A Beautiful and Delicious Valentine Treat

Okay, so I made these way prior to Valentine's Day, in order to be able to put the recipe here. But these were truly delightful, no matter when. And I had to make something beautiful to put on the pretty heart shaped plates I had just bought. And so these Cherry Custard Tarts were born.

Cherry Custard Tarts

I had also bought individual tart pans with removable bottoms, and wanted to use those, for ease of removal from the pans. As it happens, while it might seem like a lot of work, it isn't as bad as all that, and if you are making these for your beloved, it is worth a little bit of effort. 

Cherry Custard Tarts

My one and only complaint is that the custard wasn't quite as firm as I had hoped, but it was certainly firm enough to do what it needed to do - stay inside the shell. All the flavors were just perfect. Sweet, but not too sweet. The Kirsch in the custard and in the strained preserves gave just that hint of something more, without jumping out and screaming, "Taste me!" And they were pretty. They were so very pretty setting on the heart shaped plates. And I was so pleased to serve these to my husband, albeit a little prior to Valentine's Day.

I made little tart shells using my usual Never Fail Pie Pastry, but any favorite pie pastry for a 9 or 10-inch pie will work. Whenever I make this pie pastry, as it makes enough for 3 or 4 pies, I always freeze extra individual portions, so they are available whenever needed. I made these as individual tarts with a 4-inch base, but if making it in a larger, single 9 or 10-inch tart pan, you might want to use a different filling, as this one worked fine in small tarts, but would not hold to slice and serve a larger slice. 

I would have preferred to use a can of cherries in syrup, but this was not available, so instead I used a can of cherry pie filling and fished out the cherries. Looking back, this might have been for the best, as the cherries were very small, and looked much nicer on these small tarts than would larger cherries. I wanted to "glaze" the tart with strained cherry preserves with a little Kirsch, so once the cherries were in place it was drizzled over top. Once cooled, this glaze holds everything in place. And then of course, I put a pretty piped dollop of Mascarpone Whipped Cream to top it all off. 

I tried something I had never done before, when baking the tart shells. I truly hate blind baking shells, as they always shrink so much. I line the shells, fill them with beans or rice or what-have-you, and they still shrink. And they still bubble up once the foil is removed and the final baking is done. So, while watching "The Great British Baking Show," I noticed that they never trim a crust before baking. I gathered it was to prevent this kind of shrinkage, and then they trim the shell once it is finished baking. I tried this out. But, I do not believe it really prevented shrinkage. The pastry shrinks a bit, regardless of how it is placed in the pan, and if it can't shrink downwards, then the bottom shrinks upwards. This is what happened, and once I trimmed the baked shells, they all sat themselves well down, at least ⅛-inch. With little tarts, this is a significant amount. So, I am not sure it made any real difference at all.

Cherry Custard Tarts

Cherry Custard Tarts

Makes four (4-inch) tarts 

Pastry for one 9 - 10-inch pie

CUSTARD:
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons Kirsch (cherry liqueur), optional
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter in small cubes
2 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped

FOR TOPPINGS:
1 can cherries in syrup, or cherry pie filling
1 jar cherry preserves
1 tablespoon Kirsch, optional

MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM:
¼ cup whipping or heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
2 ounces mascarpone (about ¼ cup)
1 teaspoon Kirsch, optional

Milk mixture; egg yolks; cooking milk mixture; boiling the mixture

MAKE CUSTARD: In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks; set aside, but keep nearby. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, all-purpose flour and salt. Whisk in the milk until smooth and set on the stove on medium heat. Whisking constantly, allow the mixture to come to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue whisking for 3 minutes more. Leave burner on and remove the pan from the burner. 

milk into egg - whisk and repeat - egg mixture into pan - whisk thoroughly

Off the heat, add a small ladle of the hot liquid into the whisked eggs, then whisk briskly to incorporate. Repeat this twice more, then pour all the egg mixture back into the hot saucepan. Whisk, then return to the burner, whisking for about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from the burner and immediately empty the saucepan into the bowl with the butter and white chocolate. Add the vanilla and Kirsch and stir, until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover the custard with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard, to prevent a skin forming. Set aside to cool completely. If not using once cooled, refrigerate until needed.

white chocolate and butter in bowl - pour in hot mixture - add flavors - whisk and cover

MAKE TART SHELLS: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the pastry into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into an 8 or 9-inch diameter circle. Fit gently into the tart pans, pressing into all the ridges and corners without stretching and leave the overhang in place. Cut four pieces of aluminum foil and gently press into the pastry, fitting into the corners. Fill with dried beans, or rice, or other pie weights. Set the tart shells onto a baking sheet with rim and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove from oven, leaving oven on. Remove the foil and beans (rice, weights) from each shell and prick the bottoms of each tart shell, then return to the oven for 6 to 8 minutes more, until the bottoms are also golden. Remove from oven.

 

cut pastry circles - line tart pans - fit foil - add beans and bake

As soon as the shells are cool enough, with a knife trim the edges flush with the top of the tart pans. Discard the trimmings. Allow the shells to cool completely. Once cooled, divide the cooled custard between each of the shells. 

Tart shells baked; filled with custard; cherries and preserves; mascarpone whipped cream

TOPPINGS: If using cherry pie filling, remove at least 12 cherries for each of the tarts, placing the cherries all around the edges. In a small saucepan, heat about ½-cup of the cherry preserves with the tablespoon of Kirsch until just boiling. Strain the preserves through a strainer, pressing to extract as much as possible. Drizzle this heated mixture over the cherries at the edges of the tarts, then into the center, smoothing gently to cover evenly. Chill the tarts for at least an hour or two.

MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM: In a small mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the whipping cream until just set. Add the confectioners' sugar and the mascarpone cheese and beat just until all incorporated, and the mixture holds shape. Place a dollop onto each tart before serving, or pipe on with a large star tip.

Remove the rims of the tart pans, then gently slide the tart off the base and onto a plate, to serve.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Easter Ham Makover

Before delving into what I have been cooking lately, I want to take time to note that I added a new tab above. I created a page for a Recipe Index to give very easy access to all the recipes I have on my blog, as I have been blogging since October of 2012. They just would not be found unless reading through all the 1½ years of blogging. I would not want to subject anyone to that much slogging through my adventures. I will add a list of article links also. Some blogs have been very 1-subject oriented and could have interest on their own merit. So, please peruse my list of recipes under Recipe Index!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

A few days ago I created a recipe out of desperation for something different to do with leftover ham. Every single time we have ham in the house I make my Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham. My husband absolutely loves this as it has his main food groups in it: meat, potatoes and cheese. To be honest, I absolutely love this casserole also, so I cannot in truthfulness place all the credit on my husband. His sister also loves this casserole, so almost every time I make it she is over for dinner. It's a great casserole. And I will likely be making it very soon. Again.

But meanwhile, I was just casting about in my head, trying to think of some other application for leftover ham, and I thought, "how about a savory bread pudding? My husband will eat a dessert bread pudding, but he is in no way as excited about the whole bread pudding concept as I. I love bread pudding. It sits far higher in my list of dessert loves than anything chocolate ever could. When my husband and I lived in Mandeville, Louisiana, just a mile up from the Lake Ponchartrain bridge, he was still out entertaining prospective doctors for the current practice he was managing and so we ate out often in this capacity. We also ate out with some really fantastic friends quite often in many different venues. And we sometimes went down to New Orleans and ate there. I had never been in Louisiana, or in New Orleans, and was not sure what kind of food they ate there, the blanket of Creole or Cajun just covered everything. And then I discovered Gumbo. OMG! Love at first bite. Later I found that there are two kinds of Gumbo, either okra gumbo, or file gumbo. I prefer the file gumbo by a long shot. Okra has never caught my foodie attention. 

Anyway, to get to the point, the other thing I discovered in Louisiana is that bread pudding is on almost every, single dessert menu. I was in heaven! I love bread pudding. I really, really love bread pudding. I ate it everywhere while living there. 

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding

Makes about 6 servings

½ cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons bourbon, rum or brandy
5 eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch salt
3 cups heavy cream
8 ounces stale bread, in 1-inch pieces, with crusts
Bourbon (or Rum or Brandy) Sauce, recipe below

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the raisins and bourbon and heat gently until the liquid is evaporated and the raisins are plump, about 7 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, spices and salt. Stir in the cream until well blended. Toss in the torn bread and plumped raisins and stir together. Let the mixture set for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the bread to soak up the liquid. The pudding may be made ahead until this point and refrigerated for 4 hours until you are ready to bake.

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter eight 6-oz. custard cups or ramekins or one larger baking dish. Divide the bread mixture among the cups and pour any remaining custard over the top of each. Set the cups in a baking pan and add enough water to the pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups. This is more easily accomplished if the larger pan is placed in the oven first. Trying to move a large pan full of boiling water is unsafe! Bake until the puddings are browned on top and a knife inserted between the center and the edge of the pan comes out clean, about 50 minutes, or 60 for the larger casserole.

BOURBON (or Rum or Brandy) SAUCE
1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a wide saucepan, combine the cream and sugar. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat and let the mixture come slowly to a boil. Cook, boiling gently, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, (235º on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and cinnamon. Serve warm, poured over the individual puddings, or servings. 

NOTES: I have found that the extra work of the hot water bath seems not to matter! I totally forgot to do it once, and it still turned out perfect! Just watch for doneness by inserting a knife between center and edge of pan; the knife should come out clean.

If you don't like raisins - omit them. If fat-conscious this can be made with plain milk, half & half or some of both. Still great!

VARIATION: I have added in a cup of grated good quality white chocolate (with actual cocoa butter content) to the mixture, with heavenly results. If you love bread pudding, and white chocolate, this is a match made in heaven.


And that brings me back to the ham dilemma. I had never made a savory bread pudding, though I  have seen them in magazines or on TV. So I started to think about this. What would I like to taste in a savory - ham - bread pudding? Obviously there would be bread, eggs and milk with the ham. I had some blue cheese crumbles in the fridge, so I added that to the list. Some nutmeg. I thought I would try using pink peppercorns, for their very different flavor. And then I tossed in some currants. I originally was thinking of sultanas, or white raisins, but switched to currants. Now I think I might have liked the raisins more, but I will try that next time. The bread I used is some of the artisanal style bread I had made, and it gives a nice chewy bite to the casserole. I would really not recommend a plain white sandwich bread, as it would be pasty. 

Thinking about this particular casserole I realize it would also be a wonderful brunch or a breakfast casserole with a side of fruit. Here is what I did:

Ham & Blue Cheese Bread Pudding with a side salad

 

Ham & Blue Cheese Bread Pudding

Ham & Blue Cheese Bread Pudding

Serves 6

2½ cups cubed day-old bread, preferably artisanal style
2 cups milk
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
½ teaspoon pink peppercorns, crushed
1½ cups cubed ham
¾ - 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
3 scallions, chopped
¼ cup currants
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray an oven safe casserole either 9 x 1 1/2-inches round or 8 x 8-inches square.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Add the bread cubes, salt, pink peppercorns, nutmeg and ham to combine. Mix in the blue cheese, scallions and currants and then pour this mixture into the prepared casserole. In another mixing bowl, combine the fresh grated Parmesan with the panko crumbs. Add in the melted butter and toss well with fork or fingers to combine and moisten. Pour crumbs over the bread pudding and bake the casserole until a knife inserted between the center and the edge comes out clean. This could take 45 minutes or much longer. I set my casserole onto a pizza pan and I believe this may have inhibited the oven's heat from properly heating the bottom of the casserole. It took mine just a little over ah hour to bake.

To make this for breakfast, to save time, prepare the milk, bread, eggs, salt, nutmeg, peppercorns and currants or raisins the night before. Combine and cover tightly and keep refrigerated. In the morning, add in the ham and blue cheese, with the scallions, combine and pour into the casserole. The crumb topping could also be made the night before. Allow enough time for baking when getting it into the oven. 


The reason I set my casserole onto a pizza pan was because recently I have had to clean my oven three times due to spills from baking foods. I was playing it safe, but am pretty sure this altered the timing needed to bake the Ham Bread Pudding. Be careful to check between the center of the casserole and the edge, because this is a custard. If you over bake the casserole, the eggs will become mealy. The consistency should be smooth and creamy. The center of a custard should still be a little wet when it is done. Allow the casserole to set at room temperature for about 10 or 15 minutes before cutting and serving, to allow the temperature to come up and set the center. I really loved this casserole. My husband said he did also, though I am sure he is still waiting for me to get around to the Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.