Pecan Tart With Mexican Hot Chocolate And Creme Fraiche Ice Cream Recipes

PECAN AND CHOCOLATE TART WITH BOURBON WHIPPED CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Roll out Pâte Sucrée disk on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/8"-thick round, dusting with flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Transfer crust to tart pan; press onto bottom and up sides of pan. Trim dough flush with edge of pan. Chill for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Spread out chopped pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned and aromatic, 8-10 minutes.
• Place butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook, swirling pan a few times, until butter browns and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Discard vanilla bean.
• Whisk sugar, both corn syrups, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in warm brown butter, then eggs; whisk to blend. Spread chopped pecans in an even layer over prepared tart shell. Scatter chocolate over. Place pecan halves in concentric circles over chopped pecans and chocolate. Pour filling slowly and evenly over nuts.
• Bake tart until filling is just set in center, 45-50 minutes.
• Transfer tart to a wire rack; let cool for at least 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Tart can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Beat cream, crème fraîche, and bourbon until soft peaks form. DO AHEAD: Bourbon whipped crème fraîche can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Rewhisk before serving.
• Remove pan sides. Cut tart into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with bourbon whipped crème fraîche.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: Spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
• Blend the cookie crumbs, butter and brown sugar in a food processor until the crumbs are moist. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Cover the crust and freeze while preparing the filling. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: Combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring often. Boil 1 minute. Stir in the pecans and crema. Boil until the mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is well blended.
• Pour the hot filling into the crust. Using a spoon, evenly distribute the nuts. Bake until the filling bubbles all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool completely before serving.

CHOCOLATE CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Blend the chocolate and milk together in a blender on high until smooth; add the creme fraiche, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend again until the sugar has dissolved.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Transfer ice cream to a lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer at least 2 hours or overnight.

CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM WITH PINK PEPPERCORNS AND LEMON THYME

Steps:

• Combine milk, sugar, and lemon thyme in a saucepan. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it and allow the milk to steep for at least 30 minutes.
• Return the milk to the stove and once again bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the eggs. Once the milk reaches a simmer, temper the eggs by gradually whisking 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolks. Repeat, until half the milk has been added to the yolks. Whisk in the remaining milk then quickly pour the ice cream base through a fine strainer into a bowl set over ice.
• Chill the ice cream base thoroughly; then add the pink peppercorns. Process the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is thick, but not yet fully frozen, fold in the creme fraiche, then continue to process the ice cream. Spoon the ice cream into containers and freeze until ready to serve.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB NAPOLEONS WITH CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold the pastry sheet on your work surface. If the pastry sticks a bit, dust with some flour. Roll the dough out to about a 10-inch square. Cut the square into 4 (5-inch) squares, then cut these in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. Evenly sprinkle all the triangles with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Put the triangles, sugar-side up, on the baking sheet. Pop in the oven and bake until nicely puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half horizontally (a serrated knife is best for this job).
• Put a halved triangle on your serving plate. Spread some Strawberry-Rhubarb filling on top, stack another halved triangle and more filling on top of that and repeat to make 4 layers total. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with more sauce on the side. Scoop some Creme Fraiche Ice Cream alongside. Serve the napoleons immediately.
• Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Add the rhubarb, sugar-cornstarch mixture, orange zest and juice and half the strawberries to a saucepan. Give it a good stir. Let this mixture sit about 15 minutes off the heat so it macerates (gets nice and juicy). Then put the pan over medium-high heat and let cook until the rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape, giving it a stir now and then, about 7 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then stir in the rest of the strawberries.
• Pour the milk into a large bowl, add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
• Add the creme fraiche, the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice and the sugar. Give it a whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn as per the manufacturer's instructions, then pop in the freezer until it's firm.

CHOCOLATE PECAN TART

Steps:

• To make the crust:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to combine. Add the butter and continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water by drizzling about 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each drizzle. Stop once the dough begins to come together.
• Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper to press it together. Pat into a disk approximately 6 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to a 13 to 14-inch circle, flouring the dough and board as necessary to keep it from sticking. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it into the tart pan. Gently lift the edges to ease the dough into the corners of the pan, then push the dough down gently to be certain the dough around the sides is 1/4 inch thick. Use a paring knife to cut excess dough from the rim of the pan. If necessary, pat a bit of the dough trimmings into any thin spots. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375degreesF. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the parchment and weights, and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom of the crust and bake for an additional minute, just to melt the chocolate. Remove from the oven and use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate in an even layer. Let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Raise the oven temperature to 400degreesF.
• To make the filling:
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, swirling the pan so the caramel colors evenly. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush with a wet pastry brush. Test the color of the caramel by drizzling a few drops onto a white plate. When the color is medium to dark amber, remove from the heat. Slowly and carefully - it will bubble up - add the cream.
• Return the caramel to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes to thicken slightly, reducing the heat to medium-low if the caramel bubbles too much. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
• Place the tart shell on a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vanilla, egg, and yolk. Slowly whisk into the caramel. Stir in the melted butter, followed by the nuts and nibs, if using. Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell. The filling will come to the top of the shell. (If the crust has shrunk during baking, it may not hold all the filling.)
• Bake the tart for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375degreesF and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the filling is set.
• Let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. While still warm, move the tart in the pan to loosen the edges where the caramel has stuck, but keep it in the pan.
• Let cool completely before removing the tart ring.
• Serve each wedge of tart with a dollop of the cocoa whipped cream.
• Cocoa Whipped Cream:
• Place the cream in a chilled metal bowl or mixer bowl. With a whisk, or the whisk attachment, whip the cream until slightly frothy. Combine the sugar with the cocoa powder. Sprinkle into the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

FAVORITE CHOCOLATE-BOURBON PECAN TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12-in. circle. Press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 11-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Sprinkle with chocolate chips., Beat eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, bourbon and salt. Stir in pecans. Pour over chocolate chips. Bake until center is just set and crust is golden brown, 30-35 minutes. , Cool on a wire rack. Cut into slices. Serve with caramel topping.