Muffin Tin Chef (17 page)

For the Crust:
Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse into small bits. Add the flour, sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla extract. Process until the mixture clumps together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the pecan dough into 10 equal balls and place each in a medium muffin cup. Press the crusts down and up the sides of the muffin cups nearly all the way to the top.

For the Filling:
Stir together all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the crust cups. Bake until the edges of the crust begin to darken and become crispy, about 15 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding.

 

PECAN TARTS,
page 132

 

BAKLAVA CUPS,
page 134

When I think of baklava, what immediately comes to mind is a bike trip I took to Syria a few years back. Crisp and flaky on the outside with a sweet chewy middle, these are my tribute to one of the world's great desserts.
Serves 12 V

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 12 medium muffin cups with some of the melted butter. In a large bowl, stir together the pecans, pistachios, apricots, bread crumbs, cinnamon, ginger, if using, nutmeg, 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, honey, sugar, and lemon or orange zest.

Very carefully place one sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface and cover the remaining sheets with a damp clean kitchen towel to keep them moist. Using a pastry brush, cover the surface with some of the remaining butter. Cover the first sheet with a second sheet of phyllo and brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have a stack of 3 layers. With the tip of a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, carefully cut the layered sheets into 3 segments from top to bottom and then slice from left to right at the midway point to make 6 total squares. Tuck the phyllo pastry squares into 6 medium muffin cups so that the bottoms are flat. Fill each phyllo cup with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the nut mixture. Gather up the 4 sides of each phyllo cup and seal together to form sachets. Brush the tops with some of the butter. Repeat with the remaining phyllo pastry and nut mixture.

Bake until the edges of the phyllo are golden, about 18 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding. Serve with additional honey drizzled on top.

Greek yogurt is perfect for healthy tarts because the liquid whey is already strained away, allowing it to set easily during baking. If you don't use Greek yogurt, you'll need to strain the yogurt through cheesecloth for at least two hours to thicken it. If needed, select oats such as Bob's Red Mill brand that are labeled “gluten-free.”
Serves 12 V,G

For the Crust:
To make the crust, place the oats, walnuts, and hemp seeds, if using, in a food processor and pulse into small bits. Add the honey, egg, and butter. Process until the mixture clumps together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the oat dough into 12 equal balls and place each in a medium muffin cup. Press the crusts down and up the sides of the muffin cups nearly all the way to the tops.

For the Filling:
Stir together the yogurt, strawberries, honey, vanilla extract, and orange zest in a large bowl. Divide the yogurt mixture evenly among the crust cups. Bake until the edges of the crust begin to darken and yogurt has set, about 15 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding. The easiest way to unmold the tarts is to slide a butter knife between the crust and the tin and pop them out. Garnish with sliced strawberries, if desired.

This elegant Italian dessert is usually made in ramekins with generous amounts of sugar and cream (the loose translation of panna cotta” is “cooked cream”). Muffin tins are a great stand-in for ramekins and the combination of milk and creamy Greek yogurt helps sack some of the fat calories.
Serves 10 V, G

For the Panna Cotta:
In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the orange juice and let sit for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk to a slight simmer. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Whisk in the gelatin-orange juice, yogurt, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Divide the mixture evenly among 10 medium muffin cups. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. To unmold, run a butter knife around edges and invert the pan onto a plate.

For the Compote:
In a medium saucepan, combine the coffee, figs, honey, star anise, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the figs and star anise from the pan. Simmer the liquid, uncovered, over medium-high heat until reduced and syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the figs to the pan; discard the star anise. Let cool before serving over the panna cottas.

 

ORANGE PANNA COTTA WITH JAVA-FIG COMPOTE,
page 136

 

POMEGRANATE FRUIT SALAD,
page 138

For a treat better than Jell-O, use your muffin cups to mold fruits and juices with gelatin for a lower-calorie, fresh-tasting dessert. I recommend using a silicone muffin tray, as you'll appreciate its flexibility when it comes to unmolding. Agar agar, a gelatinous substance derived from algae, is a vegan substitute for gelatin. Use 1 teaspoon agar agar for 2 cups liquid. It will set at room temperature.
Serves 6 G

Place 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate juice in a large heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Place another 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the hot pomegranate juice along with the remaining 3/4 cups pomegranate juice and the water to the gelatin mixture. Whisk constantly until the gelatin has fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Divide the grapes, blueberries, and raspberries among 10 medium silicone muffin cups and pour the pomegranate mixture over the top. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

To unmold the set gelatin, use a butter knife to loosen the edges, then dip the bottom of the muffin pan in warm water for about 10 seconds to loosen and carefully invert the muffin pan onto a tray. You may need to gently squeeze or tap the bottom of the silicone muffin cups slightly to help with unmolding.

The quintessential French grandmotherly custardlike dessert, clafoutis hails from the Limousin region of France and is remarkably simple to put together. Just whiz together your batter in a blender and pour over the fruit. The tender batter swells around the cherries as it bakes in the oven. This version is gluten-free thanks the substitution of marvelous almond flour for white flour.
Serves 12 V, G

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide cherries among 12 medium muffin cups. Combine the eggs, coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, honey, coconut milk, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a blender. Blend for a few seconds to mix the ingredients, add the almond flour, and blend until smooth.

Pour the almond mixture over the berries in the muffin cups and bake until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding. Serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar, if desired.