Need Girl Scout cookies? I can hook you up. I have connections.
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| Avery and Addison with "the goods!" |
You see, I know Avery and Addison. They keep me in cookies every year, and I'm grateful.
My favorites are the Thin Mints. I could eat a tube a day… but try not to.
Yes, it is Girl Scout cookie season and I, along with millions of others, will topple from my virtuous bed of lettuce to lunge for several boxes. They are sold in front of grocery stores, at sporting events, and door-to-door.
But I have connections. Last year, I didn't even need to leave the house. Just a quick call to Avery and Addison and I was all set.
This year, I used a box of Trefoils to make the crust for a tart our friend Barbara and I invented in the fall of 2011, when we were in Italy. Be prepared… to surrender your willpower: this is mascarpone, flavored with saffron and honey, in a cookie crust flavored with rosemary.
When we got back, I wrote down what we had done, and now, with a little further tinkering, have pretty much perfected the recipe for you.
Saffron, one of the main flavors, is easily found these days in grocery stores, if a bit expensive. It is worth the cost, as it adds such great flavor and a beautiful mellow yellow color to the filling. In Italy, most grocery stores sell little packets of powdered saffron and I use a couple of those packets per tart. Saffron threads work well, too.
Yes, it's time. Time to support your local Girl Scouts. Time to test your will power. Time to make this tart.
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| Avery also raises eggs - perhaps I used hers in this tart? |
If you live in Tucson and want to connect with Avery or Addison, let me know. It's always good to have connections!
~ David
Saffron-Mascarpone Tart
1 9-ounce package Trefoils
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
500 grams mascarpone cheese
3 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
2 packets powdered saffron, or 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1/4 cup mild honey
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a food processor, process the cookies to fine crumbs; add the sugar and chopped rosemary and process again till ingredients are well-distributed and the crumbs are very fine. Place in a large mixing bowl; you should have about 2 cups. Add melted butter and mix well to form the crumb crust.
Press crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. (The butter will ooze a bit from the bottom.)
Meanwhile, wipe out the mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients and, using a whisk, beat until smooth. Add the filling to the par-baked crust and return to the oven. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until golden and set (the middle will still jiggle a bit) for 30 minutes. It will puff up quite a bit during baking, but will sink down nicely. When cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.
Labels: dessert, Girl Scout cookies, mascarpone, saffron, tart, trefoils
