Crostata for the Daring Bakers

This month's Daring Bakers' challenge was to make a crostata, an Italian tart made with pasta frolla (a sweet short crust pastry dough).  

Crostata is a great dessert for novice bakers to try because it's so easy to make and the finished product looks and tastes really delicious.  All you need to do is line a tart tin with the pasta frolla, spread some jam and, if you're feeling adventurous, cover it with strips of the pastry dough arranged in a lattice design.  Bake for about 30 minutes and there you have it!

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Kings of Pastry

Just saw the documentary "Kings of Pastry" at the Balboa Theatre.  For anyone who's a fan of French pastry it's a definite must see.  Who knew a three day competition  could be so tumultuous?  Not me, but it makes for great entertainment!   

Petits Fours

This weekend I took a fantastic petits fours class offered by Dragonfly Cakes.   Luckily I didn't have to travel very far; just across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.   You may have seen Dragonfly's adorable little cakes on the Williams-Sonoma website.   Well, I can confirm that not only do they look good they taste absolutely delicious.   Just a touch of sweetness, exactly how I like it.   

Brooks and Andrea, our instructors, were so nice and extremely helpful answering all of the students' questions.  There's a reason why I haven't attempted making petits fours thus far.  After seeing the process at Dragonfly Cakes they are definitely a labor of love.   But they are so darn cute.  Hmmm, could they be my next baking obsession????  Stay tuned to this blog and find out! 

Elin's Baby Shower

I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said that Elin's baby shower was a complete success.  It was a fabulous party and all the guests seemed to really enjoy themselves.  Baby showers are relatively a new thing in Norway and has only recently made it's way across the pond.  Norwegians usually wait until after the baby is born before giving gifts but I'm so glad that Elin decided to buck with tradition.