St. Andrè Dessert Tart

A most delicious and decadent tart

In the world of cheeses there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of richness. That cheese is St. Andrè. Hailing from France (mais, oui) it is a triple crème cheese with a soft rind and a butterfat content of 70% - rich, indeed.

St. Andrè triple crème cheese - just starting to soften at the top, if left at room temperature for 20 minutes it will become soft and very spreadable.

It pairs perfectly with several light beers and is perfect for spreading on a French baguette. I decided to do something a bit more decadent and designed this dessert tart using this truly luxurious cheese. The crust is very tender and delicate and the filling was perfectly done - not too set, just right. I may make this again with cream cheese replacing the ricotta. Not that it's not divine as-is, but the ricotta makes the texture a bit more grainy than I'd like. I think cream cheese or mascarpone would do very well here.

Find out more about St. Andrè Cheese at the Ile de France website or check out their interactive cheese map for other delicious French cheeses.

Orange, pine nuts and St. Andrè cheese make this tart a wonderfully delicious treat.

St. Andrè Dessert Tart
Serves 8

1 cup lightly toasted pine nuts - divided
1 stick butter
1 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup ricotta cheese
12 ounces St. Andre cheese - rind removed and at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
(Larger amounts of orange flavoring mask the cheese too much)

Process 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts until finely chopped. Add butter and pulse until smooth. Add flour and salt and pulse until crumbly. Add milk, as needed, and run processor on low speed until a ball forms. Remove dough from processor and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, St. Andre, sugar, eggs, extract and zest in processor and pulse until very smooth and well combined. Fold in remaining pine nuts.

Press dough into and up the sides of a greased 10-inch spring-form pan or a pan with removable sides. Pour in filling and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 - 45 minutes or until center is nearly set. Shake the pan gently to determine this. A little jiggle in the center is what you're looking for.

Let cool for 20 minutes or so before refrigerating. Serve chilled.

Royal Foodie Joust Entry: Orange Ginger Chicken Tabbouleh

This month's Royal Foodie Joust brings on 3 ingredients that seem to have left a few people stumped: citrus, ginger and whole grains. Having just written about Tabbouleh at Short Order Mom, I knew right away that I would make a new tabbouleh-with-a-twist, and so I did.

This was really delicious. I love the bright flavors of orange, ginger and mint, and combined they are refreshing and wonderful.

Orange Ginger Chicken Tabbouleh
Printable Recipe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cubed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Sea or Kosher salt to taste
1 large orange - zested and juiced*
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
1/2 cup cracked wheat
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

*If you do not have 3/4 cup orange juice from the freshly squeezed orange, add enough store-bought to make that amount. The zest should amount to 1 tablespoon total.

1. Toss chicken cubes with 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger, 1 tablespoon green onion, pepper, salt and 1/2 cup orange juice. Set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Pour warm water over cracked wheat and let stand for 30 minutes.

3. Cook chicken in a small amount of oil until no longer pink. Cool completely.

4. Remove cracked wheat from water and squeeze out excess water with hands. Place into a large bowl.

5. Combine 1/4 cup orange juice, orange zest, 1 tablespoon green onion, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and mix well.

6. Toss drained wheat with parsley, mint, cucumber and chicken. Add orange juice mixture and blend well. Salt to taste and chill until ready to serve.

Book Review: 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes

I could easily give 101 reasons why I love this book; each and every recipe. Mother- daughter team Lucinda and Heather Wallace have put together the most amazing little book of cookie recipes.

There's no fluff, no history, no extras (which I miss a little) just recipes - delicious recipes!

I made four different batches of cookies from this book. I set out to make one from each section, but settled on one each. I made Caramel Apple Crisps from the Bar Cookies chapter and made a huge mistake - I thought I'd have time "later" to get a photo, but the cookies were gone before "later" came. We were all crazy about them, even my brother-in- law who stopped in for a visit.

Next was Oranges and Cream Cookies, which I'm allowed to share the recipe for, from the Drop Cookies chapter. Man, were these GOOD! If you've ever bought those canned orange rolls for breakfast, you know - the kind you make at home - these taste nearly identical to those.

Then I tried Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies from the No-Bake chapter. My daughter, Megan, loves maraschino cherries and she was in Heaven with this one. Even my husband, who hates no-bake type cookies, really enjoyed these.



Lastly is the Shaped Cookies chapter from which I made Shortbread Raspberry Kisses. Look at this picture and you'll understand why I have no more to say here besides, "Yum."



I have to say, I have a cookie cookbook form a very big-name baker and I have yet to make a recipe from it that actually turned out well. It was a huge disappointment for a book full of colorful photos. 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, on the other hand, hasn't let me down one bit. None of the ingredients are exotic or hard-to-find. The baking methods are easy to follow, and the results are absolutely perfect!

My 6 year-old said it best. When asking why I was making all these cookies, I explained to her a book review and what went with that and then she said, "They make good cookies! I mean, they have good recipes!"

You can buy your own copy, and please do!, at:
Amazon.com

It's worth every cent of the $16.95 price; Promise!


Oranges and Cream Cookies
Makes about 3 ½ dozen cookies.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2-3 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 package (12 ounces) white chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar,
and brown sugar.Beat in egg and orange peel.
Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in white chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light
golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes
on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Sunday Dinner

Orange Maple Glazed Ham
Wilted Baby Spinach with Honey and Bacon
Parmesan Potatoes
Betty's Carrot Cake


I love ham and I don't care if it's bad. Hog is good; mom grew up in Tipton, Indiana, and there's no way you'll tell a Hoosier not to eat ham. I figured this glaze would be good. I had orange marmalade on hand that I'd made for a Cookies to Caviar post and some really good maple syrup from Trader Joe's that our neighbors gave us. The two together are delicious.

As for the spinach, hot bacon dressing is big here in Pennsylvania--it's a Pa Dutch thing--and I adore spinach so I came up with this. It tastes like the dressing without being so heavy or sweet.

Parmesan potatoes are easy to make and taste just right with ham. The cake is a recipe from an old friend of mine that I met online and late in real life at another "computer friend's" home. This is GOOD cake--it's linked up to another Sunday Dinner I posted, so don't forget to click over to it!

Some of this...

...and a little of this makes a great glaze.

Orange Maple Glazed Ham
Printable Recipe

1/2 c orange marmalade
1 c maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine these and mix. Cook your ham - 3lbs is a good size - for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Take it out and score it if you want. Glaze it well and put it back in the oven at 350 degrees F for another 45 minutes or so, until heated through.


Wilted Baby Spinach with Honey and Bacon
Printable Recipe

2 lbs baby spinach cleaned
3 slices thick bacon-diced
2 T cider vinegar
4 T honey

Cook bacon in a heavy pot until crisp. Drain fat and keep the bacon in the pot. Add honey and vinegar and stir well. Add spinach and sprinkle with 1/4 c of water. Cook over medium high heat, covered, for about 10 minutes - just until wilted. Remove lid and stir up all that honey and bacon goodness throughout your spinach. Delicious!

These tasted better than they looked this time!

Parmesan Potatoes
Printable Recipe

5 good sized clean potatoes
olive oil
salt
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Oil the bottom of a large baking pan. Slice potatoes into 1/4" thickness. Make one layer of potatoes and sprinkle with salt, olive oil and Parmesan. Make another layer and sprinkle again with salt, oil and Parmesan. One more layer should do it. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until tender and browned - this can take up to an hour and a half depending on what else is cooking in your oven and how often you open it up!

Here's that cake - don't miss the chance to make it!