TWD - Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

This weeks selection for Tuesdays With Dorie is Chocolate Truffle Tartlets.  This is a chocolate lovers dream.  It contains three types of chocolate, bittersweet, milk and white.  Let's not forget that this has been cooked up in a chocolate crust. Just when you think it can't get any better you find out that there are chopped biscotti cookies added to the filling.  Heaven.  I know that this is an individual dessert but it is just the right size to share with someone you love.  Although you really don't need it, I think that it would be great served with some ice cream.  Thanks to all our hosts this week Steph, Spike, Jaime and Jessica.  You can find the recipe by checking out their blogs.  I think that Baking With Julia is off to a great start.

TWD A Tourtely Apple Tart

This weeks recipe for Tuesdays With Dorie is A Tourtely Apple Pie and it was chosen by Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake.  This a basic two crust tart or in my case pie.  I didn't have a 9 inch tart pan so I just made it in a pie plate. I loved the crust, it's like eating a cookie. The filling is cooked before adding it to the crust.  You then add browned butter, raisins and ground almonds. The pie filling is more like applesauce than a regular apple pie filling.  My husband loved the pie but I think I still prefer a regular apple pie.  Thanks Jeanette for hosting this week.



Tarte Fine

The weather has finally decided to give us a break from the 90 degree temperatures and it is starting to feel a lot more like fall. I love it. Sweater weather. Soups and stews, and best of all apples.

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie is a wonderful apple dessert, Tarte Fine. It's super easy to make and it is great served warm or at room temperature. I made a mini tart using about half a sheet of puff pastry and one large golden delicious apple. It made about 4 yummy servings. Thanks to Leslie of Lethally Delicious for picking this great recipe.

Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart

The good, the bad, and the ugly. That is the best way to describe this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. Tarts and buttery streusel topping. I love them. They are the good. Peaches and almond extract. While I won't say that they are bad, they are just not my favorite. Peach cobbler and peach ice cream are about as far as I go when it comes to peaches. I know I'm southern but peaches are just not that high on my list. Sorry. And worst of all the ugly. I was hoping for a beautiful golden brown topping for my tart, but sadly I burned the crust while trying to get it. Beautiful golden custard and streusel topping and super ugly burnt tart crust. Boo. I have to say that I enjoyed this tart much more than I expected, even with the over done crust. Thanks to Rachel of sweet tarte for picking this recipe.

Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart

This weeks recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie is Soft Chocolate Raspberry Tart. I love tarts. I never made them very much before I joined this baking group but, they are becoming my favorites.

I served the tart at room temperature with a spoonful of whipped cream. Yummy.

Fresh raspberries in March are a splurge but, they were so worth it. The rich slightly warm
chocolate and the fresh raspberries are such a wonderful flavor combination.

I made the tart crust with ground almonds. It's almost like a shortbread cookie.

I served this when my sister and brother in law came in for a visit. They both loved it. Everyone came back for seconds. Thanks to Rachelle of Mommy? I'm Hungry for choosing this recipe.

TWD Toasted-Coconut Custard Tart

Toasted coconut in a creamy custard, whipped cream, and rum. What a great flavor combination. I love it. It is one of my favorites. If you like coconut cream pie then you will love this tart. Don't leave off the toasted coconut on the topping. It makes such a nice finishing touch. Thanks so much to Cinemon Girl for hosting this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie.

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin is the second part of the Tuesdays with Dorie anniversary party. This recipe is super simple with only four ingredients. Apples, butter, sugar, and puff pastry. It's wonderful, try it.

TWD Chocolate-Crunched Tart

Carla of Chocolate Moosey chose Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart, for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. If you are looking for a super rich chocolate dessert that looks like you went all out, this is for you. I loved the sweet tart dough and the layer of caramel and peanuts was delicious but, the top layer of chocolate gauche was almost too rich to eat. I caution you to follow the instructions very carefully and use low heat when making the caramel. I burned the first batch and had to make it over. I also decided to use half bittersweet chocolate and half semisweet chocolate to try to tone down the chocolate flavor a bit.

My family's opinion on the tart was split. Half liked it and the other half thought that it was just too rich. They all loved the caramel and peanut layer. I was undecided but I will say that I enjoyed it much better the next day after it was well chilled. The crust was still good and the chocolate layer tasted like truffles.

Brioche Plum (Peach) Tart

Denise of Chez Us picked Brioche Plum Tart for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. The tart has a bottom layer of slightly sweet brioche topped with a layer of jam and and fresh fruit. It is then sprinkled with a mixture of almonds and sugar. I changed things a little by using peaches and peach jam just because it was what I had on hand. The peaches, jam and almonds made a pretty tasty mixture. I only wish that I had used the foil tent about five minutes earlier because the crust got a little browner than I would have liked. This would be very nice for breakfast or brunch.

TWD Parisian Apple Tartlet

The recipe this week for Tuesdays with Dorie was Parisian Apple Tartlet and it was chosen by Jessica of My Baking Heart. This is about as simple as it gets. You only need apples, puff pastry, brown sugar, and butter to make this tart. The apples get a gooey caramel sauce that goes great with the buttery pastry dough. It is good eaten hot or cold. I ate mine hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Yummy.

TWD Tartest Lemon Tart

Blending lemons, rind and all to make a filling. I was a little skeptical on how this would taste. Then I thought about Shaker Lemon Pie. You thinly slice lemons and mix with a lot of sugar to make a delicious pie. Maybe I might like this. I used the Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts just as the recipe called for. I love this crust. It is so easy to make and it is really delicious. The lemons and sugar blended together to make a nice velvety mixture. The rest of the tart was very easy to make.

I had to bake the tart about 10 minutes longer than the recipe call for. It baked to a beautiful golden color. I let the tart chill over night before cutting it. The verdict-I really liked this tart. It has a very nice lemon flavor that was quite tart. It did have a very slight bitter taste but I think that was because of my less than perfect lemons. The next time I make this I will be careful to choose the very best lemons I can find.

This weeks recipe was chosen by Babette of Babette Feasts, as usual you can get the recipe over at the website.

Chocolate Cream Tart

Chocolate cream pie is one of my favorite desserts. It was the first recipe that I called home for after I got married. I still use my grandmothers recipe with very little change. This week for Tuesdays with Dorie we kick it up a notch. Chocolate cream tart is very much like that old fashioned pie. It calls for a chocolate shortbread crust, chocolate pastry cream, and sweetened whipped cream. The biggest differences in the two are the chocolate crust and and a meringue topping plus the tart takes a little longer to prepare.

After making this tart I still am not sure what I think about it. Did I like the taste? Yes and no. The chocolate pastry cream and the whipped cream are very tasty together. I didn't really care for the chocolate crust. I would also liked to have more whipped cream. Does this take chocolate cream to the next level? Yes definitely. This makes a great looking dessert. Is it worth the extra time to prepare? I'm not really sure. If I make this tart again I would use a regular tart crust and maybe a semisweet chocolate instead of the bittersweet. This weeks recipe was chosen by

Kim of Scrumptious Photography. Please stop by and check out the recipe.

French Pear Tart

The first recipe for the new year is French Pear Tart and it was chosen by Dorie herself. As always the recipe was a winner, something that you want to make again. It consists of a sweet tart crust, almond cream, and of all things, canned pears. This tart is not too sweet or heavy with just a hint of rum in the almond cream.

This was the first time that I had used the sweet tart dough and I think that I handled it a little too long because my crust was a little crumbly. It still tasted great but it crumbled just a bit when I removed the sides of the tart pan.

Thank you Dorie for all the great recipes. I have tried new recipes and learned new ways to make old favorites. I am looking foward to another great year of baking.