Apricot Almond Tart

I have been craving apricot tart desserts and apple tarts lately, and one of my favorite apricot desserts is my traditional French apricot tart. It is always our tradition to have some kind of apricot pastry, apricot tart or the apple tart for special gatherings or events. I call it a tart instead of a pie because a tart can not compare to a pie. I would rather call them pie tarts than just a pie.

The ingredients used in this French apricot tart compared to the ingredients of a pie are a lot different. A French tart is of a higher quality than a regular pie and the taste afirms that. It's shell or crust compared to a pie crust is so different. When ever I eat pies I am always disappointed with the taste of the crust or shell. Pie crusts usually taste so bland and buttery, but the crust on this apricot tart is delicious and so satisfying for the pallate. My recipes for making tart shells uses a combination of butter and natural vegetable oil products such as Earth Balance, which is organic and cholesterol free. Earth Balance spread is naturally free of trans fats and hydrogenated oils and may help to improve your cholesterol ratio. Ordinary tart shells use only butter which can be very greasy and heavy and have a high cholesterol content.

The filling of the tart is a mixture of marzipan (another word for almond paste) and custard with the apricot halves placed on top. I also like to brush on an apricot glaze that gives the apricots a sweeter taste and makes the appearance look great. For creating the apricot glaze, I use organic reduced sugar apricot preserves. Then my final touch is to place some slivers or slices of almonds for the final gourmet taste.

Marzipan really does wonders to your baking, it gives it a taste of uniqueness. It also gives the tart a true gourmet taste that keeps you from ever wanting to eat or make another ordinary pie.

Next time don't just bake an ordinary pie for your guests. Instead make the apricot almond tart with French custard that will make your guest's taste buds dance. A dessert tart entices one to come to an event or gathering. I am in the process of writing some tart recipes, and especially apple tart recipe's which every one loves to eat. In all my recipes, I use healthy and high quality ingredients, which makes my desserts rich in taste but light in calories.

White Strawberry cake with white chocolate shavings

This cake was made for a little angel who turned one! Her name is Nura which means light in Persian, and you guessed it she is a little angel of light. This was an enormous 21 pound cake, filled with three layers of strawberries and fresh whip cream, and about 5 to 6 inches in height. This cake easily fed 70 people plus there was left overs for the family to take home. Niky, who is Nura's mom had told me for several mornings after the B-day party, her family had cake for breakfast, and day by day it tasted even better. This is actually true as the strawberry's juice and whip cream soak into the cake over time.

I never use oil or butter in my cakes and that makes for a very healthy and light cake, and that is why people can easily eat more than one slice. Also using fresh whipping cream and not frosting which is made of butter and sugar, makes my cakes very light and healthy. As we try to live a healthy life we need to be aware of what we put into our bodies. Therefore if we can eliminate cakes that have butter, oil, and lots of sugar, we will then eat a healthy cake that is delicious and brings a sigh of yum with every bite we eat.

Niky wanted Nura's cake to have the appearance of snow, so she wanted only white chocolate shavings for the decoration with happy birthday to Nura written on marzipan. There were many Marzipan lovers at the party, especially Anisa and Tandis, who could not keep their eyes off the rich tasting marzipan piece (they knew how tasty marzipan can be). Either you are a big fan of marzipan and love it, or you simply may not know enough about it and may not have taste buds for it (yet). As for me, I love a high quality marzipan. Happy Birthday little Nura and may you have many more angelic birthdays to come!

I was very happy with the review from Nura's family, friends of the family, and those who don't like cake, but really enjoyed this one. I will be putting together all my recipes in a book for sale in the near future, for all of those who have been asking and like to bake. Also sometime soon I will begin teaching classes for those who have asked. Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for 2010!