A Plate of Good Food

My adventures in the kitchen and other things

Financiers – A Sweet Reminder of France

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The last month or so has brought about many changes. It seems that we’ll now be living and working in the sunny state of California! As we settle into our new lives here, memories of our good times in Ireland and France pop up once in a while.

These financiers for instance were made when we were still in France. Given the hectic days of packing, unpacking and packing again including a short trip to Dublin to sort out our papers, I never got around to putting this recipe up here. And now as I write about it, it brings back sweet memories of the lovely French countryside. I can’t wait to go back there already!

almond financiers

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Pear Tarte Tatin

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The first time I ever made a tarte tatin was during my one-month cooking course in Dublin. We made it from scratch including the pastry. Flipping the tart out of the pan onto a plate was quite an anxious moment. I remember we did it in turns with everybody standing around the person whose turn it was, cheering them on. We were a small close-knit group of just 7 people so it wasn’t nerve-wracking to have people around you while you were hoping that it didn’t turn out into a major fiasco.

It was simply the best tarte tatin we’d ever tasted – flaky pastry topped with sweet golden caramelised apples, simply heaven! Although I’ve made an upside down cake a couple of times since then, I’ve never tried my hand at a tarte tatin since that very first attempt.

tarte tatin

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Blue Cheese & Blueberry Cake

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Yep, you read that right. It is indeed a cake that has blue cheese in it and it is not a savoury one either. I came across this recipe in a book I bought recently on Auvergne cuisine. It is a small book full of recipes for dishes you’ll find in any local eatery here. Having lived here for a decent amount of time over the last year, we’re both totally in love with this region of France. As we keep reading more about its history and explore more of the local cuisine, it only keeps getting interesting.

cake with blue cheese

blueberries cake

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Strawberry Tarts

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I’d actually made these tarts to use up some of the rich ripe early summer strawberries from the in-laws’ garden a while ago. It never made it here mainly because I was pretty annoyed with the pastry shells that shrank on baking (again!) and wanted to get it absolutely right the next time. Of course, I never got around to making these tarts again and they did actually taste great with a filling of creamy creme patissiere topped with luscious deep red strawberries.

strawberry tartlets

So as the last few days of summer go by, I found myself reminisicing of the fun we had with all those strawberries and since this one’s quite a handy recipe for a make ahead dessert, I thought why not share it here. To make it even better, the original Michel Roux Jr. recipe calls for the use of a variety of fruits. So you see, you can make these tarts any time of the year with whatever fruit you have handy!

fruit tart

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Apricot Almond Cake

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If you are like me and keep buying irrestibily good looking fruit and then wonder what to do with it, then this recipe is for you. I originally found this Dan Lepard recipe for an apricot tart quite interesting. However, when I finally got down to using up some lovely apricots I got from the supermarket, I decided to make a cake instead.

apricot cake

fresh apricot cake

I would change just one thing if I were to make it again – I’d use a slightly bigger cake tin. The 20-inch tin I used made the cake thicker than I wanted it to be and hence, it was difficult to cut a truly modest slice. Not a bad thing however if you’re in the mood for some indulgence.

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