Posted by Dorie Greenspan, April 3, 2008 at 11:00 AM
While I have been known to exaggerate now and then, I've never gone overboard in my praise for this lemon cream (think curd); I just call it extraordinary and rest assured that I haven't gone overboard.
The recipe comes from Pierre Hermé, my pastry hero, and I think it's fascinating. It has all of the ingredients you find in a traditional lemon curd, but the way you make it changes the cream's texture—Pierre's lemon cream is tangier, lemonier and, I think, lighter on the tongue, than traditional lemon curd. The secret is in the way the butter is added. In a curd, all the ingredients, including the butter, go into a pot and you cook, cook, cook and stir, stir and stir and then, when the mixture cools, it's curd. With Pierre Herme's lemon cream, you cook and stir everything—except the butter—then, when the ingredients have thickened, you put them into a food processor or blender, let them cool a bit, then whir in the butter and keep whirring. Essentially, you make an emulsion. And, because the butter doesn't melt and re-firm, as it does with curd, the lemon cream is silky, luxurious and yes, extraordinary.
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Posted by Dorie Greenspan, February 21, 2008 at 1:45 PM
While those of us in the northern part of the world are sitting around waiting for spring to come, it's nice to know that lemons are within easy reach. Not only do they perk up any salad, bring out the best in seafood and look cheery on the counter, they're a blessing when you've had your fill with apples and pears. (I love both apples and pears, but it's nice to give them a little time off in the winter, don't you think?)
I've got a bunch of lemon desserts that I turn to this time of year, but one of my favorites is a lemon tart I learned to make when I was working with Daniel Boulud on Cafe Boulud Cookbook
It's an elegant tart with a filling made with whole lemons—zest, juice and pulp—so that it's tart, tart, tart, as in really puckery.
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Posted by Jenn Sit, December 31, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Watching the animated food critic Anton Ego take his transcendent bite of ratatouille in the movie by the same name, only makes you wonder what about this classic French peasant dish warrants such fuss. If you're as curious as I am, try out Ellie Krieger's recipe for a cornmeal-crusted roasted ratatouille tart from The Food You Crave.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, December 11, 2007 at 2:30 PM
You might also know this Alsatian Bacon and Onion Tart as tarte flambée or flammekueche. James Villas—author of this week's Cook the Book, The Bacon Cookbook
—recommends trying to find fresh pot cheese in a specialty grocer, but if you can't, he says low-fat ricotta will work almost as well. He also recommends French ventrèche bacon or German Black Forest bacon, both of which may be found in finer butcher shops or online.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, November 13, 2007 at 1:15 PM
Ruth Reichl's favorite part of Thanksgiving is baking the pies—why else would she wake up at 4 AM to do so? One of the pies she'll be baking this year is this cranberry almond crostata, an Italian tart made of an almond-scented crust filled with fresh, cranberries that have been cooked down. Read our interview with Gourmet magazine's editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl about the magazine's approach to Thanksgiving this year for more of her recipe recommendations.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, November 13, 2007 at 12:20 PM
This ricotta tart with dried-fruit compote (made of figs, apricots and sour cherries) is just one of the many desserts that Ruth Reichl will be baking after waking up at 4 AM on Thanksgiving morning. Read our interview with Gourmet magazine's editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl about the magazine's approach to Thanksgiving this year for more of her recipe recommendations.
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Posted by Dorie Greenspan, August 9, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Before we dive into the sweet, crisp, creamy goodness of this post, we'd like to take a moment to introduce its author, Dorie Greenspan. You might already know her from her many cookbooks or her popular blog. She'll be joining us weekly with a baking recipe for you to dig into. And now, over to you, Dorie. —The Serious Eats Team
I'm just back from Paris (that's my third most favorite line—number-one fave is: "I'm in Paris"; number two: "I'm leaving for Paris") and, because I started missing the city the instant the plane took off, the first thing I baked on re-entry was this tart inspired by one I had a few years ago at La Palette, a café smack-dab in the center of Saint-Germain des Pres' gallery row.
The tart has only four components—a fully-baked crust, some strawberry jam, a bunch of sugared berries, and crème fraîche or whipped cream—and they're only united a minute before they're served. Order a slice and a wedge of crust will be cut, slicked with jam, covered with berries, and offered up with a little pot of cream. It's a very efficient way for a café to keep a crust crisp and berries fresh, but it's also a fun way to serve a great dessert at home.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, July 17, 2007 at 1:30 PM
I love peaches, but they're so fragile that after buying a bucket's worth I end up having to quickly devour most of them before they turn into sad, brown, bacteria-infested versions of their former delicious selves. While I have no problem eating lots and lots (and lots) of peaches, maybe it's better to preserve the essence of those fresh peaches by making them into a dessert. Dorie Greenspan's crunchy and custardy peach tart from Baking: From My Home to Yours nearly made me weep for combining three of my most favorite things: peaches, tart crust, and custard. A streusel topping gives the tart an extra layer of sweet buttery pastry goodness. Try out the recipe after the jump.
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