Warm Tarts, Warm Minds

I’m sitting in my kitchen having coffee on a cool, but bright Sunday morning.  It’s 10:30, jazz is playing in the background, the birds are hungrily eating seed out in the back yard and I have a tart crust in the oven.  Perfection.

If this scene I just described is a cozy and a homely one to you, welcome to my life (or at least the one that lives in my mind).  I’ve come to understand that I’m obsessed with the idea of a cozy and relaxing space…my friends might say this is an understatement.  I’m constantly trying to create a home environment that makes you want to put your feet up and have a slice of pie…not that I specifically bake pie all that often, but the idea certainly is nice.  

(Cook fresh cranberries with water and sugar, set aside to cool)

Last night I was reading in an Ina Garten book, Barefoot Contessa At Home, http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Contessa-Home-Everyday-Recipes/dp/1400054346/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258307686&sr=8-1

her notion of what makes a comfortable home and I really connected with it.  She describes a house full of flowers, comfortable furniture, her husband and friends, and isn’t that the point?  We try to make a space where we can recuperate and visit with long-time pals, much of this visiting just happens to be done while we eat.  Sharing food, particularly baked goods, is a good excuse to get together.  Unless there is a casual celebration out at a bar somewhere, most friendly gatherings I attend revolve around going to a restaurant or to a friend’s house for wine and a really great meal.  It’s just something we enjoy.

(Time to brush the tart crust with egg white, bake for 25 minutes more at 350 degrees.)

In the spirit of friendly get togethers, I have spent the past week scouring over my November food magazines for the perfect dishes to serve at Thanksgiving, particularly the desserts.  This can be a daunting task, but only because there are just so many things I would like to make.  Every recipe is tantalizing.  I want to make it, discover its secrets and share the outcome with everyone I know.  It’s my way to say, “Hey, I like you, so eat this thing I made”.  It’s really the most direct connection I have to offer.  It can be hard opening yourself up to other people, even your closest friends at times, but when you are all eating the same dish, partaking in the experience of eating it, a connection is made.  Thanksgiving is the height of this connection.  It’s the most popular food holiday in the United States, and as someone who likes to eat as much as I do, it makes sense.

(Pull the crust out and let it rest for 10 minutes)

My research has taken me through the aforementioned Barefoot Contessa, my faithful Martha, Bon Appetit, Everyday Food and what I believe to be the last copy of Gourmet…you know I’m making some goodies out of there.  In my mind, November equals things such as pecans, pears, cranberries and pomegranates.  Also pumpkins, technically, but I get so caught up with pumpkins in October that by the time November rolls around I’m a bit over them.  All of these items sound great in some combination or other and I found plenty of options.  The problem becomes about choice…so many options and not enough days or hours to make them all.  What I ended up doing was choosing some of my favorites and I’m going to spread them out.  Why shouldn’t each weekend in November be something of a Thanksgiving celebration, at least in the dessert department?

What I decided to do this week is called a Cranberry, Almond and Cinnamon tart.  It’s a Martha Stewart Living recipe from November of 2007. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cranberry-almond-and-cinnamon-tart

I remember seeing this recipe back then and wanting to make it, but for whatever reason that didn’t happen.  At that time, we had only been in our house for about four months and the “home-making” process was fully in swing but certainly not in an advanced state.  I think we may have painted the living room by then and we were waiting on the delivery of our dining table, one we had been searching for for nearly two years.  I’m sure I was busy with some home project or other, but I digress.

The photo of this tart really did it for me, and I knew I wanted to make it.  Cranberries are an undervalued fruit in my opinion.  Many people eat them once a year, out of a can, and call it good.  But a cranberry is so much more than that jellied substance people put on their Thanksgiving table. http://www.oceanspray.com/about/cranberry_history.aspx

I often make a quick bread, which is super easy and delicious, http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cranberry-bread

and I think they cook down to make a fantastic sauce with which to accompany pork and game meats.  In today's scenario, they appear in the tart in the form of a tasty jam and as a topping.  The jam is from the Hudson Valley, and I’m always happy to use locally sourced ingredients.  One day I will make jam of my own, but as it stands Beth’s will do a fantastic job. http://www.bethsfarmkitchen.com/

(Place cranberry jam inside the bottom of the tart shell)

I happen to have dough left over from last week’s savory tart.  It’s pate brisee as opposed to the pate sucree this recipe calls for, but I think it will do just fine.  The pate sucree makes sweeter and more crumbly dough because of its higher sugar content, but because I have the pate brisee on hand, and I like a good flaky tart dough, I’m using it.  

There are varying reports on how long you can keep tart dough in the refrigerator or freezer, but I like to use a 3-day rule for the fridge…sort of like you would use with fish, or visiting houseguests.  3 days is a good amount of time, but anything over that becomes a bit dicey.  When freezing dough, my personal limit is usually around a month, but you can keep it frozen for up to 3 months if it’s really well sealed.  Wrap it in a couple layers of plastic wrap and then put it inside a Ziploc freezer bag for the best preservation.  I defrost it in the refrigerator for at least a day to get it back to a workable consistency. 

As a dough-making tip, I offer two suggestions.  A) Never over-mix your dough.  Whenever you think it’s not quite ready and that it will never stick together, it’s done.  B) Whenever you get the crust rolled out and are ready to transfer it to your pan, gently roll it up over the rolling pin and use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour.  This will make the transfer to the pan easy and remove extra flour that you don’t want to taste on your crust.

(Make almond filling and layer on top of jam.  Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees)

This is such a beautiful tart when it’s all completed.  It would be perfect for your sideboard at Thanksgiving, or even as a lovely Christmas dessert because of the jeweled red tones of the berries.  I think this tart is ultimately easy to do, but does require several steps and you should plan accordingly.  This is not a busy weeknight undertaking.  Having the dough already made is a big time saver, and when it comes to planning holiday parties I think it’s great to have all of your doughs made in advance where applicable.

(Top with sugar and cooked cranberries)

Well, it’s 12:30pm and now everything is done.  The coffee is gone, the birds seem to have finished their breakfast and the sun is in full swing.  It’s time to take care of more practical items like raking leaves, cleaning out gutters and sealing up windows for the coming winter.  None of these things sound nearly as much fun as my casual jazz and tart laden morning, but you can’t live the fantasy all the time.  Sometimes you have to take care of business and that’s just fine.  The security found in having a well maintained home makes enjoying and appreciating the baking and gathering times that much sweeter.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  It’s just who I am.