White Chocolate Cherry Tart

I made this on the fly at Chez Bushwick after finding some fresh cherries and having left over white chocolate, which I had used for some ice cream. It was really yummy, though I think it needs some salt and the filling measurements I did would work for two tarts.

Ingredients

Crust

• 250 Grahams AP Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 135 grahams very cold butter, cut into small piece
• 1 large egg mixed with 1 teaspoon of cold water

Filling

• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 6 ounces white chocolate
• 1 cup + 3 tabelspoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of cherries, pitted and sliced in half.

Instructions Crust

1. Sift flour, sugar, and salt onto work surface
2. Add the cubbed butter to the flour mixture and cut into flour with fork (or pastry scraper) until the butter is the size of little peas.
3. Form a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the water-egg mixture. Working until just incorporated and the dough holds together. (You may need to add more ice water). Working any piece into the dough with your palm.
4. Gather the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic
5. Refrigerate the dough an hour or up to 24 hours
6. Flour a work surface, roll out the dough to a 10 inch circle that’s about 1/8 inch thick
7. Lightly wrap over rolling pin and place in pie dish
8. press into dish and cut excess dough
9. Place a piece of parchment paper over the top and add pie weights
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, remove pie weights and let cool

Filling

1. Mix half and half, cream and sugar over medium heat until just simmering
2. Temper Egg Yolks, by adding some of warm milk to eggs, mixing and then adding the egg/milk mixture back into the sauce pan. 
3. Chop white chocolate and place in a medium bowl
4. Warm up milk/egg mixture again till just simmering, and pour over white chocolate
5. Add in flour, mix until incorporated
6. Place cherries in crust
7. Pour mixture over cherries, add additional cherries on top if needed.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until set at 350 degrees
   

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Mint Cream

Well, I just liked saying this one. It sounds all fancy and I was definitely nervous to make it. But I found it really simple. The mint cream was a little to minty, but otherwise I didn’t make many changes. I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. I started using a kitchen scale with this recipe and I have to say, I’m obsessed. It makes life so much easier. It really is an essential tool. 

I also wish I brought my camera out, but I was so in the zone I probably wouldn’t have used it. I only took some photos with my iPhone at the end. Sorry for the quality.

I made some changes and needed 24 cupcakes - this was just enough for two muffin sheets.

Ingredients

Soufflé Cup-cake

• 340 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 12 tablespoons  (172 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Heaping 1/2 teaspoon (2 gram) espresso or instant coffee powder
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 12 tablespoons (194 grams) sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Mint Cream

•  112 grams white chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

Start with the White Chocolate Mint Cream

1. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate.
3.  Whisk well.
4. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again. (Be sure not to pour over the bowl, excess isn’t so great)
5. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. (This is ESSENTIAL)
3. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth.
4. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
5. Using electric mixer  beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick.
6. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture.
7. With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form.
8. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
9. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.
10. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.
11. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. You might see some cracks, which is fine.
12. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. According to Smitten Kitchen, its to make room for the cream.

Topping

1. Once cupcakes are completely cool, beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form.
2. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter.
3. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy. These should be served when complete.

PREP AHEAD: I did the cupcakes the day before, prepped the cream.Then when the meal was almost finished, I beat the cream and finished them off.