Key Lime Tart

One of my favorite desserts (although there are a few), is key lime pie. I had made little key lime pie tartlets a long time ago and I was due to try making something with key limes again. We had a big family dinner this weekend and I wanted to make a nice summer dessert. I used an Epicurious recipe that called for both key lime juice and a touch of lemon juice. 

I started by making the graham cracker crust from scratch. You can buy graham cracker crumbs by the box, but I find it quite easy to crush graham crackers in a gallon Ziploc using a rolling pin. I pressed the crust into my tart pan and baked it as directed.

Then to make the key lime filling...and this is when I remembered why I had not made key lime anything for a while. The key limes are tiny - about the size of my thumb and I needed to squeeze more than one container of these little guys. 

I prepared the filling, poured it into the tart shell, baked it and let it cool. I wanted to use some whipped cream to put in top and looked into making stabilized whipped cream for the first time so it would hold its shape when I piped it.

I was fairly pleased with how it turned out and only hoped the crust would stay in tact when I removed the outside of the tart pan. 

Phew - it did...and yes, life is short, so eat dessert. I don't indulge too much or every day, but all in moderation.

I grated some key lime zest on the tart and cut a piece for each family member to enjoy. 

Blueberry Muffins

I've typically always enjoyed making blueberry muffins with cornmeal. However, I came across this recipe for blueberry muffins with sour cream and thought I'd try it. I was up before the entire house one morning and started making them for breakfast. 

There's nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning to the smell of baking. Those are the kinds of memories at home that I want my daughter to remember - waking up to my smile greeting her and the smell of baking on a cozy weekend at home.

Triple Berry Pie

My colleague at the office loves pie so I set out to bake a perfect summer pie to take in for her birthday celebration. I had some blueberries, blackberries and raspberries on hand and they made the sweet summer triple berry pie. 

I first made a traditional pate brisee crust using the food processor.

Then I made the berry mixture and savoured the amazing jammy mixture that would fill the pie. 

Top crust went on and I used a spoon to make a simple patter around the edge of the pie. 

Triple Berry Pie

Ingredients:

Pate Brisee crust (split in two for a double crust pie)

7 C. fresh or frozen berries

1 C. granulated sugar

1T. lemon juice

4 T. cornstarch

2 T. butter

1 egg white beaten with a fork

Directions:

Add the berries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until they are warm and juicy, about 5-10 minutes. Spoon out about 1/2 C. of the juice from the pan into a bowl and mix in the cornstarch. Continue simmering the pot of berries and add in the cornstarch mixture slowly. Gently stir the mixture until thickened, about 2-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. 

Remove from heat and pour the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Top with the second crust, finish the edge and prick the top for steam to escape.

Brush a thin layer of the beaten egg white on top of the crust and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. (check 1/2 way through and add foil to keep the crust from burning.

Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream!