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Pear Custard Tart

Pear Custard Tart

Pears have a subtle floral flavor that is irresistible in this recipe for Pear Custard Tart. There’s just enough voluptuous vanilla custard to cradle the pears in the buttery crust.

“Romie Lane was muddy with pools of water standing in the new wheel ruts, and the tall wild oats and mustard grew beside the road, with wild turnip forcing its boisterous way up and stickery beads of purple thistles rising above the green riot of spring.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Winning an Instagram contest brought a half a dozen gorgeous pears into my kitchen. They could have been buried in a smoothie or sliced into an afternoon snack. Instead this Williams Sonoma recipe for Pear Custard Tart was made. Not the spring dessert you’re looking for? Unless you can find sweet local strawberries our fresh fruit is still coming from the southern hemisphere. (Every bunch of spring asparagus I’ve found is from Mexico.) Baking with American grown apples and pears is a delicious option until the growing season catches up to our spring expectations. READ MORE . . .

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Pear Walnut Muffins

Pear Walnut Muffins

It’s Still Summer

“The floor of the Salinas Valley, between the ranges and below the foothills, is level because this valley used to be the bottom of a hundred-mile inlet from the sea. The river mouth at Moss landing was centuries ago the entrance to the long inland water.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The fabulous pears are from Gerlinde’s birthday party, a gift from Judy and Mark. Gerlinde gathered her friends together to celebrate a momentous date, a marker of time past and times to come. Nostalgia, a longing for the past came rushing and blowing. Straightforward, direct, reminiscent of the afternoon wind in the Salinas Valley. The only escape was to go inside, the place where introverts hide. It was a sensory thing, the winding county road, the sweetness of a summer forest in bloom, the gathering of Gerlinde’s long time friends. It arrived, settled in and took me back, I felt summer. READ MORE . . .

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Double Ginger Pear Crisp

Double Ginger Pear Crisp

A Taste of Sacramento

“They do pretty nice things in Sacramento, and Horace told how they did things in Sacramento as they rode along.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Last month I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference, IFBC, in Sacramento. It was my first food blogging conference. Gerlinde, of Sunny Cove Chef, and I traveled and roomed together. It was a whirlwind four days of non-stop activity. The experience was rewarding and I recommend attending next year’s conference in Sacramento. READ MORE . . .

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Magpie Bakery’s Pear Chocolate Pie

Chocolate Pear Pie

Three Things

“If you say it’s her, it’s her, said Joe, and he pushed a twenty and a five across the table. Hal rolled the bills like a cigarette and put them in his vest pocket. He cut a triangle of meat from the rib steak and put it in his mouth. It was her, he said. Want a piece of pie?”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Life in the kitchen is always changing, moving. Make a meal, clean up, try a new recipe, more cleaning, shop, then stock the pantry and refrigerator, more eating, repeat in random order. So many variables, just like traffic. The joy of flying down the freeway, the pause to refuel, the frustration of stop and go, the cozy feeling of coming home at the end of a long day and yes, the insane amount of time we spend in our cars. A working kitchen can be a traffic jam on Highway 68 or a sweet and sassy ride down the coast of California. READ MORE . . .

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Rick O’Connell’s Pear and Polenta Tart

Pear Polenta Tart

Good Intentions

“Back in her room he said, “Didn’t have no apples. He said this was a good pear.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

One of the things I intend to do each year is to bake recipes I haven’t tried before. I’ve had this recipe from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book on my list to try for years and decided it would be my first good intention of this year. This quote from Marion Cunningham always captures my imagination. “Not truly a tart, but a wonderful creation! The yellow cornmeal crust covers pear halves, which make little hills all over. This is an outstanding recipe in every way.” The line drawings of the tart with hills made of pears are just as scrumptious as the recipe description. Just in case there were any thoughts about the worthiness of this recipe. Mr R said he could eat this tart all day long. That is quite a statement since there is absolutely no chocolate in the recipe. READ MORE . . .