Rasberry Truffle Tart

Mmmm, dessert.  Awwww yeah.

In searching for something to make for Christmas dinner, I stumbled upon this recipe.  Her photography is beautiful and it made the dessert seem outrageously good.

It's outrageously good, and so simple to put together.  The dessert is very rich, but is so smooth and silky. 

We also had a TON of desserts for Christmas dinner (communication, people!), so we had about half of it leftover.  I had heard that baked goods freeze well, so figured I'd give it a go.  It freeze beautifully, and tasted just as good on New Year's Eve as it did on Christmas.

Biscotti Crust:

8 ounces (225 grams) store bought biscotti, broken into pieces
5 - 6 tablespoons (70 - 84 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
1/3 cup (80 ml) raspberry sauce (recipe follows)
10 ounces (280 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream (contains 36-40% butterfat)
Raspberry Sauce:
1 cup (240 ml) fresh or frozen raspberries (that have been thawed)
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste
Garnish:
Fresh raspberries

Raspberry Truffle Tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degree C). Have ready a 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) fluted tart pan.

Biscotti Crust: In your food processor, place the biscotti and process until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and add the melted butter. Stir to combine. Press this mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the filling.

Raspberry Truffle Filling: First, make the raspberry sauce. Place 1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries, that have been thawed, in your food processor and process until the raspberries are broken up. Pour into a strainer, set over a bowl, and gently press the raspberries to extract their juices. Add sugar to taste. You will need 1/3 cup (80 ml) of raspberry sauce.

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup of the raspberry sauce. Pour the chocolate filling into the baked and cooled crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To Serve: Cut into small slices and serve with fresh raspberries, raspberry sauce, whipped cream and/or creme fraiche.

Serves about 12 - 14 people.

Sources:

De Laurentiis, Giada. 'Giada's Family Dinners'. Clarkson/Potter Publishers. New York: 2006.

Longbotham, Lori. 'Luscious Berry Desserts'. Chronicle Books. San Francisco: 2006

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RaspberryTruffleTart.html#ixzz19w7xeUrZ

Vanilla Cupcakes

I wanted to make a Spiderman colored cupcake for A for his birthday party. The chocolate cupcakes I was making weren't going to work, so I found this recipe, colored the batter, and also used leftover strawberry frosting, which I also colored. These came out really tasty, and were a big hit with the birthday boy! Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe Vanilla Cupcakes: 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Zest of 1 large lemon (optional) 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk Buttercream Frosting: 2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 tablespoons milk or light cream Assorted food colors (if desired)

Vanilla Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. If you want flat topped cupcakes then slice off the dome of each cupcake, with a sharp knife, before frosting. If you want to pipe the frosting, I like to use a large Wilton 1M star decorating tip. For the Frosting: In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores). Makes about 12 cupcakes