Short week tagging

Out of the office two days this week, meaning I had less time to read other people's sites. There were, as always, quite a few standouts in what I did read, though.

Dark Chocolate Financiers - I too am a fan of Jean Paul Hevin, and as I do not have a cookbook from him, though, obviously, now I'll be looking for it, this is a lovely little introduction.

Real Corn Soup - It's true, the corn is nearing it's end, but I haven't used it much this summer, other than an occasional ear at dinner, so I might have this be corn's last hurrah for the year.


White Beans and Sausage - Which, I guess, means cooler climes are upon us and I should just get used to the idea of several months of comfort food.

Spicy South Africa Braised Beef - Ditto. Plus, I've been thinking of braising all my meat and saving money on the pricier cuts.


Espresso Caramels - I, myself, have been making caramel without a candy thermometer, but Heidi's look like they achieved a really good, really even consistency, so maybe I'll trot the old thermometer out.


Ricotta Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd - And yes, soon the Meyer lemons will be arriving, and with them a weekend of zesting and juicing. Once I have more juice and zest than I could ever hope to use, this might be a nice destination.

I Want to be a Daring Baker

I am a lurker. A shameless, shameless lurker. But one who is full of wonder.

Every month I patiently await the Daring Bakers Challenge, finding it so fascinating and wonderful that a group of bakers around the world have found a forum within which to experiment. The results are so different and each so lovely (yes, even the mistakes are wonderful) that it becomes my favorite day of the month when the posts are revealed.

Today, however, I wonder if I might cease my ceaseless lurking. I have a small home on the internet now. A poorly trafficked, mostly self-indulgent home, but a home nonetheless. Perhaps this coterie would accept my humble application to join their ranks and perhaps next month I could dare a little. In the meantime, these were the tarts that appealed most to me this month (and yes, my tastes skew to the modern):

- Alpineberry's tart is simple and unadorned and the mousse and caramel layers look really well defined and seem to be the perfect consistency.

- Foodbeam's individual tarts with spun sugar have a beautiful lip caused by the protrusion of the crust (I must find out how everyone else in the world removes tarts from mini tart pans without breakage, because I can never manage it).

- vanille & chocolat's look just about ready for a pastry case (again, my knife skills must be utterly lacking as I either smush or rip when I try to cut in straight lines - perhaps it's a continuation of being unable to paint within the lines).

- the barmy baker found the perfect piece of broken caramel with which to adorn this slice of tart. I also found her step by step photos gorgeous and I liked that she too makes fingerprints in her tart shells when filling them.

- but Dessert First is my favorite because I, too, am a sucker for the long rectangular tart pans. I don't have one, but I'm getting one as soon as I finish this post.

So thank you, Daring Bakers, for inspiring me to make this tart over the weekend. Know you'll be receiving a letter from me soon asking if there's room for one more.