pomegranate tarts

This is a selfish dessert.

It has some of my favorite things and none of Matt's.

But I convinced him to at least try a bite.  His response?  "I like the crust."  I figured as much.

I am obsessed with pomegranates.  I love how tart and juicy they are, and I absolutely love the color of them.  The seeds (arils) remind me of little rubies, which is fitting since the pomegranate's nickname is the "jewel of winter".  And they're a little bit weird which I totally dig since, let's be honest, so am I.  Since poms are a little bit annoying to get into, I like to pretend that I'm shooting a scene for Dexter.  Makes it more fun.

Ooh, wanna hear a funny story?  Of course you do!  Especially since it's a story that I probably only think is funny.  So, you all know the Folgers song (yes, there really are 10 different ringtones you can download).  Well, yesterday morning Matt was giving Maverick his little bacon treats.  Out of nowhere he starts singing to Maverick, "The best part of waking up is bacon in your gut".

I was brushing my teeth when I heard this and spit my toothpaste everywhere.  It's even funnier knowing that I'm rubbing off on Matt since I am the queen of taking normal songs and inserting my own words to narrate my life.

By the way, today is a special day.  It's the last day at my job!  I've played out my exit a billion times in my head, and this one is my favorite:

The clock hits 5 o'clock.  I not-so-discreetly pop champagne at my desk and spray it World Series victory-style.  Then I skip around opening tons of those little confetti poppers while laughing uncontrollably.  I run out of the office shouting expletives of joy.  And then I jump in the air, click my heels, and get held in freeze frame.  With a fist pump.

Ah, good times.

Tonight we're celebrating my newly unemployed status by doing what Matt wants to do (who's selfish now?), which is going to watch "The Artist".  He literally just sent me an email telling me that it got the most Golden Globe nominations, like that is supposed to make me excited to watch a silent film.  All teasing aside, I am curious to watch the movie and I'm sure it'll be amazing.  I'll share my thoughts on Twitter afterwards.

Aaaanyway, back to the tarts.  They're really, really good.  The combination of the crunchy shell, smooth pomegranate white chocolate mousse, and tart, juicy pom seeds is perfect.  And I think they're pretty darn classy.  If you need an easy, but elegant dessert for your holiday parties, these totally fit the bill.  Please make these and impress your guests!

Pomegranate Tarts
makes 8-10 mini tarts, or one large tart
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Ingredients:
For the Sweet Tart Shell:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) PLUS 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very cold & diced
1 egg

For the Pomegranate Syrup:
2 cups pomegranate juice
3 tablespoons sugar

For the Pomegranate White Chocolate Mousse:
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup
1 drop red food coloring, optional

seeds from 2 pomegranates

Directions:
For the Tart Shell:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the dry ingredients for 30 seconds.  Add the diced butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  

In a small bowl, gently whip the egg.  Add it to the dough and mix until the mixture begins to form clumps.  With your hands, lightly knead the dough just to incorporate the remaining crumbs.  

Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.   Lightly grease mini tart pans.

After the dough is done chilling, roll out the dough to about 1/8” thickness on a lightly floured surface.  Cut out 8-10 circles that are larger than the tart pans.  Place dough into tart pans and gently press in.  Pierce the crust all over with a fork.  Place tart pans in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove the tart pans from the freezer and place on a baking sheet.

Grease one side of aluminum foil and press tightly onto the crust.  Bake mini tarts for 10-12 minutes (large tart for 20-25 minutes).  Carefully remove the foil, then bake another 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.   Transfer tart pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Pomegranate Syrup:  Add pomegranate juice and sugar to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until it reduces by half, about 20-30 minutes.  It should look like syrup.  Place in the refrigerator to chill.

For the Pomegranate White Chocolate Mousse:  Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat safe bowl and set aside.  In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup of heavy cream to a simmer.  Pour hot cream over the white chocolate, making sure the chocolate is completely covered.  Let stand for one minute then gently stir the chocolate until completely melted.  Let sit until cooled to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream to soft peaks.  In three batches, gently fold the whipped cream into the melted white chocolate until no streaks remain.

Add the pomegranate syrup and food coloring, if using, and gently fold to combine.  Add more pom syrup to taste.

To Assemble the Tarts:  Place enough pomegranate white chocolate mousse to fill the tart shell.  Top with pomegranate seeds.  Drizzle a little bit of pomegranate syrup over the top.  

Keep tarts refrigerated until serving.  Enjoy!

*NOTES:
- If you’re not as obsessed with white chocolate as I am, you can just use plain whipped cream for the filling or even a pastry cream.
- You can buy ready-to-use pomegranate seeds to save time.

Source: sweet tart shell from Smitten Kitchen, pomegranate syrup adapted from Closet Cooking & pomegranate white chocolate mousse is my own