Little Acorns
 
 
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Definitely Delicious
 
If you came here via ‘Hollycakes’ - welcome! . . . & if you haven’t checked out the “Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts” fun - be sure to click on the cute little cupcake on the opening blog page & it will take you to Holly’s blog page where it is all happening! But for today I am happy to welcome you to my little blog & to tempt you with what is my absolute, hands down, favorite dessert. . . Chocolate Macadamia Nut Torte. I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website about seven years ago. I had just finished going through the process of building a house & had just moved in & I wanted to christen my new kitchen with a very special dish, & honestly to me something with chocolate, macadamia nuts. . . (& ‘pie crust’ too!!) seemed perfect! . . . And, I must confess. . . it gave me the excuse I needed to go to Williams & Sonoma to get a large tart pan. . . amongst many other goodies. . . (after all it was a brand new kitchen that needed stocking!) I hope that you enjoy this yummy dessert as much as I do! (&. . . um. . . by the way. . . it’s also just as good the next morning with your first cup of coffee!. . . You know. . . just a “little” slice. . . . . if there’s any left - that is! ) ~ ~ ~ Oh, & after the recipe. . . you can catch a peek at some of the projects keeping me busy these days! Chocolate Macadamia Nut Torte INGREDIENTS Makes one 11-inchart. • 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting • Pate Sucree (below) • 2 large eggs • 1 cup sugar • 1/2 tablespoon bourbon • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped • 2 1/2 cups unsalted whole macadamia nuts, (10 1/2 ounces) DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll pate sucree into a 14-inch circle. Fit pastry into an 11-inch tart pan; trim dough evenly along edges. Use trimmings to patch any thin spots in shell. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and bourbon until combined. Whisk in flour, salt, and butter; stir in chocolate. Pour mixture into chilled tart shell. Cover top with nuts, pressing them halfway down into filling. 2. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. and continue baking until crust and nuts are golden, about 35 minutes. If tart gets too brown, place aluminum foil over top for remainder of cooking time. Cool on wire rack Pate Sucree INGREDIENTS Makes one 11-to 12-inch or two 8-to 9-inch or two 14-by-4-inch crusts. • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour • 3 tablespoons sugar • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces • 2 large egg yolks • 1/4 cup ice water DIRECTIONS 1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 20 seconds. 2. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; add ice water. With machine running, add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month. Sneak Peek. . . Another fun part of this celebration of sweets - is the little sneak peeks we are giving you . . . of what projects we are working on! As you well know - we see works in progress all the time as we visit each other blogs, but when you are a designer. . . sometimes you have to hold back & not show too much too soon. For us quilt designers - the end of May & October - the months of Quilt Market, are the times when our new designs are “released”. . . but for you. . . we will make an exception! Actually, most of what I am working on for this market. . . is not actually started yet!!! “What?!?”, you ask, . . . yep. . . not one stitch has been made for the seven or so quilts I will make, as well as some wonderful little accessories. . . not one. (gasp!) That’s because I’m working on some very special projects for this Market. . . all using the new LakeHouse Dry Goods fabrics that will be released at this Quilt Market (for the back side of their booth). I had decided to not do my own booth for this market, & so I’m so excited to be a part of the LakeHouse booth! I’ve received snippets & seen snapshots of the new fabrics throughout the summer to help with my design plans, but the fabrics are still in production & the mills print just a few yards that can be used for samples. . . & they arrive just before market. In fact, on Friday, the first big package of fabrics just arrived that Holly sent on to me! So my ‘new’ designs that have been keeping each other company in my sketchbook - can now start to really happen!. It’s going to be a very busy next six weeks! So this summer, I’ve been able to get a little work done on some needlework projects that I’ve been wanting to do. First, I started one of Meg’s (Crabapple Hill) sweet embroidery designs. I just love embroidery, & I am such a fan of Meg & her wonderful designs. I’m also slowly working on a project that will a part of my next book. . . this one involving a bunch of these adorable little wool pennies! They are a great thing to work on while watching a good old movie. . . or to work on while traveling. . . these came with me on a few trips this summer! Oh yes. . . & then there’s this ‘little’ project that’s in the works. . . but more more on that later. . . ! Don’t forget to check in with “Hollycakes” tomorrow for the next of the Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts!!! http://www.hollyholderman.typepad.com/http://www.hollyholderman.typepad.com/http://www.williams-sonoma.com/http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pate-sucree?lnc=5a79cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=recipecontent_foodhttp://www.lakehousedrygoods.com/http://web.mac.com/fromlittleacorns/iWeb/Little%20Acorns/%27Spring%20Market%27%20Photos.htmlhttp://www.crabapplehillstudio.com/entry.asphttp://www.hollyholderman.typepad.com/shapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2shapeimage_4_link_3shapeimage_4_link_4shapeimage_4_link_5shapeimage_4_link_6shapeimage_4_link_7