madbaker: (Paul the Samurai)
[personal profile] madbaker
This week's Resolution Recipe: Caramel-Pecan Fudge Tarts.

Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
4-6 Tbsp ice water

Filling:
1/2 cup 1/3 cup light dark corn syrup
3/4 cup / 7.5 oz block caramel or caramel sauce
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cider vinegar
3 eggses
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine the dry ingredients for the crust. Work in the butter until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. Drizzle and mix in enough water to make a cohesive dough. Divide in half, shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide each disk into six equal pieces. On a lightly floured board, shape each piece into a disk and roll into 5-6" circles. Press each circle into the well of a standard muffin pan, and refrigerate.

Heat the oven to 350.
In a saucepan set over low heat, heat the first five filling ingredients, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and vinegar. Beat in the eggses.

Place 1 Tbsp chocolate chips into each tart shell. Add enough filling to come within 3/8" of the top of the pastry. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp pecans on top of each. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

What worked: They were okay. Definitely better warm (they did reheat well the next few days). Too rich to eat more than one. I was glad I cut this Midwestern recipe down in sugar.

What didn't: Meh. Better with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream on top to cut the rich.

Will I make it again? I might for a modern potluck but it won't be top of the list. If I did, I'd make them in my much-smaller tartlet pan for a two-bite treat that isn't so overwhelmingly rich. The tartlets have half the capacity of a standard muffin tin well, so I'd have to halve the quantity of chocolate chips in each one. Instead of 1.5 tsp pecan pieces, the wife suggested a single pecan half which would look much prettier.
The curvy upstairs neighbor suggested a bit of orange zest or orange essence, which would perk these up nicely and also cut some of the richness.

Date: 2016-12-21 02:52 am (UTC)
loup_noir: (Default)
From: [personal profile] loup_noir
Sounds incredibly sweet and chewy. Did it really need the chocolate?

Just to make more work and because I've taken to reading Smitten Kitchen, I wonder if a homemade caramel would have been better?

I've got such simple tastes for dessert. Ice cream, maybe a cookie, my apple pie, and that's really about it.

Date: 2016-12-22 03:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madbaker.livejournal.com
I used a highish-end caramel, so I don't think making my own would have improved it. I guess you could omit the chocolate if you just want caramel tarts...

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