Blueberry Galette

The last quarter of our sour cream pastry from a couple of weeks ago was made into a blueberry galette. It only now appears on this blog because, well, I forgot to post about it. But I do remember immensely enjoying a slice (or so) with vanilla bean ice cream.

Another thing I forgot to do was take a picture of the finished product. I was gabbing with my sister Norly as we ate the galette, and the camera in my hand wasn't enough reminder for me to take a picture before it was all gone! Rosalind wasn't there to nudge me of my duties as she didn't take part in this project; her cousins were visiting at the time, and no dessert, especially a non-chocolate dessert, can compete with playtime with friends.

In any case, I think this dessert is worth a try. It works with most fruits so it is a great way to use up fruits that are in danger of being past their prime. Since I have developed a habit of freezing berries or stone fruits (peeled and sliced) that might not get eaten before going bad, I seem to always have a supply of fruit for pies, tarts, or galettes.

Blueberry Galette

1/4 recipe of sour cream pastry
1/3 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t corn starch
2 c blueberries

Roll out pastry into 1/8 inch thick circle. Place the pastry on a baking sheet lined with Silpat, parchment paper or foil. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and corn starch.

Add the blueberries. Mix. Place the mixture in a mound on top of the pastry.

Fold the border of the dough over the filling, allowing the dough to pleat as you work around the galette. Sprinkle sugar around the pleats.

Bake at 400F until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown (around 25 minutes).

All According to Plan

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake




Irish Cream Cheesecake





Cookies!!!




Chocolate Mousse Cake




Carrot Cake




Black and White Cake




Coconut White Chocolate Cake




Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake





Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake




Cashew Tart

10 Desserts for the Crab Feed

So here are all the ingredients for the desserts I'm donating to be auctioned off at a fundraising event this Saturday for Steve's work. As a consequence of my succumbing to some kind of flu earlier this week (happily, I am now germ-free), I don't have much time to prep. Time is of the essence, so my goal is to stick to my list and not complicate things by my sudden whims.

All has been decided and this is what it's going to be.

1. Irish Creme Cheesecake
2. Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
3. Peanut Butter Cheesecake Torte
4. Turtle Cheesecake
5. Carrot Cake
(Hence, 18 pounds of cream cheese smack in the middle of the picture.)
6. White Chocolate Coconut Cake
7. Chocolate Mousse Cake
8. Black and White Cake
9. Cashew Tart
10. Assortment of Cookies

Cheese Straws

Cheese Straws

1/4 recipe of sour cream pastry
1 T olive oil
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Roll out pastry dough into a rectangle (1/8 inch thick).

Brush with olive oil.

Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper. Press down the cheese for it to adhere to the dough.

Cut out strips (about 1/4 inch wide) with ravioli cutter, pizza cutter, or a sharp knife.

Twist each strip. Place on a sheet pan lined with Silpat, parchment paper or foil. Press down both ends to keep in place.

Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Coconut Cashew Tarts with Chocolate Chips

Coconut Cashew Tarts with Chocolate Chips

1/4 recipe of sour cream pastry
1 egg
1/4 c sugar
2 T milk
1 T vanilla
1/2 c coconut
1/4 c chocolate chips
12 cashews


Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles (around 2 inch diameter).

Press the circles into a mini muffin pan.


To make the filling, mix together the egg, sugar, milk and vanilla until well combined. Add the coconut and chocolate chips. Scoop the filling into the tart shells.


Top each tart with a cashew.

Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes.

Potato and Onion Tarts

Potato and Onion Tarts

1/4 recipe of sour cream pastry
2 T olive oil
1 potato cut into small cubes
1/4 c sliced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 c gorgonzola cheese

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8 inch thick rectangle.


Using a cookie cutter or a sharp paring knife, cut out circles. Place the circles on a lightly greased sheet pan or one lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Refrigerate until ready to use.



Heat 2 T of olive oil in a cooking pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the potatoes.


Cook until the potatoes are soft and slightly brown. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly.


Top the circles with the potato mixture and gorgonzola.


Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes or until the bottoms of the circles are brown.

Sour Cream Pastry

I got this recipe from Flo Braker's Sweet Miniatures. She describes this pastry dough as "a dream to work with and heaven to eat" because it "never gets tough no matter how much you handle it." This might just be true because I've re-rolled the dough a few times and it still turned out pretty flaky. I'm not one to get too comfortable though; I still stick to the rules of keeping the dough cold and manipulating it as little as possible.

Sour Cream Pastry

2 c all purpose flour
1/8 t salt
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 c (5 oz) sour cream

In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs but there are still pieces of butter the size of small peas.


Add the sour cream and mix with a fork.


Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball.


Divide the dough into four pieces.


Shape into circles and wrap individually with plastic. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until ready to use. The dough will keep in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Chocolate Pudding Cakes

Little flourless chocolate cakes in cups. This is an easy fail-proof recipe that can be prepped ahead of time. The trick is not to over bake them. If served warm (or even just slightly above room temperature), there is a wonderful surprise in the center -- smooth and intensely chocolaty custard, almost like chocolate creme brulee. If they are over baked, the texture will be that of truffle cakes, still incredibly good, just in a different way.

The unbaked custard can be refrigerated in the ramekins up to two days in advance and then popped in the oven when needed. Another option is to bake the cakes beforehand, refrigerate, and then heat in the microwave when ready to serve. The baked cakes keep in the fridge for about a week.

A spoonful of pudding cake straight from the refrigerator is like indulging in chocolate truffles. A bite of it will definitely satisfy if, say, hypothetically speaking, a person wakes up in the middle of the night and is craving something supremely chocolaty.

The original recipe can be found at epicurious.com. The following is one I simplified for Rosalind.

Chocolate Pudding Cakes

1/2 c butter (1 stick), chopped up
1/4 c water or brewed coffee
4 oz chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet) chopped
1/2 c sugar
2 t vanilla
2 eggs

Measure out the water (or coffee) in a liquid measuring cup (4 cup capacity, preferably glass). Add the butter and chocolate.

Microwave for about a minute just until the butter and chocolate melt.

Whisk until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, and eggs.

Whisk until well combined. Divide into 8 buttered ramekins (1/4 cup capacity).

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. The edges of the cakes should be dry and slightly puffed but the center should still be soft and shiny.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!