Recipe for "pecan-tarts-1"

NAME

     PECAN-TARTS-1 - Miniature pecan pies
     These are miniature pies,  cooked  in  bite-size  individual
     crusts in tiny muffin tins. They are quite delicious.

INGREDIENTS (4 dozen)

          PASTRY
     180 g     cream cheese
     250 g     butter or margarine
     200 g     all-purpose flour
          FILLING
     600 g     brown sugar
     10 ml     vanilla
     110 g     chopped pecans
     4         eggs, beaten
     60 g      melted butter or margarine

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Allow the butter and cream cheese to  soften.  Mix
               cream cheese and butter with a mixer until fluffy.
               Then  (using  your  hands)  mix  in   the   flour.
               Separate mixture into four equal parts and flatten
               each into a rectangular shape.  Allow  the  pastry
               to chill for several hours.
          (2)  Preheat oven to 175 deg. C.
          (3)  Prepare filling by mixing all ingredients  gently.
               Use  a spoon, not a mixer.  Refrigerate until muf-
               fin tins are ready to fill.
          (4)  Take one unit of the chilled pastry and  cut  into
               12  equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and
               then form the ball into  the  muffin  tin  in  the
               shape of a crust.  Fill each tart about 3/4 full.
          (5)  Bake at 175 deg. C for 20 to 30 minutes.

NOTES

     You will need to purchase tiny muffin tins, sometimes called
     ``nugget  pans,'' to make these tarts.  They are inexpensive
     and you can use these for various other things. It  is  best
     to  purchase  enough to make four dozen at once.  The entire
     four dozen will fit into the oven on one rack!  It  is  best
     to  spray  these  tins  with  cooking oil before putting the
     crust in.
     There is a wooden utensil called a ``tart-tamper'' that is a
     real  time-saver  for this recipe.  It might be difficult to
     find.  It is used to smash the ball to fit the  tin  so  you
     don't  spend  a lot of time using your fingers.  You dip the
     tip of the tamper in flour each time to prevent sticking  to
     the pastry.  It also makes the pastry look much more uniform
     and professional.
     Bake these until slightly brown.  To remove tarts, just turn
     the tin upside down onto paper towels and then turn the tart
     right side up on a baking rack to cool.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy if you have a tart tamper; moderate  other-
     wise.   Time:  15  minutes pastry preparation; several hours
     chilling; 1 hour filling, baking, and  cooling.   Precision:
     Be precise for the pastry, filling may be approximate.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Nancy Foltz
     AT&T Bell Labs, Columbus, Ohio, USA
     cbdkc1!naf