Q

This was my first (and second) time trying to make macarons. I used the French meringue method, and the first attempt resulted in deflated shells, I think from a combination of over whipped meringue and underbaking. I tried again and they definitely came out better, no deflating, but the tops were still a bit fragile and hollow, so I’ll eventually try these again to get just right.

​

If you look back at my post history carefully, you might notice that I'm a bit obsessed with Benjamina Ebuehi's recipes. I really like her flavour combinations and ideas, so I went with another of her creations for this week.

This is a pâte sucrée base filled with a baked salted honey custard filling, which gets topped with dollops of crème fraîche and a sesame brittle.

I used a lovely wildflower honey that I bought in the French countryside, which has a wonderful depth of flavour. I've used it in a few desserts now and this was my favourite yet - the complexity really works with the rest of the dish. I really enjoyed this tart and will definitely be making it again!

Still playing catch up from life...anyway, so glad to keep working my way through the challenge because these are keepers, for sure. Highly recommend if you like a savory sandwich cookie 💙

Recipe from Stuffed, Heather Mubarak

A delicious recipe from Helen Goh in “Baking and the meaning of life”. The galette is filled with a ricotta, anchovy and lemon filling; onions, chili and garlic; and topped with tomatoes, anchovies and capers. All of my favourite flavours condensed in a single galette! The crust, with parmesan cheese and black pepper, was also incredibly delicious. Definitely a recipe to make again now that we have so many tomatoes from the garden.

One of my favorite ice creams at a local shop is their banana pudding pie ice cream so I had to recreate the pie to help with the cravings. The husband ate like 3/4 of the pie the day I wasn’t home.

Plus a bonus mini key lime pie with macadamia nut crust.

Failed experiment. It was raw on the bottom and the texture/flavour did not hit the mark.

These were a bit time consuming but not too terribly challenging and ended up getting two thumbs up from the kiddo. The cookie is not too sweet and has a great cake-like texture. If I had to do it again, I’d make them smaller - I made them about 3/4 the size of a golfball & I’d probably make them 1/2 the size of a golfball instead. For the filling, instead of pastry cream, I used some marscapone and thinned it with a little milk & added some honey. Recipe below!

I chose a gateau basque from the Basque region of France for my FIFA semifinalist bake... The recipe is from Claire Saffitz's "Dessert Person." Absolutely a 5/5 recipe! It's almost like a shortcrust pastry, a bit sweet and with almond extract in the dough, then filled with a cherry compote and vanilla bean pastry cream.

It is a bit time intensive to make and I'd say is at least moderate difficulty because the crust is very delicate to work with (must stay cold) and pastry cream can be a teensy tricky too. I made all of the components the day ahead and then rolled out the dough, assembled the tart, and baked it the next day, then let it cool overnight. I let it come to room temp before serving. My parents are visiting and I was excited to bake for them :) Everyone seemed to really like it, and I personally thought it was one of the best things I've baked this year!

A little late to the game … pun intended. Sad that France lost in the semis, but this cake made it better 😊 https://www.delscookingtwist.com/french-gateau-au-yaourt-a-no-measure-cake/

Recipe from: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-cinnamon-rolls-from-scratch/print/66508/

From Argentina with lots of Dulce de Leche

I make quiche semi-regularly, but this is my first time making my own crust! The crust recipe is from: https://www.confettiandbliss.com/flaky-quiche-crust/, and the filling is roasted red peppers, parsley, and green onions.