Individual Maple Pecan Tarts

Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus
• 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, cold and firm, cut into small squares
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon ice water, plus
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ice water
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons dark rum
• 2 cups pecans, toasted (halves or large pieces)

Recipe

• 1 pastry: add flour, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade.
• 2 turn the machine on/off two or three times just to mix the ingredients.
• 3 add the butter and let the machine run for about 5 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• 4 with the machine running, add the yolks and water through the feed tube and process just until the mixture forms a ball.
• 5 remove dough and form it into a perfectly even fat sausage shape with flat ends, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• 6 when you are ready to roll out the dough, cut it into 6 equal pieces (they must be exactly the same size).
• 7 the dough will be too firm to roll immediately; let it stand for a few minutes; flour a pastry cloth and a rolling pin.
• 8 place a piece of the firm dough on the cloth and press down on it with the rolling pin to soften it a bit, then roll it into a circle 6 inches wide.
• 9 this dough may be turned over once or twice during rolling, if you wish, to keep both sides lightly floured and to prevent sticking; the cloth and rolling pin should be lightly refloured as necessary.
• 10 after rolling out a circle of dough, use anything round and 6 inches in diameter as a pattern (she recommends using a 6-inch flan ring), place it on the dough, and with a small sharp knife cut around the rim to form a perfect circle.
• 11 then fit the dough into the individual pans.
• 12 with your fingers gently turn in the edge of the pastry to form a narrow hem; the folded edge of the hem should be a bit higher than the top of the pan (with no low spots or the filling will run over).
• 13 the top of the rim will crack slightly when the dough is folded; it is ok.
• 14 press the double thickness of pastry firmly together against the inside of the pan.
• 15 with pastry pincers, or with tines of a fork, make a neat, ridged design on the rim; place the lined pans in the freezer or refrigerator to become firm.
• 16 filling: in a small bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs to mix.
• 17 on low speed, beating only to mix, add the maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, melted butter, and rum.
• 18 when you are ready to bake, position oven rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven; preheat oven to 350°.
• 19 place the individual pans lined w/ pastry on a jelly-roll pan or a cookie sheet.
• 20 divide the pecans among the pans, placing them casually, but preferably with the rounded sides up if you are using nut halves.
• 21 transfer filling to a pitcher that is easy to pour from and pour the filling evenly into the pans, pouring in a slow stream to wet the tops of the nuts.
• 22 do not fill the pie shells completely at first—if you use too much filling in one shell, there might not be enough to go around.
• 23 the filling should almost, but not quite, reach to the tops of the crusts.
• 24 bake for 30 minutes, reversing the position of the jelly-roll pan front to back once after about 20 minutes to ensure even browning.
• 25 after 30 minutes the rims should be golden brown.
• 26 remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes; to remove the tarts from the pans—place a pan on a small, narrow jar or other object; the sides should slip down easily, but they might need a little help from you.
• 27 then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the tart from the bottom of the pan to a rack to cool.
• 28 may serve plain, or with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.