On Rolling Dough
I’ve been asked about this subject — rolling pie and tart dough — so many times now I think it deserves its own separate post and spot under the Techniques menu. It is the single biggest stumbling block to home baking that I’m aware of. Thousands, I’d even speculate millions, of very well-intentioned bakers get […]
READ ONWhat is frangipane?
Or frangipani as it’s also called. Good question. To put it succinctly, it’s a filling, one that’s frequently flavored with nuts (usually almonds, but also hazelnuts or pistachios) and used in pies, tarts and cakes. It’s egg-based, which puts it in the custard family, though of the “still” (i.e. baked) variety. That’s as specific a […]
READ ONHow to Poach Pears
Let’s clear about something: I have no problem whatsoever with canned pears. They make perfectly good pear tarts (to say nothing of great late-night snacks, at least for me). A truly exceptional pear tart, however, starts with homemade poached pears, which allow you to bring flavors to the party that you wouldn’t be able to […]
READ ONHey! Pears are an autumnal fruit!
I know, like apples. And here I am making a pear tart in July. Shame on me. Not very organo-seasonal-local (loco?) of me. Oh well. If it makes any difference, it’s early winter for my readers in the Southern Hemisphere, which is where the pears came from. So think of this pear tart as seasonal […]
READ ONOn finding a French-like flour
This from reader Arma Benoit, a passionate croissant baker, about the flour posts from two weeks back: Hey Joe- I was looking up info on getting French flour here in the States. It’s been hell trying to make a decent croissant. Anyway, I actually found some stuff called B & D Flour. Apparently, the dude […]
READ ONHow to Make Pâte Sucrée
When setting out to make a tart the French way (and most pastry chefs do) you’ve got two basic choices in dough: pâte brisée or “short dough“ and pâte sucrée, or “sweet dough”. Sweet dough is both richer and sweeter than short dough, which means it’s more tender, but it’s still firm enough to hold […]
READ ONWhat kind of tart are you making?
This one was a bit of a tough choice. So much so that I resolve that if I have time, I’ll make two tarts this week. Tarts, not being as thick as pies, are minimalist affairs by definition. So my temptation was to go with something very light filling-wise (so as to let the butter […]
READ ONTarts, a History
There are two schools of thought on the history of tarts. One posits that tarts have evolved out of the “putting things on top of other things” tradition of gastronomy. According to this line of thought, human beings have been putting foodstuffs on top of other foodstuffs — notably round, flat pieces of bread — […]
READ ONFinally…tarts!
Sorry to get off-track last week. Still, I hope the pasta posts were useful to some of you. As I mentioned, they bought me some time to get at least a little bit settled into a new job. Frankly, I could use another week (or even two), but as they say, time and tide waits […]
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