sweet mascarpone and maine blueberry tart, and a welcome back

well hello, and a good afternoon to you all... today is a very happy day in our little house... why? because the hubby will be home... FINALLY... it feels like he has been gone forever, and the thing is, this was one of his shortest patrols... it was just a very stressful 45 days... and i really needed him here for a lot of things... but, i kept it together and soldiered on... but tonight, our family will be complete again...

to celebrate the hubs return i decided to make a yummy fresh fruit tart... using none-other then maine blueberries... these blueberries are ahh-mazing... i have truly fallen in love with all the fresh fruits and veggies maine has to offer... delectable

 to start the tart off, i used dorie greenspan's sweet tart dough... my go-to tart dough, it's always a delicious success...

makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust:
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg*

directions:
1. pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor... scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas
2. slightly whisk the yolk, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition... when the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds
3. just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change– stop the machine!
4. turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped during the mixing process
5. now press the dough into a buttered tart pan.. press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan... you want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture
6. freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking
7. to fully or partially bake the crust: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 8. butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust... and here is the kicker, because you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights... put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes
9. carefully remove the foil... if the crust has puffed a bit during baking, press it down gently with the back of a spoon... return to the ovem, and bake the crust about 10 minutes longer until it is firm and golden brown

for the mascarpone cream, blend mascarpone, heavy cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla bean until nice and creamy... then i topped the cream with beautifully ripe blueberries

i also made a yummy fresh strawberry and blueberry sauce... it was the perfect little topping for the tart... i just slightly simmered blueberries, strawberries, fresh lemon juice and sugar, then added a bit of cornstarch to help thicken it... then i used my emulsifier to blend it down... i'm so glad i went the extra bit and made this... i think the hubs will really enjoy this... he's a blueberry fanatic

 welcome back hubby, you have no idea how much we've missed you...

 

and as always... happy baking to you all :)

welcome back summer and saying a sad goodbye...

hey everyone :) and a big hello to you too summer...

this is going to be an interesting summer for me... for many reasons... #1... this is our last summer here in cape may... as of august 28th we will be out of here and on our way up to portsmouth, new hampshire... i cannot believe how fast the 4 years here have gone by... i am truly going to miss this place...

#2... it is going to be an extremely busy summer... we have a lot planned and a lot to look forward to like, jack's 6th birthday, or annual family vacation to l.b.i and ESPECIALLY the arrival of my nephew william... i cannot wait to meet the little sprout...

#3... my hubby isn't here to spend the summer with us... BOOOOO!!! he transferred up early to new hampshire because as of right now he is aboard the USCG cutter Tahoma for a 2 month deployment... i am extremely proud of him, and i know why he does what he does... but i can't help but dislike everyday he is gone from me and the boys... i guess i'm selfish, i just want my hubs here with me... is that so wrong??

so to make myself feel better, and also to welcome summer back into my life, i treated myself to a fresh fruit taste sensation... a lovely fresh fruit and vanilla pastry cream tart... it sure did put a smile on my face...

this was a wonerful taste of summer... crisp fresh fruit, and creamy vanilla pastry cream... i even spoiled myself some more by enjoying a glass of champagne while i savored each sweet bite...

i can't put into words how much i am going to miss my hubby... it saddens me to know that the boys and i will be spending our last 2 months here in cape may without him... but once he's back in the end of august we are off to a new home and a new adventure...

wishing my hubby safe travels along calm seas... come home to me and the boys soon... we love you...

welcome back summer... and happy baking everyone :)

oh my gosh! i forgot the bananas!

so... how many of you have heard of the Brooklyn based bakery "Baked"?, or have heard of their extremely popular and fabulous book "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" and the amazing follow up "Baked Explorations"... well if you haven't you have been living under one seriously large rock... these guys really know their goodies...

well this christmas, my hubby who has exceptionally good taste...well, that's because i steer him in the right direction most of the time :)... but anyways, as i was saying... my hubs gave me the latter of these two amazing books... i spent a good portion of the morning drooling over the delicious pictures... and was very excited to return from christmas break to get cracking at some of these recipes... but which recipe to start off with... which one...

well, on the night we returned home from our christmas vacation we happened to be flipping through the tv and what happened to be on... throw-down with bobby flay... and take a gander at who he was challenging... the fellas from baked... and the dish they were whipping up... banana cream pie... which happens to be one of the hubbys favorite things in the world...

dude... it was like the stars were aligned... and i just had to make this for the hubs... you see, he was about to leave for three months for school (mandatory before he gets underway on the boat we are going to be stationed at next summer)... so for the dessert portion of our new years eve feast i whipped up the baked version of banana cream pie... you see... they cover theirs with a luscious layer of peanut buttery whipped cream...

and let me tell you something... something i hate to admit... I FORGOT THE LAYER OF BANANAS... what a dope!! :) come on! who forgets the bananas in a banana cream pie... sheesh!

so now it was just a crunchy cookie crust, layered with a yummy vanilla bean pudding, and topped with the peanut butter whipped cream... and you know what... it was still lip smacking good... i ended up just slicing the bananas and kinda threw 'em atop all higgety piggety...

ingredients:

for the cookie crust:

6 ounces of vanilla wafer cookies

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons sugar

for the vanilla pudding filling:
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 firm but ripe bananas, peeled, divided
3 tablespoons orange juice, divided

for the peanut butter layer:
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

directions:
for the vanilla wafer crust:
1. preheat oven to 350
2. combine all ingredients in processor; blend until mixture resembles moist crumbs
3. transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish and press mixture onto bottom and up sides (not rim) of dish
4. bake crust until golden brown, about 12 minutes, remove from oven; press crust with back of spoon if puffed and cool crust completely

for the vanilla pudding filling:
1. whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan until no lumps remain
2. gradually whisk in cream, then milk
3. add yolks and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; whisk to blend
4. cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until pudding thickens and boils, about 5 minutes
5. add butter and stir until melted, spread warm pudding in cooled crust and chill until filling is cool, about 1 hour

thinly slice 3 bananas on diagonal, combine banana slices and 2 tablespoons orange juice in medium bowl; toss to coat... transfer banana slices to paper towels and pat dry, arrange enough banana slices in single layer over vanilla custard filling to cover completely

for the peanut butter layer:
1. using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth
2. beat in vanilla, then peanut butter
3. beat the heavy cream in another medium bowl until firm peaks form, fold large spoonful of whipped cream into peanut mixture to loosen, then fold in remaining cream in 2 additions
4. spread peanut butter layer evenly over bananas then chill at least 3 hours
5. DEVOUR :)

just look at that yummy peanut butter whipped cream... sooooooo gooooooooood!

well... happy baking everyone! and remember... don't forget the bananas!

a yummy daring bakers crostata

first off, i hope everyone had a wonderful and spectacular thanksgiving holiday full of family, friends and great memories... i know mine was... it truly was a wonderful weekend... there was some wonderful news for everyone, my brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby! wahoooo!!! i cannot believe my big brother is going to be a daddy... i am beyond excited for them!! what would have been the buttercream on the cake would have been if my little sister was sitting around my parents table with us, instead of being miles and miles away in greece... but she will be home for christmas... i'm going to give a big wahoooo for that too!! :)

but now... onto the baking...

this months daring bakers challenge (i know i know, i am late in posting... please please forgive me! but i'm finally back to my normal routine)... but as i was saying, this months challenge was hosted by a talented woman named Simona from the baking blog briciole, check her out... and she chose a wonderful and very versatile crostata, or tart... and the base of this tart was a yummy sweet dough called pasta frolla... which is a crust made of flour, sugar, butter and eggs... and the possibilities for filling a crostata are endless... from fruits, custards and pastry creams, to chocolate, nuts and preserves... i could go on and on... but i won't... i'll just get down to the dessert...

i chose to fill my crostata with some yummy vanilla pastry cream, and topped it with some bananas (half caramelized, and half covered in vanilla sugar and then burnt to yummy perfection with my little blow torch)... ahh... delicious... and it was quite refreshing, and light... which was much needed after a full weekend of gluttonous feasting :)

pasta frolla (version 1)
ingredients:

1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar or a scant 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 and 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

directions:
1. put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix
2. add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal
3. empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface
4. make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use)
5. use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips
6. knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball
7. shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap.. place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours

i then rolled it out and fit it to my tart pan, cut off the excess dough, and then blind baked it for about 20 minutes or so at 350, and it was a nice golden brown... once cooled i filled the tart with vanilla pastry cream and topped with my caramelized and bruleed bananas... and with the excess tart dough, i cut out some star shapes and baked them until they were a nice golden brown...

well i hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving... and as always happy baking everyone!

pumpkin mousse pie with a gingersnap cookie crust

well, since thanksgiving is literally right around the corner, i had to try a few more ideas when it came to deciding what i'm going to bake for our big family stuff-fest... a few weeks ago i played around with a pumpkin mousse pie, and i was overly satisfied with the results... but i wanted to try a few little variations, to make it just right...

so, i ditched the flaky pie crust, and went with a crunchy gingersnap crust... stabilized the mousse with a little gelatin, and instead of caramel under the mousse, i used it as a garnish, along with simple vanilla whipped cream, and a few sprinkles of roasted siagon cinnamon...

and the results... amazing... but i'm still not sure if this will be the final blueprint for my mousse pie... i know i'm sticking with the gingersnap crust instead of the doughy crust... and defiantly using the stabilized version of the mousse, but as for toppings... i'm still up in the air...

gingersnap pie crust:
about 8 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies), coarsely broken
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted

directions:
1. preheat oven to 325, finely grind the gingersnap cookies in processor (yielding 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups)
2. add melted butter and process until moistened, then press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom
3. place pan on rimmed baking sheet, and bake the crust for about 8-10 minutes, then let cool

for the pumpkin mousse:

ingredients for the pumpkin mixture:
1 cup pumpkin
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
a dash of clove
1/2 tsp. ginger

ingredients for the stabilized whipped cream:
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
4 teaspoons cold water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

directions:
1. in a small pan, combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick
2. place over low heat, stirring constantly, just until the gelatin dissolves
3. remove from heat; cool (do not allow it to set)
4. whip the cream with the confectioners sugar, until slightly thick
5. while slowly beating, add the gelatin to whipping cream
6. whip at high speed until medium-stiff peaks form
7. carefully fold in pumpkin mixture, fold until well combined
8. spread evenly into now cooled tart shell, and chill until until set

lets get ready for a happy thanksgiving... and happy holiday baking everyone!

pumpkin mousse pie

well hello everyone :) now, instead of getting into a reason for making this delicious pie, i'm just going to get down and dirty with the recipe and the yumminess... since it's pumpkin season, why not try a little twist on amazing classic pumpkin pie... you see, i love pumpkin pie, but i wanted to try and make it softer, lighter... and so i started with a pumpkin mousee, and i took it from there... soon, everything kind of fell into place, and the result... well... it was AMAZING... it was a delicious collaboration of tastes, textures, and sweetness...

take pumpkin pie, but soften it up mousse style... dress it up with a slightly sweetened and semi spicy cinnamon whipped cream, lay it over a hidden layer of mapley caramel, and topped with the buttery crunch of pecan brittle... ummm... are you on board yet... you better be...

so... if you're looking for a new treat this holiday season... try this one out... it was simply amazing... i hope you like it...

flaky buttery pie crust (this recipe makes enough for 2 pie crusts):
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces, frozen
6 tbsp (or more) ice water
directions:
1. blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor
2. add butter and shortening; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal
3. add 6 tablespoons ice water and blend just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry
4. gather dough into ball, divide dough in half and flatten each half into disk.
5. wrap in plastic and chill at least 3 hours.
6. butter 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish
7. roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured work surface to 12- to 13-inch round and transfer dough to prepared pie dish and press dough onto bottom and up sides of dish, allowing overhang to extend over sides about 1 inch

pumpkin mousse recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
directions:
1. in a chilled mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, sugar and pumpkin pie spice on medium until soft peaks form
2. when peaks form, fold in pumpkin until mixed evenly
3. cover tightly and chill up to 4 hours

lightly sweetened cinnamon whipped cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
*ground cinnamon
directions:
1. in a well chilled mixing bowl, along with chilled whipping attachment, beat the heavy cream, sugar and cinnamon until medium peaks form
2. cover tightly and chill until needed
*i used about 2 tbsps. cinnamon, but you can use more or less depending on your taste :)

maple cinnamon caramel sauce:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup half and half, or light cream
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
directions:
1. in a small heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together all the ingredients
2. cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly
3. cook for 2 minutes more, then stir in vanilla extract

pecan brittle:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
directions:
1. grease a large cookie sheet, set aside
2. in a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water
3. stir until sugar is dissolved, stir in pecans, set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking... stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads
4. remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet... with 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches, cool, then snap candy into pieces

happy baking everyone!!

oh so sinful...

what do you get when you combine a flaky buttery crust with an ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie, and then... bonus! smother them both with a silky dark chocolate ganache...

umm... yea, that's right... you get pure awesomeness...

this recipe comes from one of the most inventive and talented ladies on the block... bakerella... if you know of her, you know how amazing she is... i wish i could add as much detail into my work as she does... maybe one day (insert daydream sequence)...

but anyways... this recipe was simple and very, very satisfying... it was so good, and so filling that i had to loosen my belt after i ate a slice... and don't even get me started on the milk... i am no fan of the moo-juice... but this dessert just screams "ICE COLD MILK!"...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
ingredients:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
directions:
1. preheat oven 325 degrees F
2. beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy
3. beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar, then beat in butter
4. stir in chocolate chips and nuts and spoon into pie shell
5. bake for 55-60 minutes, cool on wire rack and serve warm

for added yumminess, i whipped up some fluffy, lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream... a little dollop of heaven on something so sinful... delish...
happy baking everyone!

it'c craving time!! here are yummies # 2...

well hello everybody... today is friday so you know what time it is... time for some sweets and treats... its craving time!

so for week # 2 i couldn't really decide what to make... i had a lot of great yummy things thrown my way and it was a real tough decision... you see, it's hard to make up my mind when there are so many good things that i would love to have lying about the kitchen to fatten my belly...so, what did i choose you ask... well, as a matter of fact i chose to make two sweets... one was something that i was craving... i know, how selfish of me... and the second was a combo of two cravings from two lovely ladies... one which were espresso chip muffins and the other which was devilishly moist chocolate cake...

so... where do i begin... well how about with the suggested cravings... so here you go...

deep dark coffee-chocolate-chip cake with milk chocolate and Kahlua buttercreams...

i'll give you a second to take it all in... so... are you ready...

alright so here we go...

ridiculously good chocolate cake:
dry ingredients:
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups a.p. flour
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (i use 1 cup cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup special dark cocoa powder)
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 coarse seasalt (i make my own vanilla seasalt, just for that added vanilla kick... i place the seasalt in a mason jar, along with a split vanilla bean and shake it up a bit... after a few days the salt has a subtle vanilla undertone... and it looks pretty all speckled with the vanilla)
*i added a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips to the batter (make sure you coat them in flour, this ensures these tasty morsels don't sink to the bottom of the batter)
wet/fat ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cup veg. oil
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
6 ozs. chopped good quality bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups strong brewed hot coffee

directions:
1. preheat oven to 325 and prep your cupcake tins with liners
2. chop the bittersweet chocolate, place it in a lrg. glass measuring cup, and pour the hot coffee on top. let sit for about 5 minutes, then stir to make sure it is all melted and smooth
3. sift together all of the dry ingredients in a lrg. mixing bowl
4. in stand mixer on medium, beat the eggs until slightly thickened and lemon colored, 3 minutes 5. add the buttermilk, the veg. oil and the vanilla to the egg and beat until combined
6. slowly add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, and mix until combined
7. turn mixer down to low, and slowly add in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as necessary, and mix until combined

8. add in the flour coated chocolate chips, stirring them in just slightly
9. fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean

i really had no plans on how to decorate... so on a whim i decided to get a little funky with it... what you see is a milk chocolate buttercream mingling a Kahlua buttercream... the combo of flavors just rocks my socks...

now onto my craving... i'll give you a little background info on why i wanted this tasty little bite... it's quite simple really... in this cold weather that just makes me want to curl into a ball and wear a snuggie ( i don't own one, but i hear they come in quite handy), i wanted something summery... something that not only looked bright and cheery but made me feel all bright and cheery too...

so i went with something to make my tastebuds dance and sing... little fruit tartlettes...

now i have no set recipe these tiny tarts for you, except for the homemade lemon curd... which i will always have ready in my fridge just in case the lemon curd fastball comes in my direction... but i'll get to that in a second...

for the tart crust i made my own little concoction of crushed vanilla wafers (about 1 1/2 cups), 5 tbsps of melted butter and 3 tsps of sugar... i mixed it all together and pressed it into slightly greased mini tart cups... and then i baked them for 12-15 minutes at 350... and then i let them cool completly...

i tried getting them out of the tart cups... but oh well, i should have more then slightly greased the cups... i'll remember that for next time... i then filled them with fresh lemon curd, topped with fresh raspberries and strawberries, and wait... theres a secret... a redwine and honey syrup was drizzled ontop... permission to drool granted...

lemon curd:
zest of 4 lemons
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
4 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt

directions:
1. put the zest and sugar in food processor and pulse until combined and zest is broken down, it will be awesomely fragrant
2. put the lemon-sugar and butter into mixer and cream together
3. add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined
4. add lemon juice and salt and mix a little while longer.
5. pour into a sauce pan and heat on low until mixture reaches 175 degrees, it will start to thicken around 170 degrees
6.when reach temp, remove from pan and let the lemon curd cool - cover the with plastic wrap (allow the plastic wrap to sit right on the curd) and refrigerate atleast 2 hours or until needed

i truly did enjoy each sweet summery bite... ahhh...

until next time... happy baking everyone!!

new years cheers

well i know its a bit late... but happy new years everybody!!

i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is as excited for this new year as i am!

so... lets get down to business shall we...

this new years was a quiet yet very enjoyable one... it was just me, the hubs, my two little men and my brother and sister in law... it was very cozy...

we decided to dine on a smorgasbord of yummies... from delicious savory galettes, chunky and spicy fresh guacamole, sweet and spicy buffalo wings, spinach and goat cheese puff pastries, and amazing brushetta (you know the kind that julie makes up in the movie julie and julia...) simply mouthwatering...

well after sitting and enjoying those pickings along with bottle after bottle of champagne i broke out the big guns... dessert!

i wanted to do something a little french-i-fied... so i knew that macarons were in order, but i still needed one more dessert to top the night... so after some thought as to what it would be i opted for a dessert that caught my eye months ago when i first opened my copy of dorie greenspans "baking from my home to yours"... it was pierre hermes' lemon cream tart, or as titled by dorie "the most extraordinary french lemon cream tart"... and you know what... it was simply that... extraordinary!!

now a bit of a warning to anyone who might want to make this delectable dessert...

your eyes might pop out of your head like mine did when you read how much butter is in this sinful recipe... but hey it was new years, so i figured why not live it up a little!

for the tart crust i again went with dorie's sweet tart dough, and i actually overcooked it a bit... why you ask... i wanted a nice contrast in texture to the smooth velvety lemon cream... the tart shell was wonderfully sugar cookie-like and complimented the lemon cream perfectly...

and now for the lemon cream... smooth, lemony and oh so finger lickingly buttery... it was in one word... rich...

ingredients:

1 cup sugar
grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4-5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons butter (10 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temperature. * i know... thats alot of the good stuff!*
1 9-inch tart shell made with Sweet Tart Dough fully baked and cooled

getting ready: have an instant read thermometer, a strainer and a blender at hand and bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan

directions:
1. put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. off the heat, rub the sugar and zest between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic

2. whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice

3. set the bowl over the pan and whisk until the cream reaches 180 degrees F. as it gets closer to reaching 180 it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. be patient, because getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.
4. remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the blender; discard the zest

5. let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
6. turn the blender to high and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. keep the machine going for another 3 minutes.
7. pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
8. to assemble the tart, whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.

now as for the macarons... i of course used a recipe by the fabulous "Tartelette"

this time i went with her coffee chicory macaron recipe but i altered it a bit, i know... how daring of me! but i've become a bit comfortable with these babies... so why not test the waters abit... and i have to say, they came out really nice... they baked up just right with cute little feet, and round tops...

for the shells:
90 gr egg whites (about 3)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
55 gr almonds and 55 gr hazelnuts
1 teaspoon espresso powder

directions:
1.in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue, do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry
2. place the powdered sugar, ground almonds and hazelnuts and espresso powder in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground
3.add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10
4.give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns
5. fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets
6. preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size and let cool

i opted to fill them with a delcious vanilla bean marscapone frosting... i love marscapone... its so light and takes on flavors nicely...

happy baking everyone and again, a very happy new year to all!

thanks for dessert!!

a family favorite... pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon sugar vanillabean butter-creamcheese frosting...

homemade napoleons... a crowd pleaser for sure... i should have made more cause they went in a flash!

cinnamon sugar dream cake... one word... amazing

it's a decadent crossbreed between a coffee cake-pound cake- yogurt cake... soft and moist and buttery...

bourbon pecan pie... what would thanksgiving be without pecan pie...

just some of the yummy desserts my family and i shared over this past thanksgiving holiday... i'm so thankful for everyone in my life an all the love that surrounds me...

happy baking everyone!