Apple Tart.....Another Paula Deen Favorite

Hey ya'all! I am really starting to enjoy making Paula Deen recipes, because they always turn out so yummy. My family quite enjoys me making them as well. And if you're lucky, maybe you can stop by when I happen to make one. DELICIOUS! I've also learned that a good Paula Deen dessert in my kitchen is great bribery to get my kids to eat their dinner (yes, even broccoli). The sour cream adds a unique, yet delicious flavor. I also changed it up a little by sprinkling a little cinnamon on top. So give this one a try....I'm sure you'll love it. Let me know how it turns out!

Paula Deen's Apple Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

Filling:

About 6 medium apples, peeled, pitted, and sliced

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot preserves or jelly

1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate

Mint, for garnish

Whipped topping, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the crust:

Place the flour, butter, and sour cream in a food processor and pulse to combine. When the dough has formed a ball, pat with lightly floured hands into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and 1/2-inch sides, or a round au gratin dish. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Let cool while preparing the filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

To make the filling:

Peel and thickly slice the apples. Arrange the apple slices in overlapping circles on top of the crust, until it's completely covered. Overfill the crust, as apples will shrink during cooking.

Combine the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, and flour and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the apples. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until the custard sets and is pale golden in color. Cover with an aluminum foil tent if the crust gets too dark. Transfer the tart pan to a wire rack to cool. When cool, remove the side wall of the pan.

To make the glaze:

Combine the preserves or jelly and orange juice. Spread with a pastry brush over the top of the warm tart. Serve the tart warm, at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with fresh mint.

We ate our tart with ice cream on top. It made it extra good! I bet it would also be great with whipping cream. Now I'm off to start a wedding cake. I'll be posting that next, so stay tuned!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pastry

My dear husband came in from the farm the other day with this......

and these.....

which inspired a strawberry rhubarb pastry. His favorite dessert.

I cannot take credit for this, because the only thing that I did to help with it was eat it. But I will share the recipe so that you, too, can make this super yummy dessert.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pastry

First of all, take 1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

2 eggs

and 1/2 cup butter or margarine.

Cut in the butter and mix it all together. Press in the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

Next, prepare the rhubarb and strawberries by rinsing and cutting them.

Stir together the rhubarb, strawberries, (about 1 quart)

and 1 (3 ounce) box of strawberry or raspberry Jello, and put on top of the crust.

Then you will make a crumb topping by mixing 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar and cutting in 1/4 cup of butter. Sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until it starts to get bubbly in the middle.

Then serve it up warm! It is especially good with vanilla ice cream on top. Yum!

I Made Lemon Blossoms Y'all!

For any of you who don't know......I'M A HUGE PAULA DEEN FAN! Well, I was talking with my friend Sara the other day, and she said that she had a Paula recipe that she wanted to try. Of course I had to try it as well. These Lemon Blossoms are AMAZINGLY delicious, and easy to make. I decided to make some to take to a family party today. It turns out...I'm not the only one who thought they were AMAZINGLY delicious! Everybody loved them.

Here is the recipe, so that each of you can make and try these wonderful delicacies.

PAULA DEEN'S LEMON BLOSSOMS

1 (18.25 oz. box) yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 oz.) instant lemon flavored pudding mix (I used the cook and serve because that's what I had on hand)

4 large eggs

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray miniature muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray (I like to use the cooking spray that has flour in it. I've never had a cake or muffin stick yet). In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, and 3/4 cup oil. Beat for 2 minutes. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the batter (I use the small Pampered Chef scoop) into each muffin tin, and bake for 12 minutes. Turn the cakes onto a cloth towel.

In a medium bowl, sift confectioners' sugar. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and water, stirring until smooth. Dip the cakes into the glaze while they are still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible. Place the cakes on a wire rack with wax paper underneath to catch the drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly before storing in an airtight container.

AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

Fruit Pizza...A Perfect Spring Dessert

This is one of those desserts that I absolutely love, but have never made before. As I was grocery shopping the other day, I came across a display of blueberries and strawberries on sale. I couldn't pass up a good deal on such delicacies. So, thus came the FRUIT PIZZA!

This was such an easy treat to make. A simple sugar cookie dough created the base. And it was topped with a cream cheese frosting. After a little slicing, I loaded all the fruit on. Mmmm......

I will definitely be earning "Brownie Points" (or should I say "Pizza Points") with the family tonight.