All posts tagged basics

easy fresh fruit + pastry cream tart.

by shannon on July 20, 2012 in brunch, desserts with 14 Comments

Scientists, or psychologists, or a special task force of People Who Know Things Like This say it takes  exactly 21 days of doing something for that something to become a full-fledged habit. 20 days? Apparently not enough. You must repeat whatever it is for at least 21 days for it to go from “that thing I’ve been doing” to “something I can’t stop doing without experiencing withdrawal.”

I was on vacation for 22 days. Whoops. That was poor, poor planning on my part. Continue reading →

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sponge cake; take one.

by shannon on September 21, 2011 in desserts with No comments

I really missed the boat on proper cake-making. I am obviously not professionally trained in any way, and when i started trying to learn how to really make food, it really didn’t occur to me to learn about the differences between a genoise and a sponge. I knew the difference between white and yellow. Angel and devil. Normal and flourless.  Continue reading →

vanilla wafers.

by shannon on September 18, 2011 in desserts with No comments

 

 a haiku:

vanilla wafers / words can not fully express / your magnificence.

And they are magnificent. and simple. and so so pretty! now go make these. don’t sully them with icing or sprinkles. save that for your favorite sugar cookie. These are fantastic as they are; unadorned. And play with these if you want: sometimes, if I want a slightly crispier cookie, I adjust the sugar from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. I’ve also split the sugar to 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated white sugar with a nicely nutty result. The recipe is a great “starter” for those who like to mess with things. It’s so easy, and the ingredients so commonly found in your refrigerator that you’ll never feel like you wasted your time.

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