Chocolate Tart with Hazelnut Shortbread Crust

A sublime silky chocolate custard fills this simple hazelnut shortbread crust. Serve garnished with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts for a special touch.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil, or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon ice water

Filling

• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3/4 cup low-fat milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 1/2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua (optional)
• 4 dried egg whites (see Ingredient Note), reconstituted according to package directions (equivalent to 2 egg whites)
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. To prepare crust: Coat a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Combine whole-wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, hazelnuts, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a food processor; process until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter one piece at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition, until incorporated. Add oil and ice water and pulse just until incorporated. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan (it will be crumbly), spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom and all the way up the sides to form a crust.
3. Bake the crust until set and the edges are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
4. To prepare filling: Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, while you prepare the rest of the filling.
5. Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming (but not boiling); remove from the heat to cool slightly.
6. Whisk egg yolks, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl until combined. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining hot milk. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (do not boil), about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate until completely melted. Whisk in the softened gelatin and coffee liqueur (if using) until smooth.
7. Beat reconstituted egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fold the chocolate custard into the egg whites until blended. Spoon the filling into the crust; smooth the top with the back of a spoon and chill, uncovered, until set, about 1 hour.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Loosely cover and refrigerate the tart for up to 1 day. | Equipment: 9-inch tart pan (with or without removable bottom)

• Ingredient Note: Dried egg whites are pasteurized—a wise choice when making uncooked fillings. You'll find them in the baking or natural-foods section of most supermarkets. Reconstitute according to package directions.

Nutrition

Per serving: 268 calories; 16 g fat (6 g sat, 7 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 3 g fiber; 141 mg sodium; 117 mg potassium.
2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 2 carbohydrates (other), 3 fat

Nothing New Today

Being that it is Sunday, I am taking the day off this week. Please feel free to check out last weeks content. Or you can also check out the blog archive at the bottom of the right hand column.
Again, I thank you for checking out my blog. I will have new content on Monday.
Have a great day!
Kent

The World's Largest Cheesecake

On 25 January 2009, in Mexico City, Mexico, Philadelphia of Kraft Foods Mexico was recognized by Guinness World Records™ as the creator of the largest cheesecake ever made. To check out the full story and see a picture ,go here,Worlds Largest Cheesecake

Grilled Cheese Goes Gourmet

quick analysis showed that traditional grilled cheese contains:

* 410 calories
* 29 grams fat
* 18 grams saturated fat
* 840 mg sodium
* 1 gram fiber
All right, so it’s not going to break the bank. But, come on! Who needs 18 grams of saturated fat in a single sandwich?
I smiled at the numbers. Southwestern Cheese Panini shows just how easy and tasty a makeover can be. This sandwich has about 25 percent fewer calories, 60 percent less fat, 70 percent less saturated fat and 38 percent less sodium. Plus we’ve upped the fiber from 1 gram to 5 grams and increased vitamins A and C as well as iron.
Here’s how we do it:
* Use whole-wheat bread instead of white bread
* Use less cheese to reduce fat and saturated fat
* Add shredded zucchini and carrots
* Add salsa
* Add chopped jalapenos and onion
* Omit the butter and use a panini press or our easy no-special-equipment-required panini technique

Plus I must say, this sandwich is far more exciting than a plain-Jane grilled cheese. Some other favorite grilled sandwiches that show just how easy it is to make a healthier sandwich are the Turkey & Tomato Panini, the Mediterranean Tuna Panini and the best one for warm weather, the Grilled Eggplant Panini.

Almond Cherry Bites

Dried cherries, ground almonds and a drizzle of chocolate make these cookies festive for the holidays.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup whole almonds
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips or finely chopped dark and/or white chocolate, for decoration (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grind almonds and sugar in a food processor to desired texture: a coarser texture will give you small almond pieces in the cookie; a fine grind will give great almond flavor without any crunch from the almonds. (Be careful to not overgrind: you will get almond paste.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add cherries and flour; mix to combine.
3. Add oil, egg white and vanilla and almond extracts; mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
4. Shape the dough into walnut-size balls with your hands or a small cookie scoop (about 1 rounded tablespoon each) and place 1 1/2 inches apart on a large, ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake until the bottoms are golden (the top will stay white), 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Melt chocolate (see Tip) and drizzle or pipe onto each cooled cookie, if desired. Let stand until the chocolate sets.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze without the chocolate drizzle (Step 6) for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before drizzling with chocolate.

• Kitchen Tips: To melt chocolate, place chocolate in a bowl and microwave on Medium for 45 seconds. Stir; continue microwaving on Medium in 20-second intervals until almost melted, stirring after each interval. Continue stirring until completely melted. Or place in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.
• To decorate cookies with melted chocolate, use a pastry bag fitted with a fine writing tip to pipe the melted chocolate or dip tines of a fork in chocolate and drizzle. You can improvise a pastry bag with a small plastic bag. Add melted chocolate to the bag, cut a tiny hole in one corner and squeeze the chocolate out.

Nutrition

101 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 4 mg sodium; 15 mg potassium. 1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat