It’s Kitchen Keeping time y’all! I’m so excited to head over to my friend Sara’s place at Sifting Through Life.
I just love the name of her blog and when I spotted Sara on Instagram with a spatula covering her mouth, I hollard!
I was so intrigued with Sara’s “Insta’s” that I immediately hopped over to her blog and what I found was nothing short of amazing! This little lady knows a thing or two about sifting flour.
Sara’s passion for making dough rise, started in college as a stress reliever and since ditching the CliffsNotes(are these still around?)she’s been baking beautiful confections ever since. Unlike me, Sara loves the science of baking…we both love the sweetness of it all so I took a chance and asked Sara if she would share a few tips on making “sweet tooth” remedies and she said “yeah…let’s get this party started!” Hey Sara, what”s up with you and Rogers (her cat) lately?
Hey guys, welcome to my kitchen. I’m super excited to be chatting with you today. When Marsha asked me to join the Kitchen Keeping Crew, I jumped at the chance then freaked out because I couldn’t decide which recipe to share with you. I figured as long as it’s sweet and yummy, I’m good…Right?!
What is the one thing you love about your kitchen and why?
My dishwasher. I live in an apartment, so it’s not even fancy. It’s loud and rumbly, but I lived without a dishwasher for a while, and it was rough. Now I can bake up a storm and have my kitchen clean and dishes washed before the oven timer goes off. It’s a dream. For anyone out there with a manual dishwasher, my deepest sympathies are with you.
A dishwasher doesn’t have to be fancy, just “git her done” and we’re good!
Tell us about one of your cooking “oops” you know like when you added salt instead of sugar and how you created a mess into a masterpiece.
It was my niece’s first birthday cake, and I made a three-tiered strawberry almond cake. She was a very sophisticated one year old. My plan was to fill the cake with strawberries and whipped cream, and then frost the outside of the cake with buttercream. I was a dummy and didn’t dam the layers with a ring of buttercream before filling them with whipped cream, so when I went to frost the cake, whipped cream and strawberry pieces were coming out the sides. It was awful. Tears were shed, and swear words were said. Then I had the idea to pipe rosettes all over the cake, because frosting with a spatula just wasn’t going to happen. The cake actually ended up looking great. The rosettes completely masked my mistake, and I’ve never forgotten to dam a cake since!
“Dam the Layers!!”! You go sister, using your pastry chef terminology. Fancy, fancy!
What is your signature recipe to prepare and why?
I make these Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies every Christmas, and they have a low-key cult following. At first, I use to make them with my mom. Then I would make them as gifts for friends and family. Now whenever the holidays roll around I get multiple people asking me when I’m making the “crazy good Christmas cookies.”
Uh! I hope this cookie recipe is on your blog! Sounds scrumptious!
What are three gadgets you can’t live without in your kitchen?
1. My stand mixer. Her name is Patsy, thank you for asking.
2. A large, sturdy spatula.
3. Silpats.
Ha ha, I know about Silpats! Have you thought about teaching a baking class? I’ll be your first student.
Martha Stewart is throwing a dinner party for eight of her “connoisseur” friends and she has commissioned you to create a dessert trio (three small desserts) and your recommendation for a dessert liqueur/wine to accompany each dessert. What will you create?
First, I would cross my fingers and wish on every shooting start that Ina Garten would be there. Then I would make mini fruit tarts, madeleines, and chocolate eclairs. 1. Because they’re some of my favorite desserts and 2. Because I want to impress Ina with my French pastry skills, so she’ll invite me to third wheel it to Paris with her and Jeffery.
As for the wine pairing, I long for the day where I am knowledgeable enough to know how to successfully pair wines to desserts. For now, I’ll leave that to Martha.
I’m crashing the party if Ina Garten is on the guest list!
Here’s one of my favorite recipes, Fruit Tart. I get warm and fuzzy pastry nerd feelings when I make fruit tarts. Between the crisp tart shell, smooth pastry cream and fresh fruit, it’s a classic combination that I’ll never get tired of. I also love the act of rolling out the shell and whisking up the cream. I could go on, but at this point, you could cut my warm and fuzzy pastry nerd feelings with a knife. Instead, dig into my Fruit Tart recipe.
Sara, thanks for spending time with us today. Be sure to check out Sara’s blog, Sifting Through Life and follow her on all of her social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Enjoy!
Save RecipeIngredients
- TART SHELL
- 6 Tbs. unsalted butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 whole egg
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- PASTRY CREAM
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- TOPPING
- 1 pint of strawberries
- 1 pint of figs
- Really any fruit your heart desires
Instructions
- TART SHELL
- Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. It’s okay if the mixture looks broken. Keep on keeping on.
- Add dry ingredients in three parts and mix until combined.
- Form the dough into a round, thick disc. Think oversized hockey puck. Cover in plastic wrap and rest for at least one hour (up to overnight) in the fridge.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8” thickness. Gently transfer and press dough into an 8-inch tart pan. Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- While the dough rests, preheat oven to 400F.
- Cover the shell with parchment and fill with baking weights or uncooked rice.
- Bake at 400F for 5 minutes. Then lower heat to 350F and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
- Allow to cool completely before adding filling.
- PASTRY CREAM
- In a medium pot over medium heat combine the milk and the first amount of sugar. Stir until the sugar melts, and allow milk to scald.
- While that heats, whisk together cornstarch and the remaining sugar. As the milk starts to steam, combine the cornstarch and sugar to the egg yolks. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
- When the milk is nearly boiling, temper it with the yolks.
- Return the mixture to the stove and cook over medium-low heat. Whisk continuously as the cream starts to thicken. Occasionally stop whisking to check if it’s boiling. The pastry cream is done when all the cornstarch has cooked out or when the pastry cream starts to boil, and the bubbles remain in the same place.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in butter and vanilla until homogenous.
- Pour pastry cream into a casserole dish or sheet pan. Immediately cover with plastic wrap, with the wrap touching the cream, and allow to cool on the counter or if it’s a particularly warm day, in the refrigerator.
- FRUIT TART
- Fill cooled tart shell with cooled pastry cream.
- Decorate with sliced fruit as it pleases you heart.
- Store in refrigerator for up to three days.
- Source- Sifting Through Life Blog
