Per Nana~
This recipe was easier than I expected.
I prepared the tart shell on Wednesday and put it in the freezer.
I was very nervous about making the caramel. Dorie's description of
adding the cream to the sugar mixture just sounded a bit scary.
Fortunately, it all went beautifully. (Sometimes I surprise even myself).
I toasted the almonds on the stove top, mixed the sugar and eggs
with the milk, and then added the caramel.
I thought it looked quite elegant while it was baking and
when I removed it from the oven it looked fantastic.
I did not have any creme fraiche to top it off so I sprinkled some
powdered sugar on top and added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the side.
How decadent is that ? Loved it and will do this again.
Per Tricia~
The good news was that it smelled and tasted fantastic.
The bad news was that even with the "white saucer" testing, I took
my sugar off the heat too early and did not get the color I had wanted.
But boy was this good.
 |
| Love the shape when buying, hate it when rolling..... |
As in CRAZY GOOD.
 |
| no pie weights- improvising ! |
This is now my favorite recipe from the book. (Full disclosure, I love
sweets- and caramel in particular.) But this was amazing nonetheless.
 |
| Ready for caramel ~ |
Dorie's safety notes and description were spot on as usual
and I think I can master getting a bit more color next time.
And there WILL BE a next time.
On another note, I did manage to set up Facebook last weekend and I
thank all the Doristas who use this tool for the support and warm welcome.
In the future I will probably post photos of side trips and such to that site
instead, as I did with the San Francisco bakery "b. patisserie" that I
mentioned last week. Just in case someone is not on FB and wanted to see
them, since I mentioned it in my last post I did a separate post for those who
wanted but did not see them on Facebook. (see prior post).
wanted but did not see them on Facebook. (see prior post).
Happy French Friday !
Clearly as well as missing the instructions to bake the shell, I missed the instructions to put the almonds on top of the tarts - you've all done it and it looks so pretty! Mine was neither baked nor pretty this week :( But well done to the 2 of you!
ReplyDeletePS: I'm not on Facebook, I think I am the last person in the entire world. Sad because I miss a lot of the Dorie stuff but honestly, I don't need another social media time sink!
Wow. Nana your custard turned out fantastic!
ReplyDeleteWow, both of these tarts look beautiful! Nana, you achieved a gorgeous color on your caramel! Tricia, love that first photo…looks like a pro shot! You also did a great job improvising…impressive pie weights. I used lentils…the only bean product I could find in my pantry.
ReplyDeleteYou went to SF after Seattle? I was there, too! Patty and her husband met Bill and I for dinner! I loved SF! Those pastries look amazing…loved your post about the bakery. Wish I knew about it while I was out there. Have a great weekend, ladies!
Nana, I think caramelizing sugar is definitely scary. We've been asked to do it enough times with Dorie's recipes that I'm actually feeling braver lately. Both your tarts look delicious. Love the rectangular pan, Tricia.
ReplyDeleteI love the deep color in Nana's tart and in Tricia's toasted almonds. I need to get over my pastry hangups and try the real tart. This was definitely one of the better loved recipes we've had in a while.
ReplyDeleteI hope I get to see you in HGTV soon! :-)
Both tarts look fantastic! We really enjoyed this one, too. So glad it will be easier to keep in touch!
ReplyDeleteYou can widen your center column for your x-large photos:
- click on Design/Layout/Template Designer/Adjust Widths - then just play with it.
Looks like you gained some mad photo skills at the conference!
Have a wonderful weekend!
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DeleteThanks Susan !!! I think I finally figured it out and made the adjustments. Really appreciate you giving me the starting point on where to look for the formatting. And I appreciate the kind words about our photos but have been teasing that my photos seem to have gotten WORSE since the convention :) I am trying to digest all those wonderful tips .....
DeleteBeautiful tarts!!! My caramel for the caramel apples was a disaster, but it worked this time, thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear this tart was not too hard to make.. Both look delicious to me.
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful, oh how I wish I had a slice of tart for my breakfast this morning;)
ReplyDeletePhotos look just fantastic :)
Both tarts look lovely ladies but I think Nana wins for getting the best color! Hands down the prettiest I've seen on any of the blogs! Caramel is kind of scary but Dorie doesn't let us down does she? I love your rectangular pan Tricia. I have one but forget to use it. I too have been trying to up my photo game. Yours look great. How can I miss you guys? I mean I just met you...can't wait to see you again, though.
ReplyDeleteNana: vanilla ice cream with this tart sounds divine - my taste testers went with softly whipped and lightly sweetend cream - this is one delicous French dessert, I agree and I beleiev I will be making this agian soon (the family memeber who devoured three slice salready requested seconds).
ReplyDeleteTricia: I love the tart pan that you used for this wonderful Caramel Almond Custard Tart - it looks so elegant and pretty with all those lovely almonds on top - just perfect. I think this tart was terrfic whether the caramel was a tad lighter or darker - I will try the traditinoal version next, the one that Dorie mentioned in her Bonnee Idée. Thank you also for all your wonderful and thoughtful comments - I really appreciate each and every one them!
The weight trick is preety good too for me...
ReplyDeletei'm affraid i can stop eating this kind of sweet bites if i made it myself...hehehe
I think your photos are fantastic! I'll be making this tomorrow to take to a friend's dinner party. I'm so behind in our project but this is one I really wanted to make. I love making caramel as when it works it is magic. I only home mine is as good as these you two. Great job!
ReplyDeleteOh - the tart pan I love is back out :-) Nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteTricia - received your e-mail and wrote you back this afternoon.
Lovely job ladies!
Can't wait to see all your photos on FB! ;)
ReplyDeleteNana, the color you got on your caramel is outstanding!! WOW! It's so dark!!
Tricia,, I'm so glad there will be a next time for you too! Cuz I'm tempted to make this one even sooner than "next time"... and more like "today!" LOL!
Agreed! I loved this recipe. I kept finding excuses for a small slice at breakfast:-)
ReplyDeleteTricia - I can't believe I missed you! So near, and yet! Sigh, I didn't even see your comments until I got home. Maybe next time.
ReplyDeleteThose are two fine looking tarts ladies - yum!
ReplyDeleteNana, absolutely gorgeous caramel! Tricia, I'm with you. I'm always so scared of burning my caramel that I take my sugar off too early, and I did it again this time. It was still delicious, though. Here's hoping we both get our caramel right next time!
ReplyDelete