The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.
The pastry is similar to pate brisee, but a little more egg. Good news for me is that I needed some egg whites for macarons anyway. The pastry handles beautifully with a little rest in the fridge first. The recipe for the pasta frolla is on the Daring Bakers site.
After considering the possibilities and what I had on hand and wasting a lot of time reading on my baking shelf (yes, I confess to being a compulsive cookbook buyer!) I decided to make a version with chevre tart filling adapted from a recipe in Kate Zuckerman’s The Sweet Life, one of my favourite pastry cookbooks. I happened to have some pomegranate I had already stripped (I love these little red berries, but they make a complete mess, even spattering little red dots on my face!)
I needed these for a Christmas party that night, so I used the extra pastry for some medium and small size stars. Sprinkled with a little sugar, these made a red sparkly platter of tarts. They disappeared quickly once people started eating dessert.
Thanks again to Simona for a great challenge. I will definitely make this again.
Chevre Tart Filling
Adapted from The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman
This simple cheesecake type filling can be used in tart shells, or simply based on its own and covered with fruit or nuts. It has a definite goaty taste, so those who do not like the classic chevre taste beware.
| Ingredients | Method |
|
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend. Don’t worry too much if there are still some little lumps of chevre. |
| Fill unbaked pie or tart shells with filling. Bake @ 350 until the custard is puffed and firm. Cool. Best served at room temperature. Can be frozen. Top with fresh fruit, pomegranates are terrific on this. | |
