Kid-friendly Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta + Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
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Family Meal Plan: Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta + Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe

Family Meal Plan: Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta + Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe

Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta + Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe

by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Dylan Sabuco
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
25 minutes
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

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Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta

Think of tarts as just sweet? Think again! In Medieval times, French tarts were savory, typically filled with meat or vegetables. It wasn't until the Renaissance, when sugar and spices became more readily available, that French chefs began to experiment more with sweet, fruity variations of the traditional tart. This Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta is inspired by both varieties—sweet and savory!

You'll start by preparing the buttery dough and pressing it into the wells of a muffin pan. Next, layer on a rich blend of creamy ricotta, tangy feta, and a hint of honey, and sprinkle grated carrots on top. After a brief bake in the oven, you'll retrieve a whole panful of rustic tartlets featuring a flaky crust and a luscious, cheesy filling. Serve these delightful tartlets alongside the equally sophisticated Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
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Shopping List

  • FRESH
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 orange
  • DAIRY
  • 1 stick or 1/2 C unsalted butter **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1 C ricotta cheese **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1/2 C feta cheese **(see allergy subs below)**
  • PANTRY
  • 2 C all-purpose flour **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 1/3 T honey
  • 3 C red grape juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • HAVE ON HAND
  • 1 1/4 C cold water

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • bake :

    to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.

  • grate :

    to reduce food, like a carrot, to very small shreds or pieces of the same size by rubbing it on a tool with an outside surface that has holes with cutting edges (a grater).

  • knead :

    to work dough by pushing, pulling, and folding it by hand or with a stand mixer.

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

  • pour :

    to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

  • roll :

    to use a rolling pin to flatten dough; use your hands to form a roll or ball shape; or move a round food, like a grape or a meatball, through another food, like sugar or breadcrumbs, to coat it.

  • shape :

    to form food into a specific shape by hand or with a cutting tool—examples are cutting cookie dough into shapes with cookie cutters, forming bread dough into a roll or crescent shape, and rolling ground meat into a meatball.

  • simmer :

    to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

Equipment Checklist

  • Oven
  • Muffin pan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Dry measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Wooden spoon
  • Grater
  • Strainer
  • Whisk
  • Rolling pin (optional)
  • Rubber spatula
  • Large pot
  • Cutting board
  • Kid-safe knife
  • Ladle
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Ingredients

Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta

  • Tart dough:
  • 2 C all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour)**
  • 1 stick or 1/2 C unsalted butter **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub 1/2 C coconut oil OR 1/2 C vegetable shortening)**
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C cold water
  • Filling:
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 C ricotta cheese **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub 1 C dairy-free/nut-free cream cheese)**
  • 1/2 C feta cheese **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub 1/2 C dairy-free/nut-free cream cheese + 1 T nutritional yeast)**
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp honey

Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe

  • 3 C red grape juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 C water
  • 1 orange

Food Allergen Substitutions

Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta

  • Gluten/Wheat: Substitute gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour.
  • Dairy: For 1 stick or 1/2 C of unsalted butter, substitute 1/2 C coconut oil OR 1/2 C vegetable shortening. For 1 C ricotta cheese, substitute 1 C dairy-free/nut-free cream cheese. For 1/2 C feta cheese, substitute 1/2 C dairy-free/nut-free cream cheese + 1 T nutritional yeast.

Instructions

Fancy French Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Feta

1.
intro

"Bonjour" (BOHN-zhoor) or "Hello" in French! Tarts are delicious little desserts with a crispy pie crust and a sweet, sticky filling. They come in all sorts of flavors, like strawberry, lemon, or even chocolate! Tarts are a fun treat to share with friends or enjoy all by yourself. This version of the classic tart will be savory and cheesy instead of sweet. You will combine creamy cheese and crunchy carrots to create a mouthwatering flavor combination. "C'est délicieuse" (Say day-LEE-see-use) or "It's delicious" in French!

2.
measure + mix

Into a large mixing bowl, measure 2 cups flour, 1 stick butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Then, using a wooden spoon, mix until loosely combined. Finally, add 1/4 cup of cold water and continue mixing until a ball of dough forms.

3.
scrumptious science

In the above step, you are creating gluten. Gluten is a protein strand that forms when glutamate (a precursor to the gluten in flour) mixes with water. The act of mixing the glutamate and water together causes a reaction that results in the creation of gluten. For a moment, compare gluten to a rubber band in your mind. Both are elastic and stretchy and snap back to their original shape. These qualities are great for making cakes and other pastries. Without gluten (or a substitute), you will find a spongy, fluffy or flaky texture missing from your dish.

4.
knead + shape

Pour all the contents of the bowl onto a clean cutting board or countertop. Dust the dough with any of the remaining flour you poured onto the counter. Then, knead the dough. To knead, you will press the dough with the heel of your hand, then fold the dough in half, rotate 180 degrees and repeat. Continue this process for about 2 minutes or until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is springy.

5.
grate + measure

Next, clean and grate 2 carrots. Place the carrots into a strainer and squeeze all the excess liquid out of them. Set the squeezed carrots aside for now. Then, in a medium mixing bowl measure 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup feta cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon honey.

6.
whisk + season

Whisk the mixture of cheeses and honey until well combined and smooth. Take a small taste using a clean spoon. Adjust the flavor to your liking. You can add more honey, salt, or either cheese.

7.
fill + bake

Divide the dough into 12 evenly sized balls. Then, flatten each ball of dough as thinly as possible using your fingers to pinch the dough or a rolling pin. Finally, press the dough into the wells of a muffin pan, making small cups of tart dough. Fill each tart shell with 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture and top it with a large pinch of grated carrots. Bake for 15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.

8.
edible education

Carrots are an amazing vegetable! Before carrots were orange, they were purple, red, white, and yellow. In the 16th century (after the Middle Ages), Dutch carrot growers invented the orange carrot in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family (for Kings and Queens). They did this by crossbreeding pale yellow carrots with red carrots. Carrots are great for your eyes! The color of a fruit or vegetable tells us what nutrients it contains. Orange vegetables and fruits have a particular nutrient called beta-carotene. Beta-carotene was named for the carrot itself! This nutrient converts to vitamin A inside the body, which is good for our eyes! Carrots have the most beta-carotene of any vegetable! They are also good for your teeth! The crunchiness of carrots helps clean the plaque off your teeth and gums, just like your toothbrush! Of course, this doesn't mean eating a carrot at the end of the day can substitute for brushing your teeth! Carrots also have minerals that protect the teeth.

9.
cool + serve

Remove the tarts from the oven when the dough is nicely browned. Cool in the muffin pan for about 2 minutes. Remove the tarts from the muffin pan using a rubber spatula. "Bon appétit" (Bohn AHP-peh-tee) or "Enjoy your meal" in French!

Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe

1.
measure + simmer

Measure 3 cups red grape juice, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 cup water. Pour those ingredients into a large pot over medium heat. Wash 1 orange and slice it into roughly 6 slices. Add the sliced orange to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer for at least 10 minutes. The longer you simmer the mulled grape juice the stronger the orange and cinnamon flavors will be.

2.
stir + pour

Stir the mulled grape juice every once in a while. After the drink has simmered for at least 10 minutes, take a small taste. Add any extra honey, cinnamon, or orange to your taste. Finally, turn off the heat and ladle the Elegant Mulled Grape Juice Deluxe into cups! Cheers!

Surprise Ingredient: Feta!

back to recipe
Photo by 22Images Studio/Shutterstock.com (feta slices with olive oil and oregano)

Hi! I'm Feta! 

"I'm a salty Greek cheese! In Greek, my name means "slice." I'm great on a Greek salad or pizza, go well with olives and pita wedges, and add a wonderful tangy flavor to scrambled eggs!"

  • Feta goes back to at least the 8th century BCE. Homer writes about the cheese in his epic poem, the "Odyssey."
  • To be called "feta," a cheese must be produced in Greece and have the correct amount of sheep's milk: 70 to 100 percent. It also must be cured for at least three months in brine.
  • "Feta" is a legal designation similar to Champagne or Roquefort. Romania, Bulgaria, France, and Denmark, among others, make similar cheeses, but they can't be called "feta."
  • In the United States, Greek-style "feta" refers to an American-made crumbly, white, brined cheese made from cow's milk. 
  • Feta cheese can be made from the milk of sheep or sheep and goat (no more than 30 percent can be goat's milk). 
  • Feta cheese is about 25 percent fat, of which about two-thirds is saturated.
  • Feta is high in calcium and vitamin B12.
  • A 1.25-ounce cube of feta cheese has about 100 calories.

History of Tarts!

Photo by 5 second Studio/Shutterstock.com
  • Food historians tell us that tarts were introduced in Medieval times. Like pies, they could be savory or sweet. Generally, the difference between a tart and a pie is that the former does not have a top crust. This made tarts a popular choice for cooks who wanted to present colorful dishes. 
  • The term tart occurs in the 14th-century recipe compilation The Forme of Cury, and so does its diminutive ‘tartlet.’ The relevant recipes are for savory items containing meat. However, a mixture of savory and sweet flavors was common in medieval dishes and typical of the elaborate, decorative tarts and pies served at banquets. 
  • Thanks to brothers Michel and Albert Roux, the tarte au citron (lemon tart) is now considered as much a quintessentially French dessert as the tarte tatin or crème brûlée. The two chefs, who are half English and half French, opened Le Gavroche restaurant in London in 1967, and the lemon tart served there popularized the dessert. 
  • Tarts can also be made with other fruits, such as apples, peaches, or a mix of berries. Fruit tarts are also classically French in origin, and consist of a slightly sweet crust, vanilla pastry cream, and glazed fresh fruit. 

  • Tarte au chocolat is another popular French tart that has a dark chocolate custard in a cookie-like pâte sucrée crust. It is similar to a rich chocolate cream pie.

Let's Learn About France!

Photo by Alliance Images/Shutterstock.com
  • Bonjour (hello)! Bienvenue en (welcome to) France and the spectacular Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, and ancient Roman ruins in the Provence region.
  • France is a European country, and its official name is the French Republic. The capital city is Paris, which also has the most people. 
  • France's land area is 248,573 square miles. That is almost the size of the US state of Texas! The number of people in France is 67,874,000, about 43 percent more than in Texas.
  • The official and national language is French, which is also the official language in 12 other countries, and a co-official language in 16 countries, including Canada. 
  • France's government consists of a president, a prime minister, and a parliament and is divided into regions and departments rather than states and counties.
  • The French have a well-known motto, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity."
  • In addition to the Eiffel Tower, France is known for the Louvre, the most visited art museum worldwide (the Mona Lisa resides there), the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) in southeastern France on the Mediterranean coast.
  • France is famous for the "beaux-arts" (fine arts). Paris is still home to many artists and great painters, artisans, and sculptors. Great literature came from French authors, such as Victor Hugo's novels Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
  • Paris has two popular nicknames. The most common is "The City of Light" (La Ville Lumière), which came about because Paris was the first European city to implement street lighting in 1860, lighting up the city with 56,000 gas street lamps. The second is "The City of Love," (La Ville de L'amour). This name is probably due to Paris being considered one of the most romantic cities in the world and the high number of marriage proposals at the Eiffel Tower!
  • French cuisine is known for its freshness and high quality. Many of the world's greatest pastries originated in France, such as the croissant, eclair, and macaron!
  • Other French foods are escargot (snails!), baguette (bread), ratatouille (roasted tomato, zucchini, and eggplant—remember the movie?!), and crepes (very thin pancakes).

What's It Like to Be a Kid in France?

  • Most kids start school (preschool) at around age three. Depending on the area and the school, students go to school 4 to 5 days a week. They often get a 1½-hour lunch break, and some kids go home for lunch. 
  • Dinner is served at 7:30 pm or later, so afternoon snacks are essential. "Le goûter" (goo-tay), or afternoon tea, often includes a "tartine," a slice of bread topped with something sweet or savory (like cheese, butter and jam, or Nutella). Other popular snacks are yogurt, fromage blanc (white cheese), and fruit. 
  • Popular sports for kids are soccer, bicycling, and tennis.
  • There are several parks in France, in and around Paris. Napoleon III even designed one of them, the Bois de Boulogne, where you can find beautiful gardens, lakes, a zoo, an amusement park, and two horse racing tracks. In addition, kids can go on pony rides, play mini-golf, and race remote control boats at many public parks.  
  • Of course, kids can also go to the most popular theme park in Europe, Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992. While there, kids can go on a ride unique to Disneyland Paris: Ratatouille: The Adventure!

The Yolk's On You

What did the frustrated cheese say?

I'm feta up!

THYME for a Laugh

How do you get a mouse to smile? 

Say "Cheese!"

Lettuce Joke Around

How do you know carrots are good for your eyes? 

Well, have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?

THYME for a Laugh

What did the carrot say to the rabbit? 

"Do you want to grab a bite?"

Lettuce Joke Around

What did the Sticky Fingers Chef say to the kid chefs? 

"I love you from the bottom of my tart!"

That's Berry Funny

Why were the grapes feeling optimistic?

They saw the juice glass as half full!

That's Berry Funny

Don’t whine over ...

... spilled grape juice!

THYME for a Laugh

What weighs more: a pound of milk or a pound of ricotta cheese?

A pound of milk. The ricotta is "whey" lighter.

THYME for a Laugh

I named my dog Cinnamon!

He's a lot of bark!

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