Maple Nut Tart With A Chocolate Whiskey Mousse Recipes

MAPLE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Beat the yolks together with the brown sugar in a glass or metal bowl. Add the maple syrup, set over a water bath, and cook, whisking, until the mixture reaches custard consistency and coats a spoon, about 15 minutes. It should be quite thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Set aside to cool completely. This is important: if the mixture is warm it will deflate the egg whites.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to peaks. In another bowl, do the same with the heavy cream. Fold them alternately into the custard mixture. Turn the mixture into a serving bowl. Cover, and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Or, alternatively, you could pipe the mousse into parfait glasses and chill.

MAPLE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Whip the cream with the scrapings from the vanilla bean until stiff and chill. In a small saucepan, boil the maple syrup to soft ball stage or 238 degrees on a candy thermometer. (Because there is such a small amount of maple syrup, measuring the temperature with a thermometer may be difficult. In this case, a good way to tell if the syrup is ready is to dip a spoon into the boiling maple syrup then put a drop into a cup of ice water. If the syrup dissolves it?s not ready. If it holds its shape and is slightly pliable between your thumb and finger, it's ready.)
• Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it sponge. Place the whites in a clean dry bowl and, using a whip attachment, whip until almost stiff. Hold them with the whip turning on low until the maple syrup is up to temperature. When the syrup is ready, take it off the stove and, with the mixer on high, drizzle it down the wall of the mixing bowl into the whites. Warm the sponged gelatin in the microwave and drizzle it into the whites as well. Continue whipping until the meringue is cooled. Fold in the whipped cream and pipe or spoon the mousse into dessert glasses and chill for 1 hour or until set.

HONEY SALTED MIXED NUT TART

Steps:

• Cube 8 tablespoons of the butter and place it in the freezer until it is very cold and almost frozen, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pulse the flour, 1/2 cup of the mixed nuts, 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Pulse in the cold cubed butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pulse in 2 tablespoons ice-cold water until the dough holds together when squeezed. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap (it will still be quite crumbly), form into a disk, cover in the plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Put the dough in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Use a fork to dock the bottom of the tart. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges of the crust begin turning golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is lightly brown and dry to the touch, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• While the crust bakes, make the filling: Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, honey and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and, stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (If the crust has cooled, return it to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.) Whisk the vanilla extract and beaten eggs into the filling until smooth. Arrange the remaining nuts (about 2 1/2 cups) in a flat layer in the tart shell and pour the filling over top.
• Bake until the edges are set but the center is still slightly loose, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

MAPLE BUTTERMILK TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Pour the flour, cornmeal, sugars and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process to combine. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse with the dry mixture to coat, and then continue pulsing until cool and almost sandy, about eight 3-second pulses. Drizzle the yolk over the top, and pulse again until the ingredients are moist and barely starting to clump, about another 8 pulses. The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it in your palm. If not, add 1 teaspoon of cold water and pulse briefly.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Smear out the dough across the work surface using the heel of your hand until it begins to come together. Gather the dough back together and shape it into a disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
• Let the dough warm up slightly before rolling it out (if you roll it while it is cold, it will crack). Roll the dough on a lightly-floured work surface with a rolling pin into a 1/8 to 3/16-inch-thick circles, 10 to 11 inches in diameter. Fit the dough into an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Don't worry if it cracks a bit; you can patch it with some of the trimmings. Press the dough firmly into the bottom of the pan where it meets the sides, and then roll the rolling pin across the pan to cut off the overhang. Press the dough firmly against the sides of the pan and back up to the top using your fingers (sometimes the rolling pin pushes the dough down the sides of the pan a bit). Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position the rack on the lowest rung of the oven and put a baking sheet on top. Line the chilled crust with a 10-inch coffee filter and weight it down with dried beans or rice. Place on the hot baking sheet and bake until the sides begin to turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the shell from the oven, carefully remove the beans and filter and then return to the oven until completely golden brown and baked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Let cool before adding the filling, about 10 minutes.
• For the filling: Pulse the maple sugar, flour and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine, and then add the buttermilk and vanilla and pulse to combine again. Add the eggs and pulse until just combined-don't over-mix. Strain into the tart shell. Bake the tart until the sides are set (they may puff slightly) and the middle still jiggles slightly when you tap the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with cookies as desired.

FROZEN MAPLE MOUSSE PIE WITH CHOCOLATE-MAPLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix crumbs with 1/4 cup maple sugar, the salt and the butter. Press into bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie plate. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake chilled crust 10 minutes, cool to room temperature, then place in freezer.
• Beat egg whites until frothy. Place all but a tablespoon of remaining maple sugar in a saucepan, add 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil and cook until mixture is 237 degrees on a candy thermometer. Continue beating egg whites until softly peaked. Then, beating all the while, drizzle in all the maple sugar mixture and beat until egg whites are firm and glossy. Beat in 4 tablespoons maple syrup. Refrigerate.
• Whip cream until stiff. Fold into egg white mixture. Refrigerate separately until cookie crust is cold. Spoon mousse in prepared cookie crust, smooth top and freeze 4 hours. When frozen, cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
• Melt chocolate on low heat. Whisk in remaining maple syrup and vanilla. Place in a container, cover and refrigerate.
• Do not thaw pie for serving. Dust top with remaining tablespoon maple sugar and serve. Spoon some chocolate sauce over each portion.

MAPLE-NUT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured piece of waxed or parchment paper, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully fit into a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan, gently lowering dough into bottom and sides of pan without stretching. Roll rolling pin over edge of tart pan to cut off excess dough (discard excess); set tart shell aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and salt; whisk in maple syrup. Add nuts, and mix filling to combine. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet, and pour in filling. Bake tart until filling is set and crust is slightly golden, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Remove tart from pan before serving.

MAPLE MOUSSE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat 3/4 cup syrup just until it simmers. Reduce heat to low. Whisk a small amount of hot syrup into egg yolks; return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and reaches 160°. Transfer to a large bowl; set bowl in ice water and stir for 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature. , In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the syrup mixture. Spoon into dessert dishes. Chill for at least 2 hours. If desired, top with additional whipped cream. Just before serving, drizzle with remaining syrup and sprinkle with hazelnuts.