Tag: the recipe

Portuguese Custard Tarts – The Hieronymites Got This Right

I’ve made custard tarts before, but never the world-famous Portuguese custard tarts, and I’m thrilled to report the results were shockingly good. This really was one of the best pastries I’ve ever enjoyed, custard or otherwise.

Which is a good thing, since they do require a bit of effort to produce. The recipe itself is simple, using just a few basic ingredients, but there are numerous steps, and a certain amount of finesse is required, but the results are so worth it. After watching a few dozen videos on the technique, I decided to try the short cut version first, which uses frozen store-bought puff pastry. The results were not good. Since puff pastry is leavened with yeast, and contains so many more layers of butter and dough, my crust turned out too thick, and gummy, and wasn’t nearly as thin and crispy as it should’ve been. It may have been my technique, but officially I’m blaming the dough.

So then I attempted an “authentic” dough recipe from scratch, which was infinitely better. It’s a little tricky to work with, since the dough is very sticky, but I think that’s one of the keys here. Seems like the extra moisture in the dough, which is activated by the very hot oven, is what creates the signature flaky, crispy texture.

As far as the custard goes, it’s a relatively simple procedure, and we even streamlined one of the steps. You’ll have to decide whether you’re going to include lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla, which are apparently considered optional ingredients in Portugal, but I really enjoy the flavor, and wouldn’t change a thing. Regardless of what you decide to add, or not add to yours, like I said in the video, these should be on everyone’s baking bucket list. So, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

For the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup cold water

Note: adjust with more flour or water to achieve what’s shown in the video

1 stick (4 ounces) very soft, high-quality unsalted butter

For the sugar syrup:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)

zest from 1 lemon

For the custard base:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups milk

6 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– Bake tarts at 550 F. for 12 minutes or until the pastry is browned and bubbly, and the tops start to blister and caramelize.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Icing

Gluten-free pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese icing.

A Pumpkin Cupcake that doesn't taste gluten-free. Seriously.

But before I get to the recipe, I need to wander off a bit. Because it's who I am. A person who wanders. Ponders. Finds solace in books. I've been like this since girlhood. Curious. Serious. No good at catching balls. Or dressing dolls. I am beyond inept with hair. And eyeliner. Nail polish. I get anxious and non-verbal if I have to wear anything that isn't a pair of jeans.

I hold the opinion that there is more to life than collapsing in front of the television and microwaving hot dogs. I think that beauty- as Steve Jobs believed- is important, has value. That we are deeply interconnected. That life on Earth is precious- from the house sparrow to the living sea. That we are part of a vast and mysterious collective- not merely of our absurd egos (who natter inside our heads and squander our attention on drama, conflict, acquisition and the need to control)- but of a newly unfolding awareness of astonishing inner space and outer space. Infinity in every direction.

Which begs the question.

Who am I? Really. I know I am not the car I drive or the laundry detergent I use. I know I am not what I identify with. I am not what I embrace- or reject. Though for years I thought so. I believed my opinions created a self. Made me Me. Now that I am old enough to have lived through countless opinion reversals, I realize opinions are temporary. And not defining.

Just as I am not my baby teeth. Or my once lactating voluptuousness. Or my sprouting silver hair. Or what music I listen to. Or what jeans I outgrow. I am not even the woman baking pumpkin cupcakes for her readers. Or am I? Well, maybe I am. Just a little. But wait. Doesn't that make me the sum of what I do? I bake therefore I am?

I am trying lately not to be so much of a human doing. And more of a human being.

It's not as easy as one might think.

And therein lies the trouble. The whole thinking thing. Our brain. Our wired hardware. It disconnects us. It addicts us. It overrides the heart and soul of what is really going on. The being we really are. Beneath the seductive and glossy surface of things. The spark that burns from the greater whole.

I see that spark in you.

It's why I made you cupcakes.

Orange French Toast

We love to enjoy brunch at home.

It’s a no rush, relax and listen to music while
we prepare something delicious and brew
the coffee kind of morning.
I LOVE the smells of breakfast:
coffee, pancakes or French toast, and
bacon which create the best aromas.

Start by letting your skillet preheat to
medium/medium-low and turn the oven
to 350º. It doesn’t take long to get
things going.

Combine the batter ingredients in a shallow
dish. I cut this recipe in half for the two
of us, so a pie dish was a perfect size.
Cut the French bread into 1″ thick slices.
Day old bread works best, but you can
just let the cut slices sit on the counter
while you set up. Then soak the slices for
2 minutes on each side.
(tip: I buy French bread and slice in 1″
thick slices then slide it back in the bag
and pop in the freezer. That way I can
always make French toast or garlic bread
removing just how many slices I want)

Brown them in butter then remove and put
on a cookie sheet in a 325º oven and bake
for about 15-20 minutes. This crisps up
the outside. Put your plates in the oven
for the last minute to warm them.
It makes such a difference to serve
breakfast on heated plates. Serve with a
dusting of powdered sugar and
a side of warm maple syrup.

This is a nice brunch for 2 or 12.
Perfect since it’s all ready at the same time.

I cut the recipe in half for the two of us.

Double the recipe for a large group.

Orange French Toast
1 C orange juice
1 C half and half
4 eggs, beaten
2 T sugar
1 T Grand Marnier
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t orange extract (if you have it)
1 lb loaf day-old French bread

Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a
big shallow dish. Cut the bread diagonally
into thick 1″ slices. Soak bread 2 minutes
on each side. Heat a large skillet over medium
heat then add butter to coat the bottom. Brown
the slices on both sides then transfer to a large
cookie sheet (in a single layer) and bake in a
325º preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
To serve: dust with powdered sugar and
serve on heated plates with warm

maple syrup. Serves 6.

Enjoy!

*recipe adapted from Susan Branch