Strawberry Galette

The weather has finally been improving, and it's getting warmer (if only slightly), and the sun has been out (I'll take two days of sunshine a week!).  Things are looking brighter, and I can't wait for spring to really arrive with full force. For now though, these mild improvements are a very welcome change.  Since this past weekend was the first that kinda sorta resembled spring (aside from the crazy howling wind on Saturday), there was nothing better than embracing a new set of seasonal flavors.  In my mind, nothing says "spring is here!" quite like the arrival of fresh strawberries.  Fresh, colorful, and beautiful, strawberries are one of my all-time favorite fruits.  There's nothing more disappointing than eating fresh strawberries in winter, simply because they don't taste like anything.  So when an abundance of strawberries arrive at the grocery store and farmer's market, and they really taste the way they're supposed to...it's just a wonderful thing.

Chocolate Stout Tart with Pretzel Crust

When it comes to beer and cocktails and fancy drinks, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m neither adventurous nor very knowledgable. I have a very basic set of cocktails, beers, and after dinner drinks that I stick to and rotate through, and if you were to offer me a glass of wine, I’d have to politely decline, as that’s a beverage I haven’t quite gotten a taste for just yet. It’s a situation that is slightly embarrassing, but at the same time, it’s not a priority for me to fix.  I don’t drink all that often because to put it simply, I much prefer to indulge in a caloric overload via ice cream, cake, and brownies. That’s just the reality of the situation. It’s not to say that I don’t enjoy a beer with friends every now and then. I’ll just almost always choose a beer on the lighter side (because I like to play it safe), and I steer clear of anything dark.  I make a special exception for stout though. Definitely not for drinking, but for baking; give me a slice of rich Chocolate Stout Cake and I’m all over it.  The first time I made it, I wasn’t sure if the stout flavor would be too pronounced and overpower the chocolate (a horrible situation for anyone who prioritizes chocolate above all other things), but I was so surprised with how well the combination worked, and even more surprised at how much I loved it. 

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

This past weekend, on Saturday, to be specific, I made you guys a tart.  Not just any tart, but a really good, over the top kind of tart.  The kind of tart where there's lots of chocolate and raspberries, and a good amount of mascarpone whipped cream to balance everything out.  This tart is the stuff dreams are made of, I tell you.  

Valentine's Day is this Friday, and I'm ready.  I'm embracing the holiday like I've never embraced it before, at least in a foodie sense.  I spent a good amount of time contemplating good Valentine's desserts, and I actually had a hard time with it.  All I could think of involved copious amounts of chocolate, strawberries and raspberries, and anything that was originally white turned into varying shades of pink and red.  While there's nothing wrong with any of that, I couldn't help but feel that resorting to something in one (or more) of those categories seemed a little uninspired.  Was I really about to end up making yet another chocolate overload dessert kind of creation?  As much as I hated to admit it at the time, I ended up doing just that.  But then, I decided to just get over myself, and accept this tart that I had just made for what it was.  Pretty. Damn. Good.  Very damn good, actually.

Chess Pie Tart

So, before I introduce this fantastic recipe, I just want to mention that this post right here, is my 200th post since starting this blog.  Yes, 200th.  It's not necessarily the 200th recipe that I'm sharing, but that milestone is coming up soon too.  I couldn't believe when I opened up Blogger to work on this post and saw that I had 199 published posts.  I have no idea where the time has gone, or how I've suddenly reached my 200th post, but I'll admit that it's pretty cool, and I'm excited to have gotten to this point!  But anyway.  Enough of this. Thanksgiving is only a few very short days away, and there are other more pressing and important things to discuss. Things like pie.  Things like chess pie.  Wait, you don't know what chess pie is?

I'll be honest.  I also had no idea what chess pie was until I made this tart version of it.  I had heard of chess pie before, but I really didn't know what made a chess pie a chess pie. I wouldn't have been able to describe what it tasted like, or even what ingredients where in it, or why it was even called chess pie.  I basically did't know anything about chess pie aside from that fact that I knew that such a thing actually existed.  Points for me, I guess?  As I was flipping through recipes for Thanksgiving pies and desserts, I knew that I needed to find a recipe that was actually quick and simple to put together, yet also one that could at the same time provide major wow factor.  It needed to be a pie that could be made together in advance and would taste delicious if served the next day.  I stumbled across this recipe, and after giving it a quick read, it seemed like it was the exact recipe that I had been searching for.  All I needed to do was make it and see if it would taste great the next day, so I went ahead and gave it a shot.  And now, I know exactly what chess pie is, and I know that it's seriously awesome.

Nectarine, Pistachio, and Gingersnap Tart

Now that the summer is essentially almost over (SAD REALIZATION), I feel like cranking out every last summery recipe I can think of, knowing fully well that even if I do manage to make those five other ice creams that I wanted to try, and that awesome tropical panna cotta that looked sooo good, and just one more thing with fresh berries, I wouldn't even have time to share everything with you before summer actually comes to an end. It's sad, but it's the truth.  The silver lining, though, is that fall, aka the best season ever, is right around the corner.  It's no crazy revelation, that's for sure, but it excites me nonetheless.  Spiced things, hot cidery things, brown buttery things, and nutty things...I'm getting so pumped just thinking about all the possibilities that await me.  Apples and cinnamon and ginger and even pumpkin things are going to be heavily featured on the blog soon, but until that happens, let's just take a moment to savor the last few days of summer and make the most of them.  Let's make delicious treats with the last few good things summer has to offer. 

Fruit tarts with yummy stone fruit are just perfect for this sort of time of year. 

There's something about fruit tarts that I just love.  I love that they're so simple to prepare.  I love that they're just beautiful to look at.  I think the combination of a slightly sweet and crunchy crust, sweet cream, and fresh fruit is just stellar.  I love how deceptively difficult they seem; they appear to be labor intensive, and thus, the perfect dessert to top off any fancy occasion, when in fact, they're just the opposite.  They're quick to assemble, meaning that they should instead be considered to be a dessert that is fitting for any occasion.  I love all these things.

This is a fruit tart that combines all these things I love.  It's got a crunchy gingersnap and pistachio crust, a heavenly mascarpone frosting, and beautifully arranged slices of fresh nectarines.  It's perfection, in fruit tart form. 

Quiche Lorraine

Hello, again!  I'm back already, and I have yet another delicious recipe that is perfect for Mother's Day to share with you.  Yes, I know it's Saturday, and that Mother's Day is tomorrow, but you know me.  I leave everything to the last minute and am then always in some kind of major panic mode with my brain scrambling to frantically pull things together. Today is no exception.  I have two more assignments left in my college career.  They're due in only a few very short days, and I'm not even close to feeling comfortable enough to say that I'm ready for them.  Sleep deprivation from portfolio season made me skip/fall asleep in one too many Japanese architecture lectures, so now I'm stuck with incomplete notes and a mega pile of 275 flashcards to memorize (this is not a joke), and my independent research project...sigh.  I can't do it!  I just can't bring myself to write up the final report, because I just want to be finished with work, and I'm so close!  But anyway.  My last exam and last presentation in college have had me working nonstop since Tuesday, since I literally can't put off my prep-work any more than I already have.  

I've found all kinds of ways to put off doing work though, regardless of how soon my deadlines are.  I've done my laundry; I've cleaned my room; I've started packing; I've taken naps; I've gone to the gym.  I'm even writing this blog post, which I had been hoping to publish a few days ago and then decided to simply post after Mother's Day due to lack of time, as another attempt to avoid doing the work that's looming over my head. Yep.  I'm that desperate.  But I mean, Mother's Day and quiche are legitimate reasons to put off doing work, right?  I think so. 

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart

Well,  today was the day. Today was the day I registered for classes for the upcoming spring semester.  It was like any other time in the past, you know.  Tons of time wasted spent researching classes and professors, and attempting to figure out how to best pick classes so that you'd get the maximum amount of weekend time possible. It was no different this year, except today, I registered for classes for the last time ever.  WUT?! 

Yes, it's true.  I'm a senior in college, with one semester (ok 1.5 semesters) left until commencement.  Where did the time go and how did this happen?  Is this even real life?  

Someone, pinch me, please.

It's crazy to think that at this time next year I won't be writing blog posts from my dorm room, and I won't be editing photos in the library instead of doing homework.  Nope.  None of that will happen next year.  It's a little mind-boggling and a little overwhelming, but at the same time, is very, very exciting!  At this time next year, I'm going to have something much bigger to think about...grad school applications.  Ew, I don't even want to think about that in those terms.  Grad school is only a thought that is looming in the back of my head right now; I know I'm gonna have to just suck it up and create a portfolio and work on applications, and take the GRE (ugh) at some point, but for now, I'm trying to just live in the present and not stress too much over what's going to happen later on in the year.  There's too much fun to be had right now!  The holidays are right around the corner (my absolute favorite time of year, hands down), and thoughts of Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and Thanksgiving (!!) are preoccupying my thoughts.  

Real life?  Psh.  It can wait.  Especially when there are photos of a chocolate and salted caramel tart staring at my face. 

Cherry and Peach Galette

Soooo...it's August 1st today.  Um, what?  Really? No way dude, it can't be August already.  Summer can't be almost over and school can't be just around the corner.  That just seems ridiculous. Sure, fall and school and the promise of warm drinks and cozy sweaters and the changing colors of the leaves seem like nice things, and they of course are, but it's still troubling that the summer is almost over.  What's going to happen to me when I can no longer get massive quantities of fresh summer berries and mangoes and papayas and cherries and peaches!?  I suppose I'll just have to make way for spiced apple cider and cranberry pie and warm pumpkin muffins...not exactly a bad tradeoff!  But, until that happens, let's celebrate what's left of the summer with a dessert that truly highlights the best of summer's fruits.  Cherry and peach galette, anyone? 

I've had it stuck in my mind for a looongg time that I had to make a galette.  I didn't know which type of galette I wanted to make, or where my infatuation with them had come from (I hadn't even eaten a galette prior to making this one), but all I knew is that I HAD to make one, and it had to be soon.  I think it must have had to do something with the simplistic, rustic quality that they have.  They're sort of like, half-pie, and half-tart, but stopping somewhere in the middle because you get too lazy to break out a fancy pie dish or get intimidated by the thought of having to neatly crimp the edges of your crust, weave a lattice, or blind-bake a tart shell.  Laziness can actually be good sometimes, though, and in the case of a galette, I wouldn't even call it laziness.  Intentionally making a half-pie/half-tart is just as satisfying, and just as delicious.  The beauty of a galette comes from the fact that it is so darn easy to prepare, and just seeing a heaping pile of lovely roasted fruits surrounded by a ring of crisp, golden brown cust is enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Simple Pear Tart

Today I was in that sort of predicament where I wanted some sort of fruity-dessert-type-thing but I had two problems facing me:  I wasn't reeeaaaalllyyy in the mood to bake something overly complicated, but the even bigger problem that was in front of me was that I was lacking perhaps the most essential component of a fruity-dessert-type-thing.  I had no fruit in my kitchen!  Seriously.  This was a problem.  I had one banana, which is not enough for banana bread or muffins or anything, there were no apples to make pie, and I had no berries to make a cobbler with.  It didn't help that I was in one of my lazy moods where I just wanted to stay inside my house all day and NOT go out to the supermarket just to buy fruit.  However, I did have one pear.  But could one pear actually be enough to make a fruity-dessert-type thing?  Obviously yes.