since we all like macarons so much...

a few months ago mercedes, marte marie, and i got together to take some photos

of mercedes' delicious macarons. what a fun afternoon we had together!

which shots are your favorites?

{la boulangere: mercedes; stylists: marte marie, mercedes, and ann marie; photography: ann marie}

this weekend we made our way up to the mountains to eat the best french macarons i've ever devoured

we made the quick 20-minute drive to the resort town of park city one morning

in search of our dear friend, mercedes, and her french macarons...

which happen to be the best macarons your lips will ever, truly, encounter.

was giddy with her new smores flavor (in all its gooey glory!).

i have to add that the key lime were really hitting the spot yesterday as well.

if you are in the northern utah area you really ought to visit her booth

every sunday at the park city farmers market. i'd get there early (10:00am) if i were you.

my favorite was watching the glee of two diabetic kiddies

flag down their mom as soon as they noticed the "gluten free" sign

in front of mercedes' booth. they piled in as many macarons as possible

into the biggest box and promised to order a batch via mail since

they live all the way back east in pennsylvania.

{come back later today and i'll have a link to her website...since i'm lame and forgot it}

{by the way, mercedes spent an entire year perfecting these, and they really are dreamy}

what to do with 10 pounds/$3 worth of peaches {part 2: galette}

summer fruit galette
{from dorie greenspan's baking: from my home to yours}

pie crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
10 Tbsp very cold, unsalted butter
2 1/2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1/4 cup ice water

put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and the shortening are cut into the flour. don't overdo the mixing--what you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of the water--add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. if, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. big pieces of butter are fine. scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface.

galette
2-3 Tbsp jam or marmalade
2 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs
fresh summer fruit: about 10 apricots, 8-10 nectarines, 8 ripe but firm peaches,
8 to 10 firm plums or 2 stalks rhubarb
decorating {coarse} or granulated sugar, for dusting

custard
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
to make it easier to move the pie dough onto the baking sheet, roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper {in which case, you can use one of the rolling sheets to line the baking sheet} or wax paper or plastic wrap. alternatively, work on a well-floured surface, taking care to keep the dough moving by turning it and flouring the surface often.
roll the dough into a large 1/8-inch thick circle. using a pastry wheel or a paring knife, trim the dough to a 13-inch diameter. using a cake pan or a pot lid as a template and the tip of a blunt kitchen knife as a marker, lightly trace a 9-inch circle in the center of the dough--this is the area for the filling.
with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula, spread some of the jam over the circle--how much you use will depend on how much jam flavor you want. sprinkle over the crumbs, adding a little more than 2 tablespoons if you think you've got particularly juicy fruit. put a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper over the dough and refrigerate it while you prepare the fruit.
wipe the apricots, nectarines or plums clean with a damp towel and cut in half; discard the pits. blanch peaches for 10 seconds in a pot of boiling water, transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool, then slip off the skins. halve and pit the peaches or peel rhubarb to remove the strings and cut into 1-to 2-inch pieces.
arrange the fruit on the dough, cut side down if using stone fruits, then gently lift the unfilled border of dough up and onto the filling. as you lift the dough and place it on the filling, it will pleat. if you're not in a rush, freeze the galette for 15 minutes to give the crust a rest.
brush the dough ver lightly with a little water, then sprinkle it with a teaspoon or two of sugar. bake the galette for 25 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the fruit soft.
meanwhile, make the custard: whisk together the melted butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl; set aside until needed.
remove baking sheet from the over {leave the oven on}, and carefully pour the custard around the fruit. depending on how much juice has accumulated and how much space you have between the fruit, you may not be able to pour all the custard into the galette, but even 2 tablespoons can give the right effect. pour in as much custard as you can, then carefully return the pan to the oven.
bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the custard is set--it shouldn't jiggle when you gently shake the pan. cool the galette on the baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes.
very carefully slide a small baking sheet or a cake lifter under the galette and slip the galette onto a rack to cool. the galette can be served when it is just warm or--my preference--when it has reached room temperature. dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

yesterday i was nonstop busy...and test-tasting yummy things for a sort of birthday party

i was baking up a storm...truly.
cakes, cupcakes, breads, etc.
some for a party we had last night,
some just to have on hand
when a sweet tooth beckons
or some serious grain is needed in the tummy.

sprinkles were everywhere.
magic faerie dust really.
as i frosted and sprinkled i was overtaken
by the smell of a spring rain...
what is it about spring rain specifically that is so fresh and clean?
what could be more perfect than
baking while it rains outside?




i tried this cupcake/cake recipe for the first time,
and it worked out quite well.
i used this recipe, except i used less water
{i only used 1/2 cup hot water}.

it all turned out so yummy and perfect.
we are set for the next few days indeed.

sweet things

ceej comes home this weekend.
can.not.wait!

he's been gone for two weeks.
i entrusted cj's boss with a little surprise for cj
that he delivered to cj half way through their trip...
it was this little notebook that i made into a mini love book.
it was a hit!
can't wait to see ceej and tell him in person what he means to me...

and i think i'll have some fresh chocolate croissants waiting for him...
we'll eat these sweet treats and talk over some tea,
dance in the living room,
and probably go for a walk along the river.
my solo days are happily coming to an end.

if you want to take photos of something sometimes you have to eat it...unfortunately

last week i had a craving,
not to eat macarons,
but to take photos of them...

unfortunately, i couldn't resist eating them when i was done.
they melt in your mouth.
these truly are the best macarons i've ever had.

sundays are quite sweet around here...

lately i've been making desserts that are oh so rich and oh so sweet.
usually, you can only handle a few bites,
but they are simply lovely bites.

ceej caught a little of the action of brewing up such a sweet treat.

chocolate and toffee...you can't go wrong.

mix it all up with some seriously real and local whipped cream,
and you're in heaven.

wonder what we'll make this sunday.

photos by ceej and me. september 2009. in our "retro" apartment.

dessert: i thought a lemon-blueberry tart would be a lovely "goodbye summer" treat...and it was

i wanted to make something delicious for sunday.
i was so excited about it that i completely skipped the usual sunday nap.
i wanted to make a tart, but my tart dish was a bit too large...
so i tried it out in these little ramekins.
it worked!

here's the ingredients for the cream:
1. one cup sugar
2. 4 large eggs
3. 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4. zest from three lemons
5. some blueberries (for topping...not really in the cream)
6. 2 sticks of unsalted butter

so you mix everything together (sans blueberries) over some serious heat on the stove. for a long time. trying to avoid the steam hitting your arm while you whisk away...for a long time. then all of a sudden you have a wonderful creamy substance. then you've got to blend it all. and your blender will probably overheat...oh well, it will work the next day. after blending, put it in the fridge for 4 hours. then scoop it up into your tart-crust-filled ramekins, and top with blueberries.

voila!

make sure to enjoy it with friends...
with a good, heart-warming conversation.
that's what i did.
just lovely.

photos by me. august 2009.