium
    42%
    Iron
    230%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
    Ingredients
    1. SWEET PASTRY
    2. 500g (2 cups) cake flour
    3. 120g icing sugar, sifted
    4. 240g salted butter, cubed
    5. 6 large egg yolks
    6. SPARKLING WINE BUTTERCREAM
    7. 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
    8. 550g white sugar
    9. 180ml (3/4 cup) sparkling wine
    10. 450g unsalted butter, at room temperature
    11. 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
    12. Small fresh figs, to decorate
    13. Edible flowers, to decorate
    Instructions
    1. For the pastry, place the flour and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and process until the dough just comes together. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring pastry together with the heel of your hand. Divide into 2 discs then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
    2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C if you’re using a fan-forced oven). Grease 2 large baking sheets and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, working with one disc of pastry at a time, roll the pastry out onto a large sheet of baking paper 5mm thick, then cut each into a medium-sized heart –12x 12cm wide. Cut out the centre of each heart so you’re left with a 2cm border. Bake the pastry hearts in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start turning golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
    3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Combine the sugar and sparkling wine in a medium-sized pot and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely. Increase the heat and bring the syrup to the boil. Stop stirring and attach a sugar thermometer to the pot (if any sugar crystals have washed up on the sides, brush them away using a pastry brush dipped in cool water). Continue to cook the syrup until it reaches 115° C (final desired temperature). As soon as the sugar syrup hits 110°C, begin whipping the egg whites on medium-high speed. The goal is to have the egg whites at soft peaks when the sugar reaches the 115° C. With the mixer running, add the sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream down the side of the mixing bowl. Continue to whip on high speed until the mixture reaches stiff peaks and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. The meringue should be smooth and glossy. With the mixer still running, gradually add room temperature butter in chunks. Continue adding and mixing until all of the butter is incorporated and the buttercream is light and smooth. Beat in the vanilla and mix to combine. Place the buttercream in a piping bag with a straight nozzle.
    4. To assemble the tart, pipe blobs of buttercream on the first pastry heart to cover the surface area, then top with the second pastry heart. Repeat with the remaining two pastry layers so you have 4 in total. Decorate the top with more buttercream then arrange quartered fresh figs and edible flowers on top. Serve immediately.
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    The Kate Tin https://thekatetin.com/
    Sparkling Wine Buttercream Tart with Figs

    Peppermint Crisp Tart Nut-Free Macarons

    Peppermint Crisp Tart Nut-Free Macarons

    These macarons are made with desiccated coconut instead of almonds making them the perfect nut-free alterantive to traditional macarons. These ones are filled with caramel buttercream and shards of peppermint crisp chocolate.

    #SPONSORED

    It’s World Baking Day on the 17 May, which is basically like Christmas for me, so if you love baking as much as I do then you’re going to want to bake up a serious storm! But what’s a day dedicated to baking without a challenge, right? There’s nothing more challenging to bake than a macaron. They’re infuriatingly tricky but there is nothing more rewarding than getting them right. And it does take practice – take it from these pastry chefs, they’d know!

    Macarons can be pricey to make (I don’t need to tell you that ground almonds and butter cost a kidney, guys) so I’ve developed a recipe which is MUCH more affordable but delivers on flavour and texture! I’ve developed this macaron recipe uses ground up desiccated coconut to replace the almonds and it works like a bomb. Sandwich that together with a luscious buttercream made with Stork Bake and caramel, roll it in shards of peppermint crisp and you’ve got an ode to our good old peppermint crisp tart that’s fancy and champions one of our local desserts. Win-win!

    Remember that list of baking essentials I posted the other day? If you head over to Stork Bake’s Facebook page they’re giving away a R500 Yuppiechef voucher every day and on World Baking Day, you could WIN the grand prize of a R3000 Yuppiechef voucher and a brand new Kenwood Mixer! That’s plenty of cash to stock up on all the baking gadgets your heart desires! If you decide to make these macarons, please share your pictures with me on social media! You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Happy baking!

    Caramel Peppermint Crisp Tart Macarons

    Makes: 24

     

    COCONUT MACARONS

    165g desiccated coconut

    165g icing sugar

    pinch of salt

    115g egg whites (from about 4 large eggs)

    ½ tsp cream of tartar

    150g white sugar

    60g water

    few drops brown gel food colouring

     

    CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

    150g Stork Bake, softened

    150g icing sugar, sifted

    150g tinned caramel (or you can make your own with this recipe)

    200g peppermint crisp chocolate, crushed

     

    Line 2 x baking trays with baking paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the desiccated coconut, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until fine. Sift the mixture twice and pulse any remaining lumps until they pass through the sieve. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with the cream of tartar. Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Simmer until the syrup reaches 113 degrees Celsius on a sugar thermometer. Start whisking the egg whites until they reach soft peak stage then pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites in a steady stream. Continue whisking until the meringue is thick, glossy and still warm to the touch. Fold the coconut icing sugar mix into the meringue in two parts, using a metal spoon, taking care not to knock the air out. Keep folding until the batter is glossy and forms a thick ribbon when dropped off the spoon (to test, drop a blob on the baking tray and tap 3 times – it should spread nicely). Place in a piping bag and pipe 5 cm rounds, leaving enough room for spreading. Tap the baking tray firmly on the work surface 3 times to remove the bubbles and for the macarons to spread slightly. Allow to sit at room temperature for 45-55 minutes or until the surface of the macaron no longer feels tacky to the touch (it shouldn’t stick to your finger). Preheat the oven to 95 degrees Celsius fan-forced (105 degrees conventional). When the oven is ready, place one tray of macarons in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes then immediately increase the temperature to 175 degrees fan-forced (185 degrees conventional) and bake for 9 minutes. They are ready when the feet feel firm and the shells just come off the baking paper if you lift them. Allow to cool completely.

    To make the buttercream, whip the Stork bake and icing sugar until light and fluffy then whip in the tinned caramel. Place in a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe the buttercream on one macaron then sprinkle with the peppermint crisp and sandwich together. Refrigerate overnight then allow to come to room temperature before serving.

    NOTE Macarons are best eaten the day after assembling as they become chewy.

    Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Tart with Pineapple Blossoms

    Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Tart with Pineapple Blossoms

    #SPONSORED

    Pineapple Coconut Macaroon tart with Pineapple Blossoms

    This Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Tart has a fragrant, tropical filling and a clever base made of coconut macaroon mix means you can line the tart without blind baking or rolling out pastry! The pineapple blossoms are easier to make than you think!

    Pineapple Macaroon Tart with Pineapple Blossoms

    Pineapple Tart reminds me of my summer. Of hot sunny days spent playing outside before being yelled at by my mother to come inside ‘before you get burnt to a crisp’. It wasn’t the UV rays that convinced me though – it was what was waiting on a side plate on the kitchen counter. A slice of, what in our house was dubbed, ‘Summer Pie’. The ‘pie’, which was more like a fridge tart really, consisted of whipped cream, condensed milk, pineapple jelly, crushed tinned pineapple all layered with coconut tea biscuits. Served ice cold, it tasted of sunshine and school holidays – bliss!

    Pineapple

    The moment my friends over at Natura Sugars asked me to create a recipe inspired by their beautiful Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar, one look at the bright yellow bag instantly reminded me of my mom’s pineapple tart (Summer Pie). So I’ve made a slightly more sophisticated, grown-up version with a clever shortcut instead of the usual pastry tart case: coconut macaroons!

    Pineapple blossoms with Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

    The Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar is perfect for the pineapple coconut macaroon tart filling – not only because the fine crystals dissolve easily, but it’s crafted in tropical Mauritius (how fitting!) I’ve also used it in the coconut crust as it lends a lovely subtle caramel flavour. Serve this pineapple tart straight out the fridge, ice cold with a scoop of ice cream and you’ll have absolutely no doubt why it’s called Summer Pie!

    PINEAPPLE COCONUT MACAROON TART WITH PINEAPPLE BLOSSOMS

    Serves 8-10

     

    COCONUT MACAROON CRUST

    2 cups (160g) desiccated coconut

    2 egg whites

    1/4 cup (55g) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

     

    PINEAPPLE FILLING

    1 small pineapple, peeled

    1 cup (250ml) cream (you could use coconut cream, if you like)

    2 eggs

    3 egg yolks

    ½ cup (110g) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

    ½ cup (125ml) pineapple juice

    zest and juice of 1 lime

    few drops yellow food colouring

     

    MERINGUE TOPPING

    1 egg white

    1/4 cup (60ml) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

     

    To make the pineapple coconut macaroon tart, preheat oven to 140°C (120°C fan-forced). Grease 1 large loose-bottomed 25cm tart tin. Place the coconut, egg whites and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Press mixture firmly into the base and sides of the tart tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just golden. Thinly slice the pineapple and set aside on a lined baking sheet. Place the pineapple slices in an oven preheated to 100°C (80°C fan-forced) for 1 hour or until dried. While still warm, press the pineapple blossoms into a muffin tray for form flower shapes. Allow to cool completely. To make the filling, whisk the cream, eggs, sugar, pineapple juice and colouring together. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and carefully pour the filling into the baked tart shell. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool at room temperature before refrigerating until completely set. To make the topping, whisk the egg white unti soft peak stage then gradually add the sugar to form a glossy meringue. Pile on top of the set tart and toast with a blowtorch (or preheat our oven’s grill to it’s highest setting). Decorate the tart with the pineapple blossoms.

    Watch the video below for the full instructions:

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kHklX-iSYB4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Triple Chocolate Tart with Sea Salt

    Triple Chocolate Tart with Sea Salt

    My grandmother always told me to eat my beans, she never said I could have them in cocoa form! And just to be safe, I’ll have 3 kinds of ‘vegetables’, you know, for a balanced diet 😉 While you’d maybe think it’s strange to combine salt and chocolate – they are a match made in heaven. The sweet white chocolate, creamy milk chocolate and bitter dark chocolate combined with the sea salt is just sublime. And the best part? You get to go all Jackson Pollock on it afterwards!

    TRIPLE CHOCOLATE TART WITH SEA SALT

    Makes 1 large tart

     

    Chocolate pastry

    ¼ cup The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder, plus extra for dusting

    200g cake flour

    125g butter, chilled and cubed

    ½ cup icing sugar

    3 egg yolks

    2 tbsp ice cold water

     

    Filling

    300ml cream

    105g butter

    100g each The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, Milk Baking Chocolate and White Baking Chocolate (300g in total), chopped, plus extra to decorate 

    Pinch of sea salt

     

    Place the cocoa, flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the egg yolks and just enough water to form a dough. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll the pastry out to 5mm thick and line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin, allow the pastry to roughly hang over the sides (we’ll trim it later) and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes then bake blind* at 180C for 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crisp. Trim the pastry edges with a sharp knife and allow to cool. Place the dark, milk and white chocolate each into a medium bowl. Place the cream and butter in a saucepan and heat until just below boiling point. Pour 135g of cream/butter mixture into each type of chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes to melt. Stir until smooth. Pour the dark chocolate into the pastry case and place in the fridge to set. Once firm, pour over the milk chocolate and set again before pouring over the white chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set completely. Decorate with extra chocolate, if desired and sprinkle with sea salt.

     

     

     

    TIP *Baking blind refers to the process of placing baking paper inside the lined tart tin the filling the tart with baking beads, beans or rice to weigh it down and prevent the pastry from puffing up.