Chocolate Mint Pi(e)s!

Hey y'all, it's Pi(e) day! That's right, March 14, 3.14, the day when nerds and geeks mark the glory that is mathematics - and also pastry. Since the most digits of pi I have memorized are in fact... 3.14 - I can't quite claim geekdom. But pastry... pastry I can do!

Chocolate Orange Mousse Tart

There are some pairings that are totally natural: peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy. For me, I'm pretty partial to chocolate and orange. There's something about the bright citrus taste that pares well with the rich, dark, flavor of chocolate - which is why I was more than happy when we whipped up these chocolate orange tartlets in pastry school.

Pecan Tartlets

Y'all are lucky I'm in pastry school. See, until now, you've gotten recipes chock full of things I love, like chocolate, coconut, raspberry and... chocolate. Since I rarely bake things I don't like, you haven't seen really any nuts (except ground), mangoes, coffee or marshmallows. But when you go to pastry school, you don't get a whole lot of say in what you make, so despite my distaste for them, we made pecan pies last week.

Mini Fruit Tarts

The last time I made a dessert at my brother's request, it was to replace something he'd eaten. (Guard your food!) Well this time, it was another story entirely. See, I have one major fear. Bugs. Flies, ants, spiders, cockroaches, beetles - I am terrified. It has long been established practice in my house that upon sight of an offending creature, I scream for help. In high school, I would offer my brother $1 to kill anything that I spied late at night. These days though, I'll call his name for exterminator duty and he'll ask "What will you make me?"

After a particular insect removal incident, (one lady bug and one spider) the bill was settled with these mini fruit tarts. They're filled with pastry cream and topped with slices of fresh fruit.

Lemon Tartlets

I have a new toy. No, it's not the American Girl Doll I begged for for most of my childhood (and never got.) And it's not this iPad I've been hearing so much about but can't quite think of a use for. No, instead it's my new mini-muffin pan that's got my heart all a-flutter. Now while I bought the pan to make mini cupcakes (which you'll be seeing in the future), I decided I really, really need to make some adorable lemon tartlets first.
Mission accomplished! Now on to the cupcakes. Oh - you want to hear more about these? Fine.

Well I did run into a little difficulty...see the recipe called for a "tart shaper" - which is about as extraordinarily single-use as you can get (Alton Brown would not be pleased) but does the specific task of forming the dough into the shells.
Now of course with my superior intellect and talent I figured I could accomplish it quite alright on my own, with the use of my fingers and perhaps the handle of a wooden spoon. Well I did manage, but it took forever and was not that easy. Then I spent 20 minutes panicking that they would never come out of their shells, it simply wasn't possible, how would they ever be removed cleanly and then....oh. They did. And how.
Tip of the Day: Perhaps invest in a tart shaper? Or perhaps ask your blog readers for advice on a suitable alternative?

Recipe:

Shells:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 1/4 cups flour

Filling:
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp lemon juice
Powdered Sugar

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg white and blend well.
Add in the flour until just blended.
Press about a tablespoon of dough into each greased tart shell of a 24-cup mini muffin pan - preferably with a tart shaper.
Set aside.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together. Add in the melted butter.
Add in the zest and juice and blend well.
Divide evenly among tart shells.

Carefully transfer to 325 F oven and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until edges and light brown.
Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately before serving.