TWD: Baking with Julia - Chocolate Truffle Tart

I was excited that a tart recipe was chosen for TWD because it gave me an opportunity to finally use my rectangular tart pan. :) I know, I know... I get excited for the little things!

This tart was super chocolatey. It started with a chocolate crust and then the chocolate filling had chopped chocolate biscotti and white chocolate mixed in. I made it on Valentine's Day and we ate it cold out of the refrigerator. It was super rich and delicious!!!

Thanks to Steph, Spike, Jaime, and Jessica for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at their blogs or in the wonderful book BAKING WITH JULIA.



TWD: A Tourtely Apple Tart

Oh my goodness.... It is 630 PM and I JUST realized that it is Tuesday! Then I log in to put up this blog post and realize it has been 13 days since I posted last! Whoa... I didn't realize I had neglected the blog! I have recipes to be posted but just haven't had the time to post. OOPS!

A tourte is basically a double crusted tart. This tart was so amazing... warm, room temperature, and cold. It is a slimmer version of an apple pie and oh so good. The apples are cooked almost to applesauce softness before being added to the tart. I omitted the raisins from the filling and added slivered almonds instead. We loved it and it didn't last long around here.

Thanks to Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog!

Daring Bakers: Apple Crostata

This month we were challenged to make a crostata, which is basically a free-form, rustic pie. We were allowed to choose our own filling and I decided on an apple filling with a crumble topping.

I thought this was a perfect challenge for Thanksgiving. Once the dough has been made and chilled, it is rolled out, filled, and the edges are folded up around the sides. Pie doesn't get any easier than that!

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

FFwD: Gerard's Mustard Tart

There is a huge difference between 'Tuesdays with Dorie' and 'French Fridays with Dorie'. Being a member of TWD has pushed me to try new recipes but as far as tastes go, it hasn't been a problem for me. Why would it be, though? Desserts are, for the most part, universally delicious and with the exception of an ingredient here or there that I am not particularly fond of, I haven't had to step out of my comfort zone.

FFwD is the exact opposite. I would say that I am a good cook and that I enjoy trying new recipes. However, I think I am a tad pickier about things and after looking through 'Around My French Table' (which is an AMAZING book- BUY IT!), I know I am going to be stretched not only in cooking techniques, but my tastes will be stretched, too. (Make no mistake... that is a good thing!)

Enter this weeks recipe: Gerard's Mustard Tart. This tart is made with two different types of mustard (a dijon and a grainy one). Now, I like plain yellow mustard on a sandwich, but strong mustards just aren't for me. I fully expected to hate this recipe but I knew I had to give it a try.

The two mustards are mixed in with eggs and cream (kind of quiche-like) and topped with carrots and leeks (I used green onions since my grocery store was out of leeks).

Surprise, surprise! It was DELICIOUS!!!! I scaled back the recipe and made two mini-tarts. I had one bite and before I could take another one, my 5 year old daughter and my husband had devoured them both. Guess that means they REALLY liked it!

I sound like a broken record, but here is yet another winner from Dorie. Do we expect anything different, though? :)

Happy French Friday!

TWD: Tarte Fine

Dessert doesn't get much easier than this. 4 ingredients (I skipped the apricot jam glaze)- Puff pastry, apples, egg wash, and a little bit of sugar on top. Bake, eat, enjoy!

Thanks to Leslie of Lethally Delicious for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog or on page 315 of Baking:From My Home To Yours.

Dorie's Lemon Tart with Blueberry Topping

If you didn't already know that Dorie Greenspan is the queen of all baking, consider yourself told. :) This woman just keeps knocking recipes out of the ballpark. And her tarts? Oh... my... word! When I hosted for TWD back in May, I chose the Classic Berry Tart and fell in love. It is probably one of my favorite Dorie recipes of all time. Enter this amazing lemon tart (TWD made this before I joined the group) and I am now confused because it is so incredibly delicious!

The lemon filling is so creamy and so lemony and so good. This tart was fantastic plain but I couldn't resist adding some blueberries to a few slices. Lemons and blueberries are a match made in heaven.

I really hope you'll give this tart a try because you won't be disappointed!

The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart
Dorie Greenspan

1 9-inch tart shell, fully baked and cooled (recipe below)

1 cup sugar
finely grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

Getting Ready: Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

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 together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.

Set the bowl over the pan, and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the lemon cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk—you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling—you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point—the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don’t stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience—depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high (or turn on the processor) and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going—to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

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. (The cream will keep in the fridge for 4 days and, or tightly sealed, in the freezer for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.)

When you are ready to assemble the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell. Serve the tart, or refrigerate until needed.

Sweet Tart Dough

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons)
very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in—you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, 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. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. 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 mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don’t be too heavy-handed—press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack (keep it in its pan).

To fully bake the crust: Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust’s progress—it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.


Blueberry Topping

1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP water
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine 1/2 cup blueberries, sugar, and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until berries pop. Remove from heat and strain out syrup; stir in lemon juice (discard cooked berries). Pour syrup over remaining 1/2 cup berries. Serve over tart.

TWD: Tarte Noire

Here is a fantastically easy and equally fantastic tasting dessert! Simply mix together Dorie's sweet tart dough (LOVE this dough!) and bake. After the crust has cooled, it is filled with a bittersweet chocolate ganache. Easy peasy and oh so good!

Thanks to DharmaGirl of Bliss: Towards a Delicious Life for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog.

My TWD Pick: Quick Classic Berry Tart

Can you believe it? It is my turn to host for Tuesdays with Dorie!!! Okay, so you can probably believe it because you haven't necessarily been waiting for me to host, but I have been waiting! I joined TWD back in August 2008 and the first recipe I made with the group was the Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream. Fast forward almost 2 years and TONS of recipes later and I still love this group as much as I did when I first joined. And now I get to host! :)

Deciding on what recipe to choose was pretty tough. Of course, you want to pick something that most people will enjoy. You also want to pick something that you would love and that isn't too time consuming. After bookmarking about 15 recipes and debating with Nathan, I decided on the Quick Classic Berry Tart.

I am SO glad I chose this recipe! I absolutely fell in love with it! It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it really is very quick and easy. The tart crust (which, by the way, is AMAZING!) can be made ahead of time and so can the pastry cream. When you are ready to serve the tart, it takes about 3 minutes to assemble and you have a dessert that wows!

I do want to add that while Dorie suggests that this dessert be eaten right away (and, as I mentioned, it is quite easy to assemble right before serving), Nathan and I did enjoy leftovers later that night. It may not have been as pretty since the fruit had settled into the pastry cream and some of the juices from the berries was running into the cream, but the taste was still incredible.

Thank you to all the TWDers that baked along with me this week! I am looking forward to seeing what everyone came up with! For those of you who didn't get a chance to make this, you really should when you can. It is DELICIOUS!

Quick Classic Berry Tart

Baking: From My Home To Yours
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Serving: The tart needs nothing but a little espresso or some tea to accompany it.


Storing: Eat the tart as soon after it is constructed as possible, certainly on the day it is made. If you must keep it for a few hours, store it in the refrigerator, making sure to keep it away from any foods with strong odors.




About 1 1/2 cups Pastry Cream, cooled or chilled (Recipe Below)
1 9" tart shell made with Sweet Tart Dough or Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts (Recipes Below)
2 pints fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, or an assortment of berries (Dorie says you could also use slices of lightly poached fruit)
1/3 cup red currant jelly mixed with 1 tsp of water, for glazing



Smooth the pastry cream by giving it a couple of strong turns with a whisk. Spoon enough pastry cream into the tart crust to come almost to the rim, then even the surfact with a rubber spatula. Carefully lay the berries on the cream, arranging them in any pattern that pleases you. If you are using strawberries, either halve them from top to bottom or slice them, depending on the size of the berries and your whim.


Bring the jelly and the water to a boil in a microwave oven or on the stovetop. Working with a pastry brush or a pastry feather, dab each berry with a spot of jelly. Or, if you like, you can glaze the entire surface of the tart, including the bit of pastry cream that peeks through the berries.


Pastry Cream
Makes about 2 cups


Storing: The pastry cream can be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.


2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature


Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.


Meanwhile, in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get into the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.


Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold, or, if you want to cool it quickly - as I always do- put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.



Sweet Tart Dough
Makes 1 9" Crust


Storing: Well wrapped, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, I prefer to freeze the unbaked crust in the pan and bake it directly from the freezer - it has a fresher flavor. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.


Playing Around: Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts: This dough has a slightly more assertive flavor than the Sweet Tart Dough, but you can use the two interchangeably. For the nut dough, reduce the amount of flour to 1 1/4 cups and add 1/4 cup finely ground almonds (or walnuts, pecans, or pistachios).



1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 TBSP (9 TBSP) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk


Put the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in - you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, 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. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change- heads up. 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 mixing.


Butter a 9" fluted tart pan with a removeable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don't be too heavy-handed - press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.


Preheat the oven to 375. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.


Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust's progress- it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

TWD: Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart

I am at a loss for words this week. When I think of this dessert, only one word comes to mind - DELICIOUS. I guess I could pull out the thesaurus and come up with a few other words for you. How about mouthwatering? Or maybe even scrumptious? Ooooh, tempting! Yes, this tart is all those things and more.

The tart starts with Dorie's wonderful sweet tart crust. You could just give me the crust and I would be a happy lady. But, instead of an empty crust, this is filled with juicy raspberries and a wonderful chocolate ganache. Then, as if that isn't good enough, it is topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Are you drooling yet?


We ate this warm out of the oven because, honestly, we couldn't wait. It is SOOOOO good! We also had a little bit cold from the fridge and it was good that way, too. I don't think there is a bad way to eat a chocolate raspberry tart!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Rachelle of Mommy, I'm Hungry! for hosting this week. The recipe, which you know you want, can be found at her blog!

*Don't forget to stop by HERE to enter my giveaway! *

Happy Anniversary Tuesdays with Dorie!!!

Today is the 2nd anniversary for TWD. I have been baking along with the group since August 2008 and love, love, love Dorie Greenspan. Baking From My Home To Yours is an amazing cookbook that I think EVERY home baker should have. Out of all the recipes I have made from this book in the last 18 months there have only been a couple that I didn't care for. And let's be honest... It's not like the recipes failed, they just weren't my cup of tea.

For the anniversary, we were given two recipes and were allowed to choose which to make. The recipe choices were Cocoa-Buttermilk Birthday Cake or Tarte Tatin. I am not one to ever turn down chocolate cake but there was just no way we were going to eat an entire cake and I didn't really feel like making cupcakes or cutting the recipe. So I opted for Tarte Tatin.

Tarte Tatin in kind of like an upside down apple pie without any of the spices. You cook the apples in a cast iron pan with butter and sugar. Oh yeah.... butter and sugar. YUM! Once the butter and sugar has carmelized around the apples you cover the apples with either pie dough, sweet tart dough, or puff pastry then finish it off in the oven.

I choose to use Dorie's sweet tart dough because I love it. It is amazing. The only problem is that I am pretty sure Dorie must've used puff pastry for the picture in her book because her dough is visible through the apples where mine is kinda flat. Now, don't let the pictures discourage you. This was one yummy treat and I hope that I will be making it again!

Thank you to Laurie for starting this amazing group 2 years ago and for hosting this week! The recipes can be found at her blog.

TWD: Brioche Apple Tart

This week's TWD selection is Brioche Plum Tart and as you can tell from my post title, I opted to use apples instead. The recipe calls for 14 plums and there is no way I would be able to get 14 ripe plums from my commissary. I know I've said it before, but it really doesn't hurt to repeat it. The commissary here is not known for its great produce. Ahhh... moving stateside in September will definately have its benefits! :)

The tart is made with brioche instead of a traditional tart crust. I loved the subtle sweetness of the dough. The apples on top were soft but not mushy and paired well with the brioche. My only complaint about this is that it really needs to be eaten on the day it is made which isn't the easiest thing to do unless you eat it for every meal!

An awesome bonus to this recipe is that it helped me figure out what one of my favorite pastries is made of. There is an amazing almond bread/cake at the local bakery here in Baumholder and I could never quite figure out what it was made of. While eating this tart yesterday, my husband pointed out that the bread is very similar to the almond cake. So now I am on a mission to transform this brioche tart into the fantastic almond cake. Hopefully it will be similar so I won't have to miss it too much when we leave!

Thanks to Denise of Chez Us for choosing the Brioche Plum Tart. Head to her blog for the recipe!

Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tart

Let me start by saying that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this challenge! These little tarts were so amazing! I will make them over and over again. SO GOOD!

This tart started with a shortbread like crust and then it was topped with jam and frangipane (almond filling). The jam choice was left up to us and whenever that happens, I just can't decide! So, I made mini tarts and had 8 different fillings. I used Nutella, Raspberry Jam, Strawberry Jam, Chocolate Chips, Cinnamon Chips, Crushed Butterfingers (per Nathan's request), Caramel, and Orange Marmalade. Of course the Nutella was my favorite, but there wasn't a bad one in the bunch. I can't wait to make these again!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Don't forget to check out the DB blogroll to see the beautiful tarts!


Bakewell Tart
Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes

Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz))
jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds


Assembling the tart:

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)

Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes


Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

TWD: Parisian Apple Tartlet

I was so excited about this week's TWD recipe - Parisian Apple Tartlet. My biggest reason for being excited? Four ingredients. Yes, that's right. Just 4. Puff pastry, apple, brown sugar, and butter. And believe me, it was DELICIOUS!

It is a great recipe to have in your collection because it is easy peasy, tastes great, and would easily impress company! Thanks to Jessica of My Baking Heart for a great choice. The recipe can be found at her blog.

Also, I won't be able to get around to blogs today because I am enjoying some time with the hubby in Rome. I will try to check in on Wednesday when we return. :)

TWD: Tartest Lemon Tart

I am LOVING all these lemon desserts!!! Now, I think I am a chocolate girl at heart, but there is something so refreshing about a delicious lemon dessert. Dorie didn't let me down with this delicious lemon tart.

I decided to scale the recipe down and make two mini tarts because there was no way I could eat an entire lemon tart AND a lemon icebox cake. It's a good thing I cut the recipe, too, because this is so good and I would've eaten way too much!

This recipe starts with Dorie's sweet tart dough with ground almonds mixed in. This crust is truly delicious. The filling is made with the entire lemon. Yes, you read that correctly. The WHOLE lemon. I don't like super tart or sour things, so I did zest the lemon first and then cut off some of the pith before pulverizing the lemon. It still was a tart filling without being bitter.

I prefered this tart about 30-45 minutes out of the oven. I tried it refrigerated, too, and while I didn't dislike it, I really prefered it at room temperature. One thing about this tart is that it really reminded me of the Toasted Almond Lemon Bars that I made last month for Cookie Carnival. But those were awesome, too, so it the similarity didn't bother me a bit!

Thanks to Babette of Babette Feasts for choosing the Tartest Lemon Tart. Head to her blog for the recipe and check out the blogroll to see all the delicious tarts!

TWD: Chocolate Cream Tart

Mmmmm.... chocolate! You just can't go wrong with chocolate. The selection for this week appealed to the chocolate lover in me and I was very happy with it!

Dorie says that this tarts next of kin is a chocolate cream pie, but this is a fancier version. It starts with a chocolate shortbread crust that isn't too sweet and that I actually really enjoyed. It is then topped with DELICIOUS chocolate pastry cream that was out of this world. I licked every last bit of it out of the bowl. There was no way I was going to waste any of it! The tart finally gets a topping of fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Oh my yum!

I thought this tart was incredibly delicious, although it was also incredibly rich. It didn't stop our dinner group on Sunday from practically finishing it off, though!

Thanks so much to Kim of Scrumptious Photography for choosing this amazing dessert! Check out her blog for the recipe and, as always, check out the blogroll to see what these amazing bakers created!

TWD: French Pear Tart

There was no way that I was skipping this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. Even if I wanted to I couldn't. Even if I absolutely hated pears I still would've made this recipe. Why? Because the host for this week's recipe is none other than Dorie Greenspan. Oh yes... that's right! The fantastic, amazing author of Baking: From My Home To Yours chose the recipe for us this week. How cool is that? I don't know... maybe I'm weird, but I think that is awesome! So, for me, making this tart was a must. Dorie picked it and I would trust in Dorie! :)

I decided to make this tart over the past weekend since Nathan and I were having our "Thanksgiving" dinner. It made a wonderful addition to our dessert table. (Yes, you read correctly. Even though we only had 5 adults, there were two pies, two cheesecakes, and the pear tart!)

The tart dough was a cinch to put together. The recipe calls for the use of a food processor, but I didn't feel like pulling it out and I made it by hand. It tasted fantastic... very shortbread like. YUM! I loved the almond cream, too! I snuck a few tastes before cooking the tart and it was so delicious. And it was even better baked up with the pears!

My only complaint about this recipe has nothing to do with the recipe, just the baker! My pears looked ugly on top. I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Some looked like squids just sitting on top of the tart. This is the reason there is no picture of the entire tart!

Thanks to Dorie Greenspan for picking this week's recipe and thanks to Laurie for starting this wonderful group a year ago! I have had so much fun baking with this group for the last 5 months and I look forward to many more delicious recipes. Check out the TWD blogroll for what I'm sure will be some amazing looking tarts!