I am first going to apologize for the not so pretty pictures. It was late and the light was not good enough for the point-and-shoot. I don't have my fancy camera at the moment (and won't for the whole month!) because my dearest love took it with him to Hawaii for work. Ahh, if only I had to work in Hawaii for a month too.... I know it won't be all fun and games but it must feel more like summer than San Francisco. The quote is true you know, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" ~ Mark Twain. Since I am lonesome and it is cold winter here, I invited some girls over for dinner the other night. We had some good bread, good soup, and a fine dessert. I do recommend you visit Sass & Veracity for a wonderful Asparagus soup recipe. (I've had some frozen for a while now since I am the only one who eats it). The only things I did differently than the recipe is add a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans and only add 1/4 C (maybe just less) cream vs cream and creme fraiche (what I had on hand). Very good.
I have come to terms with the fact that I am no Pierre Herme. I have not yet learned the fine art of pastry cream but am a willing student. This is my second attempt at this dessert. The first time my food processor broke just before I was able to blend in the butter... needless to say it wasn't a hit. This one though was rather good. The cream was not as stiff as I think it should be but definitely had a delicate flavor and texture. I should also mention that it is unsafe to hold your pastry crust in one hand while unwrapping it with foil as it is likely to break into pieces, which it did. Luckily we averted disaster because the tart shell broke off in a large chunk. Oh my. Thankfully, I was not being judged on looks! It is nice to have a disaster every now and then. It helps put things in perspective and keep a level head for my perfectionism.
Like I said before, it wasn't perfect. A little soupier than expected but good. Maybe I'll try something other than lemon next time to break the curse.
If it makes you feel any better, I haven't even been in the ocean yet and we discussed your amazing baking skills today after work.
ReplyDeleteSomething I may have learned.... I don't believe the dessert was a complete mess, I think it may have needed some more time in the fridge! I had a bit of the leftovers and they were nice and firm enough to leave fork marks. I attempted to try the tart with cold cream and room temperature pastry shell, but maybe I should have added the cream a little sooner!
ReplyDelete