Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

thoughts

Strawberry Tart with Pastry Cream

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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Peanut Butter Mousse Tortes

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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Birthday Pies: Dorie’s Twofer Pie

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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Tiramisu Black Forest Cake

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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Happy New Year and Updates

Happy New Year!  Sorry to have slipped away for so long.  I really have no excuse but that I unconsciously decided to take a little vacation from cyber-land.  However, I’m back and ready to take on the blogging world once again!  Although I’ve been absent from Jessica’s Dinner Party for (gasp!) over a month, I’ve actually been pretty busy in the kitchen.  The cookie boxes were a success.  Despite all the setbacks, I was able to give a box to everyone on my Christmas list and possibly a few more.   I do think I’ll make cookie boxes again, but I don’t think it’ll happen annually.  I knew it would be a challenge, but the time commitment and stress level were a bit overwhelming at certain times.  However, overall I enjoyed the whole experience and next time I will know exactly what I’m getting myself into.

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