The Queen of Tarts-7/24/09

I have never been the queen of brunch. It's too early for me. I don't mind going out for brunch and let someone else do the cooking but to make brunch, I would have to be awake much too early. Today, I made brunch for lunch before we left for the night. Richard has a triathlon tomorrow so this afternoon we will drive to Thompson, Georgia to help him get ready.
I've mentioned before that I am dividing up the large brunch menu "Wake-Up Call" so it's more manageable for the 3 of us. It was surprisingly easy to reduce the ingredients for the three tarts in the menu to make just 4 tarts for us. The three kinds of tarts were Pea, Scallion, and Pancetta Tart, Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart, and Crab and Tarragon Tart. Since all three tarts used the same crust recipe and the same custard recipe, the only thing different was the fillings. I really liked all three variations, though I found the Crab and Tarragon Tart to be the most flavorful. The other two tarts were more mild but also very good. As you can see, I'm still having trouble with the pictures loading sideways and though I tried about 5 different ways to fix it, it still keeps happening. AHHHH!
Several days ago, while make the Tenderloin with Tomato-Peach Compote and the Peach Pie, I pureed up the Peaches and Cream Ice Pops from "The Last Touch" series of ice pops. I didn't have amaretto and had been having a little trouble balancing the right amount of alcohol for ours while leaving it out of Eyrleigh's, so I just left the amaretto out altogether. These were the best ice pops yet, and I don't think the lack of alcohol had anything to do with it. These ice pops were yogurt based and it gave them a creamier texture and stronger flavor than any of the other ice pop recipes from this issue.
Crab and Tarragon Tart-A-
Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart-B+
Pea, Scallion, and Pancetta Tart-B+
Peaches and Cream Ice Pops-A-

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