Basic Tart Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 1 /2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp. ice water

Makes 8 Servings (1/8 of tart crust per serving)

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk, then the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to form. Briefly knead the dough with the heel of your hand on a smooth surface. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan, pressing to fit, rolling the dough over to form a rim, and trimming off any excess. Freeze 20 minutes. Prick the bottom with a fork.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line the crust with aluminum foil; fill with dried beans. Bake until crust is set, about 15 minutes; remove the foil and beans. Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes longer. Cool on a rack.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW  New Complete Cookbook. This is a cheap and tasty alternative to a store-bought crust. This tart recipe can be used for sweet pies or tarts. You can omit the sugar in this recipe and the tart crust will still be good. 

Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 1 tbsp. trans-fate-free margarine
• 4 tbsp. granular sugar substitute
• 1 large egg yolk
• pinch salt
• 2 oz. unsweetened dark baking chocolate, chopped
• 12 frozen mini phyllo shells, thawed
• 2 tbsp. no-sugar-added lite whipped topping

Makes 12 tartlets (3 tartlets per serving)

1. In a small saucepan, combine the half-and-half, margarine, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar substitute. Cook over low heat until the mixture is hot and the margarine is melted, about 1 minute.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar substitute, egg yolk and salt.
3. Whisk the hot half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk back into the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, for 10 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes for the chocolate to melt.
4. Stir the chocolate mixture to recombine. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture into each tartlet shell and refrigerate for 10 minutes. To serve, top each with 1/2 teaspoon whipped topping.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. These are what I call elegant sweet bites. Any dessert that uses prebaked mini phyllo shells filled with something sweet is an elegant sweet treat. You won't need to bake these shells because they thaw instantly. The filling is absolutely delicious because it tastes like a gourmet fudge that melts in your mouth. I highly recommend refrigerating these tartlets for a few hours or overnight so the flavors enhance. Serve these elegant treats to company and  they will be happy. 

Provence Goat Cheese Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground sirloin
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tbsp. minced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. herbes de Provence
• 4 oz. reduced-fat goat cheese, crumbled (2/3 cup)
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 whole-wheat or whole-grain hamburger buns, lightly toasted

Makes 4 Servings

 

WW POINTS VALUE: 5pts without bun 8 pts. with bun

1. In a large bowl, combine ground sirloin, egg yolk, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, mustard, herbes de Provence, and goat cheese. Season beef mixture with salt and pepper at your own leisure. Form mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick.
2. Lightly coat a large skillet or grill with olive oil flavored cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add burger patties and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers to 160 F.
3. Serve burgers on buns, if using, or on bed of romaine lettuce, arugula or spinach and top with aioli, grilled onions, sliced tomatoes or sun-dried tomato pesto.

Note: This is a recipe I created this past weekend when I was cleaning out the refrigerator and had a craving for a gourmet cheeseburger. Sometimes when you're craving beef but you don't want to cook steak and vegetables a cheeseburger will do just fine. I was craving a gourmet cheeseburger and so I was looking through my refrigerator to see what I had to eat. Thank goodness I had all the items I needed to make a gourmet cheeseburger. I have never been to France but I can only imagine this is what Provence tastes like: creamy and heavenly delicious. The crumbled goat cheese gave the burger a nice tangy taste and the tomato paste gave it an extra kick of flavor. If you have to use bread crumbs in this burger to hold everything together, I highly recommend it. As for the toppings, I highly recommend a bed of romaine lettuce, arugula or spinach, sliced grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, tomato, aioli (garlic mayonnaise) and/or sun-dried tomato pesto for an authentic Mediterranean flare. As for the olive oil, I highly recommend Herbes de Provence Infused Olive Oil from the Imperial Olive. Fore more information, visit www.TheImperialOlive.com.
 

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 6 (9-by 14-inch) sheets, whole wheat phyllo dough, thawed
• 1/2 cup granular sugar substitute
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 (12 oz.) can 2% evaporated milk
• 2 tbsp. sugar-free maple syrup
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• light or fat-free whipped topping (optional)
• bittersweet chocolate shavings (optional)

Makes 8 Servings

1. Position rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 350 F. Stack phyllo sheets on plastic wrap or wax paper; cover with a barely damp towel to prevent sheets from drying out.
2. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Lay 1 phyllo sheet in the pie plate. Coat sheet with cooking spray, making sure to spray edges. repeat with remaining  sheets, rotating each slightly in the pan to form a circle. Fold and crimp edges.
3. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on top of crust. weigh crust down with pie weights or dried beans and bake until edges are lightly golden, about 10 minutes. While crust is baking, combine sugar substitute, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat pumpkin puree, egg whites, and egg yolk until well blended. Slowly add milk, maple syrup, and vanilla, beating until blended. Add spice mixture and blend well.
5. Remove pie weights from crust. Pour filling into crust and bake until tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Remove pie from oven  and cool at room temperature to set. Just before serving, top each slice of pie with 1 or 2 tablespoons whipped topping and chocolate shavings, if desired.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. Nothing says the holidays are here like pumpkin pie. This is a healthy version of a holiday dessert classic. It had a nice flavor to it with the spices and maple syrup but it tasted more like pumpkin mousse than pumpkin pie. I wouldn't recommend phyllo dough as a pie crust. I highly recommend using puff pastry or graham crust for the crust. It is a nice alternative to the traditional pumpkin pie. 

Chocolate Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups granular sugar, divided
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa 
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate square    
• 2 cups fat-free half-and-half
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup water                                             

Makes 8 Servings

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Fill the bottom of a roasting pan with 1 inch of water and place in oven.
2. Whisk together eggs, yolk and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl. Combine cocoa, chocolate and half & half cream in a small pot.
3. Heat chocolate mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and steam rises from surface, about 4 to 5 minutes; pour into egg mixture, whisking constantly, then mix in vanilla. Divide among 8 small custard cups; place cups in roasting pan and bake until almost set in the middle, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and chill for at least 3 hours.
4. When cups are thoroughly cooled, mix remaining 1 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat; heat, gently swirling pan occasionally off heat, until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook until mixture is an amber color, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from stovetop and place bottom of pan in cold water to stop the cooking process.
5. Coat a tablespoon with cooking spray. Drizzle 3/4 tablespoon of sugar mixture over each custard cup, tilting cup to spread glaze evenly. Serve immediately.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. Creme Brulee means  burnt cream in French that is made of a rich custard topped with a hard layer of caramel normally served cold.  The best part is that it doesn't require any special equipment: The sugary glaze cooks on your stovetop. This French-inspired dessert will impress anyone, especially world renowned pasty chef Jacques Torres. He is THE Chocolate King and I think he will be happy you made this.