Adventures in French Pastry: Blonde Chocolate Tarts
You guys… YOU GUYS. You know how sometimes you need a little time or distance from an important experience before you can truly understand it or reflect on it? That’s how I feel about these dreamy Blonde Chocolate Tarts. I haven’t fully grasped the magnitude of these little tarts, since it was just a few days ago; […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Cherry Almond (Vanilla) Crisp
Fact: Winter cherries are sad, sad little creatures. This week’s Baked Occasions recipe for Baked Sunday Mornings is Cherry-Almond Crisp for President’s Day, because you know, George Washington and cherry trees and all. Unfortunately, cherry season is a few months out, and the quality of cherries makes all the difference here. I made this a few weeks ago when […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Chocolate Banana Tart
Dear Banana, We meet yet again. I have come to accept that other people eat you, enjoy you, like you, and dare I say… even LOVE you. After much soul-searching and pastry indulgence, I am pleased to report that I have arrived at a place of tolerance. I can tolerate your existence, and I can now […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Easy Candy Bar Tart
I daresay, there are relatively few problems that cannot be solved by the ever-pleasing combination of chocolate and caramel. (In the first world, anyway.) Whether celebrating a joyous occasion, lamenting heartbreak, seeking an afternoon pick-me-up, or simply craving that timeless sugary duo, it generally seems to serve the desired purpose. As a kid, I liked candy […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Lemon & Black Pepper Quiche
Quiche… Really?? I’ve always thought of quick as something relegated to bridal showers or tea parties or other prim occasions. But I’m here to tell you that IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS, people! This week’s Baked Sunday Mornings recipe for Lemon & Black Pepper Quiche from the Cheese chapter of Baked Elements was quite a revelation. Cheesy, eggy, rustic, […]
Baked Sunday Mornings…Belated: Simple Chocolate Whiskey Tart with Whiskey Whipped Cream (or à la mode)
The timing of this particular whiskey-laced recipe could not have been better– I needed it! This was actually made a couple months back for Baked Sunday Mornings, but I haven’t been able to finish the blog post due to moving and wedding planning madness. But actually, posting on St. Patrick’s Day is rather apropos, what […]
Slice of Summer: Peach-Vanilla Bean Lattice Pie
I wish I had a charming, nostalgic story to tell you about pie; something like, ‘I used to watch hungrily over the edge of the countertop when I was a little girl as my grandmother lovingly crimped her pie dough edges while humming’… but I don’t. I didn’t eat much pie growing up, and it’s […]
Sweet & Sour Serendipity: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
I was afraid of this thing called “rhubarb” for so long. I really couldn’t articulate any specific reason, other than that lame excuse of being afraid to try something new and unfamiliar. Then, at a tiny café near Yosemite recently, I tried Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie on a whim. What on earth had I been waiting for?? […]
Go Ahead, Flake My Day: Super Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust
Anyone else avoid making pie dough because it seems hard? K, I’m glad it’s not just me. Pie dough seems complicated, fussy, and prone to disaster, but I’ve learned recently that it doesn’t have to be. Now, I’ve definitely made my share of faulty pie crusts– too hard, too soggy, shrunken in the pie dish, […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Mississippi Mud Pie (aka Muddy Mississippi Cake)
I’ve had over a month of pretty successful baking (no disasters!), including three awesome baking jobs– even a wedding! However, I felt like something was missing in my baking life… Was it my imperfect lemon curd? Was it the marshmallows that oozed out of my Cornflake-Marshmallow Cookies? Or was it just my Walking Dead Season […]
