I’m back from San Francisco, where I got to see a lot of really neat things like artichokes growing on Alcatraz and pistachios growing on a pistachio farm.
I spent a lot of the trip searching for ingredients and equipment that is a tad difficult to find in Toronto, and I am happy to report that I found many great gadgets that I will share with you in the next few weeks.
Fruit tarts and pies make for great desserts. They can be stunning and elegant, yet simple and relatively quick to prepare. You can use your favourite fruits, playing with multiple complementary colours and flavours. Alternatively, you could choose one fruit and let it shine, like I did here with this strawberry-white chocolate tart.
The key to elevating your tart or pie from okay to delectable is a perfect crust. A shortcrust pastry that is lightly sweetened and falls apart in your mouth. Choosing a great recipe is easier said than done, however, since they all seem to be so different. Why are there so many variations for pie and tart dough?
I was in the grocery store a few days ago, shopping for wasabi, when I saw some pears. Boy, did they look good. They were firm, yet delicate. And, for some reason, they looked like they would be really juicy.
I didn’t buy them though. I bet you thought I bought them. No. I did not buy them. They were organic. I bought the one’s right next to them, for half the price and double the size, and then I made this wonderful tart.
