Tag Archives: Mother’s Day

Mixed Berry Fruit Tart + 5 Quarantine Desserts for Mother’s Day

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“My mother had said to me, “All right, you’ve been raised, so don’t let anybody else raise you. You know the difference between right and wrong. Do right. And remember – you can always come home.” And she continued to liberate me until she died. On the night she died, I went to the hospital. I told my mom, “Let me tell you about yourself. You deserved a great daughter, and you got one. And you liberated me to be one. So if it’s time for you to go, you may have done everything God brought you here to do.” Maya Angelou

I started baking again after several months of not having the energy to do so.  I spent those months focused on two graduate courses in applied behavorial analysis and autism therapies.  I’m happy to be baking again.  Writing will come when it comes.  It is such  peculiar being.  I will wait it out.  I have before.  The stories are still simmering.  I hope you enjoy this fruit tart.  Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay sane.  Happy Mother’s Day to all.

Mixed Berry Fruit Tart

Serves 8

Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated

Pastry Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup ½ + ½

1 cup whole milk

½ cup of sugar

Pinch of Kosher Salt

5 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cold, cut into 4 pieces

1 + ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange

Directions:

Using a medium saucepan heat the half and half, whole milk, and 6 tablespoons sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until well combined.  Whisk in remaining sugar (2 tablespoons) until creamy and the sugar has begun to dissolve, about 15 seconds.  Next whisk in cornstarch until the mixture is pale, about 30 seconds.  After the milk and cream mixture reaches a simmer, slowly whisk a bit of the milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly as you go to temper.  Then add all of the yolks to the milk/cream mixture.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, orange zest, and vanilla extract.  If the pastry cream looks lumpy, strain it over a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.  Press a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until very cold, 3 hours or up to two days.

Tart Shell

Ingredients:

1+1/3 cups of AP flour

¼ cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt

10 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of water

Directions: Pre-heat your oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.  Set aside.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook until you see dark brown solids forming in the pan, about 1 to 3 minutes.  Remove saucepan from heat and add water.  When the bubbling stops, pour the butter into the flour mixture.  Stir until completely combined.  Add the tart dough to a nine-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Press the dough evenly along the sides and across the bottom of the tart pan.  Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Rotate the pan halfway through baking time.  Once crust has cooked, cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.  The cooled crust can be loosely covered in plastic wrap and sit at room temperature for 1 day.

Fruit

2 pints fresh blueberries

1-pint strawberries

1-pint blackberries

Wash and dry the fruit.  Slice as you wish.  Set aside.

Apricot jam: In a small bowl, microwave 2 tablespoons of apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water.  Mix well.  Set aside.

Assembly:

Once the tart shell has cooled, add the pastry cream, spreading evenly.  You may not use all of it.  Save the remainder for fresh fruit or just to eat by the spoonful!  Place 8 blackberries evenly around the shell.  Next, add the remaining berries in a decorative pattern.  Once the tart is covered with berries, lightly brush jam over the fruit.  Place fruit tart in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 1 to 2 days.  Enjoy!

5 Quarantine Baking Recipes for Mother’s Day

If mom is craving chocolate check out these simple and satisfying recipes: chocolate cream pie, outrageous brownies, and chewy chocolate chip bars.

Vegan carrot cake by Forks Over Spoons is sure to win Mom’s approval whether she is vegan or not!

Looking for something light and bright to make Mom?  Try making Wild Wild Whisk’s lemon cupcakes.  I can’t wait to try this recipe!

 

Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Icing + 5 Muffin Recipes for Spring!

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Tess had just finished feeding her cat when a familiar face appeared in the window of the old wooden door that had kept her safe inside her home and the world safely outside for so many decades.  The face was framed by the molding on the door her father installed when she was a child, and backlit by the sun, making it hard for Tess to discern who was outside looking in.  Dark eyes, thick, unkempt eyebrows, long, messy hair pulled away from a woman’s face was all she could make out.

The face watched her. Tess hated being observed by anyone, especially by someone she couldn’t place in time, though certainly, this familiar face had existed in one moment or more, in one place or many, together they had gazed at each other briefly or for many hours. Tess now forgot.  She hated the forgetting that came with age, and even more, she detested unannounced visits.

A worried face, much like her own, and yet, she couldn’t place it. Was she hallucinating…again? And if she was? Good, Tess thought.  It was time for this miserable process of dying to get on with it.  The waiting had become unbearable, leaving her restless and angry.  Angry with cancer that took its time eating away at her; angry with her dead husband, envious of fast-moving cancer that took him away many years ago leaving her to deal with this alone, and angry with her remaining family for their visits and calls.  Their concern felt half-hearted, as she knew, as the almost dead do, the living just want you to go.  They are waiting, anticipating the tsunami of grief.  And like Tess, they wanted to get on with it.

If Tess were a dog, she would have walked to the woods that surrounded the back of her property, curled up on a pile of dead brown leaves under the black maple tree and stare at the bluebird sky.  Alone, free, ready.  Why is it so damn hard to die?  Tess thought as she reached for the doorknob.  She figured she would let the face in, see what she wanted.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Mom! I’m freezing out here.”

“Come in, come in.  Watch out for the cat.” Tess said.

“It’s time to put that cat down, Mom.”

“Like, hell.  When I’m gone, do what you want with it.”

Her daughter was back again, this time with muffins.  Carrot muffins.  Muffins Tess would thank her for, but not eat because eating did not make much sense anymore.  She never cared much for carrot muffins anyway.  Tess would keep this to herself.  The last thing she wanted was for daughter to feel useless.  And she certainly didn’t want another visit from the hospice nurse, poking at her or asking her stupid questions.  How are you feeling today? Are you in pain? On a scale of 1 to 10, one being no pain and ten being the worst pain where do say you are?  Assholes.  All of them.  I’m dying and I just want to forget it.  

Tess moved slowly to her favorite chair and sat down, grateful to be off her feet.  The walk to the door felt like a mile.  Her daughter sat in the chair next to her and grimaced when the matted cat jumped into Tess’ lap.

“I know he is pretty sad lookin’,”  Tess said.

Her daughter smiled, let out a small laugh.  Tess had forgotten her face at the door, misplaced it in time, let it dissipate from her memory in just a matter of days.  It must be part of the dying process, Tess thought.  How could she leave while still holding on so tightly?  Damn near impossible.  Tess loved her daughter’s smile, knowing laugh, dark eyes.  She was a good girl, always had been.  She would miss her.  Tess couldn’t say that about many people.

Tess’ eyes felt heavy.  “I’m so tired.”

“Rest, Mom.  I’ll stay for a while.  I need to pick up the kids in a couple of hours.”

As Tess dozed off, she watched her daughter holding on tightly to her little computer, tapping away a message to the outside world, a message to the rest of Tess’ family.  Soon Tess would be gone and maybe before she left, Tess would take a bite of the muffin.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Icing

recipe adapted from My Recipes

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients for muffins:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple extract

3 medium rainbow carrots or regular carrots, finely grated, about 2 cups

1/2 cup of golden raisins optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.  Lightly coat muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.   Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.  In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, egg whites, extracts and grated carrots.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture.  Stir until just combined. Do not overmix!

Spoon batter into baking cups, about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 22 to 25 minutes.  Be sure to check the muffins at 22 minutes.  You do not want to over bake them.

Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Spoon icing over muffins and serve.  Muffins taste best slightly warm the day they are made but will taste great for breakfast the next day as well.  Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.  Enjoy!

Maple Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 or 2 tablespoons of milk, any kind

Directions:

Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup.  Add 1 tablespoon of milk and whisk.  Add more milk to reach desired consistency.  Spoon icing over muffins.  Enjoy!

5 Spring Muffin Links

If you love berries in your muffins check out Baker’s Royale strawberry muffins recipe and Diethood’s raspberry muffins recipe.

Looking for a gluten-free muffin option for your next spring brunch?  Head to Dolly + Oatmeal for Lindsay’s strawberry, oat, cacao muffin recipe.

Chocolate muffins are always a good idea. Head to A Brown Table for a sea salt chocolate muffin recipe that is sure to make you smile.

Do you remember the department store, Jordan Marsh?  Me too.  I spent many weekends tagging along with my grandmother to Jordan Marsh, but I never did try their blueberry muffins.  NYT Cooking has the recipe for you.  Check it out!