TWD: Tarte Fine

September 28, 2010 by Monica in Desserts, Fruit, Sweets, TWD, Tarts

You can tell that we are entering fall. The recipes that my fellow bloggers are putting out there are all about the fall ingredients - Soups, stews, and most of the desserts are being made with fruits found in the fall: apples, pears, gone are the summer light berries and citrus and in are the squash, cranberries, dates and figs.

This weeks Tuesday with Dorie choice is coming to you compliments of Leslie of Lethally Delicious.

As Dorie mentions on the recipe, this is the most popular tart in France. I can see why. It was simple to do, fast to cook and according to the testers “appetizing!” – can you tell that Tom’s food vocabulary has expanded since I started to give him more food to “taste”? He no longer uses small words like “yum!” or “Delish!”, but things like “scrumptious”, “mouth-watering”, and “luscious”.

Chili-Grilled Eggplant and Sweet Roasted Pepper Tartlets in Poppy Seed Shells

July 22, 2010 by Monica in Appletizers & Snacks, Baking, Cookbooks, Entertaining, Savory, Tarts, Vegetable

Tom and I love to have dinner parties. Mainly because Tom knows that I like to cook up a storm and then sit back and accept all the praises that our guest will send my our way.

I’m crazy and he loves me – what can I say.

On the last dinner party, we had his best friend and his wife over. We had them numerous times before and they are the type of dinner guest that will pretty much eat anything we put in front of them.

I call it having an adventurous palate.

I love cooking for them.

And the best part? The best friend wife is a vegetarian who lately is venturing into the raw food movement. Which means that she forces me to be an adventurous cook - the best kind if you ask me.

Onion, Fennel, and Orange Upside-Down Shortcake

June 23, 2010 by Monica in Baking, Breakfast, Cookbooks, Main Courses, Savory, Tarts

A while ago during one of my monthly visits to the bookstore to browse the cookbooks that I was told not to buy, I came across Savory Baking. This 168 page book from one of America’s top pastry chefs, Mary Cech is filled with recipes that focus entirely on savory baking.

The book has a clean, crisp layout and while you do need to have some knowledge of “baking/Cooking” Cech takes the time to explain how to bake successfully and her writing is easy and friendly giving you the necessary push to try her recipes even if they seem a bit complicated.

What really made me buy this book was the unique way she pairs the usual baking recipes like eclairs, tarts even shortbread with the savory ingredients. Enticing a baker/cook like me to dive in and try them out. And let me tell you I have already done 3 of the 75 mouth-watering recipes and so far, all of them have been a major hit around these parts.

One of the ones that truly blew everyone away was the Onion, Fennel and Orange Upside-Down Shortcake. This shortcake topped with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers cooked in an amazing reduction of dry sherry and balsamic vinegar is a delight. And the shortcake infused with orange zest is a combination that may sound a bit odd at first – until you take the first bite and realized that being daring and bold in the kitchen is what cooking is all about.