um... where is this year going? tomorrow is MARCH? how? 

this year is flying by and it is about to get crazier. somehow i managed to pick businesses that all get busy at the same time. now, i am not complaining. in fact, it feels amazing to see my calendar start to fill in after a solid year of struggle. but man, i need more hours in the day.

and easier, but equally delicious dishes to fit in when i have a moment. with ease and speed in mind, i've been cooking up some galettes with all the beautiful stone fruit popping up in stores. the beauty of a galette (basically a french, free formed cake) is that it requires few ingredients and is very easy to make. it's relative the pie takes additional time and precision. 

stone fruit galette serves: 8 prep time: 10 minutes bake time: 30-40 minutes total time: 50 minutes ingredients: 1.5 lbs stone fruit (i've used plums and pluots, but you could use your favorite or what you have on hand), sliced 1/2 inch thick. 1/3 cup sugar. 2 tbs corn starch. 1/2 tsp salt. 1 tsp blood orange (or other citrus juice). 1 tsp blood orange zest (or other citrus). 1 pie crust sheet (i used a store bought to save time). 1 egg, whisked. pastry brush. baking sheet. parchment paper. whipped cream or ice cream for serving.

preheat your oven to 425 f. 

in a bowl, combine the stone fruit, sugar, corn starch, salt, zest and juice and stir well to combine.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your pie crust on the parchment. 

gently roll or press out your pie crust till it is in a rectangular shape and about 1/8 inch thick. 

pour your stone fruit mixture into the center of the crust and spread it into an even layer leaving an inch or two of space from the fruit to the edges of the crust. 

gently, fold the edges of your pie crust over the fruit working your way around the edge of the gallette until it is all tucked in. 

brush the crust with your whisked egg.

bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. remove from the oven and
place the parchment and gallette on a cooling rack. 

allow to cool a bit and serve warm or at room temp. 

stone fruit galette
serves: 8
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 30-40 minutes
total time: 50 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs stone fruit, sliced 1/2 inch thick. 1/3 cup sugar. 2 tbs corn starch. 1/2 tsp salt. 1 tsp blood orange (or other citrus juice). 1 tsp blood orange zest (or other citrus). 1 pie crust sheet (i used a store bought to save time). 1 egg, whisked. pastry brush. baking sheet. parchment paper. whipped cream or ice cream for serving.
reheat your oven to 425 f. in a bowl, combine the stone fruit, sugar, corn starch, salt, zest and juice and stir well to combine. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your pie crust on the parchment. gently roll or press out your pie crust till it is in a rectangular shape and about 1/8 inch thick. pour your stone fruit mixture into the center of the crust and spread it into an even layer leaving an inch or two of space from the fruit to the edges of the crust. gently, fold the edges of your pie crust over the fruit working your way around the edge of the gallette until it is all tucked in. brush the crust with your whisked egg. bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. remove from the oven and place the parchment and gallette on a cooling rack. allow to cool a bit and serve warm or at room temp. 

ummm.... hello september?! 

where did 2016 go? in my mind i just got married last week so it could only be mid january right? RIGHT?

wrong.

this year is just one holiday season away from being over. and while there is a lot to look forward to, i have a very special anniversary coming up this month. 

september 21st marks one year since i left my corporate job that left me stressed, unhealthy and downright unhappy. but i shed that former skin and embarked on a new journey to create the life that i dreamed of living. 

the last year has been spent hustling and planning and learning and practicing. and while my wallet is a little tighter than my previous life, there are WAY more ups than downs. 

but most importantly, there is a lot of really delicious food. 

last week, after a cancelled swim lesson, i found myself at an empty produce store in the middle of the day. and when you are the only lady in a produce store, you get some extra attention. the man working there introduced me to these stunners...

welcome to my life "elephant heart" plums. 

and i knew the perfect thing to do with these beauties. 

plum tart + hazelnut crust
serves: 8
prep time: 20
bake time: 40 minutes
chill time : 1 hour
total time: 2 hours
ingredients: crust. 1.5 c hazelnut meal (if you can not find hazelnut meal, no problem. purchase a pack of skinned hazelnuts and blend them yourself in a food processor until they are fine). 4 tbs of butter, melted. 1 tbs honey. 2 tbs sugar. .25 tsp salt. .25 tsp baking soda. 

filling. .75 c sugar. .75 c milk. 6 oz greek yogurt (i used blueberry but you could use your favorite fruit flavor or no flavor at all). 2 eggs. 2 tsp cornstarch. 1 tsp vanilla extract. 1.5 cups sliced plums (your favorite kind or whatever you can get your hands on).

start by preheating your oven to 325 f. in a medium bowl, whisk together your dry crust ingredients. drizzle in the honey and pour the butter over the top. mix until just combined. 

butter an 8 inch springform pan and turn the crust dough out onto the pan. use your fingers to press the dough around to cover the bottom of the pan and start to press it up the sides. when the tart crust is nice and even, bake it till set and light golden brown. about 20 minutes.
when your crust is finished, up the oven temperature to 375 f.
whisk together all remaining ingredients except the plums. you have a choice here. you can either add in the plums to the wet ingredients after they are combined, or you can wait to make a design with them once you have poured your wet filling into crust. bakers choice. 

when you have poured your filling into the crust and set your plums, bake the tart just until set. about 20-25 minutes.

allow the tart to cool and then refrigerate it for at least an hour. this well ensure easy and pretty slices. serve cold or at room temp. 

xo, a

plum tart + hazelnut crust
serves: 8
prep time: 20
bake time: 40 minutes
chill time : 1 hour
total time: 2 hours
ingredients: crust. 1.5 c hazelnut meal (if you can not find hazelnut meal, no problem. purchase a pack of skinned hazelnuts and blend them yourself in a food processor until they are fine). 4 tbs of butter, melted. 1 tbs honey. 2 tbs sugar. .25 tsp salt. .25 tsp baking soda.
filling. .75 c sugar. .75 c milk. 6 oz greek yogurt (i used blueberry but you could use your favorite fruit flavor or no flavor at all). 2 eggs. 2 tsp cornstarch. 1 tsp vanilla extract. 1.5 cups sliced plums (your favorite kind or whatever you can get your hands on).
start by preheating your oven to 325 f. in a medium bowl, whisk together your dry crust ingredients. drizzle in the honey and pour the butter over the top. mix until just combined.
butter an 8 inch springform pan and turn the crust dough out onto the pan. use your fingers to press the dough around to cover the bottom of the pan and start to press it up the sides. when the tart crust is nice and even, bake it till set and light golden brown. about 20 minutes.
when your crust is finished, up the oven temperature to 375 f.
whisk together all remaining ingredients except the plums. you have a choice here. you can either add in the plums to the wet ingredients after they are combined, or you can wait to make a design with them once you have poured your wet filling into crust. bakers choice.
when you have poured your filling into the crust and set your plums, bake the tart just until set. about 20-25 minutes.
allow the tart to cool and then refrigerate it for at least an hour. this well ensure easy and pretty slices. serve cold or at room temp.