Sunday, January 16, 2011

Maple Brulee Tart

Breakfast has a good hold on maple syrup, and that’s ok because it’s expected there. It’s nice to wake up to the flavor of maple, but I think dessert deserves more maple time than it gets. I occasionally see mentions of cakes or frostings made with maple, but it seems to me there could more occurrences of it in sweet treats at times other than in the morning. I do have a thing for maple, and it’s possible this all stems from there only ever being one lone, maple-glazed doughnut in the assorted dozens we used to get. When I reached into the box and the maple-glazed was already gone, my morning was ruined. So, when I saw an article about maple syrup in Donna Hay magazine a few months ago, I cut out all the recipes to keep. There’s a cake and a cookie that I’ll try soon enough, but this bruleed tart was the first I had to make. The maple syrup is in the custard, and after baking in the vanilla pastry shell, sugar was caramelized on top to give it bits of sweet crunch on the surface. The recipe isn’t available online, so I’ll include it below.

The vanilla pastry was made first with flour, sugar, and baking powder being blended in a food processor. Chopped cold butter was added, it was processed until crumbly, and then cold water and vanilla were added and mixed until the dough formed. After chilling a bit, the dough was rolled out, fitted into a tart pan, and blind baked. To make the custard, milk and half and half were heated until just boiling before being poured over a mixture of eggs, egg yolks, maple syrup, and sugar while whisking. The custard was cooled a bit before being poured into the tart shell. The filled tart then baked for about 25 minutes or until just set. Last, the baked tart was sprinkled with superfine sugar, and I placed it under the broiler for a few minutes to caramelize. This would have been a good time to use a kitchen blow torch for caramelizing the sugar because the edges of the tart shell stood taller than the filling causing the edges to brown at the same time as the sugar. With a torch, you could more easily direct the heat. Hence, I need a blow torch.

At the size suggested in the recipe, this makes a thin tart, but it’s rich enough that you won’t feel the pieces are lacking in depth. This is best served just after being bruleed. The maple will be fragrant in the still warm, smooth custard, and the flavor of the vanilla pastry blends well with it. The crunch of the sugar on top contrasts nicely too. Now, what other ways are there for maple to find its way into dessert?

Maple Brulee Tart
(from Donna Hay magazine)
2 eggs, plus 2 extra yolks
½ cup sugar
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
superfine sugar for sprinkling (*Note: I’ve found that organic sugar doesn’t caramelize as well for a brulee, so I use conventional superfine sugar.)

vanilla pastry:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
13 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup iced water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-Start with the vanilla pastry. Place flour, sugar, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. With the motor running, slowly pour in the ice water and vanilla and process until the mixture forms a dough. Transfer to plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

-Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and then place in an eleven inch, round tart pan. Place tart pan on a large baking sheet to make it easier to move tart pan in and out of oven, cover the surface of the pastry with parchment paper, and fill the tart with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake for 15-20 minutes, remove from oven, remove parchment and pie weights, and then set aside.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and maple syrup. Combine milk and half and half in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat milk mixture until just boiling, and then slowly pour it into bowl with egg mixture while whisking constantly. Allow to cool just a bit before pouring the custard into the blind baked crust, and place the tart back in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until just set in the center. Remove from oven and let cool.

-Sprinkled cooled tart with superfine sugar while pre-heating the broiler. Place tart under the broiler, and leave oven door ajar so you can watch as the sugar browns. Turn the tart to brown as evenly as possible. Or, use a kitchen blow torch to brown the sugar. Serve while still warm and enjoy the wonderfulness of maple syrup for dessert.

 



40 comments:

  1. As I think about it, maple syrup doesn't appear very often outside of autumn and winter baking and cooking. I wonder why that is the case. This maple brulee tart is divine, a nice departure from plain vanilla.

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  2. I have a blow torch, and I'll come over and help you if we can make this again. ;) I'm also a huge fan of maple syrup in all sorts of things, too, and a maple creme brulee was on my list. Love the look of this thin, elegant tart. I'm thinking that it wouldn't be too bad with breakfast coffee, either.

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  3. Wow- I'd like a slice of that with my coffee this cold, rainy morning. Looks great- the caramelization is so nicely even and not overdone. I have a dangerous history with a kitchen torch (I set a tart on fire- ironically, a s'mores tart but it wasn't supposed to be quite that crispy) but this looks good enough to tempt me to give it another go!

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  4. Heavenly! That tart looks magnificent and so tempting.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. That looks completely perfect, I could imagine that in the window of any French patisserie!
    *kisses* HH

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  6. Maple is a flavor that Randy has really introduced me to. I knew it was there, of course, but having never really been a breakfast person, I don't have strong memories associated with it. Now I appreciate it and this tart looks so amazing!

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  7. Yay! an excuse to bring out the torch. Nice!!!

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  8. I love creme brulee and now that you kick it up to a tart - yummy! The addition of maple is just perfect. Happy Sunday!

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  9. Maple syrup.. I guess I'll have to buy it for the first time in my life and try it :)) everyone says that likes it, so I want to know if I would like it too :)))
    Tart looks really inviting :)

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  10. Maple syrup in a brulee with a vanilla pastry.....that sounds heavenly!

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  11. What a delicious and flavourful tart!
    And a very beautiful blog!

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  12. Really elegant, Lisa. Simple is best, I think, and this dessert is perfect.

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  13. Lisa, this is adorable! Would be the greatest thing to have it at breakfast!

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  14. very original dessert. I'm definitely making this brulee tart for my next dinner party. Thanks for the tip!

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  15. Brilliant idea Lisa, love the vanilla pastry too - a truly elegant tart :)

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  16. Lisa, this tart looks delicious, love the idea of vanilla crust as well...so delicate...and very elegant :-)

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  17. I have been eyeing this recipe for the longest time! What a great looking tart!

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  18. This looks so yummy, I can almost smell the maple. I like the idea of making creme brulee in a tart. You don't have all those ramekins to deal with.
    Congrats on making the top 9 on FoodBuzz!

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  19. I would love a slice of this right now please! :)

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  20. A buttery crust in addition to the caramelized sugar topped maple infused custard? Yes please!

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  21. Maple desserts are truly amazing things. I've never thought to do a maple creme brulee but it seems quite genius if you ask me! This looks fantastic.

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  22. Saw this in the Foodbuzz Top 9 and had to check it out, it looks and sounds fantastic! I have to try it using coconut milk.

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  23. Maple with a torch. Lady, that sounds like a perfect kick butt recipe! I'm so in awe. Wonderful recipe and photography.

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  24. You always make the most amazing looking desserts! This looks fabulous!

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  25. A love the maple! I've never made a tart with maple....I will now. Thanks!!

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  26. I'm with you on using the superfine sugar... I keep a small bag in the back of the pantry for "baking emergencies"... My family would give me such a hard time if they knew it was there!!! But this tart is worth the risk!!! Looks delicious!

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  27. my first thought was that it appeared awfully thin, but i believe that its richness would more than make up for that. awesome work.

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  28. That looks terrific. Did it have enough maple flavor? 1/4 cup doesn't sound like much, but then again it is powerful stuff. I've had the same experience with organic sugar, I tried to make caramel sauce using it and it turned this horrible gray color..

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  29. Wow what a beautiful tart, i love the maple flavor, thanks for the recipe!

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  30. I would love a slice (or two!) right now! I love the sweetness of maple syrup and often use it instead of honey - you've just reminded me these madeleines I used to make quite often that uses maple syrup...might need to post on in it soon.

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  31. Good combination in that tart. Looks perfect!

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  32. love the idea of a brulee tart and the use of maple syrup which I like very much too. the final result is gorgeous!

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  33. Michael: I thought the 1/4 cup seemed like a small amount of maple syrup too, but the tart really did have great maple flavor.

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  34. This tart looks outstanding. Maple sounds like a wonderful flavor to add to creme brulee and make it even better. I'm having a new linky on my blog this week Saturday called "Sweets for a Saturday". If you have a chance, I'd be delighted if you'd come by then and link this up.

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  35. I adore the flavor of maple in desserts. And I actually like how this tart is so thin. It looks so elegant that way.

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  36. At first glance of the photo I thought it was lemon tart but even lovelier it is maple flavoured! I've been favoring maple flavors recently and must save this recipe to try. Thanks! LA.

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  37. Your tart looks so beautiful. Although I have bought a blow torch I have never used it. I made a similar tart last week with a different flavour but made a meringue on top instead.

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  38. Great recipe tart and so simple

    farida
    http://kitchensuperfood.com

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  39. Love maple syrup in all its diversity. This tart looks delicious. At the Fancy Food show last week they had an ice wine mixed with maple syrup that was out of this world.

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