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"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." - James Beard


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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Strawberry & Brie Puff Pastry Tart


Here's another Tart of the Month

I've been slacking on my tart prep in 2016. Things have been hectic and I've had very little time for baking, but this tart is so quick and easy, it barely counts as baking at all!



I had leftover cheese and fruit from a dinner party we had, so I decided to put it all together in some puff pastry for a tasty snack.  

You can use virtually any combination of cheese and fruit - blueberries and cream cheese, peaches and goat's cheese, apples and cheddar, pears and blue cheese... the possibilities are endless. 



Simply slice up the fruit and place it on a sheet of thawed puff pastry.



Then top with the cheese of your choice either sliced, spread, or crumbled over the fruit



I attempted to get fancy and create a braid pattern by slicing the puff pastry in diagonal strips on either side of the filling.  I should have started braiding at the bottom though.



My braid pattern didn't turn out as nicely as I'd hoped, but it's still kind of neat!



Mix an egg with a little water and brush over the pastry and sprinkle with raw sugar.



Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until browned and crisp.  The cheese will melt out the sides a bit but that's ok!



Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. This makes a great snack or appetizer for a party.  Or even a not-too-sweet dessert, perhaps with a little whipped cream or ice cream. 

Enjoy this easy tart with all the fruits coming into season soon!  


Sunday, May 1, 2016

Happy Hour - Mint Julep

mint julep

The Kentucky Derby is coming up next weekend. I don't follow horse racing, I just learned this from general chatter on the internet.  Two years ago, we drove down to Nashville via Kentucky and happened to be in Lexington on the weekend of the Rolex Kentucky horse racing event. We just managed to find a hotel room - the town was packed!  We had a fabulous time and returned the following year for Matt's birthday. On the way home from Nashville, we'd planned to stop in Louisville, Kentucky for lunch but we stopped at a visitor's centre on the highway and learned it was now Derby weekend and we should avoid the area at all costs!  So much for my thorough planning. 


mint julep

Kentucky is where we fell in love with bourbon. Since we just bought a new house, we're not travelling this spring, so I thought I'd take a trip back to Kentucky through cocktails!