Seattle, WA

Here is a delightful recipe compliments Salty’s of Alki Pastry Chef Jane Gibson.

3 to 4 individual servings

TART

3 tablespoons Hazelnuts, ground
1 cup Vanilla Wafer Cookies, ground
1½ tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl combine all ingredients and mix well by hand until crumbly and dough holds together when squeezed. Press evenly into a thin crust in individual pie tins. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

PASTRY CREAM

1 cup Sugar
¼ cup Water
3 cups Whole Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Gelatin
½ cup Corn Starch
4 Egg Yolks

In small saucepan over medium-high heat combine sugar and water. Cook until mixture becomes thick and looks like caramel. Whisk in milk and vanilla. In a separate small bowl, bloom gelatin in cold water. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine cornstarch, egg yolks and salt. Mix well. When caramel mixture comes to a boil, temper with the egg mixture – Tempering 101: To “temper” means you want to bring the temperature of the cold mixture to the same temperature as the hot mixture. So, add a little bit of hot mixture to the cold mixture and whisk (so you do not scramble the eggs!) until it is warm enough to add it all together. Then combine the egg mixture into the caramel mixture and whisk until thick. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add gelatin and stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until skin starts to form. Chill and then scoop into baked tart shells.

CARAMEL RICE CRISPIES

½ cup Sugar
¼ cup Water
pinch of Salt
1½ cups Rice Crispy cereal
¾ cup Hazelnuts, chopped

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat combine sugar, water and salt and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture caramelizes. In a large bowl combine rice crispies and hazelnuts. Add caramel mixture and stir until well coated. Pour hot mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread into a thin coating with a spatula. When cool, break apart and sprinkle on top of tart for garnish.

Enjoy!