Finally, the last of the birthday pie desserts is this strawberry tart. It is probably my favorite amongst the three (pumpkin-pecan and peanut butter mousse). The flavors are simple, clean, and familiar but in a surprising and dazzling way. Contrary to what it seems, it’s a no fuss dessert. The tart shell and pastry cream can be made ahead of time, then assembled a few hours before eating. It’s great for dinner parties and casual family dinners. I’ve made this tart a few times since the birthday party and it’s been a hit with everyone.
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February 23 2010 | Dessert and Fruit and Pies and Tarts and Recipe and Thoughts | 4 Comments »
The second dessert I made for the pie birthday party was Dorie’s peanut butter torte. I loved the simplicity of the flavors which took me back to the candy bars I’d sneak up to my room as a kid. I’ve always been a fan of peanuts and chocolate, so this dessert especially hit a note with me. Especially in the mini, these really feel like an upscale, softer version of a Reese’s Pieces.
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February 14 2010 | Dessert and Pies and Tarts and Recipe and Thoughts | 5 Comments »
It just so happened that one week after the Tiramisu Black Forest Cake, I got another birthday sweet request. This time instead of cake I was asked to make mini pies. The birthday boy was more of a pie person and the party was going to be held at a Wii game room, so it seemed smart to make everything easily accessible. To be honest, this was the first time that I made pie with a real crust. Not that graham cracker/oreo crumble crust business, but the real deal with pâte brisée. I’ve always been intimidated by pâte brisée that I think I avoided any and all recipes that called for a flaky pie crust. However, instead of feeling fright, I was surprisingly happy to stand up to the challenge. It was sort of refreshing not coming up with any more excuses. ”Easy as pie,” people say, there must be some truth to that!
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January 31 2010 | Dessert and Pies and Tarts and Recipe and Thoughts | 4 Comments »
Even since it has been made known that I love to bake I have been getting a few birthday cake requests. I am by no means a professional (yet!) and my skills quite limited that I was shocked that someone would ask me to perform such a task! However, I felt very flattered and was most of all excited to have the opportunity to play-ette the role of “baker” to a “client.” I had so much fun planning and researching recipes that I think I probably enjoyed making the cake more than everyone who ended up eating it.
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January 26 2010 | Cake and Dessert and Thoughts | 12 Comments »
I really love baking for birthdays. Cakes, cupcakes, frosting, sprinkles, piping…is there anything more delightful than that? My cakes never turn out as pretty and whimsical as I imagine them, but I try not to let that get to me, it’s all part of the fun. I do though get stressed out a little bit before I start baking, when I’m trying to decide what cake to bake. There are so many different recipes out there and so many resources to get them from, that I find it overwhelming to say the least.
There is a sort of thought process that I go through when a birthday starts to approache. I first think of what kind of sweets or desserts this person likes and try to create a list of flavor profiles like: chocolate and strawberries, or lemon and almonds. Then I start the “research.” I look everywhere. I go to food blogs, the Food Network, my cookbooks, magazines, and I also go to the bookstore where I grab any cake/baking book I can see and look through each one of them. This thought process lasts for hours, days, sometimes even weeks and in the end I usually end up with two or three recipes that I like. There’s always one cake candidate that models the flavor profile list pretty well, while the others are more geared towards something I would like or something I think would taste amazing. I mean, don’t some people say you should give a gift you would like for yourself? Well, in the end I usually do the right thing, and pick the right cake.
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August 12 2009 | Cake and Dessert and Recipe and Thoughts | 5 Comments »