Custard Tart with Apricots

383.  When you find a full-proof recipe that checks off all the boxes - boxes being:  tasty, delicious, satisfying, surprising, second-helping necessary...you know you have to share it.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of custardy desserts unless they hold flavor and are not gummy or slimy.  (I don't like that word slimy!)  The beauty of this recipe is that it is versatile and could be made in one large pan or 6 small tart pans for individual servings.  You could also choose any fruit you would like:  cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, figs, apple quarters, or make it savory by omitting the sugar and extracts and adding a pinch of chopped basil or parsley with tomato, zucchini, squash, or eggplant.

The secret...fresh ingredients!  This would make a lovely brunch item to serve as the main dish or as dessert.

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I used frozen apricots I had in my freezer and some of the fruit was slightly frozen.  You could also use fruit from the freezer section of your market.  You could substitute the coconut oil for butter and the heavy cream for coconut milk but the consistency will be softer.

The crust was perfectly browned and risen slightly.  And it had a wonderful nutty flavor.  While the custard was perfectly set and it cut easily.  You couldn't ask for a more perfect slice!

"Anything with dairy, yogurt, milk, cream or eggs - any custard or flan - how can it be bad?

~  Alex Guarnaschelli

Croissant

382.  My new venture has lead me into delicate French pastry and the croissant.  I usually would purchase frozen puff pastry mentally convincing myself that, "I can't make puff pastry dough...It is too difficult!".  But recently, I was challenged to experiment and experiment I have.  I've made multiple batches and have tried different types of flours and processes.

My very first recipe turned out amazing!!!  I took so much time and spent hours waiting, rolling, waiting, rolling.  The layers were amazing and the flavor was divine. I made Pain au Chocolat and Pain au Almond Croissants.

The second batch was made with different flour and I was not as pleased with the texture.  It seemed the flour was a bit too heavy and the layers didn't rise as high.  But they were delicious.

And my third batch was just ok...still a bit heavy with bread flour but the taste was wonderful!  They turned out more like bread rolls...not as flaky.

Don't doubt yourself, but give yourself the chance to try.  You may surprise yourself!

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.  

And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.  Don't settle.  

As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

~  Steve Jobs

White Bean Dip

381.  On a hot summer's day it is enjoyable to share light meals and eat as much or as little as you so choose.  This was one of those days with a Mediterranean flavor.  It started with a delicious and so very simple White Bean Dip that I discovered from Giada on Food Network.  It called for great northern beans, which I soaked and cooked till tender.  You could also use cannellini or chick peas.  Once I made the dip I decided to grill chicken on skewers and a pan roasted sauté of mixed vegetables and toasted crostini since I didn't have pita on hand.

For my roasted veggies I chose to use a large pan on top of the stove or you could roast them on a flat tray in the oven till tender.  I included onion, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, pea pods, small colored peppers halved, fresh parsley and mint on high with a lemon olive oil and salt and pepper.  

The White Bean Dip was lovely, smooth and paired so well on bread or with the chicken.

How refreshing and satisfying!  Great summer vibes.

"Food brings people together on many different levels.  It's nourishment of the soul and body;

 it's truly love.  ~ Giada De Laurentiis

Blackberry Balsamic BBQ Ribs

380.  Blackberries are ripening right now and we foraged for them today.  We picked roughly 5 quarts of these "black beauties".  They were somewhat sweet but there was that lovely tang to them as well. This is antioxidant heaven!  So I froze  several bags full but made sure we used them for a special dinner.
With ribs on the menu, I decided to make a Blackberry Balsamic BBQ sauce and use our fabulous blackberry balsamic from Lucero's Oil. (Which, I am sad to say, Luceros has gone out of business.)

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The flavor was outstanding!  And this was a stunning recipe both in flavor and presentation.

I also used blackberries on our salad and drizzled with blackberry balsamic and olive oil.  This was a lovely compliment along with a side of whipped cheesy sweet potatoes.

So if you see blackberries along the side of the road...don't just drive by, stop and pick some for your dinner tonight or to toss on the top of your yogurt for breakfast.

"So it is with blackberries.  If you pull too hard, you may get the berry but you will lose the sweetness of it.  On the other hand, if you leave it, it may be gone the next time you come by.

Each person must find this point of equilibrium for himself."

~  Robert Finch, "Death of a Hornet"

Coconut Cake

379.  The month of June in our family is filled with special days:  Birthdays, Anniversaries, Father's Day.  And all of these days require CAKE!  There are moments when I dream of b-day or Wedding cake, but when every week is cake, cake, cake...you have to get creative.

This year, rather than have store-bought cake we ventured into homemade cakes of variety.  The last cake we enjoyed was a homemade Coconut Cake.  My Southern Cakes cookbook by Nancie McDermott had a wonderful recipe called "Pearl Mae Oakley's Coconut Cake".  You can find the original recipe Here.

This cake was so delicious, full-flavored, satisfying, rich and lovely.

I used my own buttercream frosting and then covered the cake in sweetened coconut.

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 We all agreed this was 1000 times better than a store-bought b-day cake!

"There's lotion for your face, for your hands, for your feet, for your body.  Why?  What would happen if you put hand lotion on your feet?  Would you feet get confused and start clapping?  Each kind has something special in it - aloe, shea butter, coconut, cocoa butter, vanilla, lemon extract.  

That's not lotion.    That's one ingredient short of a Bundt cake."

~  Ellen DeGeneres

Apricot Sorbet

378.   It's summer and what better use of fresh apricots than to make a refreshing sorbet.  I found a recipe that was simple with a small amount of ingredients.  It was delicious and so satisfying.

With a bowl filled with apricots that ripened overnight, I selected the softest ones.  I cut them in half, pitted them and placed them in a 4 quart pot with a bit of water.  Brought to a boil and then simmered them until they became a smooth mixture.  In order to remove the skins, I pressed the mixture through a sieve.  It separated the skin and fibers from the beautiful pulp once the apricot mixture became soft.

This helped the texture to be consistent and smooth.  Then, added honey and vanilla and tasted for sweetness, placed the mixture into a freezer safe container and placed in the freezer.  It took about 5 hours to harden the sorbet.

The small amount following a delicious meal was so perfect, a pallet cleanser.  It was sweet, tart and the apricot flavor was so authentic and beautiful with a small shot of espresso.

"Keep calm and eat Sorbet!" ~ Anonymous

Apricots

377.  An adventure took me to a small fruit farm in Red Bluff, CA.  It was once a well-loved property with walnut trees, apricot trees and on the property were beautiful rose bushes in multiple colors whose scents were intoxicating! and an enormous palm tree.   The homestead sat in the middle of orchards but had since been rented out and the owners no longer living there.  The sweet renter's home was surrounded by 12 apricot trees that were bursting with fruit.

The trees were large and very old.  Because the now-renters live on this borrowed property, the trees are not sprayed or cared for causing the fruit to have blemishes. These blemishes are called blight or corundum blight or shot-hole.  The fruit had small brown specks over most of the surfaces and they looked daunting, but could still be eaten, they just weren't as aesthetically pleasing.  So we picked quite a few.  We gave them a water bath with Thieves cleaner 

and then separated them into over-ripe, ripe and under-ripe piles.

The process was labor intensive but rewarding.  I then made a batch of "Apricot Fool" or Kisiel Morelowy which is a Polish dessert or used in baking as a filling for donuts and sweet bread.

Then halved about 2 dozen apricots and placed them in my dehydrator and the rest, filled 4 quart and 2 gallon zip-locks for the freezer and later recipes.  There was still a good sized bowl remaining that we will eat for snacks as they ripen.  

Although the skins were unsightly, the flesh inside was divine!  And the sweetness was unmatched.  You barely need sugar due to the natural sweetness.

And the view on our way home was stunning with Mount Shasta in the distance.  This was a productive day and I am saving a few apricot pits to hopefully start my own trees some day.

"All things are God's already; we can give Him no right, by consecrating any, that He had not before, only we set it apart to His service.  Just as a gardener brings his master a basket of apricots, and presents them; his lord thanks him, and perhaps gives him something for his pains, and yet the apricots were as much his lord's before as now."

~  John Selden