Candied Pecan Cheesecake Tart

A creamy alternative to pecan pie!  We usually don't have pecan pie for thanksgiving, but I really enjoy it when we do. So rich and nutty and sweet. My Mimi is here for Rebekah and in honor of Mimi's birthday, I took one of her favorites, candied pecans, and incorporated it into a creamy cheesecake tart. There is an extra step of making candied pecans and you can skip that by buying candied pecans, but homemade is extra yummy. The filling is very simple and no bake, always a plus, and the crust is nutty and crunchy. 

I do enjoy having grandparents stay with us.  Any news is exciting, they love playing with the little kids, and they always volunteer to do our chores:)  It's so special to have grandparents who want to be involved and genuinely love us. 

I will always prefer to be the host given the option. It's kind of a first child, control  thing, I think.  For many years, my room became the guest room (because it had the biggest bed) and I always struggled with not having my own space during guests.  There is something about going into your room when you have company and being able to shut that door, knowing no one can follow you. It's like your castle, yes?  You'd think I'd get used to not having any of my own space with nine other people or not mind since I'm extroverted, but we all need some "me time."  Why I always tend to need it more when we have certain company, I have no idea, but I do. It's not that I didn't like the people, I think it was the comfort of routine and knowing where everything was and having access to all my stuff.  When that was taken away, then life suddenly got emotional.  Ah, but that was several years ago. Its interesting how important that has always been. Something I'm not very good at is choosing to be gracious and choosing to be flexible. Both of those things are imprtant when you live with people ... in general. But I've gotten better!  This weekend has been great, other than having a fever and cold ... fevers always leave me flat.  

But!  Candied pecans are great pick me ups!  I have several candied nut recipes Iove and to be honest, I had to stop making them because I would eat myself sick on them. These, since they're part of a dessert, are a different story. Grandmothers always love what you make them, but my dad (who came home after dinner) after eating his piece, came downstairs, found me, and held up his hand for a high five, saying, "man, that is the best dessert you've made Mary Frances!"

What more do you need? :)

It's more nutty than it is sweet, so if your a sugar person, feel free to add more to the filling. I really liked it, despite having a pretty major sweet tooth. The creamy filling is just sweet enough and contrasts the nutty crust and candied pecans.  The filling stays firm (ie; doesn't serve like pudding) and the crust slices nicely and doesn't fall apart like some tarts. It's short on ingredients and long on stunning!  

Candied Pecan Cheesecake Tart

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

Yield: 8 servings 

Crust: 

1/2 cup pecans 

3/4 cup flour 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed 

For filling: 

1 (8 oz) package low fat cream cheese 

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 

1 batch candied pecans (recipe below) 

For crust: 

Preheat ice to 350. 

In a food processor, pulse nuts until chopped. Add flour, cinnamon, and sugar and chip until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly and pulls into a ball. Press into a 9 or 10 inch tart pan.  Freeze for 10 minutes. Then, bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely. 

For filling:

Beat cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Set aside. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form, about three minutes. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread into cooled crust. 

Arrange candied pecans over filling as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

For candied pecans: 

1 cup pecans, whole 

3 tablespoons sugar 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon each, cloves, allspice, and salt

1 egg white (you won't use all of it) 

1-1/2 teaspoons water 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

For candied pecans: 

Preheat oven to 250. 

Combine cinnamon, sugar, spices, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk egg white, water, and vanilla until frothy. Toss pecans in egg white mixture (you won't use all the egg white; you'll have to drain some off the pecans)  Then, toss the pecans in the cinnamon mixture. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15.  Let cool. 

Red, White, and Blue Lemon Cream Tart

The Fourth of July makes me giddy.

{OH MY GOODNESS I CANNOT WAIT!}

Yeah, overly excited might be another word. 

For our family, we always go down to my grandparent's lake house and over several days, swim, splash, jet ski, tube, and eat more than should be legal.  It is too much fun and one of the highlights  of my year.  My cousins from Texas come up (GRACIE!!!) and we have traditions we always keep.  Like, we always have a play.  It used to be huge, that was all we thought about.  We even had scripts and tickets and signs.  Ironically, an on-the-fly rendition of the chicken dance has been the requested re-run from plays past. Although the last couple plays have been a lot less involved (we discovered the joy of tubing and well, that became our new favorite) we've always had some sort of play and a chicken dance.

And tubing . . . OH MY GOODNESS IT IS MY FAVORITE PART.  Gracie and me are the oldest cousins and thus, the first tubers.  We've gone through three tubes over the years.  We used to both sit in a tube and then we grew out of that one . . . and then another one . . . and now we actually ride a tube like you are supposed to.  Every year we scream and squeal and laugh until we can't breathe (which is really dumb, since we are in the middle of a lake) and recount feats from last year's tubing.  I remember conversations consistening of nothing but "We are going to die!" "I can't hold on!" "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" and so on, and then others about movies and career choices and whether root beer or coke is better.  My arms are usually sore, as are my hands from gripping the handles, but it is so much fun, we both could care less.  I love tubing.

And then the food!  We can put away food really well. Grilled foods are always on the table and fruit is everywhere, from strawberries to apples to the traditional watermelon. Last year, I brought a pound cake slathered in lemon whipped cream and fresh berries. It's been a family favorite since then. But this has joined ranks with the lemon/berry/summer desserts. This tart was picked by Abigail when I asked her and Elizabeth to look through my cookbooks in an effort to keep them quiet while I worked on a project. Abigail immediately found a peach and raspberry tart recipe. I altered it based on what we had and I loved how it turned out.

 

When I was photographing this yesterday, Nathan said,"You should bring this to the lake, Sis. It looks great for the 4th."  He's right!   It is so pretty and with the strawberries and blueberries, perfect for the Fourth of July. Feel free to use whatever berries you have on hand. Peaches, raspberries, maybe even fresh cherries?  The possibilities are only limited to your tastes and imaginations.  

The filling is slightly tangy, fresh and complimenting the buttery, crunchy crust and juicy berries. Seriously, me and my siblings kept slicing little slices off this tart until 3/4 of it was gone. It is so light and refreshing, it's so hard to stop eating. (OH MY GOODNESS GOOD)

Red, White, and Blue Lemon Cream Tart

Recipe Source:The Sweet {Tooth} Life. Adapted from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Yield: 12 servings

Crust:

1/2 cup finely ground pecans

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Filling:

1/2 whipping cream

8 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Topping:

2 cups strawberries, sliced or chopped

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350.

In food processor, grind pecans until fine. (Not a paste though)  Add flour and sugar and pulse until combined. Add butter and process until mixture pulls into a ball.  Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 10 or 11 inch tart pan. Freeze for 10 minutes. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. (I letind cool for about 20 minutes.)

While the crust is baking, whip whipping cream until soft peaks form, usually 3-5 minutes.  Set aside. 

In another bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla and beat again. Gently fold in whipped cream and if crust is not cooled yet, set in refrigerator until crust is cool. 

Once crust is cool, spread filling evenly on crust. Arrange strawberries and blueberries over filling. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.