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caramel-almond custard tart {ffwd}
I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie. The choice was a Caramel-Almond Custard Tart. The recipe reads like a sweet quiche with nuts on top and that just didn’t seem appealing. However, I enjoy my Fridays with the Doristas, so I soldiered on.
Each time we use it, I remember that the sweet tart crust is one of my favorite discoveries in Around My French Table. The cookie-like crust comes together easily, and I love the press-in method, with no rolling or waiting required.
The filling starts with a simple caramel. I think I’m gradually losing my fear of molten sugar. This caramel is slower to brown than others. I think because it’s more like caramelizing a heavy sugar syrup than just plain sugar. That also made it less scary. It boiled madly for a few minutes and then turned a lovely shade of brown and was ready. My caramel did seize up when I poured room-temperature cream over it, but it smoothed out, just as Dorie promised, after sitting for a few minutes.
While the caramel rested, I whisked eggs with sugar, salt, and milk to make a custard base, then added the caramel cream. At this point, I was still reminded of quiche filling.
Toasted sliced almonds are scattered over the tart crust, then the filling gets poured on top. The tart was practically overflowing, so it was challenging to move the pan to the oven. I did manage to do it without spilling a single drop.
The tart needed to bake for a long time. After 35 minutes, it had not puffed at all. After 45 minutes, it started to puff on the edges, but not the middle. After 55 minutes, the middle was puffed but still very jiggly and not feeling firm. I finally decided it was enough after about 65 minutes, which was 20 minutes more than the recipe said.
It was also much later than I anticipated. I was hoping the tart would cool down to close to room temperature so we could try it before bedtime. Wanting to taste won out over waiting for it to reach the ideal temp, so the first try was on the warm side. To my surprise, it didn’t taste quiche-y at all. In fact, it reminded me of a warm pecan pie made with almonds, even though the fillings are drastically different. I really liked it. Howard was less sure.
I had a cold piece with breakfast to see if the texture changed after the tart cooled down. I found the filling smoother this morning and still delicious.
To see what the other FFwD participants thought of this tart, follow their links here. I can’t find the recipe online, but you can always find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
rice pudding and caramel apples {ffwd}
Rice pudding is one of my dad’s favorite desserts. Way back when, my dad took me around for college visits (I told you it was way back when). When we arrived in Cambridge, we took a walk through Harvard Square. I remember it started raining, so we ducked into the closest doorway. We found ourselves in Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage. Little did I know that we’d stumbled upon a local institution. My dad was hungry, so he ordered an appetizer: a bowl of rice pudding. Then, we feasted on hamburgers and fries. My dad ordered rice pudding again for dessert.
I like rice pudding too. I think of it as a delicious way to use up leftover rice. This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie is Rice Pudding and Caramel Apples. The rice pudding recipe is different than my usual method, so I was interested to try. The caramel apples sounded amazing, independent of the pudding.
Rather than leftover rice, Dorie’s recipe starts by boiling Arborio rice until it is partially cooked. Then, the rice is cooked in a quart of milk (I used 1% rather than whole) along with some sugar until the rice is tender and all the milk is almost, but not completely, absorbed. Simple, other than giving it the occasional stir and keeping an eye on the pot to be sure the milk doesn’t boil over.
The one mystery of rice pudding is what to do with the skin that keeps developing on the top. Do you discard it or just keep stirring it in? Over the course of the half hour I cooked and stirred, I did both.
The apples were relatively easy too. Have I mentioned that I’m afraid of molten sugar? Fortunately, until I looked at the sugar moistened with lemon juice bubbling in the skillet, I didn’t realize that was what I was doing. Once the sugar was melted, I stirred in apple juice and the apples and continued to let it boil away. Finally, heavy cream is added and the caramel gets boiled some more to mellow the sauce.
Now the hardest part – waiting to taste it…The caramel apples were dangerously hot. The rice pudding was far above room temperature. An ice bath solved the problem for the rice pudding. I wanted the apples to be warmer so just let them sit on the counter.
I had to wait about half an hour. As suggested, I layered apples, pudding and more apples, parfait-style in a glass. Definitely fancier than my usual rice pudding, but equally delicious.
Honestly, I don’t know whether I’d make the rice pudding this way. I’d probably use my tried-and-true method. The caramel apples are the keeper part of this recipe. I’d definitely make them again. I am thinking up other ways to use them: topping yogurt, in a tart, in a turnover. The possibilities are endless.
The other Doristas are making the same recipe this week. Check out their links here. Here’s the recipe from Epicurious. You can also find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table..
Now for a word about the Doristas. Last weekend, I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle. A primary motivator for signing up was the keynote speaker, none other than Dorie Greenspan, and the opportunity to meet about a dozen of my fellow French Friday bloggers.
Cyberfriends are an odd duck. On the one hand, week after week, you read their personal stories on their blogs and converse through comments and occasional emails so you know them. On the other hand, they are strangers. When I was young, I had various pen pals, and though we wrote letters back and forth for months, I never actually met any of them in person. The anticipation of meeting the Doristas gave me a similar feeling, like I was going to meet my pen pals.
Well, the actual meeting exceeded all expectations. When I arrived in the lobby of the hotel, I recognized a small group from their pictures on their blogs or from Facebook. They recognized me too. Hugs all around, and more hugs as more Doristas arrived. Over the course of the weekend, we bonded. Though we were sort of strangers at the beginning of the weekend, we all hand common interests and the more I got to know each person, I felt like the group was filled with people that would be my friends regardless of how we met. Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
Doristas in Seattle
Aside from conference activities, we explored Seattle together for some early morning breakfasts, and on Sunday night, before we went our separate ways, we shared a final dinner together. By the end of the weekend, I felt like I was saying goodbye to my friends from summer camp. My heart swells to think of all the good feelings that flowed between us throughout the weekend. It was a unforgettable experience.
For those of you other Doristas who couldn’t be in Seattle, we really missed you. Hopefully, we will arrange another gathering in the future so more of us can meet in person. Until then, Happy Friday!
A Plateful of Happiness 