in my world, the boom of celebrations has hit. may at our house is a crazy time. along with mother’s day, this month is packed with my birthday, both of my brother’s lady’s birthdays, my parents anniversary and my mother’s birthday. and this year we are throwing in some baby minichiello celebrations as well.

and special occasions call for special desserts.

lemon tarts are one of my mother’s absolute favorite treats. and because they are a little more labor intensive, i only bust them out for special occasions. and when i made her this gorgeous, brilliantly delicious dessert i remembered why this tart is worth every second. silky citrus curd and a delicious shortbread crust will have you signing up to make it again and again.

blood orange + lemon tart

serves: 10 inch tart round tart or 6 mini 4 inch tarts

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 2 hours

baking time: 45 minutes

total time: 3 hours

ingredients:

crust - 8 oz unsalted butter, softened plus 2 tbs extra to grease the tart pan. .5 cup sugar. 1 egg yolk. .5 tbs whole milk. 12 ounces all purpose flour. .25 tsp kosher salt.

citrus curd filling - 1 tbs meyer lemon zest. .5 cup meyer lemon juice. .5 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice (you can use regular oranges or all lemons if you prefer). 1 cup sugar. 5.5 ounces unsalted butter. 7 egg yolks + 5 eggs. 2 pinches kosher salt.

tools - tart pan. stand mixer or food processor. whisk. baking sheet. fork. plastic wrap. mesh strainer. aluminum foil (optional).

start by making your crust. in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. (i like to use a food processor because your dough comes together very quickly), combine the butter, sugar, egg yolk and milk together.

mix or pulse in your food processor till well combined.

add in the flour and salt and mix or pulse until your dough comes together.

lightly shape your dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. if you plan to reserve some of the dough, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. while your dough chills, make your citrus curd.

in a medium sized sauce pan, combine the lemon zest, citrus juice, sugar, butter and salt. heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved into the mixture. while that heats, in a bowl with a whisk or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and yolks till completely combined.

when your citrus juice mixture is ready, add it VERY slowly to your egg mixture while either whisking or while the mixer is on a low speed.

adding in the mixture too quickly will cause your eggs to scramble so take your time.

return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over low heat until the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency. do not allow the mixture to boil. once the mixture is thick (coats the back of a wooden spoon), remove it from the heat. continue to stir until the mixture cools. strain the curd into a bowl to cool. cover with plastic wrap so that no air is between the curd and your plastic.

once your dough has chilled for an hour, lightly butter whatever tart pan you are using. press the dough into the pan to fill in all the ridges. cut off any excess dough and reserve or bake (i baked it to make a nice little cookie snack). prick the bottom of your tart pan with a fork and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes. in the mean time, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f.

after 30 minutes, place your tart shell on a baking sheet and bake until the edges of are starting to turn a light gold. about 15-20 minutes. allow the tart shell to cool slightly.

fill your shell with citrus curd. bake until the curd has set. about 20-30 more minutes. if the edges of your shell start to brown too much, you can lightly cover them with aluminum foil to prevent more browning.

allow the tart to cool completely and then refrigerate till you are ready to serve.

xo, a

blood orange + lemon tart

serves: 10 inch tart round tart or 6 mini 4 inch tarts

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 2 hours

baking time: 45 minutes

total time: 3 hours

ingredients:

crust - 8 oz unsalted butter, softened plus 2 tbs extra to grease the tart pan. .5 cup sugar. 1 egg yolk. .5 tbs whole milk. 12 ounces all purpose flour. .25 tsp kosher salt.

citrus curd filling - 1 tbs meyer lemon zest. .5 cup meyer lemon juice. .5 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice (you can use regular oranges or all lemons if you prefer). 1 cup sugar. 5.5 ounces unsalted butter. 7 egg yolks + 5 eggs. 2 pinches kosher salt.

tools - tart pan. stand mixer or food processor. whisk. baking sheet. fork. plastic wrap. mesh strainer. aluminum foil (optional).

start by making your crust. in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. (i like to use a food processor because your dough comes together very quickly), combine the butter, sugar, egg yolk and milk together. mix or pulse in your food processor till well combined. add in the flour and salt and mix or pulse until your dough comes together. lightly shape your dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. if you plan to reserve some of the dough, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. while your dough chills, make your citrus curd. in a medium sized sauce pan, combine the lemon zest, citrus juice, sugar, butter and salt. heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved into the mixture. while that heats, in a bowl with a whisk or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and yolks till completely combined. when your citrus juice mixture is ready, add it VERY slowly to your egg mixture while either whisking or while the mixer is on a low speed. adding in the mixture too quickly will cause your eggs to scramble so take your time. return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over low heat until the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency. do not allow the mixture to boil. once the mixture is thick (coats the back of a wooden spoon), remove it from the heat. continue to stir until the mixture cools. strain the curd into a bowl to cool. cover with plastic wrap so that no air is between the curd and your plastic. once your dough has chilled for an hour, lightly butter whatever tart pan you are using. press the dough into the pan to fill in all the ridges. cut off any excess dough and reserve or bake (i baked it to make a nice little cookie snack). prick the bottom of your tart pan with a fork and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes. in the mean time, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. after 30 minutes, place your tart shell on a baking sheet and bake until the edges of are starting to turn a light gold. about 15-20 minutes. allow the tart shell to cool slightly. fill your shell with citrus curd. bake until the curd has set. about 20-30 more minutes. if the edges of your shell start to brown too much, you can lightly cover them with aluminum foil to prevent more browning. allow the tart to cool completely and then refrigerate till you are ready to serve.

now that the cat is out of the bag and you all know that wes and i have a baby girl on the way, i can finally express my true feelings.

pregnancy is gnarly. and for MONTHS i could barely stand for more than ten minutes, let alone cook something. but the tide has turned and i finally feel like i am getting my groove back in the kitchen. i am cooking ALL THE THINGS.

including breakfast. which for a long time has consisted of nothing but everything bagels, since it was pretty much the only thing that would stay down. but i’m back to enjoying my favorite meal of the day. since i still have a strong aversion to doing dishes, i wanted to work on a delicious, one pan breakfast that required minimal effort for max flavor. enter this delicious, and colorful, egg and potato dish.

italian breakfast potato bake

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 40 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

ingredients: 4-6 eggs (depending on how hungry your eaters are). 1.5 lb red potatoes, cubed. 2 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (soaked in water to remove any dirt and grit). 1 red onion, sliced .5 inch thick. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs chopped rosemary. 1 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley. .5 cup grated pecorino romano cheese. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. large oven safe pan.

start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees f. in your pan, combine the potatoes, olive oil, rosemary and half the salt and pepper. cook the potatoes for 20 minutes.

while the potatoes cook, drain and pat dry the leeks.

after 20 minutes, remove the potatoes. add in the leeks and red onions, half the remaining salt and pepper and stir well. pop the pan back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes.

after 10 minutes, remove the pan and stir the potatoes and onions well.

crack the eggs directly over the onions and potatoes. season with remaining salt and pepper and sprinkle with half the cheese.

pop the pan back in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the eggs have set. remove the pan from the oven. serve up each plate with a healthy serving of potatoes and an egg.

sprinkle with parsley and additional cheese and serve hot.

xo, a

italian breakfast potato bake

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 40 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

ingredients: 4-6 eggs (depending on how hungry your eaters are). 1.5 lb red potatoes, cubed. 2 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (soaked in water to remove any dirt and grit). 1 red onion, sliced .5 inch thick. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs chopped rosemary. 1 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley. .5 cup grated pecorino romano cheese. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. large oven safe pan.

start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees f. in your pan, combine the potatoes, olive oil, rosemary and half the salt and pepper. cook the potatoes for 20 minutes. while the potatoes cook, drain and pat dry the leeks. after 20 minutes, remove the potatoes. add in the leeks and red onions, half the remaining salt and pepper and stir well. pop the pan back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes. after 10 minutes, remove the pan and stir the potatoes and onions well. crack the eggs directly over the onions and potatoes. season with remaining salt and pepper and sprinkle with half the cheese. pop the pan back in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the eggs have set. remove the pan from the oven. serve up each plate with a healthy serving of potatoes and an egg. sprinkle with parsley and additional cheese and serve hot.