White Bavarian Strawberry Tart

I called this creation White Bavarian Strawberry Tart because this lovely little number has bavarian cream made with white chocolate.  It is a delicious combination with the strawberries, very light, not too sweet, and fresh.  It is a super combo which I will definitely repeat again!  

Ingredients:

Short pastry crust (recipe below)

White chocolate Bavarian cream (recipe below)

2 cups fresh strawberries

Sugar glaze (recipe below)

Prepare crust and fill half way with white chocolate bavarian cream and let it set in the fridge for about four hours.  

Remove green tops form strawberries and cut lengthwise into thin slices and place pointed sides outwaird in a circle starting from the edges of the tart.  Place the next row slightly overlapping the first row between two strawberries to create a shingle effect. Continue until tart is covered in strawberries.  

Use a pastry brush to cover strawberries with sugar glaze.

Crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 tbsp (9 tbsp) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 large egg yolk

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 375 F (190C) degrees.

2. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.

3.Add butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal.

4. Stir in the yolk and pulse again until the dough forms clumps and curds.

5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly and sparingly, knead just to incorporate dry ingredients.

6.Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Freeze crust at least 30 minutes before baking.

7.Bake blind for 25 minutes, remove the weight and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool

White Chocolate Bavarian Cream

Bavarian Cream: 
3ozs. best-quality white chocolate, finely chopped 
3/4 c. heavy cream, divided 
1/2Tbsp. unflavored gelatin  
1/8 c. cold water 
3 egg yolks, from eggs graded "medium" 
1/8 c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar 
3/4 c. whole milk, divided 
1 tsp. vanilla 
Ice and cold water

Chill a medium bowl and the beater(s) from a hand-held electric mixer. In small heatproof bowl, place chopped white chocolate. Heat 1/4 c. heavy cream (reserve remainder) in small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very hot. Pour about half of hot cream onto chocolate. Place over warm water on low heat (water should not touch bottom of bowl); stir often until melted and smooth.

Gradually whisk in remaining cream. (Note: White chocolate is often stubborn about melting. If you cannot get yours to become smooth, add the rest of the cream as instructed. Whisk to combine, then turn the mixture into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Cover to keep warm, but do not process yet.) Set aside near stove. 

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small cup; stir to combine. Set aside near stove. In medium heatproof bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, and about 1/8c. milk (reserve remainder). By hand, beat well to combine. In small, heavy saucepan, place remaining milk. Heat over low heat, stirring often, until very hot. Very gradually add hot milk to egg mixture, beating constantly. Turn entire custard mixture back into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until custard reaches a temperature of 172 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat. Now, if your white chocolate mixture wasn't smooth, process it just until there are no lumps left. 

Add this mixture to the cooked custard and stir it in thoroughly (don't forget to scrape the sides of the pot). Add the soaked gelatin and stir it in until the gelatin grains are dissolved (this is easiest to see with a metal spoon). 

Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a large, nonreactive metal bowl. You'll need another bowl or a frying pan of larger diameter (but not deeper) than the bowl into which you've strained your white chocolate mixture. 

Partially fill the larger container with ice and cold water, and set the bowl of white chocolate custard into it. Gently whisk occasionally; the mixture will begin to thicken after 10-15 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula from time to time. After mixture begins to thicken, whisk a bit more frequently until white chocolate custard is the approximate consistency of raw egg whites. You do NOT want the custard to set now, so watch it carefully. 

When the white chocolate custard is of the right consistency, whisk well and remove from ice and water. 

In chilled medium bowl with chilled beater(s), beat reserved 1/2 c. heavy cream just until cream forms a soft shape (this is before soft peak stage). Whisk cooled custard well once more to loosen, then quickly but gently and thoroughly fold in softly whipped cream. Don't handle any more than necessary. Mixture will be thin at this stage—OK. Quickly pour into pie crust; spread evenly. with a toothpick, prick any large air bubbles. Place in refrigerator. 

Chill Bavarian cream at least 4 hours before serving.

Sugar glaze

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon strawberry flavored gelatin
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Mix together the sugar, water, gelatin and cornstarch in a medium large saucepan. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat.

Pink Zebra Cake

Well, I like everything about this cake except for the eggy taste of it.  I used someone else's recipe with some adjustments as I didn't have quite enough flour and also I couldn't bring myself to put olive oil into the cake and instead used vegetable oil.  I will not post the recipe for the mere fact that the eggyiness killed it for me, but visually I thought it was still pretty cool! Normally zebra cake is white and brown as part of the batter is mixed with cocoa powder, but I opted out of this and did white and pink instead. 

Caramel Butter Pecan Cake

Well, this cake came out delicious.  The reasons for baking it initially was to try out a basket weave pattern with the icing around the sides, but I was so tired (and the baby was crying) I just wanted to be done.  I just slapped on the icing as best as I could and threw the nuts on the top.  Needless to say I love this recipe, the cake was sooo soft and delicious. I will be making this cake again next week, when my husband's family come for a visit-hopefully with the basket weave finish!  Recipe is as follows

Caramel-Butter Pecan Cake

From The Complete Step-by-Step Cooking Class Cookbook

Ingredients for Cake Batter:

1 cup shortening (I use butter)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

3 cups sifted cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspon almond extract

Caramel Filling

Buttercream Frosting

1/4 cup Pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).  Grease and flour three 9-inch (22.5 cm) round cake pans.

2. Beat together shortening and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Sift together dry ingredients.  Add to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.  Blend in vanilla and almond extract.  Pour evenly into prepared pans.

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers come out clean.  Cool layers in pans or wire racks 10 minutes.  Loosen edge of cake with knife or flexible spatula.  Using oven mitts or hot pads, place wire cooling rack on top of cake in pan.  Turn cake and pan over so wire rack is on bottom.  Gently shake cake to release from pan.  Remove pan.  Repeat iwth remaining cake layers.  Invert layers to cool top side up.  Cool completely.

6.  Gently brush loose crumbs off tops and sides of cake layers with pastry brush or hands.  Prepare Caramel Filling.  To assemple, spread tops of layers with filling; stack on cake plate.

7.  Prepare Buttercream Frosting.  Apply frosting to sides of cake.  Use ridged decorator tip with star tip and pipe any remaining frosting aroudn top of cake.  Sprinkle top of cake with pecans.

Caramel Filling

3 cups granulated sugar, divided

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

Dash of salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in large heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, sitrring constantly, until sugar is light golden brown.

2.  Combine remaining 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, milk, egg, and salt in medium bowl; stir in butter.  Add to caramelized sugar.

3.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occassionally, until candy thermometer registers 230F/130C (15 to 20 minutes).  (I should add I have no thermometer so I just cooked it for about fifteen or so minutes).  Cool 5 minutes.  Stir with wooden spoon until well blended and thickened.

Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of half and half (I used milk)

1/2  teaspoon of vanilla

1.  Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.

2. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with half and half (or milk), beating until light and fluffy.  Add addition 1 tablespoon of half and half (or milk) if neccessary for desired consistency.  Stir in vanilla.