Fabulous Fruit Tart

Heart Fruit Tart

This Fabulous Fruit Tart looks and tastes anything but simple, yet it is so easy to make that it has become my new go-to dessert when company is coming.

If you’re like me, the thought of pie crust that doesn’t come out of a package is daunting.  But this is the simplest crust I have ever made, and it has a yummy, buttery cookie flavor.  I got the crust recipe from chowhound.com.

The filling is a light, sweet pastry cream like used in cream puffs, yet thanks to Thomas Joseph of Kitchen Conundrums on the Martha Stewart channel, I now know how simple it can be.  Below are my directions, but I recommend you watch his video:  http://www.marthastewart.com/1084932/no-fuss-pastry-cream

CRUST:

  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  1. Stir together melted butter, sugar, and salt.  Add the flour and stir just until combined into a soft dough.
  2. Put the dough in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan (I think fingers work best, but you could use a measuring cup).
  3. Cover the tart shell with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  4. Once chilled, use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust and bake at 350°F until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
    Tart Crust
  5. Cool completely and fill with cream before removing from the pan.

PASTRY CREAM:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan to be sure there are no lumps.
    Sugar & Cornstarch
  2. Whisk together milk and egg yolks in large measuring cup or pour-spout bowl.
    Whisk egg yolks and milk
  3. Add milk/egg mixture and butter to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly.  Cook until it comes to a rolling boil and let cook 1 minute more.
    Cooking pastry cream
  4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
    Vanilla
  5. Pour pastry cream into a sieve over a large bowl, scraping the sieve with a spatula.  (This just catches any little bits of egg that might have congealed.)
    Sieve 1  Sieve 2
  6. Cover with plastic wrap being sure to press it directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.  Refrigerate at least two hours, and up to two days.
    Pastry Cream

MAKING THE TART:

  • Fresh fruit, sliced
  • Powdered sugar
  1. Whisk the chilled pastry cream and pour it into the baked tart crust, spreading it smoothly to the edges.
  2. Lay out fruit slices randomly or in a pattern.
  3. Dust with powdered sugar.
    Fruit Tarts for Peace

Mini BLT Cups

Mini BLTs

For a simple and fun hors d’ouevre, these Mini BLT Cups do the trick. They also fit in well with a ketogenic or paleo diet.

The ingredients are B—bacon, L—lettuce, and T—tomato, of course. But you also want to include some type of creamy dressing:
mayonnaise, aioli, chipotle mayonnaise, Ranch dressing, etc. I settled on cream cheese and was very happy with that choice.

TIP: Get the largest cherry tomatoes you can find. They still need to be small enough to be a single bite, but if they are too small, they are tough to hollow out and stuff.

 BLTs--ingredients

 

Chicken Cauliflower Casserole

Chicken Cauliflower Casserole

This Cauliflower Casserole was a big hit with my brunch guests while helping me to stay true to my ketogenic lifestyle. The recipe came from CavemanKeto.com, and I highly recommend his website for wonderful recipes to support ketogenic and paleo diets.

Ingredients:

10 to 12 chicken thighs
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
16 oz cheese, shredded (I used a Mexican cheese blend)
6 green onions, chopped
6 thick slices of bacon
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bake chicken thighs and shred or cut into cubes (I baked them in a large baking dish with a little water at 350° for 60 minutes.)
CCC--chicken thighs in water   CCC--cooked chicken

2. Brown the bacon and cut into small pieces.
CCC--bacon

3. Cook the cauliflower (I used the microwave on high for 5 minutes).
CCC--cauliflower

4. Sauté the peppers and onion slices until tender.
CCC--onions and peppers

5. Combine all the ingredients (except 4 oz of cheese) in a very large bowl.

6. Press mixture into a large greased casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
Chicken Cauliflower Casserole--ready to bake

7. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350° and then five minutes more without the foil.
Chicken Cauliflower Casserole--serving

You can prepare the casserole ahead and refrigerate overnight, but let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes before baking.

 

DIY Protein Bars

DIY Protein Bars

Chewy, crunchy, yummy and good for you!  And even with 11 ingredients, it’s simple because all you do is combine the ingredients, press into a pan and freeze.

INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup whole almonds
½ cup dried blueberries
½ cup pistachios
⅓ cup ground flaxseed
⅓ cup walnuts
⅓ cup pepitas
¼ cup sunflower seeds
⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
¼ cup apple sauce
1 cup almond butter

DIRECTIONS:

  1.  Mix first eight ingredients together.
    DIY Protein Bars - dry ingredients
  2. Add honey and apple sauce and stir.  Add almond butter and stir.
  3. Line a baking dish with waxed or parchment paper.  Spoon mixture into the dish and spread it evenly.DIY Protein Bars - mixed
    DIY Protein Bars - pan
  4. Freeze for one hour and then cut into bars.DIY Protein Bars - sliced

Will last up to a week in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer.