Brownie Points

Are you ready for a Sugar High Friday Moment? If you are abstaining from sweets, now is your chance to click away. It’s not often that I encourage my readers to stray, but if your eating habits are… say, elsewhere, I’ll allow it this once.

From the Food Pimp on High comes this month’s Sugar High Friday theme, Tarts. Smirk, coming from the Food Porn King, its no surprise his interest would lie in this direction.

Tarts are a classic presentation to frame the best the season has to offer. A classic tart consists of a slightly sweetened crust with a filling of sweet and flavored custard, topped with beautiful fruits and glazed with jelly. Sweet tarts tend to dominate, however a savory tart is quite the lovely find for an afternoon bite. The defining rule is that tarts wear no top- that is, have no top crust.

I have a treasure of a cookbook I have been waiting to dive into. The Nichols Garden Nursery, who wows their spring time guests with lavender and geranium treats, has compiled a luscious little cookbook of herb inspired recipes titled, Basic Herb Cookery. This northwest corner of the country is studded with nurseries and seed farms. The Nichols nursery is a nice drive outside of Eugene and sponsers a special Plant Day that features some of Rose Marie Nichol’s recipes and good sales on their plants. I was lucky to visit Nichols after I made lavender truffles for friends, who still aren’t too sure about the flavor combination. With lingering doubts about my tast buds, I wandered into Nichols to find an offering of lavender ice cream and lavender lemonade! A woman after my own heart, Rose Marie’s family is very lucky to have a family cookbook at their fingertips. Before diving between the pages of this cookbook I’ve patiently held out for my local produce markets to be bursting with sticky sweet treats. My taste buds have told me my endevours weren’t premature.

“Talking of Pleasure, this moment I was writing with one hand, and with the other holding to my Mouth a Nectarine — how good how fine. It went down all pulpy, slushy, oozy, all its delicious embonpoint melted down my throat like a large, beatified Strawberry.”
John Keats

Ahem, you did catch he was talking about a nectarine didn’t you? A nectarine is a fuzzless variety of peach. An odd variation perhaps, but then again, the realm of human taste is vast and varied and passion tends to drive such creations.

Out of respect for my small nursery friends, I will not be publishing this tartlet’s recipe. A tart is such an easy creation to materialize with your own inspiration, I know you can summon this one with gentle guidance. This tartlet begins with a toasted almond pastry shell, filled with lavender custard shaded by a pinch of saffron. The top is adorned in juicy nectarine slices and glazed with apricot jelly.

Talking of Tarts, this moment I am typing with one hand, and with the other holding to my Mouth a Lavender Nectarine Tartlet — how good how fine. It glistens first with sunlight’s bejeweled fruit then goes down with saffron blush, slight tremor of lavender filling my mouth like a hallowed Fruit Danish.

Round up of all 57 Tantalizing Titillating Tempting Tarts is available at Life in Flow.

Leave a comment