Maple Cream Freezer Tart

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch tart pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and sugar. Beat for several minutes. Add flour mixture by the heaping spoonful until all of the flour mixture is incorporated into the butter mixture. Do not over mix.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

After one hour, roll dough out to ¼” thick. Place in tart pan and press it into the bottom and up into the edging. Prick dough with a fork all over the bottom of the pan and bake in a 350ºF oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.

Once the shell is baked, remove pan from oven, set on a rack and cool completely. Then invert it to remove crust from pan.

Prepare filling.

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, ½ cup maple syrup and salt to a simmer.

In a separate bowl, mix together the vanilla, cornstarch, flour and egg yolks. Mix well.

Scoop out ¼ cup of the simmering milk and pour it into the egg/cornstarch mixture. Mix well. This tempers the eggs. Now, pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the rest of the milk/syrup. Bring to a boil and cook just until the mixture has thickened.

Take off heat and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl. Allow it to sit for five minutes. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling so that a skin does not form. Chill for two to three hours. (You can do this step the night before if you like.)

Place the heavy cream and ¼ cup maple syrup into a chilled bowl and beat until it forms soft peaks. Fold the chilled maple/egg filling into the whipped cream. Be gentle and mix just until it is all incorporated. Pour this filling into the shortbread shell and freeze for at least four hours. It’s even better to freeze it overnight.

Let the tart sit out for ten minutes before serving.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup.