Lemon Chocolate Tart

I put all of my recipes through a test. It's a ridiculous test with even more ridiculous criteria but, consciously or unconsciously, every recipe on this website has been sent through it. This lemon chocolate tart was the first and only to pass this test.

Only one recipe passed? I imagine you must be thinking. What could this test possibly be?

This serious test is to find the recipe, the first recipe, that makes Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is play out in my head. When I took my first bite of this tart, I swear this classic melody was playing in my mind. This tart is love. Oh, you know the words.

I'm going to take a little time
A little time to let this sink in
I will covet this sweet tart
Now that heaven has finally found me

In my life, there's been heartburn and shame
I don't know if I can face a failed recipe again
Can't stop swooning now, I've searched so long
To find this perfect bite.

I want to know what love is
I want you to show me
I want to taste what love is
I know you can show me

Well, at least that's how the sultry tones of Lou Gramm sounded in my head.

I've been searching high and low for a tart like this. The flavors meld so wonderfully together you will think it came straight from above. The shell is soft and sweet, with almond tones, and crumbles perfectly in your mouth like a shortbread cookie. Lemon and chocolate may be unusual flavors to pair together, but they are so delicious when you do. I used this homemade meyer lemon curd which, in my biased opinion, made this tart even sweeter.

Try this tart. Do it. Try it so Lou Gramm will sing to you too.

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Apple Tart with Almond Cream

I recently had a weekend of back-to-back dinner parties with friends. As everyone knows my favorite meal of the day is dessert, it was no question as to what I would bring. I had a few apples on hand and, after a bit of recipe searching, this tart was born.
Both a blessing and a curse, I have high standards with myself when it comes to dinner parties. I just can't seem to bake something simple or something that doesn't involve spending 4 continuous hours in the kitchen. I tend to go out of my way to make something complex or decadent, like the pumpkin bread pudding I brought for Thanksgiving. I can't help myself. The wanna-be pastry chef in me aims to impress.
This apple tart with almond cream is a traditional French tart, also known as a Normandy Apple Tart or, as the French would say, Tarte aux Pommes à la Normande. The almond cream is rich and dominant. The apricot glaze keeps the almond flavor in check and provides a good flavor contrast. And the apples? Well, they are there to look pretty. The flavor of the apples are present, don't get me wrong, but they are subdued in light of the almond and apricot. This tart is really something to experience, with the multiple flavors and textures mixing and mingling in your mouth.

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Blueberry and Raspberry Mini Tartelettes

Happy Fourth of July! May your day be filled with much friends, family, and fireworks.

If you are headed to a barbecue or potluck and need something festive to bring, these tartelettes will fit the bill. Not only are they holiday appropriate, they are also a light dessert (which is a good thing if you need to sample a little bit of everything like I do). The fruit filling is vibrant, full, and just sweet enough to make your taste buds tingle. Though, I must warn you, it may be difficult to eat just one.
These tarts also represent a personal aspiration of my own——my first paid baking gig. What a joy it is to get paid for doing what you love! I do hope this will not be my last.

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