But first let’s talk Macarons.

Yes, I still make them regularly. If you are interested in placing a special order of macarons please send me an email tastybakerybites@gmail.com.

and a few parting photos to enjoy. Cheers!

Lemon curd eclairs

Minty chocolate thumbprint cookies from “Baked Explorations“

Into the hands and heart of a construction worker.

Happy Valentine’s Day. What does that even mean? The best excuse to play with chocolate.

I love custards and puddings – tapioca or rice pudding, eclairs with custard filling, I recently mentioned to a friend that pot de cremes might be one of my favorite sweets. I grew up eating a lighter variation of a steamed gingery custard my mom would make during the cold season. However I tend to like custards that are lightly flavored, fragrant or fruity.

So the first time that I tried this chocolate pudding I was a bit appalled by how dense, dark, and delicious it was. My friends know me for loving tiny portions in tiny cups…but spoon after tiny spoon after tiny spoon of this stuff and I kept returning. It’s even better with a huge dollop of unsweetened whipped cream and a tart citrus curd on top!

Sorry I’m behind with updating my blog and backlogged for the next week’s treat. Here’s a hint of what’s to come!

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the year of the rabbit with a sweet treat to forecast a sweet year ahead.

These cookies are little beauties. Candied ginger create little tile mosaics in the spicy ginger shortbread. I also toasted off some fresh pinenuts for a roasted, nutty buttercream filling.

Whiskey + milk chocolate. A surprisingly nice pairing. How about in the form of a flourless chocolate cake? I like that idea, with a crisp meringue top to cut through the richness of uninterrupted chocolate. But wait, there’s more. The other day I came across “suncups” in the chocolate aisle of Berkeley Bowl. Treenut-free Recess cups, how novel. And now presenting, Flourless Whiskey-Chocolate Cake & Sunflower Meringue.

Whoops, I’m late posting this past week’s treat. Fresh chestnuts are still in the market. I usually skip grabbing a bag because they’re so much trouble to peel. But I always hesitate too – warm, roasted chestnuts straight from the oven is a joy I’m willing to dedicate a lot of time to occasionally.

These cookies have the best of chestnuts in them. They have the earthy, nutty flavor of roasted nuts in a chestnut-sized cookie. The recipe is nearly identical to Russian wedding cookies – butter, powdered sugar, ground nuts, and a touch of cinnamon,  but chestnuts are moister than walnuts so the cookies are chewier.

Week 46

I’m envisioning some sugary nuggets of banana nestled in a sweet tart dough and covered with a caramel flan. Sounds good no?

Tarts are a multi-stepped dessert project to tackle but once you break up the steps over a few days it becomes seems much more approachable. Imagine a life without tarts? Never!

Start with your pastry dough or crust, make a large back and save the extra in the freezer. Next time you’ll be one step down from the get-go.

* Always chill / rest your dough after manipulating it in any way, i.e. mixing or rolling out your dough. The gluten in the dough needs time to relax after being handled, this will ensure that your tart shells won’t shrink.

Happy New Year! Welcome back!

It’s good to be back in the kitchen at the start of a new year. Scrolling back through the archive of treats I realize it has almost been a full year since I started Bakery Bites. What a year it has been, and more to come!

It is the perfect week to introduce pithiviers. I made a version of these way back in March using chocolate pastry and pistachio cream filling. This time I’ll stick with tradition and pair it with the backstory.

Pithiviers or galette des rois (in Paris) are cakes of puff pastry filled with almond frangipane cream. They are eaten throughout January to celebrate the Epiphany, when the three kings came to visit for the birth of Christ. The actual celebration is held on January 6th. (You can read up more on the role that beans and the youngest child play in this holiday).

And now, mini personal pithiviers for your enjoyment.

* Frangipane is normally made similar to a pastry cream, cooked stovetop with milk, eggs and almonds (replacing cornstarch or flour). I opted for a thick, uncooked paste of ground almonds, almond paste, eggs, sugar, and a touch of flour. Before and after baking the cakes I brushed the tops with vanilla syrup for some shine.

Wow, what an incredible outcome. This is an involved, multi-step pastry but much of it can be prepared in steps ahead of time. Figgy jam poached in wine and spices, sweetened goat cheese layer, herb-citrus shortbread and a nutty crumble topping. Too much? You might think so until taking a bite, and then another, and perhaps a tiny slice more.

This treat is perfect for breakfast, dessert, afternoon tea or coffee (really at any point in your day). Not too sweet, the figs are balanced by citrus zest and some tangy chevre.

Just perhaps, this is one of those worth repeating : )

December 1st. Welcome back from a festive break! I’m re-energized to test out a “stack” of new recipes after a couple of weeks off.

I’ve been eating persimmons nonstop since they first popped-up in the market a few weeks back. I can’t seem to get enough of the pumpkin-apple, caramel-sweetness of this gorgeous fruit. The Fuyu kind mind you. Hachiya’s are delicious but almost too  *gasp*, too sweet for me. I also like the clean crunch of Fuyu’s A proper fall fruit.

Normally I’m loathed to tamper with any fruit that is so purely delicious on its own. Cook with peaches in the summer? blend a papaya into a smoothie? Never! But there is such a bounty of these guys hanging around that I’m willing to sacrifice a few. Enjoy!