Trio of Tartelettes

I'm on a tart kick this month.

(Clockwise from top) Vanilla bean pastry cream with berries, Chocolate pastry cream with coconut and meringue, Lemon cream brulee.

tgodess did you make these lovely tarts? Wow, I thought the pasczcki were an achievment. THe tarts are wonderful.

Or did you expertly source them somwhere? If so, please sharewhere they are from.

I take it you are not a baker by profession because you said you did not want to get a day off from your boss just to make pasczcki. But you must have some professional baking experience in your background, if you don't mind my asking.

Fabulous photography, too! --Joy

Yes, I made all of these myself and am mostly self-taught, meaning I have been seriously studying the art of patisserie for the last three years through LOTS of reading and practice, practice, practice, though I started baking at about 3 years old helping my mom and grandmother. It is *definitely* an avocation rather than a vocation. If I had the financial means (and was younger and some "business sense"), I'd consider starting a real pastry business/bakery, but I had a major health issue a couple years ago and absolutely HAVE to have affordable health insurance.

In the meantime, making pastry is something I enjoy immensely and do for the creative/intellectual exercise (and, infrequently, for profit, when friends/acquaintances need a cake or some special dessert). Most of the time, I just bake for the sake of it and spend a lot of time passing things off to my friends/neighbors so I don't gain 50 pounds every weekend!

Thank you *so* much for your comments. You're very kind.

Looks really good. Love your pastries and the pictures you post. Have you considered attending the Dessert exchange? I think you would find some kindred souls there....

Toria,

I've thought about it, but it sounds like I'd end up eating/bringing home WAY too many delicious goodies (I've seen the photos--my goodness!) that my girlish figure doesn't really NEED (though would LOVE). As it is, whenever I bake, I'm always pushing things off on my neighbors, friends and co-workers, just so I don't have it all sitting around my house waiting for me to polish off every last crumb!

I guess you could come with a dessert but not take any home. there is a meal served and you get to meet some nice people who know how to cook and bake.

These are beautiful. Any chance you could post the recipe for the lemon creme brulee? Or just a quick description of the approach.

jblth wrote:These are beautiful. Any chance you could post the recipe for the lemon creme brulee? Or just a quick description of the approach.

Thank you.

I'm not sure what the rules on the board here are about posting recipes that we don't own, but the lemon cream is from the TARTINE cookbook. It's essentially a standard lemon curd, (fresh lemon juice, sugar, eggs and extra yolk, pinch o' salt and butter at the end) with extra butter and worked in with an immersion blender which makes it wonderfully smooth and creamy. The only thing I do differently, is add a good amount (about 2TBSP) of zest near the end of the cooking time (at about 160 degrees). The "brulee" really is just covering with a good layer of sugar and then hitting it with the blowtorch.

This is also fabulous with key lime and it's one of my most-requested tarts (I make it with a thin layer of chocolate ganache on the bottom and top it with whipped cream). It's also a wonderful dessert on its own just in a little dish or served with berries like a parfait.


Tartine
http://www.amazon.com/Tartine-Elisabeth-Prueitt/dp/0811851508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330900408&sr=8-1