TWD: Baked Yogurt Tart

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan

This cake was a breeze to put together (especially since I had pie dough in the freezer) and it's so beautiful. Too bad it was lacking flavor, as is the norm with a lot of the recipes in this book.

This tart consists of eggs, sugar, non-fat yogurt, vanilla and flour, then topped with fruit and nuts. I was thinking - there is not much going on here in the flavor arena - maybe I should add something. Granted the recipe calls for two tablespoons of vanilla, that should give it a nice nuance of sweetness, and with the tangy-ness of the yogurt, I forged on as directed.

As I was licking the bowl and spatula clean of the last remnants of the deliciously soft, sweet, tangy batter, I was sure this was going to be a fabulous dessert. Unfortunately, the sweet vanilla and tangy flavor of the yogurt is lost after baking, resulting in a bland tart. (I should have gone with my gut instinct and added some lemon zest or Frangelico to the batter.)

I don't know why, but I envisioned this as having a custard like texture, when in fact it is more cheesecake like. This could have been a really good low-fat, mock cheesecake if it just had some punch to it. Made even less fattening if baked crustless in ramekins instead of a tart shell. I think this is worth playing around with.

With some flavor enhancement to the batter this could be a winner. Maybe even coating the bottom of the tart shell with lemon curd or slices of mango before adding the filling, that would be nice too.

Success meter (1-3): 1

Don't feel you need any artistic abilities to make this. The recipe instructs you to just toss the fruit on and sprinkle the outer edge with the nuts.

My tart pan was only about one-inch deep, so I had some extra batter which I filled a ramekin, sans crust - it turned out quite cute. :)

Please do stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to get the links of all the talented bakers in the group. I can assure you, you will find all kinds of adaptations to this recipe, both beautiful, and I'm sure some will be found delicious as well.

Book Eighty-Six: Joy of Cooking

by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker,
and Ethan Becker


                                                           Blintzes


Our recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie due next week is Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake. I was going to make a plum version for a get-together this weekend, alas, it was cancelled. There was no way I was going to make the cake and have it sitting around the house. With the four day holiday I could not send it into work for the boys to devour.

What to do with a bowl full of plums? Blintzes seemed to be the perfect vehicle for sautéed plums and pluots. I sliced up the fruit and sautéed them in a little butter and a sprinkle of sugar. Fill the blintz with some non-fat Greek yogurt and the fruit, roll it up, add a dollop of yogurt on top with some more fruit and a light dusting of powdered sugar and you have yourself a beautiful and delicious breakfast!

Success meter (1-3): 3

Three tablespoons of batter makes one blintz.

 Make sure to pour the batter into the center of the pan,

 tilting the pan back and forth to distribute the batter evenly.

Don't do as I did, swirled the batter into the pan.

The others turned out perfect.

These were cute - though next time I won't tuck the ends in.

I made one where I just folded the blintz in thirds and left

the ends exposed, which had a pretty, ruffled look.

Unfortunately I do not have a picture to show you.

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Book Eighty-Five: India Cookbook

by Pushpesh Pant



                                                   Aloo Chholey


Finally, I am once again posting on one of the many cookbooks I have on my bookshelf. I have been devoting my posts of late to the two on-line cooking groups that I am a member of: Wok Wednesdays and Tuesdays with Dorie. My goal of cooking one recipe out of every cookbook I own has kind of gone by the wayside.

Starting with this book I hope to get back on track. I chose a very simple side (actually this is listed under appetizers and snacks) to go with my dinner salad. I love potatoes, I love chickpeas, and cumin is one of my favorite spices.

The recipe calls for amchoor, a mango powder made from sun-dried raw green mangoes. You use this powder in dishes when you want to add a tart flavor similar to lemon, but without added moisture. I omitted this and added a little extra lemon juice. I figured a little moisture would not hurt this rather dry textured snack.

Rock salt was also called for in the recipe; again I substituted - as with the amchoor I did not want to buy something I know I will not be using often, if ever again. In place of the rock salt I used a coarse sea salt; I know (after reading this) it is not the same, but will do in a pinch.

This snack would benefit from a dollop of raita, a cool cucumber and yogurt sauce. I had some Greek yogurt in the fridge and used that; it kicked it up a notch for sure. This would even be good wrapped up in a tortilla. Come to think of it, this is very similar to another really good chickpea recipe, sans the potatoes and there you sauté the chickpeas in the spices; do check it out - it too really is a tasty dish!

Success meter (1-3): 3

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My daughter & I purchased this book

to get a taste of Indian fare before

she went on a month long tour of

India last year.

Notice the beautiful background - a scarf our daughter

brought back from India.