Thanksgiving Goodies

Oh how I have neglected you blog, but I am back and with a vengeance.  With Thanksgiving festivities upon us and once again spending it with Chris' maternal side of the family, I find myself wanting to make something different than years prior.  Unbeknownst to me, I was apparently bringing a pumpkin pie; I am not crazy about pumpkin pie so I would not make it, and we ended up buying a really nice one from HEB (LOL).  

I had just received my two latest issues of Taste of Home and Cooking Light and had my eyes on some of the holiday pies shown.  Much to my amusement, Chris' stepdad, Mark, was all up for me making a chocolatey pie so Gingered Almond Truffle Tart it is!

I did not tweak anything in this recipe and made as is.  If there's something I feel could have been done differently or flavors that would have enhanced the tart, then I will tweak and update this post.  

You will need a 9-inch fluted tart pan; I bought mine from Sur la Table; however, mine is a 9.5 inch which is not a tremendous issue.  I think it works out better so your filling is not overflowing and leaves a nice, clean edge to your slices.  Another item that you will need is a food processor.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger root
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
6 Tbs cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup amaretto, divided
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small heavy saucepan, heat cream and ginger until bubbles form around sides.  Remove from heat.

Place flour, almonds, confectioners' sugar and cocoa in a food processor; pulse until blended.  

Add cold butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas.  

While pulsing, add 1/4 cup of amaretto to form moist crumbs.  

Press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in fluted tart pan with removable bottom.  

Bake 13-16 min or until set.  Cool on a wire rack.

Place chocolate in a small bowl.  

Bring gingered cream just to a boil.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer over chocolate; discard ginger.  Stir chocolate mixture with a whisk until smooth; stir in softened butter and remaining amaretto until blended.  

Pour into cooled crust.  Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours or until set.

This size tart pan was perfect leaving about 1/2 inch space for the crust/edge.

Due to the richness of this dish, thin slices are highly recommended yielding 16 servings per tart.

Recipe from Taste of Home Dec 2013 issue.

Chilled end result.

Tomorrow morning, I am tackling Cheddar Chive Biscuits before we head out so they can be slightly warm.

Until next time, Happy Eating!

BERRY BERRY DELISH!

Yes, well I have been off the grid for a little while; life has taken over and have been busy and not doing anything really special in the kitchen.  To top it off, Chris & I decided it was time to go camping together!  

SUPER EXCITED!

He is the best because with his mountain biking experience and love of it, he was concerned about finding a place that would have a lake for me to fish in since he knows I love the water and didn't want me to be bored.  (seriously, I don't know how anyone could be bored out in the middle of such beauty; just lay back and take a nap, read a book or if you have a mobile hotspot, get on your laptop or iPad).  

Needless to say, we went off to Cedar Hill State Park near Dallas in Cedar Hill, Tx.  We found out that we make a really great team:  he's the planner and I'm the prepper.  I proved to him that I knew what I was doing and what we needed down to the last detail!  I had all the bedding (I made a makeshift bed out of a bunch of old comforters I keep for camping) including flannel sheets, pillow covers and fleece blankets; breakfast, lunch & dinner; plenty of water; toiletries and cookware & utensils.  Even in the 36 degree weather, we were snug like bugs in a rug. 

I may not have caught anything or even a bite, but I had an amazing time; plus, we were able to select a spot that met our needs and wants.  We were fairly close to the bathroom/showers, his trails and right on the lake.  This was definitely the best campsite I have been to to-date; we are definitely coming back.

Let me say some things about freeze-dried food:  I had always been curious but slight leery of them; I mean how the heck do they do it and how good does it actually taste?

Backpacker's Pantry Granola with Bananas & Milk was truly amazing; seriously, it was delicious.  We actually added boiling water and left it alone for a few minutes to get an oatmeal consistency; we were both amazed at how great it really was!  It was creamy, sweet, crunchy and perfect!

Backpacker's Pantry Risotto with Chicken was also another winner in our book.  You just add your boiling water, stir, zip it back up and leave for like 13 min or so.  I am a risotto fan so I was curious about this product; it was very close to risotto: creamy, cheesy, lots of flavor and very well-rounded.  I would add just a tad less water next time, but nonetheless, it was pretty fantastic.  Gotta love REI cuz they have everything and then some; plus Chris has an app on his phone, and we were able to scan the food and view the ratings.  

                                                

We also bought Mountain House Ice Cream Sandwiches and Neapolitan Ice Cream to try out since we never had freeze dried ice cream before; needless to say, we didn't get to them because we got marshmallowed out, LOL.

STRAWBERRY& BLUEBERRY MASCARPONE TART

Crumb Base:

6 Tbs butter

9 oz cookies (almond, orange or sweet oat)

Filling:

1 cup mascarpone cheese (about 8oz), room temp

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 cup strawberries, quartered

1 pint blueberries

½ cup Disaronno (or amaretto liqueur)

Preparation:

Place berries in a bowl and add liqueur.  Stir to combine & let sit at room temperature, stirring every 30 min.

                                

Base:

Melt butter in a small saucepan; remove from heat.   In a food processor, pulse the cookies into a coarse powder (not too fine).  You can also place the cookies in a plastic back and use a rolling pin. Add crumbs to the butter and mix thoroughly. 

Spoon into a 9-inch tart pan and smooth intothe corners and up the sides. Refrigerate until base has set, at least a couple of hours.

Filling:
Combine the mascarpone and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, beating with an electric mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form.

Spoon mixture into the crust, and spread evenly; top with berry mixture (I spooned a little of the syrup over the top).  Release sides of the pan from bottom before serving.

You can assemble 2 hrs ahead and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Let me recommned my favorite mascarpone of all-time, BelGioioso.  I have tried several but keep coming back to this particular brand anytime I want or need mascarpone for a recipe.  You won't find this in your normal cheese aisle or anywhere near the cream cheese area.  You will find this in the deli area where are the 'high end' cheese (lol, you know what I'm talking about: the parmeggiano reggiano, tellegio manchego, goat, etc...)  -OR- you will find it where the fresh pasta is kept in the refrigerated section.

I hope that you enjoy this dessert; what makes it so good is that the fruit is in season AND you don't have to turn on your oven to bake it.  Chris liked it so much that he had two slices.

 I am attached a few pics from our camping trip for your viewing pleasure just below.  Until next time, Happy Eating!!