Peacharine Cream Cheese Tart

This is a regular scheduled interruption from the British postings. All right I will admit I'm pretty good at math but when it comes to conversions, I need extra practice. Oh, these British recipes are giving me some practice. When I have mastered some recipes by remaking them, I will have some delicious recipes to share. 

At least, I had no problem making this delicious cream cheese tart. This recipe was picked by Emily of A Gilt Nutmeg for the Pastry Queen Project. I know it came out pretty good when my husband told me that he doesn't normally like peaches but this tart is oh so good. He ate two. (This is how I get my husband to eat fruit occasionally.) Now, you can easily substitute another type of fruit for the topping like apples or pears. I actually used peacharines instead of peaches. I think only half of each peacharine made it into the dessert. Oh, how I love peaches and nectarines but peacharines are the best of two loves.

Peacharine Cream Cheese Tart
Lemon Zest Tart Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
11 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream, chilled

Cheese Filling:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Fruit Topping:
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
5 large peaches, sliced thin

Glaze:
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup water

To make the tart crust:

1. In a food processor, add the flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest.
2. Pulse the flour mixture for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the chilled butter and pulse about 20 times. The mixture should look crumbly with bits of dough the size of dried peas.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and heavy cream together.
5. Slowly, add 1/2 of the beaten egg mixture to the food processor while it is running. Continue to slowly add more egg mixture if needed until the dough forms a ball. (I only had to use 1/2 of the egg mixture.)
6. Pat the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling:

1. In a mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add the vanilla and eggs. Beat for 1 minute on medium high speed.
3. Add the lemon zest, flour, and salt. Mix until incorporated. Set aside.

To assemble the tart:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. 
3. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
4. Using a large glass or biscuit cutter, cut out 4 inch circles.
5. Add the circles to a muffin tin and form the dough into the cups.
6. Add about 3 Tbsp cream cheese mixture into the center of each dough cups. Place in the refrigerator until needed.

To make the fruit topping:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ground cinnamon, sugar, and sliced fruit.
2. Top each cream cheese mixture with the sliced fruit. 
3. Bake the tarts for about 30 to 40 minutes. The tart crust should be golden brown.

To make the glaze:

1. About 10 minutes before the tarts are done baking, combine the apricot jam with the water. Set aside until needed. 

To complete the tarts:

1. Remove the tarts from the oven and brush each tart immediately with the glaze.
2. Allow the tarts to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
3. When cooled, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
4. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook by Rebecca Rather.

Did you already know...
-Peacharines are an hybriad of a peach and a nectarine.
-The peacharine has minimal fuzz with a milder taste than a peach.
-Peacharines are high in Carotene and Vitamin C.

English Pancakes

I have never had English pancakes before. Have you? The best way to describe them would be a cross between a crepe and a pancake. They are delicate and light. The pancake by itself is plan but that is why toppings are great!

 

When I was researching them, many sites served the pancakes with lemon. Lemon? I wouldn't have thought to top my pancakes with lemon. I had to try it. Now, I like lemonade so I liked the lemon and sugar topping. It is funny of all the new foods I make the kids did not want to try these pancakes. I did talk my son into trying the pancakes with lemon and he liked them. My youngest daughter wanted just sugar. My oldest daughter wanted stewed strawberries. The hardest thing about these pancakes was flipping them. It took a little practice.

 

English Pancakes
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg 
1 egg yolk
1 1/8 cup milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
little vegetable oil or melted butter to coat the skillet
white sugar and lemon juice for topping

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the egg, egg yolk, and 1/2 of the milk. Whisk.
3. Add the remaining 1/2 of the milk and the melted butter. Whisk well.
4. Heat an 8 inch skillet over medium heat until hot.
5. Add the oil or butter and heat for a few seconds.
6. Add about 2 Tbsp of the pancake batter to the skillet. Swirl the batter in the skillet to coat the bottom of the pan. 
7. Cook the pancake about 30 seconds before flipping.
8. Remove from pan onto a plate. 
9. Top the pancake with the sugar and lemon. Roll up the pancake.

Recipe adapted from A Bowl of Mush website.

Did you already know...
-English pancakes are a popular dish to make on Shove Tuesday.
-Shove Tuesday (Pancake Day) is the day before Lent.
-On Pancake Day, some English towns hold pancake races in which women will race to a finish line while carrying a skillet and flipping pancakes.

She was trying to distract me while I took my photos! Isn't she sweet

I decided not to post the photo of her making faces at me!

Bangers and Mash

Since my oldest daughter just returned from England, I asked her if she had Bangers and Mash when she was over there. She said no so I asked her if she saw it on the menu. She said yes but she didn't know what it was. My Dad said she never asked. My Dad said Bangers and Mash is a common pub dish. 

I told my daughter that Bangers and Mash is sausage and mashed potatoes. She said she would have ate it if she had known. My family really liked this dish very much. It is an easy dish to make. The sausage and potatoes are served with a sauce or gravy. I will admit that I don't know how authentic my dishes will be this week but they taste good. The traditional gravy is made with a stock but when I went into the pantry I couldn't find any. The meal was done and I didn't feel like having anyone wait so I decided to make ours cheesy.

Bangers and Mash
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 links beef sausage
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp flour
4 cups milk
 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water.
2. Bring the potatoes to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. In a skillet, add the oil and heat over medium heat.
4. Add the sausage to the skillet and brown.
5. Remove the sausage and place on a plate to the side.
6. To the skillet, add the onion to the pan. Cook the onion until soft about 5 minutes.
7. Add the flour to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. 
8. Whisk in the milk to the skillet and return the sausage to the pan.
9. Cook the sausage for about 15 minutes until the liquid is reduce to the desired consistency. Stirring occasionally. 
10. Stir in the cheese.
11. When the potatoes are done, drain the potatoes and mash.
12. To the mashed potatoes, add the butter, milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. 
13. To serve, place the mashed potatoes on a plate. Place the sausage on top of the potatoes. Cover the sausage and potatoes with the cheese sauce. 

Recipe adapted from Foodnetwork. com.

Did you already know...
-Bangers and Mash is a traditional English meal. 
-Bangers and Mash are often served with an onion gravy.
-A popular side to Bangers and Mash is peas.

Dulce de Leche Macaroons

This week's Project Pastry Queen was picked by Missy of Creative Missy. The Macaroons are rich, sweet, and delicious. My youngest daughter loves Dulce de Leche so she thought I should shouldn't be adding it to coconut but these are good. My Mom loves Macaroons and she liked them. 

I didn't add anything else to the batch I made. You can add chocolate or toasted almonds but I kept it simple. I wish I had thought to add English toffee to them since I have been making English fare but next time I will. My next post will be back to my culinary English journey.

Dulce de Leche Macaroons
1 can of Dulce de Leche (click here for recipe)
3 cups lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled Dulce de Leche, coconut, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
4. Using a 1 3/4 inch diameter scoop, spoon a firmly packed spoonful of the coconut mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Space the coconut mixture about 1 1/2 inches apart.
5. With a wet fingertip, lightly flatten the coconut mixture gently.
6. Bake the Macaroons for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should be dark brown and crisp.
7. Allow the Macaroons to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook by Rebecca Rather.

Did you already know...
-Toffee became popular in England in the late 1800s.
-In 1889, a toffee house owned by Mrs. Bushell was located outside the Everton Football Club (Everton FC).
-Many football patrons purchased vast quantities of the toffee.
-In 1892, the football club was moved and Mrs. Bushell received permission to sell her toffee inside the football stadium before the games.
-The Everton FC's nickname is The Toffees.
-In America, Everton FC is a soccer team.

Olympics begins

Since the Olympics opening ceremony is tonight, I thought scones would be a fitting way to use up the remaining raspberries I have. Next week, I am going to post some British dishes. This is going to be a culinary journey for my family. Yes, this even includes my oldest daughter since she ate mostly hamburgers when she was in England.

A couple years ago, my husband and I spent the night in England but it was only because we were in transit. We arrived when it was dark outside and we left at dawn. We did not enjoy warm scones but we were able to get our passport stamped. Next time, we will stay longer.

I love scones since they are easy to make and make a quick breakfast for the next day. My youngest daughter likes scones since they are similar to muffins and biscuits. My youngest son just like to say the name scones. Would you like some scones this morning?

Raspberry Cream Cheese Scones
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
7 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, gently stir cream cheese, milk, and egg together until combined.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
5. Cut in the butter to the flour mixture using your hands, pastry blender, or two forks until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
6. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the cream cheese mixture with the raspberries.
7. Carefully, mix together the dough.
8. Form the dough into a circle 1 inch thick.
9. Cut 2 inch circles into the dough and place the circles on the parchment paper spacing about 1 inch apart.
10. Carefully gather the remaining scrapes and cut out a few more circles while trying not to rework the dough to much.
11. Bake the scones for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.   

Recipe adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes.

Did you already know...
-Great Britain comprises of England, Scotland, and Wales.
-Scones originate from Scotland.
-The United Kingdom comprises of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.