Today’s French Fridays with Dorie assignment has been set aside for a celebration. Not only are we wishing Dorie Greenspan the happiest of birthdays, but we’re also baking from her soon-to-be-released cookbook, Baking Chez Moi. This celebration has been orchestrated by two of our fabulous French Fridays collaborators, Liz and Susan, who gave us four recipes from the new book to choose from.
I chose two, but the good news is that I’ll be baking through the entire book with Tuesdays with Dorie, starting in November – and you can, too. All the details are in this post on the TwD site.
These little cookies manage to be elegant and homey all at once. The cookies themselves are flavoured with vanilla and have a cake-like quality, while the icing has a few drops of lemon juice and sets in that shiny, smooth, pastry shop way. They can be dressed up with tinted icing or some sanding sugar, but really I think they’re perfect just as they are.
One of the things I love about French baking (well, besides all the butter) is that a good number of the desserts are far less complicated than the results would suggest. This tourte, with its free-standing crust and its sparkling surface, looks like it requires effort and expertise to carry off. The truth is that once you’ve mastered pâte sablée, the rest is easy. And if you have Dorie’s instructions for pâte sablée (or sweet tart dough), that part’s easy, too.
I used some of the last of this year’s peaches to make this tart, but I think it would work equally well with any juicy tree fruit. In fact, I think I might try it again with mango this winter. I think it made an admirable stand in for a birthday cake and might be even more welcome than cake at the height of peach season.
It’s been an amazing four years cooking and baking with French Fridays and I’m looking forward to the last six months or so of working through Around My French Table. I’m also starting to get excited about getting my hands on Baking Chez Moi and working through it with the Tuesdays with Dorie brigade.
So, again, happy birthday to you, Dorie. I’ve learned so much more about cooking and baking in these last few years, thanks to your work. I deeply admire your love and enthusiasm for food and the community it creates – you write about it beautifully.
Below you’ll find the full line up of posts for this French Fridays celebration. (Click on the name of the dish to find the recipe, so you can join in on the fun, too.)
- Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Adriana from Great Food 360º
- Gaye from Laws of the Kitchen
- Sanya from Kitchen Therapy
- Mardi from eat.live.travel.write
- Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
- Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Tricia and Nana from Tricia and Nana Cooking with Dorie
- Katie from Prof Who Cooks
- Emily from Emily’s Cooking Foray
- GoldenLifePHX
- Annie from The Pantry Life…
Chocolate Cream Puffs with Mascarpone Filling
- Mardi from eat.live.travel.write
- Cher from The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler
- Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
- Tammy from Chez Nous
- Mary from Lights on Bright No Brakes
- Betsy from A Plateful of Happiness
- Rosa from One Expat’s Life
- Teresa from One Wet Foot
- Diane from Cafe Mom Cooks
- Susan from Create Amazing Meals
- Emily from Emily’s Cooking Foray
- Eileen from Cookbook Immersion Project
- Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Cher from The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler
- Teresa from One Wet Foot
- Margaret from Tea and Scones
- Alice from A Mama, Baby & Shar-Pei in the Kitchen
- Guyla from Clementines and Cocktails