Pies, Tarts, & Pastries Archives - Page 3 of 3

Appetizers & Sides | Pies, Tarts, & Pastries

Pear Feta Tart

I’m not much of a sports fan with the exception of enjoying a good hockey game. That’s why if you asked me when the Superbowl is, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I’d just know it’s sometime in February. The date that I am aware of is the date of the Oscars (which is February 28th this year). Watching the Oscars has always been me and my mom’s thing. We usually make a few different finger foods or snacks, pour ourselves a glass of wine, and comment on red carpet attire and cheer our favorite movies on. Sometimes we haven’t even seen all the movies but cheer for them anyways because our favorite actors or actresses are in them (I mean, anything with Leo deserves an Oscar, right?). So you can understand that my idea of “game day” food is really just “girls’ night excuse to eat and drink” food, because that’s all I’ve ever known. While other people are making hot wings or blending their own salsa, I’m here creating this pear feta tart for my glass of cabernet. Fancy? Not really, because you’ll see how easy it is to whip up in the video below.

Pies, Tarts, & Pastries

Mille-Feuille Café

A thousand layers of buttery goodness, that’s what this mille-feuille is, and it’s also quite literally what mille-feuille means in French. Mille-feuille, or a thousand leaves in French, refers to the pastry dough that the dessert is made with, which is called pâte feuilletée. Pâte feuilletée is the equivalent of puff pastry, producing numerous golden, flaky layers that are as crisp and airy as they are buttery and indulgent. Classic mille-feuille can be made with any number of fillings, including pastry cream and jam. For this mille-feuille café, I’ve flavored the pastry cream with a bit of instant espresso powder, in addition to adding a splash of brewed coffee to the glaze.

Pies, Tarts, & Pastries

Tarte au Sucre

I know some of you are making New Years resolutions to avoid all carbs and/or sugar, but consider this recipe for one of your cheat days. This tarte au sucre is a wonderfully simple and classic afternoon treat many French children grow up eating after a day of school. Like a tarte tropezienne, which is a brioche cake with a custard filling, this tarte au sucre derives much of its sweetness from one particular component in the dish. In a tarte tropezienne, that is the custard filling. In a tarte au sucre, that happens to be the caramelized sugar topping. Unlike an American cake, this tart’s “cake” layer is really just a yeast dough with minimal sweetness. That’s why this tarte can be enjoyed as a sweet snack after school (or mid-workday) rather than a decadent dessert that would usually be enjoyed after a meal.

Pies, Tarts, & Pastries

Galette des rois aux pommes (King’s cake)

You know what I love about the French? They never stop feasting. Just when everybody here in the States is stocking up on green smoothies and kale salads, the French are out buying frangipane-filled pastry cakes from their local boulangerie. While we’re taking down our Christmas decorations and sulking over the end of the holiday celebrations, the French are preparing for yet another chance to gather together and eat like royalty. This, my friends, is why I love the French so very much. In the spirit of embracing my Francophile tendencies, I’m putting off my salad recipe until later this week. Instead, I share this Galette des rois aux pommes with you.

Pies, Tarts, & Pastries

Chocolate Puff Pastry with Strawberry Cream

When I was younger, I thought a Hostess cupcake represented the best of chocolate. I had no idea that something like this chocolate puff pastry with strawberry cream existed, so I carried on eating “faux chocolate” in the form of store-bought cookies and cakes. I’d cringe at the dark chocolate candy bars I’d sometimes get in my Halloween bag, thinking that the less chocolate was tampered with, the more bitter and unenjoyable it was. And then I traveled to Paris and stumbled upon immaculate chocolate shops that displayed pure chocolate in the ethereal manner it deserved.