Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Food Porn

Truly, Friday's raspberry custard tart might be the most beautiful thing I've ever made. Which I suppose is not unreasonable since it took me 7 freakin' hours.

It ain't quick making pastry cream for the first time (remember that kick I'm on with the custards? Well this is my latest cream-based experiment) and then making tart crust for the first time (I'm hard core with the pie crust) and then putting it together with raspberries.

There are a LOT of steps in this recipe - which is really a mash-up of a number of recipes. Seriously, props go to my FAVE pastry guy with a great blog that makes everything challenging infinitely explicable. He gave me moral support and a number of tips via email along the way.

Some sexy shots of the work in progress...

Field of Berries: You have to wash every one by hand and delicately set it out to dry. Any mushy rasps gotta go. So you have to buy 3 times as many as you need.


Pastry Cream: This really worked out fantastically. I tried it again a couple of days later and it really didn't work out fantastically. But that's another post. Without photos. (BTW, my husband calls this the money shot because he thinks it really has porn-like characteristics. He wishes.)


Tart Shell:


Tart Shell with Filling:


The real money shots:



19 comments:

  1. Looks gorg! I especially like your tart shell with its uniform sides . . . Impressive indeed!

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  2. You saved me a piece, RIGHT?

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  3. Wow, the tart shell is really impressive. That takes a lot of practice and is mostly beyond me. It looks like it was really delicious.

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  4. It's so pretty, I wouldn't want to eat it!

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  5. SO FUCKING GORGEOUS!!! wow wow WOW! i have to be honest here. i do NOT want to spend that kind of time making it, but i sure as hell would love eating it!!! it looks PHENOMENAL, and i could only imagine how great it must taste!!!

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  6. Beautiful! I just love a photographic progression from beginning to end.

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  7. I am so impressed! And this is one of my all time favorite desserts. My local patisserie in Paris used to make the most amazing raspberry tarts. I miss them more than my friends(!)

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  8. Yummo - if I ever come to dinner you can cook me that!

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  9. beautiful, and very tasty looking! you have much more patience than i when it comes to cooking!!
    xox
    www.froufroufashionista.blogspot.com

    ps - i have the same dish towel as you! ;-)

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  10. Holy Guacamole! If you open a patisserie, I will move to Canada just so I can eat there...

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  11. yummy, yummy ymmy!!!
    Love all things with berries.

    xoxo

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  12. Miss C: That really impressed me too! :-)

    Miss Wendy, thank you!

    Dr. M: It didn't last the night, poor thing...

    Sal: You have to arrive first to get some. It's part of my evil strategy!

    Mardel: thank you so much. For what it's worth, this was my first tart shell. It looks good but I think it could taste better. That's my next rabbit to pull out of the hat.

    Ambika: The part of me that felt that way was at odds with the part that really wanted to see what it would look like plated. :-)

    Yiqin: Aren't they the best??

    J: It was pretty yummy but I don't know if there could ever be a time justification quotient for making this. I think you just have to really like baking :-)

    Tessa: Thank you. I worked on that!

    Alek: Wow! You really do like those tarts. Actually, I often remember delish food so viscerally I dream about it. Can't be good for my insulin levels! :-)

    Rebecca: Thanks!

    Imogen: For sure I will make this for you!

    FrouFrou: Imagine that - we're dish towel sisters :-) It really was a production, I'll admit it.

    Enc and Kate: Merci!

    Iris: I secretly would love to own a bakery...

    Seeker: me too. Hope you are well Kxo

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  13. I think I just jizzed mah panty girdle...yup, it was the money shot!

    I've bookmarked Joe's site and if I can't fit into my g-kini this summer...there's gunna be trouble.

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