tart | Just About Baked

Ganache Linzer Tart (GF and Passover-Friendly!)

April 26, 2016
Mir
Gluten-Free Goodness, Passover Edition!, Pastry Cart, Pie Day
22 Comments

Well, the week marches on. Today was Primary Election day in my state, and I watched a lot of people agonize over which terrible candidate to vote for. Yay for democracy!

Ideally, the voting process should be nothing but exciting, but it’s harder this year than usual. Looking toward November is a worrisome occupation, at least for me. I want to believe that everything will turn out okay, but I’m in a negative frame of mind these days.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I bake. There’s a mindful mindlessness about baking that lets my brain fall away a bit as I make ganache or press tart dough into a pan. The motions are repetitive, soothing, and exactly what I need sometimes. When the result is this mind-blowing linzer tart smothered in ganache and almonds, I can banish all the negativity and just think about the rich flavors exploding in my mouth.

Ruby Grapefruit Tart

We haven’t talked about grapefruit yet.

I. Love. Grapefruit. I know it must come as a shock that a sugar-addicted fiend like me actually eats fruit, but my diet is reasonably healthy. And I eat half a grapefruit every day.

In fact, I love grapefruit so much that I’ve specifically avoided going on a medication because it would ban grapefruit from my diet with some awful chemical reaction. I can’t do that. Every day I need my fix, and if I bake it into a tart, well, so much the better. This is a tart for the ages! You’re going to love it.

Chocolate Raspberry Marzipan Tart

November 24, 2015
Mir
Elegant Desserts, Pie Day
19 Comments

Last one, everyone. Last Thanksgiving dessert. We’ve had a good run!

Over the past several weeks, I’ve given you quite a few Thanksgiving pie options. But I couldn’t resist adding just one more!

As a baking blogger, the holidays provide inspiration and ideas. I love having the time of year do the recipe brainstorming for me, especially when a tart like this is the result. Guys, I kept my very favorite for last. Yes, I’ll play favorites today.

Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

This is the best time of year. As soon as Cinco de Mayo hits, the weather gets sunnier and spending time outside is nothing but a sheer pleasure. Lazy days, frosty margaritas, flip-flops…and lime-infused desserts!

I still remember my first slice of key lime pie. It was quite a special moment. My husband and I were dating and we went on vacation to Florida, and in a restaurant overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, I had my first slice. I think that moment was perfection. And I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since. This particular tart, though not a key lime pie, manages to bring back that happy feeling effortlessly.

Plum Tart

When I was a kid, I used to read books from a bygone era where the characters eat lots of plum desserts: plum pudding, plum pie, plum cake, plum tart. I always wondered what that would taste like. Could it really be as good as it sounded?

Turns out, it is! This cake is dessert gone retro, the kind of treat people used to eat in the dark days before peanut butter cups existed. But there’s a lot to be said for the sweet, buttery crumbs that contrast so beautifully with the plums.

While I went ahead and called this a tart, that was really for lack of a better word. It’s very dense and kind of like a cross between a giant sugar cookie and a yellow cake. The hybrid works, but I still have no good word for it. And there’s a gentle sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on the top that is reminiscent of a Snickerdoodle. So you could call it a cookie cake if you like. Either way, it tastes happy!