TWD Berry Galette

I was actually "this close" to skipping this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Berry Galette, which would have been a first for me.   Considering that we tackled Blueberry Nectarine Pie just last week it felt a bit redundant.  Luckily the galette was super easy to put together so I had to put my laziness aside.  

If you attempt this recipe a word of caution that I'm sure you probably already noticed - the berries tend to leak quite a bit during baking.   I used a triple berry combination of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.  In hindsight I probably should have omitted the strawberries, per the recipes notes, but I had some in my fridge and threw them in.  

Luckily the pastry didn't get soggy from all the juice and actually browned quite nicely.  Next time I'll add a little more sugar to the dough and also the fruit.  Other than that I thought it was a very tasty tart which would undoubtedly be even better with some ice cream!

Lisa of Tomato Thymes in the Kitchen and Andrea of The Kitchen Lioness have posted the recipe on their blog.

TWD Blueberry Nectarine Pie

I would have never thought to combine blueberries and nectarines but for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe they worked so well together.  It's not often I'm pleasantly surprised.

Good thing this pie was a snap to make because I've been engrossed in the Summer Olympics on tv as I'm sure the rest of you are.  I used blueberries I froze a few months ago and also white nectarines.  To ensure that the filling thickened and set properly I added a tablespoon of finely ground minute tapioca.  It did the trick beautifully and my pie sliced like a dream.    

Everyone knows the best part of a pie is going to be the crust and this version was flaky and buttery.  My only issue was that it was almost too tender to roll out, but I could think of worse things to happen.

Head on over to Manchego’s Kitchen or That Skinny Chick Can Bake for this delicious recipe.  It's definitely Olympic medal worthy!

Blueberry Pie

Given the number of years I've been baking you'd think that I'd be pretty proficient at it.  I'd like to think that for the most part that was true, but there's one thing where I definitely lack skill - pies .  I don't know why, but for some reason I've never really had much success with them; ironic considering how much I love making tarts.  Perhaps it's the double-crust that's my downfall?

  

So this summer I'm determined to conquer my pie-making fears.  To kick things off I tried  Cook's Illustrated blueberry pie recipe and had fantastic results.  

The crust is super flaky and the filling holds up beautifully with just the right amount of sweetness.  My favorite way to enjoy it?  Slightly warm with a scoop of Haagen-Dazs lemon ice cream...absolute bliss!  

Dare I be so bold as to attempt apple next?  Stay tuned and see.....

Blueberry Scones

Sunday is the best day to do nothing.  Going back to work the next day is daunting enough so I literally make Sunday my day of rest.  I normally start the day by reading the paper and listening to Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. 

If I've put off cleaning my flat, which I often do, I'll then have some breakfast.   For something quick and easy I turn to a bowl of fresh fruit topped with greek yogurt and granola.  If I'm craving protein I'll go with eggs and toast.   For something baked, but not too sweet, I like to make these blueberry scones.

Scones are definitely a favorite of mine.  They're like a cross between a biscuit and a muffin.  I love them for breakfast but equally as much for afternoon tea with some clotted cream and jam.  Yum!

This recipe is really versatile and you can substitute the blueberries with currants or other dried fruit.  If you omit the fruit altogether it would be absolutely delicious as the base in a strawberry shortcake.

Blueberry Muffins

You'd have thought it was London with all the rain that's been falling in California over the last week.   I know we need the water and we'll be thankful come spring/summer, but come on, enough is enough!  When the weather gets like this all I want to do is stay at home in  my flannel pjs and bake!

A recent episode of America's Test Kitchen featured the best blueberry muffins and fortuitously I had all the recipe ingredients in my kitchen so I had to make them, right?  I just love blueberries.  They're one of nature's super foods; full of flavor and rich in antioxidants.  Blueberries have been shown to improve night vision (take that carrots!) and may even reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.  Who knew that all this power was packed in to such a tiny blue fruit.

The recipe is very easy and straightforward to make and the muffins tasted fantastic.  Only problem was they were a pain to take out of the muffin tin in one piece.  Despite spraying the nonstick pan with cooking spray, as was instructed, the finished muffins didn't come out so easily. In fact, the tops were the only things that managed to come off.  Next time I'll either bake them longer to ensure the bottoms and sides are really browned or I'll just use paper liners.

Mini Fruit Tarts....Part II

My first attempt in making the can't-fail Parisian piecrust from the Sunday Chronicle turned out so well I decided to make it again. I'm bringing these tarts to the office to celebrate a co-worker's birthday this week. In addition to strawberries and blueberries, this time I also used raspberries and kiwis. I really like how the green color of the kiwi contrasts so nicely against the red berries and dark blueberries. The sweet Caillat crust is definitely a keeper that will be a great addition to my baking repertoire.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Had a bunch of blueberries in my fridge that I didn't want to go to waste so I decided to add them to a lemon pound cake. Lemons and blueberries are always a great flavor combination. Used a butter pound cake recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum's fantastic book The Cake Bible.

Followed Rose's recipe and added finely grated lemon zest and blueberries just at the end. I tossed the berries lightly in some flour before adding them to the batter so that they didn't sink to the bottom, but as you can see, it didn't really help. The blueberries were much heavier than the cake batter.

The glaze is really simple; freshly squeezed lemon juice whisked with powdered sugar until it has a consistency similar to condensed milk.