French Pear Tart

This is the perfect tart to eat with your morning tea or as a dessert. I made this for a thanksgiving dinner a couple years ago and a handful of times after that since my mom frequently requests-err demands- this tart whenever I plan on baking. I've changed it a bit from the original recipe to suit my taste. It looks beautiful and elegant while being rustic and is a special treat for company. The frangipane is rich and buttery with a distinct almond taste. Although the original recipe by Dorie calls for poached pears, I've only used fresh pears for the tart and loved it. The pears on top help cut through the richness and sweetness of the almond cream (I try to select tart pears rather than sweet ones). The crust is surprisingly easy for a pastry dough and can be made in the food processor! I still prefer making it by hand as it ends up being more crumbly but I've used the food processor many times on lazy days.

French Pear Tart

2 large pears, cut into 1/2 inch slices (use fresh pears for best results- canned pears do not hold up as well to the rich frangipane)

Almond Cream:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 tsp flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract

Put the butter, sugar, and almonds into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix again. Mix in the egg and almond until the mixture is creamy.  Frangipane usually has to be refrigerated for a while but I've made this tart with refrigerated cream and room temperature cream with the same results.

Sweet Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing with fork until just combined. The dough should be loose and crumbly. If using a food processor, add all the ingredients in the same order and pulse until crumbly. Butter your tart pan generously. Press the dough into the pan and freeze for 30 minutes. 

After freezing the tart dough, butter a sheet of foil and press the butter side down on the tart. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-7 minutes until brown. If the dough has risen or formed a dome in the middle, press down gently while warm. Allow the pastry to cool completely before adding the almond cream. 

Pour the almond cream evenly over the pastry using a spatula to smooth the top. Arrange the sliced pears on top of the cream, being careful not to push down. The frangipane rises around the pears when baking. Bake the tart at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the frangipane browns.

recipe slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's recipe

Coffee, Indian Style

I prefer coffee prepared this way rather than a regular mug of coffee when I'm at home. This recipe yields a sweet cup of coffee that isn't too strong or too bitter. The best part of this method is getting a nice foamy top without using any expensive device!

Indian Coffee
2 tbsp instant coffee
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp water
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk

Mix the instant coffee and sugar in a mug. Add 1 tsp of water and start whipping.

Whip constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and frothy.

When the color gets lighter and the volume increases in size the mixture is done. Heat up the rest of the water and the milk in a pan over medium heat. Add the whipped coffee and stir. To make a foamy top, pour the coffee from one cup to another cup a couple times.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes with Sweet Ricotta Cream

Lemon and blueberries are a match made in heaven. I'm not a big fan of pancakes but I'll occasionally order chocolate chip pancakes (extra chocolate please!). A few weeks ago I had ricotta pancakes for the first time and instantly fell in love. They were so light and airy due to the ricotta and had an exciting burst of lemon flavor. This recipe is my first attempt to recreate them. Although not as pillowy as my first experience, these pancakes really satisfied my month long craving. Light and creamy with little blueberry presents hidden within the pancakes -YUM. I topped them with a few more blueberries, maple syrup, and a spoon of sweet ricotta that melted beautifully over the pancakes.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries

yields: 5 small pancakes

3/4 cup of ricotta

1/3 cup of sugar

1 egg 

1 tablespoon of milk

1/3 cup of flour

the zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup of blueberries

Mix the ricotta cheese and the sugar. Save a teaspoon of the sweet ricotta mixture to top the pancakes. Mix in the egg, milk and lemon zest. Stir in flour and add the blueberries last. Heat the pan over medium heat and spray with oil. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour the batter for even sized pancakes and cook for 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with a dollop of sweetened ricotta and fresh blueberries. Drizzle maple syrup on top if desired. 

Avocado Egg Rolls with a Honey Cashew Sauce

I am seriously addicted to avocados, specifically guacamole. That simple 5 minute dish with the perfect balance of heat, salty, and citrus with the creamy texture became a frequent 2am snack while studying in my fourth year of college. There was a three to four week period where one meal a day consisted of guac and chips. Then one day my family went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and ordered these DELICIOUS avocado egg rolls. Ahh my love affair with avocados reached a new level that night. After numerous trips back to the Cheesecake Factory for these little appetizers, I set out to make my own. This recipe comes pretty close to the restaurant version but has a bit more heat and a little bit of indian flavor due to a heavy handful of chilies and coriander (optional). The result is a yummy appetizer that you can serve at parties or another comfort food for those gloomy days. I made a large batch and froze half of them and baked them at a later date and found them to be just as yummy. Next avocado recipe to try- avocado fries!  

Avocado Egg Rolls:

Egg roll Wrappers

3 Avocadoes diced

1/3 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes minced

1/2 cup Onion diced

2 Green Pepper minced (optional for spice)

2/3 cup fresh coriander chopped (cilantro would work well too)

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

Juice from 1 small lime

2 tbsp Cashew-Honey Sauce

An easy way to slice an avocado is to cut it in half and twist to open. Stick your knife into the pit and twist slightly to remove. You can then slice the avocadoes with your knife and use a spoon to scoop it off the peel.

Toss the avocadoes, tomatoes, onion, pepper and coriander gently. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together until all the avocado is seasoned. Place a tablespoon in the middle of each egg roll wrapper, fold the sides in and roll up diagonally. Seal the edge with a little bit of water or egg wash. Place any extra rolls in the freezer before cooking. Pan fry in canola oil for 3-5 minutes on each side or until a golden brown. For a healthier version, bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes, turn the rolls over, and bake for another 7-10 minutes. Serve with thai sweet chili sauce or honey cashew sauce.  

Honey Cashew Sauce:

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup fresh coriander

1 tsp tamarind concentrate

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp white vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup cashews

olive oil to taste

Mix all the ingredients in the food processor. The cashews should be chopped but not ground into a powder. I like the crunchy textural element the little pieces add to the sauce. The sauce thickens upon standing but a little water or olive oil will easily loosen it.