With this post I become a life-time member of The Craftsy Cheerleading Club. Quite likely the oldest member of the organization, but my enthusiasm matches that of a sophomore. This class in particular Pies and Tarts for Every Season, is taught by Gesine Bullock-Prado. I’m a bit distant from TV (except for binge watching stuff like Broadchurch, Outlander, Black Mirror) so I had no clue she is such a hot commodity in the media. Deservedly so. Teaching is a bit of a performing act. You need to capture the attention of your students and at the same time convey your message in a clear and efficient way. Lightening up a lecture using jokes and funny analogies is a nice way to make sure your audience stays with you. However, balance is everything. There is a delicate line to negotiate between lightness and solid info, and she really shines at it. I learned a lot about pie crusts, how to manipulate each kind, how to choose which crust to bake depending on the type of filling. All in a fun, relaxed way. I am always amazed at the quality of online classes offered by Craftsy, and the reviews by users are for the most part spot on. Before buying any class, you can browse through to see exactly what you’ll be getting, and the feedback from other users. A win-win situation. Now, for the bit of bad news. I could not get permission to publish the recipe, so if you are interested in the exact formula Gesine used for crust and filling, you’ll have to get it from the site.
OVERVIEW OF THE RECIPE
It all starts with the crust. You have several options. You can make a single larger tart, or shape about 50g of dough per tartlet, using muffin rings or a tartlet pan like I did. Compared to a muffin ring, my tarts were a tad bit bigger, so I used 60g of dough for each one. Her recipe has some cute twists, like using condensed milk in the dough. It gives not only a more intense sweetness, but it browns nicely in the oven. Following her detailed instructions, I was happy to get all tarts to bake evenly, no soggy bottoms (who wants to have that? not me!), and basically zero shrinkage (scary thought).
I added my own little twist to the preparation by placing the pie weights (and dried beans) into the shells using food grade plastic wrap instead of parchment paper. It does not melt in the oven, as long as you crumble it on top preventing it from touching the metal of the pan, you’ll be fine. I love the way it allows the beans and ceramic balls to reach the edge of the tart. As long as you don’t bake the shells in a higher than 400F oven, no problem. After the initial baking with weights, I removed them, got the shells back in a baking sheet and baked with the bottoms up in the air as shown in the photo. I just wanted to prevent any soggy bottom phenomenon (watching Great British Bake Off made me traumatized about those).
For her caramel recipe, she uses a bit of maple syrup in addition to usual suspects. Any caramel recipe you enjoy will do, make sure to cook it to the correct temperature, 240 F, that will provide the perfect texture. No caramel running out when you slice the tartlet, no biting into a rock either. It hardens very quickly, but I still allowed the filled tartlets to rest at room temperature for a good 45 minutes before adding the chocolate ganache. Again, any recipe will do, but you need to have it almost cool to room temperature, so that it pipes nicely using a 1/4 inch piping tip.
You can be creative, do swirls, waves, fill it solid and play with the surface using an off-set spatula. Once it’s set, sprinkle Graham cracker crumbs on top, or anything else you might like. A drizzle of white chocolate? Oreo crumbs? Gold leaf in pieces? Or as Gesine does in the video, top with toasted mini-marshmallows and call them Caramel Smore’s Tarts. Brilliant! You can probably see a picture on Craftsy. Adorable stuff.
I had a blast making these… and the taste? Spectacular, even if I say so myself
That’s what you want… A nice layer of caramel in between the crunchy crust and the luscious chocolate ganache. Next time I will use muffin rings, so that the top of the crust will be leveled with the chocolate. If you have muffin rings, give them a try as tartlet containers.
Did I mention these would be amazing on Valentine’s Day?
Gesine, thank you for your helpful comments,
I have quite a few of your projects on my list of stuff to try soon….
ONE YEAR AGO: Chicken Korma-ish
TWO YEARS AGO: Sunday Gravy with Braciola
THREE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, February 2015
FOUR YEARS AGO: Avocado and Orange Salad with Charred Jalapeno Dressing
FIVE YEARS AGO: Green Olive, Walnuts and Pomegranate Salad
SIX YEARS AGO: Romanian Flatbreads
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Ziti with Artichokes and Meyer Lemon Sauce
EIGHT YEARS AGO: Blasted Broccoli, Stove-top version
” I’m a bit distant from TV (except for binge watching stuff like Broadchurch, Outlander, Black Mirror) ” of course, that made me chuckle….😄😄😄
Your tarts we so very pretty, that swirly one is a thing of pure beauty 😍 you amaze me every time; your baking skills and creativity and patience and determination are next to none x x x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeap. Two more Broadchurch episodes yesterday – season 3. We considered taking a small break from it, as the story seemed to be totally unrelated to season 1 and 2, but… we got sucked in. (My fault) – I really hope those two get together in a twisted romantic way. They are a great match… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s worth sticking with, it’s another great season 🙂
LikeLike
Wow simply amazing
LikeLiked by 1 person
pretty cute, aren’t they? I was quite happy…
LikeLike
Yup super cute..
LikeLike
Gorgeous! You’re right, a Velentine’s winner. Bravo!
I really like your suggestion to use plastic wrap to hold the weights when pie baking. You’re right, stiff papers don’t get to the edges. Thanks for the tip, I never would have thought of that on my own.
Thanks for another fantastic diet killer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Iron Uptake Chef by day… Diet Breaker Queen by night… 😉 (with a bit of exercise in between to make sure pants still fit)
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Exercise”….hang on…gotta go look that one up….
LikeLike
on that trick of the plastic wrap – really make sure it doesn’t touch the metal pan – or you will be very mad at me… 😉 (yeap, I made that mistake once…)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eh. I’ve eaten worse. I’m married, remember 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow – beautiful! You’re so talented – especially in the dessert department!
LikeLiked by 1 person
funny that you say that… I see all the problems and boo-boos… 😉 but it’s ok, it’s good to have some goals and try to reach them… the path, more important than the destination, they say….
LikeLike
Well you’re a scientist. And a perfectionist!
LikeLike
These look totally irresistible. Love the idea of adding some maple syrup to the caramel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
you cannot quite tell it’s maple, just a real complex caramel.. loved it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They look devilish. I would happily lie down on a bed of them. My sweet tooth will be the undoing of me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tell you, I don’t even have a sweet tooth, but developed some for this dessert… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mmmm, chocolate and caramel, a match made in heaven. What fun to have access to all those videos, too! I’m sure you are a model student. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do my best… 😉 They are a lot of fun – and for the most part you can almost bake in real time as the video plays along.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Irresistible, mouth watering and a treat to the taste buds. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree on all counts! Hard not to start mouth-watering when I look at the pictures…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh goodness, you make me smile woman. Love the sophomore enthusiasm and these tarts are so darn pretty – (your headliner photo is a wowzer!) ~♥♥♥~ Who knew muffin tins could be so useful?
LikeLiked by 1 person
what can I say? I am madly in love with Craftsy… indeed, muffin tins can have so many uses!
LikeLike
You are having so much fun with Craftsy. I’ve not heard of Gesine either, but that crust sounds amazing, and you can’t go wrong with caramel and chocolate!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am having a blast with those online classes, it’s really like having a great teacher right with you… love it!
and caramel with chocolate. Doesn’t get much better!
LikeLike
Sally those tartlets look amazingly delicious. Perfect for Valentine’s Day. You are such talented baker!
LikeLike
Caramel + Chocolate? My kind of dessert!
LikeLike
“the bottoms up in the air as shown in the photo”
“(who wants to have ? not me!), and basically zero shrinkage”
Such evocative and provocative language, Sally!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know I am just an innocent angel. 😜
LikeLike