Salty Sweet & Sticky ~ Sea Salt Caramels
These are special. Not because they contain rare and expensive ingredients or because they are incredibly labor-intensive, but because they are beautiful and because they are truly delicious and because they will be made by you for someone you love. Very, very special.
A box of chocolates invokes many images. Maybe you think of the large, rose-laden Valentines that will be pushing the Christmas decorations off the shelves any week now. Or, Forrest Gump, who reminded us that “life is like a box of chocolates”. Of course, I am reminded of my ornery grandmother Frances’ box of Whitman’s that I would chew my way through, nibbling on each until I found the caramel which was always small and square (never large enough and never enough of them).
Chocolate has been equated with love for centuries and rightly so. Chocolate is high into phenylethylamine–the
very substance that is released by the brain into the bloodstream as a concomitant of falling in love. I like chocolate, I don’t love it … but I do love caramel. Caramel – quite possibly the most simple confection of them all, and yet elusive to so many.
So tune in friends, you CAN do this.
The only oddball piece of equipment I use when making these (that you may not have) is a square silicon mold that you can find at any crafting store. Michael’s even sells it in two colors, blue & brown, distributed by Wilton. You can just as easily roll the caramel into small balls and dip them in chocolate. The mold is completely optional.
Making the caramel:
Prepare a cookie sheet with either: silpat, parchment paper, aluminum foil with a very light coating of vegetable spray
- In a heavy saucepan, over medium low heat, combine: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of light corn syrup, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup heavy cream.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and then cook, without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 240°F (about 7 minutes). I always draw a line at the desired temp with a magic marker – just to be sure. (a couple of degrees can make a big difference when making caramel)
- Remove from heat and pour in (another) 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir to mix well. The mixture will bubble a bit.
- Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook until the thermometer reads 244°F (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a prepared pan. I pour mine into a rectangular shape because that makes it easier for me to keep the portions even when cutting each portion.
- DO NOT scrape the pan with a spoon – there’s a good chance that some of that mixture on the bottom is a bit hotter and has moved on to the hard stage.
- Let stand for about 2 hours. Caramel should be firm but not hard.
Preparing the molds:
- Melt about 2 cups of chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. You can use chocolate chip morsels or almond bark or any chocolate you choose. I like the Ghirardelli double chocolate. I chop it very fine and heat it in a heavy bowl in the microwave for about a minute, stopping to stir at 30 seconds.
- You don’t have to do anything to prepare the mold. Just be sure it is clean and dry.
- Place about a teaspoon of chocolate in each mold (a couple at a time). I use a paintbrush to pull the chocolate up on the sides.
- Allow this to become firm. To speed the process up, stick the mold in the fridge for five minutes. You shouldn’t be able to see any of the blue mold through the chocolate.
Adding the Caramel:
- Slice your caramel into four equal strips and then fold the caramel over on itself. You will be able to stretch it and pull it with ease. Slice the strip into 12 equal portions (or as close as you can get), each just a bit smaller than the mold size.
- Take each square of caramel and place it in the chocolate covered mold. Press down firmly in all directions. You don’t want any bubbles between the caramel and the chocolate below it.
- Fold another strip over on itself, cut into 12 portions and finish filling the mold. You will have enough caramel to fill the mold twice (48 pieces).
- When the mold is full, sprinkle each caramel with a few grains of sea salt or kosher salt.
Close the deal:
- Reheat your chocolate for about fifteen or thirty seconds. Spoon enough on top of each caramel to cover and fill in the gaps around the edges.
- After the chocolate sets up, gently press up from the bottom while pulling the mold away from the side of each chocolate. It will pop right out.
- Now you can wrap them, box them, decorate them, or just eat them … I suggest all of the above!
- This is my favorite way to decorate chocolates. Using food glitter (sold near the fondant tools), gently smudge a stamp into the powder and then press onto the chocolate. I had a little trouble capturing the sparkle with the camera, but I can tell you that this is precious!
The scalloped box is by Martha Stewart and is available where ever MS crafting products are sold.
REMEMBER! You do not have to go through the molding process. You can simply roll the caramel into balls after it has cooled and then dip the balls in chocolate. They will taste just as delicious – I promise!
Utterly Christmas ~ Bob’s Soft Peppermint Sticks
I love soft peppermint.
I love how it’s delivered in a sweet, but has a hittle zing of spicy. I love how it makes me feel better when I have a tummy ache. I love how it looks, perfect and imperfect at once. I love that you can safely chomp down on it and the way the tiny bits dissolve on your tongue.
My favorite peppermint candy is Bob’s. My ornery grandmother, Frances, used to keep Bob’s peppermint puffs in her sweater pocket all the time and she shared them with everybody, even the dog (because a dog with minty breath is a thing to treasure). Here’s a little history on Bob’s from The Old Time Candy Company. If you can’t find Bob’s in your local store, you can order it from them.
Merry, merry Christmas!
For more than 80 years, Bobs® Candies of Albany, GA has been filling grandparents’ candy jars and Christmas stockings with their sweet confections. Bobs candies have played a part in making lasting memories for generations of Americans. Bobs Peppermint Sticks and Sugar Puffs have long been favorites of kids of all ages.
It all began in 1918. World War I had just ended and young Lt. Bob McCormack decided to pursue his dream of starting a candy plant. In the early years, Lt. McCormack served as salesman, bookkeeper and plant manager. Before long, his knowledge of the candy field became such that men in all phases of the confectionery business sought his advice.
From the beginning the company earned a reputation for being an innovative leader in the candy industry. In the 1920s, Bobs was the first candy manufacturer to wrap candy in a new transparent paper…cellophane. By the 1950s, Bobs was using the first ever machine to automatically make stick candy. The machine was developed and patented by Lt. McCormack’s brother-in-law Gregory Keller, a Catholic priest. Later, Bobs began using patented box and case designs for safe candy shipment.
Today, Bobs is an acknowledged leader in confections and the largest producer of candy canes in the world. The Old Time Candy Company is proud to be a retailer for these outstanding candy products.
COOKIE OVERLOAD: Share, Ship, & Shwap
Butter Cookie Snowflakes
I have a vague recollection of a dessert called “Cookie Overload”. I think it was basically Oreo cookies smashed up in Cool Whip and dropped in a pie crust. This is not a recipe for that particular dessert, though I think I just spilled the beans on that secret anyway.
This is about MY cookie overload. MY cookie over-whelm. My cookie over-scheduling. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m no good with over-scheduling or being overwhelmed and overloaded. But here it is, two weeks before Christmas and I’m flying at three G’s with my hair on fire.
I just really LOVE Christmas time. And I REALLY love making cookies.
Oreo Truffle
First there is the Cookie Swap. I love the Cookie Swap concept. My neighbor has been hosting a ”girl’s night” kind of Cookie Swap for years, but last year, my daughter and I decided to do our own on this side of the street. We invited a dozen or so of her friends and their mothers. I KNOW RIGHT! What kind of teenager party is that? HA! Well, it was so much fun last year, we decided to do it again this year.
I am also doing baked treats for our families back east this year. We usually send a Harry & David gift tower, but not this year. This year, everything came right out of my oven. It took a while to get everything done and decorated and packaged and ready to ship, but we pulled it off. It feels so good to have done all that baking and packaging for the people that I love the most. The goodies are on the way and I am so excited to see their reaction to my treats instead of the usual impersonal variety. (Yes, Nanny … there are lemon cookies … I wouldn’t do you wrong.)
Lemon Wafers with Cream Filling
On top of all that, I was inspired by a friend who posted a story about baking cookies for the troops in Desert Storm when she was fifteen years old. I said to myself – hey self, you’ve already got all this stuff out … what’s ten or twelve more dozen. I went to www.anysoldier.com, found me some folks from Missouri that are overseas right now and proceeded to bake them a bunch of cookies, too.
So the Cookie Swap party, the idea that started this oven-condemning extreme baking extravaganza, is not until next week. So, I almost have enough time to clean this mess up before I get started on those cookies (and snacks and prizes) for the party. I haven’t decided what to bake yet – got any ideas?
White Chocolate-Dipped Rice Krispy Treats
Did I mention that I LOVE CHRISTMAS? And COOKIES?
For the recipes shown, click HERE!
Miss Irma’s Buttermilk Pie
My ornery grandmother, Frances, had a good friend named Irma. They worked in a kitchen together for years and years and between the two of them they could make anything and everything … perfectly crisp peach dumplings that never split open even though there was way too much butter wrapped up in th pastry, perfect, four-inch yeast rolls, and pies – lots and lots of pies.
Irma made my favorite of them all, the buttermilk pie. Sounds gross and I can’t even believe I was willing to try it as a kid, but thank goodness I did. That pie has always been a favorite of mine thanks to it’s tangy, zippy taste- a hint of buttermilk that is almost lemony in flavor. The custard pie bakes up with a slightly crisp top and a thick, creamy center.
If you’re got your nose turned up, I’ve got to tell you that you don’t know what you’re missing. This is the best. So dang good, I think I’ll go make one right now. I’ll be back with some pictures later!
3 eggs (or 4 eggs for less sweet version)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour, plus a little for dusting
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 1/2 cups buttermilk for less sweet version)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat eggs slightly and add sugar and flour. Then add melted butter and mix well. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix.
Dust the unbaked pie shell with a little bit of flour. Pour batter into shell, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top.
Bake at 325 degrees until the custard is set, approximately 1 hour.
Memory Maker ~ Spicy Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce
Gingerbread.
Gingerbread is the smell of childhood Christmas to me. I remember my ornery grandmother, Frances, making gingerbread several times a week in the months of November and December. She baked it in a plain, aluminum 9×13 that had long since seen its heyday and always had warm lemon sauce to go with it. I don’t remember ever having fresh lemons around, but I do remember the big bottle of lemon flavoring and watching her indiscriminately pour and taste until it was just right. No recipes for Frances.
I am not as experienced or brave as my grandmother was, but I do love gingerbread with lemon sauce … and I’m sure I always will.
Here is my version of her timeless classic ~
Gingerbread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour a bundt pan
- Sift together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and allspice, 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- Add to sifted dry ingredients 1/4 cup freshly grated ginger
- In a mixer, cream 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of dark brown sugar until fluffy (about 2 minutes)
- Beat in 1 egg
- Beat in 1 cup of molasses
- Alternately add dry ingredients (3 times) and 1 cup of buttermilk (2 times) to the ingredients in the mixer bowl. BEGIN and END with the flour mixture
- At the very end, blend in 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- Bake at 350 degrees about 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes
- Invert onto rack
- Tap to loosen the cake from the bundt pan
- Gently pull the pan away from the sides of the cake
- Let the cake cool for at least half an hour before you cut into it (easier said than done because it smells just like heaven!)
Lemon Sauce:
Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually stir in 1 cup cold water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, till thick and clear.
Stir small amount of hot mixture into 2 lightly beaten egg yolks, then return to hot mixture. Cook and stir one minute. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Return to heat for one minute and stir until butter is melted and ingredients are well combined.
I always pour the sauce on the plate so it soaks into the whole surface of the cake. Top with whipped cream and drizzle a little more of the sauce over the top.
Serve the cake and the sauce warm … Sugarplums will surely dance in your head.
Holiday Fat Ass ~ Hot Spiced Bordeaux
First of all, any recipe that calls for a gallon of wine is, well, certainly the best recipe ever! And when it comes to holidays, a gallon of wine is not only delicious, it is necessary … So, drink up!
To start ~ bring 9 ounces of lemonade concentrate, 1/4 cup of whole cloves, 8 cinnamon sticks, and about 1 cup of sugar to a boil. This smells so good, you might be tempted to drink it right from the pan … don’t, hot boiled sugar syrup will eat the skin right off your lips … making smooching under the mistletoe quite impossible. Resist the urge and settle for having your home smell like a Christmas paradise. Once the contents get to a good boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
At this point, you can store the syrup in a glass jar for about a week in the fridge ~ or you can just move forward with the recipe.
Stir one gallon of claret or bordeaux, depending on where you live, (or your favorite bordeaux-ish red) with the syrup in a large pot and warm it over low heat. Add slices of lemon, orange, and/or star fruit … whatever floats your boat … ladle into mugs ~ YUMMY!!!
Whatever you do, DO NOT add a candy cane to the mug as a garnish … this will result in the absolutely most disgusting thing you’ve ever tasted.
I know you’re going to try it … just consider yourself warned!!!
Go with a cinnamon stick or some long strands of lemon zest … just as clever and much more appetizing-ly appropriate.
***You can keep this warm all day in the crock pot with minimal evaporation.***
This recipe is also recession proof … you can use your favorite expensive wine or you can use any old cheap-ass wine from the bottom shelf … the results are equally as delicious and intoxicating.
Drink up!!!
Enjoy & Happy Holidays!!!
A Wienerbrød By Any Other Name …
… would be a Danish.
I love all things Danish. I love Hans Christian Andersen and Hamlet and of course, THE Danish.
You may be eyeballing my little flaky delight and thinking to yourself, “hmmmmm … that is not a real danish.” I know this because I was thinking the very same thing, although it is a good substitute if you have twenty minutes and four basic ingredients.
But then, I started this post and thought to look up the actual foodie definition of “Danish pastry” and what do you know … that creamy, golden delight most certainly IS a real Danish.
© Copyright Barron’s Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER’S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
This butter-rich pastry begins as a yeast dough that is rolled out, dotted with butter, then folded and rolled again several times, as for PUFF PASTRY. The dough may be lightly sweetened and is usually flavored with vanilla or cardamom. Baked Danish pastries (often referred to simply as “Danish”) contain a variety of fillings including fruit, cream cheese, almond paste and spiced nuts.
Oh my goodness! I DID make a real Danish!
It’s true, I did not spend two days laminating and rolling and chilling and laminating and measuring and rolling and chilling. I confess. I did do a lot of chilling, but none that required refrigeration. Because this is so simple and quick, you will have plent of time to chill out with your family and friends and still look like a superstar pastry chef. What do your family and friends know about making puff pastry anyway.
I cut my puff pastry from the freezer section (of WalMart) with a six inch, fluted tart pan. You can cut yours any way you choose. One box (or two sheets) of puff pastry makes six, six-inch portions. **There is some thawing time required – be sure to account for this.
Bake per the instructions on the box. You want them to be done, but keep the tops as light as possible so you can pop them back into the oven after you’ve added your filling.
Using a sharp little knife, like a paring knfe, cut a shallow circle around the inside of the pastry.
Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to press down lightly on the center. Do not press too hard or you will leave too much of a space that you will then be compelled to fill with too much filling and the result will be a soggy mess.
My kids love cream cheese and it was handy, so I made a cream cheese filling using: 8 0z. cream cheese, one tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Leave the cream cheese on the counter while the pastry is thawing and it will be more than soft enough to be blended with a heavy fork.
Spoon the filling into each shell evenly.
Put the filled pastry back in the oven for about five minutes until the cream cheese is a little bubbly and the top is a deep, golden brown.
Watch it closely. It will burn before you know it … and burnt pastry is not tasty.
Christmas Gift Ideas
Love my keychain! I have the pink & white polka dot one on the bottom row with a green monogram. It fits perfectly on your wrist or clips onto a belt loop or purse strap with the addition of a carabineer. So, so, so cute!!!
I am a sucker for pink. I love these wristlets and those prints are divine!
Click HERE for ordering info~
Fromage Blanc with Framboises, In Your Kitchen: From LuluandPhoebe
Some of the food we ate while we lived in France are just memories, but some of it we have painstakingly recreated back home.
Fromage Blanc is one of those, and also one of our favorite foods. It is delightfully easy to make and even more fun to eat.
It is something that might be related to our cottage cheese (if it was smooth), or yogurt, or a very loose cream cheese. Depends on who you ask. All I know is that once we discovered it, we ate it everyday, often with berries that were sublime.
Fromage Blanc is easy to make but expensive to buy here in the U.S. Vermont Butter and Cheese has one as does Cypress Grove Cheese in California. Neither taste like French Fromage Blanc though.
To make it, order the Fromage Blanc starter from New England Cheese Making Company along with the cheesecloth to drain the stuff.
Get a gallon of whole milk from the store. Heat it up in a large pot to about 78-80 degrees. Mix in the starter until dissolved (about 2 minutes), cover and let sit for about 14 hours on the stove top or counter.
Using a cheesecloth lined colander with a pot or large bowl under it, spoon the mixture into the colander and cover. Refrigerate and let it drain for about 4 hours, but no more than 6.
Pour or dump into a large bowl and whisk it until it is smooth, free from lumps. Use some of the liquid (whey) if it seems to dry to you. It should resemble the consistency of Greek Yogurt or sour cream.
If it looks like cream cheese you left it too long and you will want to stir some of the whey back in to the mixture. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. It makes about a quart plus and it lasts about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It only gets more ripe, and that is not a bad thing.
Serve with berries or other fruit. I like it with bananas or honey. People in France serve it often for dessert with fruit or a honey topping.
Bon Appetite!
Good & Gluten Free ~ Pumpkin Flan with Pate Brisee
pumpkin flan with gluten free crust
naked pumpkin flan
If you still have pumpkin or ran to the store and bought out the dwindling supply, this recipe is for you. Pumpkin flan in a pate brisee crust, topped with a little cream fraiche or whipped cream will make your guests think you are Martha Stewart.
Oh, yeah. This is Martha’s recipe. Sort of. Since it was made in the L&P gluten free test kitchen, it has, shall we say, been modified to meet gluten free standards and enhanced slightly. In addition, since it is a MS recipe, we sought to simplify wherever we could.
First, begin by making a pot of high test French Roast coffee. You will need it. Second, make sure you begin a couple of days before you want to serve the dessert. It tastes better the second and third day. It was not so good the first day.
You could get a gluten free (or regular) pie crust mix at the store. That is a great alternative to save you time.
But if you are a whiz at the pie crusts, you know these crusts are simple to make and don’t take much time at all.
Just remember – the flan needs to be a little bit smaller in diameter than than the pastry crust.
The hardest task was the making the caramel. It goes from perfect to hard candy in a flash. Be careful. And no, the hard candy stage will not get you the caramel you need for the flan finish.
Just have patience and learn from our mistakes. The caramel is easy. It is simply water and sugar boiled gently on really low heat until the color is perfect. Martha said to make it a nice deep amber color. Don’t!
It will be hard candy in about 5 seconds after it turns amber. Just get it to that light blond stage and by the time you pour it, the color will be perfect. And it will pour! Hard candy doesn’t pour. My first batch made it to the ramekins and then became a hard shell.
The flan is flavored with real ginger – so beware. If you enjoy the sharp taste of ginger, by all means, use the recommended dose. But if you want a subtle taste of ginger, dial the portion back a touch.
And last, be sure to follow the directions to strain the flan into the ramekins unless you enjoy little stringy bits of ginger and pumpkin. It makes a difference. And don’t press too much on the strained stuff or you will push through some things you don’t want in there – speaking from experience.
And the biggest advice of all: Don’t serve it with the pate brisee if you don’t want to bother making the crusts. It is perfectly pretty and tasty all on its own. The pastry crust is fun, but really, it is the kind of thing we expect from Martha, a little over the top.
We made it so you don’t have to – but you might want to. It is really good. But then again, I was dreaming of Smitten Kitchen’s chocolate pudding pie as I was making the crusts. That should tell you something.
Pumpkin Flan in a Gluten Free Pate Brisee Crust
Directions for Caramel Sauce
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup filtered water
Directions for Caramel Sauce:
make sure the sugar and water dissolve
In a small saucepan with high sides, heat the sugar and water gently till disolved. Don’t stir it at all. Just swirl the pan with the handle. Have a glass of cold water and a pastry brush nearby. Once the sugar is dissolved, heat to a gentle low-heat boil, keeping it simmering at the lowest heat possible. Use the cold water/brush to brush down the sugar crystals that form on the side of the pan once in a while. Swish the saucepan once in a while. Do not let it get to the deep amber color Martha suggests. Light blonde is good.
once it dissolves gently boil it
As soon as it is the right color, set the pan in cold water for a second – be really careful – boiling sugar is hot and can burn. It will sizzle like crazy when it hits the cold water. Immediately pour the caramel into the bottoms of 6-8 shallow ramekins about 4 inches in diameter. Don’t worry about the size so much – just divide the caramel evenly. Let it cool on the counter while you prepare the flan.
this would be the perfect color
If you did this right, the caramel is runny. If you did it almost right, the caramel might be slightly hard, but still gooey. That will work too. The only instance where you need to begin again is if the caramel is hard as a rock. It won’t make that nice runny stuff when you flip it and will stay in the ramekin. Do it over.
this is the do-over color, sigh
Flan Ingredients: 
cast of characters pumpkin flan
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 1/2 cups of whole milk
* 12 ounces canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
* 1 tspn grated fresh ginger root (MS uses 2 tspns)
* 1 tspn cinnamon (MS uses 1/2 tspn)
* 1/4 tspn freshly grated nutmeg
* pinch salt
* 5 large eggs plus two large yolks
* 2 tspns vanilla
Directions Flan:
flan ramekins in roasting pan
Preheat oven to 325. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan. Bring the milk just to a light boil on the stove. In the meantime mix the remaining ingredients until well incorporated. Temper the mixture by adding the hot milk slowly and stirring at the same time. Whisk it all together. Using a fine strainer, pour the flan over the caramel, into the ramekins filling about 2/3 full.
before the boiling milk, the flan ingredients
tempering the mixture should get you this
Place the pan in the oven and carefully add hot water until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins in the roasting pan. Place a sheet of foil over the top – it doesn’t have to be a tight fit at all – just covering it is fine.
in the oven, with a water bath
Bake for almost an hour or until a knife comes out clean from the center. It can take a little less than an hour. Over cooked flan looks a bit grainy and crumbly. So keep a watch out. Once you’ve done it successfully you will know when to fetch it from the oven. The first time is always the hardest.
Let them cool in the bath until they are room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for the next day.
just done – wait until tomorrow
Ingredients Pate Brisee:
* 1.5 cups of gluten free flour
* 1 tspn xantham gum
* pinch salt
* 1 tspn white sugar
* 9-10 tablespoons of ice cold unsalted butter cut into tiny pieces
* filtered ice water
Directions Pate Brisee
Measure the dry ingredients into a food processor. If you are using a bowl, do the same. Drop the butter bits into the flour mixture in the processor or a bowl. For the processor: Pulse it until the mixture looks like cornmeal. For a bowl, using a fork or pastry blender tool, mix in the flour until it looks like cornmeal.
whiz this until it looks like cornmeal
Add about 1/4 cup of ice water all at once. In the processor, pulse until it just comes away from the sides into a ball. Add more ice water to get there if needed. In the bowl, add the ice water and work it in until it just starts to turn into a solid ball.
ready to come away from the sides, perfect
Grab the ball of dough and divide it evenly in half, and then again in half again until you have four to eight even-sized pieces. Gluten free pie dough does not roll easily. Since you filling 5-inch tart pans, smack the dough into the pan and work it up the sides until it is nice and thin and evenly done. The dough will be quite soft by now.
You want to bake it when the butter is very cold, so refrigerate the tart pans on a cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes or longer. You can leave them overnight if you like. They freeze well too.
chilled, ready to bake
Take them from the refrigerator or directly from the freezer and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes or just until they look very lightly brown. GF pie dough never browns like regular pie crusts – so don’t worry if they are light color. They are supposed to be that way.
Let them cool completely at room temperature.
toasted blonde, not browned
Assembling the Tarts:
Take the flans out to come to about room temperature before serving. Run a butter knife around the edges a few times. Take the tart dough and remove the tin if you can. If not, don’t worry about it. Put the tart shell upside down on the ramekin and securely holding it so it doesn’t shatter, flip the whole thing quickly and remove the ramekin.
Once you’ve done this, the rest will be easy. I always make an extra so if I break it, or screw it up, it doesn’t matter. The first is the hardest.
Serve with whipped cream or cream fraiche.
Or serve the flan naked and skip the tart shell. Both ways are great.
Happy Holidays and Bon Appetit
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