apple hazelnut frangipane tarts

frangipane is essentially nut goo.

nut goo: a nut paste that is enriched with butter, sugar, and eggs. that becomes soft cream to fill in pastries and tarts and things.

frangipane tends to be almond, but goo can be made with any nut really.

these tarts could be the easiest thing to happen to your thanksgiving. and the cutest. teehee.

apple hazelnut frangipane tarts.

yes we can.

Apple Hazelnut Frangipane Tarts

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

a couple apples, fuji or granny smith, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch

sugar, for sprinkling

apricot jam 

for the hazelnut frangipane: i mixed together half a can of hazelnut paste, a beaten egg, 2 tbsp melted butter, a couple tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of flour. 

preheat oven to 400 degreesF. cut the pastry into 6 rectangles. prick with a fork in the centers. spread on a few dollops of the frangipane down the center of each tart. lay the apple slices along each one. sprinkle sugar over apples. 

bake until puffed and golden. 

press a dollop of apricot jam through a strainer, brush the smooth jam on the apple tarts to give them a pretty glistening look. 

eight

roses are red. tulips are pink or orange.
joseph s.
you are awesome.

happy 8 years of driving around in this truck together.

i want to make you coconut things forever and ever.

vanilla bean bourbon pudding

baking is comfort, the warmth from turning on the oven,
the dries and the wets melt together.
watching things rise and puff.

but some days are pudding days.
days for turning the flame on low and lurking over a pot of hot liquid.
stirring and stirring, babying it, never leaving it's side.

and now,
when it's november and the weather keeps doing what it's doing,
any day can be a pudding day.

vanilla beans and bourbon make this pudding a luxury.

the moment milk transforms into gloopy beautiful custard...
it's like whoooaaaa, this is totally pudding man.

i ate some and soon realized i had too much and in a stroke of sweet genius tipped it into a graham cracker crust layered with sliced banonos.
top it with whipped cream and you have a damn classy bourbon banana cream pie.

Vanilla Bourbon Pudding

adapted from smitten kitchen

2 2/3 cups whole milk, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

1 large egg

2 tsp bourbon

bring 2 cups of the milk to a soft boil in a medium saucepan. while it is heating, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and the vanilla bean (if you're replacing it with extract, don't add it yet) in the bottom of a medium, heatproof bowl. gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup milk, a little at a time so lumps don't form, then whisk in the egg. once milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking constantly. 

return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula. once it comes to a simmer, cook for one minute longer (which will cook the cornstarch and egg fully.) stir in the bourbon and vanilla extract (if using). divide pudding in a bowl or among individual dishes and chill in refrigerator until fully set, about 2 hours. press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the top surface of the puddings so as to prevent a skin from forming. 

eat some. then make a pudding pie.

to make a Vanilla Bourbon Pudding + Banana Cream Pie:

Make a graham cracker crust by mixing graham cracker crumbs with a bit of sugar and pinch of salt. then slowly stir in melted butter until it resembles wet sand and clumps together if you squeeze it in your hands. press it into a pie plate or tin and bake for about 10ish minutes. 

oR buy a pre-done graham crust. whatever gives. no one's watching. 

fill the bottom with sliced bananas. then pour in some pudding over the top. then top with some barely sweet whipped cream. 

caramel would be good too. also pecans...a pecan graham crust, do that. 

i'm eating too fast again

"
the feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. it is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. when we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else - we are the busiest people in the world."


.eric hoffler.


i find myself feeling hurried a lot. and then more anxious about feeling hurried.

tomorrow i will (try the most to) not feel hurried.
i will go to work and make peace with the morning and then make bagels and brioche and feel the ease of a sunday.
and later in the night, feel the ease of a sundae.
with birthday cake.

wassuP NOW stress?

paris

paris is most definitely everything. that is why, it's paris. 

the absolute aesthetic perfection of this place makes my brain hurt. 

we rented a small bright studio in monmartre. 

it overlooked a lovely cemetery. le sacre coeur peaked out from the trees. 

it obviously felt like heaven. 

we ate croissants in the morning, roasted chickens at night, and cheese All the time. 

we hung around pigalle, with all its little shops and cafes, bookstores and bars. and rose bakery. 

we saw youth lagoon play in parc de la villette. 

parisian hipsters are the most chic hipsters. 

we were there for bastille day. fireworks out our window, parisian rejoicing, and a bloody mary bastille afternoon. 

oh, those 8 days in paris. when life was more simple, chic, and well-lit.

tres bien fucking times.

thai curry butternut squash soup

1. SOUP

2. i'm reading about "weirdly simple cures for insomnia" on ladies home journal. 

3. how are you?

1. i expected this to be good because butternut squash soup is usually brilliant.
but this right here, is classically delicious butternut squash soup impregnated with thai vibes.

coconut milk. ginger. red curry paste. lime.
my kind of party.


2. ladies home journal instructs me to give up lying in bed at 3 am still awake, and to get up and do something. it could be laundry or house things or watching a show. this will apparently make better use of my time and hopefully, eventually tire me out.

the only problem is that i need to wake up at 4 to be at the bakery.
(i continue to have an incessant need to be a baker person.)
so, ladies home journal, you have failed me.


3. you. how are ya doing this november time? hows the good stuff going? hows the shit going?
my best friend just moved to france and it continues to not rain here.
so..bummer for me. but a win for france and most people in la!


alas.
i still have squash.

so fulfilling it is, to churn up an amazingly good, flavorful, and well-balanced soup.
right now; this fall, this here soup is winning.

cash Moooney

Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup

adapted a touch from how sweet eats and cooking light

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 tbsp red curry paste

3 cups stock (chicken or veg)

4 cups butternut squash, peeled/diced into 1 inch cubes

1 14 oz can coconut milk (regular or light)

1 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

fresh torn cilantro, for topping bowls

limes

siracha!

heat a large pot over medium and add coconut oil. once melted, add in the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and stir. cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. add in the ginger and curry paste and stir until incorporated. cook the curry and onion mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. pour in the stock and add the squash cubes. cover the pot and increase the heat to medium. 

once the squash is soft, turn off the heat and very carefully pour the entire mixture into a blender. blend until the soup is smooth and pureed. pour it back into the pot and turn the heat to medium low. add in the coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper. stir. cover and cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes, until it's completely warm. taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. serve soup topped with a bit of cilantro and squeeze of lime. and siracha if you please.