Mini Pecan Tarts

This is a repost of one of my favorite fall recipes that my cousin in-law shared with me.  They have a flaky, cream cheese crust, a dark buttery, gooey center with bits of pecans and a crunchy sweet top. My favorite part of this recipe is there is no stand mixer required. You just need two bowls, one to mix the crust and one to mix the filling.  You'll want to take the butter and cream cheese out well in advance so they come to proper room temperature (OK, so I've cheated before and softened them in the microwave). This is a great finger dessert for parties - I made them as part of my dessert trays for an engagement party we hosted and they are easy to whip up the morning of a party.  

Makes about 24 (one mini muffin pan)

For crust:
3 oz cream cheese at room temp
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temp
1 c flour

For filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 T butter at room temperature
1/2 c chopped pecans

Combine brown sugar, egg, butter and pecans in small bowl.  Mix together cream cheese, butter and flour in mixing bowl (I use a fork to cut the butter and cheese into the flour).  Form dough into small balls and flatten and then press around into mini muffin pan.  Spoon filling into each tart.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.   

Chocolate Mousse with Thin Mints

I'm starting to realize that two boxes of thin mints was not enough.  I am totally powerless around them.  We had some friends over for dinner so I crushed some up and layered them between some chocolate mousse because "how bad could that be?"  This is still one of my favorite chocolate mousse recipes.  It's simple and satisfying.  This made four servings.  Four amazingly minty, cloudy, chocolately servings.

4 egg yolks

1/4 c sugar

pinch of salt

2 T cocoa powder (unsweetened)

2 oz bittersweet chocolate

3/4 c heavy cream

~ 8 cookies

chop up chocolate; set aside. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick). Cool to room temperature.  In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Divide mousse among four serving dishes (and layer with crushed cookies if desired). Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.  

Corned Beef

I really like picking up corned beef brisket when I see it at Costco (usually in March, but they had them in stock recently).  I marinate it overnight and throw it in the slow cooker the next morning, and come home to the most amazingly comforting smell. When my husband and I pull it out of the slow cooker to slice it up it, the piping hot slices just fall right off and we end up eating quite a bit right then and there, and then we've still got a few sandwiches to spare.  Slather on some mustard on a piece of toast and there you have it.  I like to marinate the brisket in Shan's Hunter Beef Curing Mix which you can find in your local Indian grocery store.  It's a mix of all kinds of spices.

3 lbs corned beef brisket (it really shrinks down, to about 6 servings)

1/2 packet Shan Hunter Beef Curing Mix

juice from 1 lemon or lime

32 oz beef or vegetable broth (plus a bit more liquid to cover the meat, I used water)

Make a paste with the spices and lemon juice.  Rub this all over the brisket and marinate overnight (ziplock bag).  Place in slow cooker and cover with liquid.  Keep slow cooker on high for about 6-8 hours.  The brisket from Costco also comes with a packet of spices like coriander seeds and bay leaves, which I also throw in.