Sunday, June 29, 2008

Mango-Lime Tarts with Shortbread Crusts

Mango-Lime Tarts with Shortbread CrustsI use the filling for these little tarts in all sorts of things--good for pies, tarts, parfaits, pastries. You really can't go wrong with a combination like mango and lime.

for filling:
1 cup mango nectar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces frozen or fresh raspberries plus a bit of sugar for puree
whipped cream and sliced strawberries for garnish

for crust:
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare crust, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly grease six tart pans and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla then flour and salt until dough sticks together. Divide the dough into six pieces and press each into a fluted greased tart pan. Prick each crust with a fork and bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until the crusts begin to turn slightly brown.

Let crusts cool completely and remove them from the tart pans.

Then for filling combine the nectar, sugar, lime juice, cornstarch, orange juice and eggs in a large sauce pan and whisk together. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil. Once it does, reduce the heat to low and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add butter, stirring to melt and combine.

Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap until it's cooled a bit. Spoon the mixture into the baked shells, top with whipped cream and fresh strawberries with a drizzle of pureed strawberries underneath.

***

Okay we've watched a couple of movies in the last month or so--if you're wondering if you should put one of these guys in your Netflix queue here's one opinion on the matter:

Catch and ReleaseCatch and Release. Bad, very bad--stinky in fact. Jennifer Garner has a sweet image somehow (even after all those abominable Electra stints) but she's just irritating in this drama-romance about a woman whose fiance is killed and she's left to pick up the pieces. It starts out quirky-sweet and goes downhill from there as she uncovers what kind of a jerk she was engaged to and shows how well she's learned her lesson in picking out men by making more of the same mistakes again--only for some reason they expect us to cheer her foolishness. We turned it off and never found out if she turns out to be as dumb as she was indicating--maybe she redeemed herself at the end but odds were against it. For a grade I'd give it a D-.

P.S. I Love YouP.S. I Love You. Poor Andrew's been at the mercy of my video choices lately and has been a good sport about all the romance I've been dishing him but neither one of us liked this one either. It wasn't as bad as Catch and Release and it had a fun premise (a woman's husband dies and she learns to cope through letters he's arranged to have delivered after his death) but I found Hilary Swank to be irritating in a romance, she ought to stick to boxing. If the movie had had more of her fun husband in it I would have probably liked it more but I found her depressingly annoying and her flaky friends/family more so. Her husband's just died for goodness sake! Give her at least a week before insisting she get over it and find someone new! Harry Connick Jr., while always a thrill, was less appealing here, I didn't like his character and he was just thrown in randomly like shot gun pellets, not hitting any particular target or objective at all. Had potential but probably would have been better with Gwyneth Paltrow as the main character and without Lisa Kudrow (included in the cast for random Phoebe-ness). I'd give it a D+, a C being mediocre or average of course, but then what do I know? I didn't really care much for Becoming Jane which shows how flaky my movie tastes can be.

BreachBreach. Really liked this one and liked it alot. I only had heard that it was a thriller and not until it was in the DVD player did I realize it was the dramatized story of Robert Hanssen, the most successful spy in the history of the U.S. The cast is excellent and though the movie moves slowly (probably because I was expecting a political thriller more along the lines of The Bourne Ultimatum or something--another Chris Cooper film) it isn't plodding or tedious. It's methodical and builds the characters and situations slowly but convincingly. You come to realize at certain points why the director led you along in certain ways and how he manipulated your emotions. The fact that it was based on a true story made me enjoy it more, somehow knowing that something really happened makes it all the more interesting, though I'm sure there are plenty of parts that were strictly Hollywood moments. An A- definitely.

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22 comments:

Shalee said...

Glad I passed by Catch and Release.

PS I Love You: It had such great potential! But the main problem I have is that I can't see Swank in girly roles. She looks too masculine somehow and it's totally off-kilter for me. I thought she had some good comedic timing, but I was too distracted by the other ways that she didn't fit. And although I didn't care for the character that HCJ played, I thought he did a good job at it. He was good rude.

Breach is on my TBW list. Thanks for the suggestion! Now I'm waiting for Vantage Point. It looked good in the previews.

calicobebop said...

I am a sucker for anything with lime. I must have a latent case of scurvy or something to crave citrus so much. Looks yummy!

Anonymous said...

Can I come over for breakfast?! Those tarts look yummy. :)

As for the movies, the only one I've seen is PS, I love you. It was okay. I think I'd give it a little better rating than what you did, but you are right 'cause it was a bit annoying.

Inkling said...

The recipe couldn't have come soon enough. It's strawberry season in our neck of the woods, and the place where I pick sells a custard and strawberry pie for a fortune. I tried my hand at it by making up my own recipe and was sorely disappointed. But this filling you have would actually be just the thing. Can't wait to try it.

As for the P.S. I Love You thing, Swank's Million Dollar Baby made me vow never to watch her in anything again. Then my husband brought this home for me to watch so he could get away with watching a horror and gore guy flick. I admit it was cheesy and a little over the top at times, but in my pregnancy induced hormonal state, apparently my judgment is crazy in the movie department too. I actually liked it a lot and sobbed through the whole thing. But again, it's probably the hormones. I read one of my favorite Jane Austen books last month and was ready to pitch the characters through a window, for this time I had NO patience for their silliness and selfishness. It must be the hormones.

Claremont First Ward said...

HATED Catch and Release and Disliked P.S. I love you as well!

Shannon said...

Liked the movie reviews. I'll have to check 'Breach' out now ( :

Mrs. O said...

I am so trying these tarts - they look incredible!

I haven't seen the other two, but Breach was a great film.

Melanie said...

love those little tarts!! also thanks for saving me from renting catch and release, i love jen garner!

hope all is well for you so far this summer!
are you up for a game of tag? If so, tag you are it:
http://mommydoodles.blogspot.com/2008/06/lets-play-tag.html

Thanks, melanie

Anonymous said...

We really like Breach as well.
Have you seen Shattered Glass? That's another movie based on a true story that I found very interesting and was surprised that I liked it so well.

Kristen M. said...

I like Jennifer Garner despite all the bad movies she has been in. I felt she redeemed herself with her role in Juno.

P.S. I Love you was lame. I was so disappointed because the book was excellent. I didn't like the changes that the movie made.

I haven't seen Breach but based on your recommendation I'm adding it to my queue. My husband will be happy to see not another chick flick!

Another great looking recipe. I have a recipe for key lime cheesecake that you would probably enjoy.

Musings of a Housewife said...

Breech is SO GOOD. My hubby met the guy who the movie was made about (the FBI guy who was assigned to the criminal guy) -- very interesting.

And that tart -- OMG. Your recipes and pictures always make me want to run right out and make it. Why don't I ever do that?

Mary@notbefore7 said...

I was dieing to see PS I love you. The story line sounded so neat. Shame to hear they didn't do well with it.

Gotta rent BREACH - it's on my list too!

Tart looks heavenly ;)

Natalie Jane said...

P.S. I love you

I don't know if I can handle it.

Mercy's Maid said...

I HATE HATE HATED the book version of PS I Love you, but I've heard nothing but rave reviews of the movie (until now).

I had heard it was a lot different than the book and was willing to try it, but now I'm not so sure. :)

Sarah Mae said...

I'm afraid to try your recipe - it looks way to French and intimidating to me! Not that I don't appreciate French cuisine or anything...

Bunny B said...

Mango + Lime?? Yummy!!! I love mango!!

Anonymous said...

You didn't like P.S. I Love You? I thought it to be one of the very few newer romances to be worthy of my viewing. I prefer Audrey Hepburn movies actually...
Thanks for the reviews on the others; I can't stand wasting my iTunes money!

Anonymous said...

Oh Mercy. You might try P.S. I Love You on another night? I loved it so much (Gerard Butler, my heart throbs for him!) I actually went out and bought the thing and have watched it numerous times. Just goes to show ya it takes all kinds to make the world. Your website is awesome. Debra

tarable said...

I liked P.S. I Love You the book but thought the movie was just okay. My sil loved it and went out to buy it the next day, along with the book and soundtrack. She's a sucker for a sappy movies. Saw Breach last summer and really enjoyed it - it's rare to find a movie both sexes can enjoy together.

Anonymous said...

The tart looks delicious. I have arecipe for a 4th July sweet pizza! It'll go on the blog later this week.

Stephanie said...

Thanks for the movie reviews. I haven't seen any of those three and now I'll definitely skip the first two and pick up the last one...

Stephanie said...

Oh, and I'm with Shalee...I can't wait for Vantage Point to come out on DVD either (July 1st...).