Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Evi & Happy Groundhog’s Day!

Evi’s favorite dessert is not cake or cupcakes, it’s actually a fruit tart.  So to make the birthday girl happy, I made her a blueberry version this year.  The recipe is very similar to last year’s Birthday Fruit Tart.

July Review

How time flies!  I can’t believe it’s August already!  If you’d like to catch up on monthly reviews, check out May and June!  So what photos did I capture on my iPhone this month?

We buy some fruits and veggies from the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market every week.  This week we purchased: blueberry yogurt, watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, milk and eggs!  Check out the tomato tart and Lebanese salad with pita chips.

New this year is Gordy’s, they make small-batch artisanal pickles!

A fellow DC blogger, Thrifty DC Cook, introduced me to Saigon Cafe in Falls Church.  This was our 2nd visit in a month- the pho was that good!  So if any of my DC friends have a car, and have a craving for pho, I’ll be glad to introduce you to this new find!

Sam and I are always on the lookout for some great new beer.  I found this one at Cowgirl Creamery.  Baba black lager is from Uinta Brewery in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Love the cute label!

Another week of great finds at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market!  This weeks deliciousness was: eggs, green beans, corn, tomatoes and sweet melon.  Check out the tomato tart and fresh corn salsa we made this month!

A friend, and fellow DC blogger, Emily of Em-i-lis held a canning workshop at the Bethesda Strosniders Hardware Store.  If you’d like to learn more about canning she’s teaching another class on August 25th at the Silver Spring location (it’s free, just sign up!).

Sam and I tried out a new pizza place in Columbia Heights- Red Rocks!  The pizza above is the Funghi (fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes), the other we tried was the Boar Sausage (smoked mozzarella, wild boar, scallions, grana, parsley).  Both delicious, we’ll definitely be back!

Our friends Brittany and Ben will be having a baby any day now, we’re all so excited!  To celebrate, Stephanie threw a wonderful baby shower!  These were on all of the tables, with some delicious popcorn in them!  How cute is that?!?

I visited my parents for a week in Chicago- great view of a wonderful city!

While I was in Chicago, Sam went to the Penn Quarter Farmers Market.  What did he buy? Eggs, tomatoes, bacon, butter, blackberries, okra, peaches and peppers.  Check out the tomato tart!

While visiting my parents, my Mom showed me how to improve on my pierogi-making techniques!  We made blueberry pierogi’s- and they were delicious!

I attended a workshop at the Common City Good Farm on composting.  I’ve been wanting to learn more about it, and how to start.  Once everything is in place, I hope to do a couple of blog posts about the process.

We spent a couple of hours at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and it had a great view from one of the terraces.  Definitely a museum all of you should check out while in DC!

More delicious food from the Penn Quarter Farmers Market!  This week we got: eggs, plums, peppers, tomatoes, cheese curds, peaches and peppers.  Check out the tomato tart!

Lastly, Sam and I began our scuba diving certification!  We got some log books to note all of our dives!  Cannot wait for Thailand to explore the underwater!

Birthday Fruit Tart

For my birthday Sam made an amazing fruit tart:

This is my favorite dessert in the world.  And let me tell you, I’ve bought fruit tarts from many pastries or bakeries, but this was the best tart I’ve ever had!

Remember, you can use different fruits- whatever you like.  Some suggestions: kiwis, raspberries, blackberries, plums or bananas.

Birthday Fruit Tart

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup ice water
9-inch tart pan

For the filling:
5 extra-large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rosewater
1 pint strawberries, halved
1 pint blueberries
1/4 cup honey

In a food processor, add the flour, salt, and cold butter and pulse until crumbly.  Now slowly add the cold water until the dough comes together into a ball (you shouldn’t need all of the water).   Wrap the ball in cling wrap and put it in the fridge for a half hour.  Preheat your oven to 375ºF.

While that’s cooling off, you can work on the filling.  In a small pot, warm up the heavy cream, being careful not to let it bowl over.  In a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks together with the sugar for a few minutes until they’re nice and thick.  With the mixer on low, add the corn starch.  Now add the mixture to the milk and whisk constantly with the heat on medium low.  It will quickly begin to thicken.  When it reaches the consistency of pudding, turn off the heat and mix in the butter and vanilla (you can substitute with almost anything here; almond extract or even some good, black rum would be nice).  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and put in the fridge to cool.

Now roll the dough out on a well floured cutting board and add to a greased tart pan.  Toss it in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.  Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling into the crust and smooth out with a spatula.  The filling may seem fairly firm, but don’t worry, it will soften up in the heated crust.  Now add the fruit to the top of the filling (I used strawberries and blueberries, but you can use whatever you want.  Peaches and raspberries would be good too.)  Mix the honey and rosewater together and microwave for 20 seconds, then brush it over the fruit.

That’s it!  Put the tart in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Blueberry Tart

Summer has officially arrived to Washington D.C.!  Finally!  It’s been a wonderful day of summer and warmth, just how I like it!

Although it’s been weeks since the Royal Wedding, I had made this tart for some friends that came over that night.  While we were watching this exciting event, we had a lot of little finger foods, a number of desserts, and some British drinks.

This tart was very springy-summery.  It makes a great dessert, or wonderful for a quick breakfast for the rest of the week (when you’re running out the door).  Making it with fresh blueberries would be wonderful, and the lemon zest keeps it refreshing.

Blueberry Tart
Adapted from: Sparkling Ink

3 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 stick of butter, cold & cut into small pieces
1 egg
3 cups of blueberries, frozen (or fresh)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp corn starch

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Grate the lemon, and add the zest into the mixture.  Add in cold butter.  Mix until combined, and the mixture is crumbly.  Then add the egg, and mix some more.

Mix the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.  Add in the corn starch and toss well.

Line the baking dish (9 x 13 inches) with parchment paper.  Take half of the dough and press it into the baking dish.  Then, sprinkle the blueberry mixture on top.  Lastly, crumble the rest of the dough over the blueberries.

Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Cool completely and cut into bars.  This was still delicious 5 days later, so it can sit out for a while!