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.

pregnancy cravings are real ya’ll.

never before have i had food stick in my mind and loop over and over like i have in the last seven months.

and sometimes, a craving becomes so strong i just have to give in. and in the case of the sticky bun, i gave in HARD. like, i have eaten five buns in twenty-four hours, hard.

now i am not going to lie to you, sticky buns are a labor of love. nothing about making them is particularly challenging, but since this recipe requires time to rise, it is a good one to plan in advance for.

pistachio sticky buns

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 3-4 hours

bake time: 35-40 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Ingredients: dough - .25 cup warm water (105-115 degrees). 1 packet (.25 oz) package active dry yeast. .25 cup sugar. .75 cup room temperature whole milk. 4 tbs unsalted butter + 1 tbs for greasing the bowl. 3 egg yolks. 1 tbs orange zest. 1.25 tsp salt. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.

filling - .5 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs ground cinnamon. 4 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese.

topping - .5 cup brown sugar. 6 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese. 3 tbs honey. 1.5 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. .5 cup heavy cream.

tools - stand mixer + dough hook. 9 x 13 baking dish. rolling pin. sauce pan.

start by combining the water, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. stir well to agitate the yeast and allow it to sit for five minutes until it foams and bubbles up. if the liquid doesn’t thicken and foam, it was inactive and it will not work. try again with different yeast.

once the yeast is active, add in the milk, 4 tbs butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups of the flour.

combine on a low speed with a dough hook until the dough begins to come together. about 3-5 minutes.

slowly add the remaining cup of flour till the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. about 2 minutes. remove the dough for a second as you grease the bowl with the remaining tbs of butter. cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. let the dough rise till it has doubled in size. 1-2 hours.

while your dough is rising, make your filling and your topping. to make the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. stir well till it makes almost a paste. to make the topping, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, sugar and pistachios in a sauce pan. melt over medium heat, stir well to combine and set it aside.

when your dough has doubled in size, cover a working surface with some flour and roll the dough out till it is about .25 inch thick.

spread the filling all over the dough.

roll the dough up to make one long roll. slice into 12 equal pieces.

use parchment to cover the baking pan (f you don’t have any, no problem, you can skip this step it just makes more mess). spread the topping mixture onto the parchment and top with the rolls. cover the rolls and allow them to rise until they have puffed up and filled the baking pan, 1-2 hours. now, you can do all this prep in advance and then place the buns in the fridge over night and bake in the morning. or, after the second rise you could go ahead and bake them off. whenever you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f.

melt the remaining butter and the cream over low heat, just until butter is melted and the liquids have combined. pour the butter & cream mixture over the top of the buns and bake for 35-40 minutes.

until bubbly and golden brown.

to serve, scoop out a bun and flip it over onto a plate. scoop up any ooey gooey topping bits left behind and spoon it on top of the sticky bun. serve warm and enjoy.

xo, a

pistachio sticky buns

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 3-4 hours

bake time: 35-40 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Ingredients: dough - .25 cup warm water (105-115 degrees). 1 packet (.25 oz) package active dry yeast. .25 cup sugar. .75 cup room temperature whole milk. 4 tbs unsalted butter + 1 tbs for greasing the bowl. 3 egg yolks. 1 tbs orange zest. 1.25 tsp salt. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.

filling - .5 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs ground cinnamon. 4 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese.

topping - .5 cup brown sugar. 6 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese. 3 tbs honey. 1.5 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. .5 cup heavy cream.

tools - stand mixer + dough hook. 9 x 13 baking dish. rolling pin. sauce pan.

start by combining the water, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. stir well to agitate the yeast and allow it to sit for five minutes until it foams and bubbles up. if the liquid doesn’t thicken and foam, it was inactive and it will not work. try again with different yeast. once the yeast is active, add in the milk, 4 tbs butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups of the flour. combine on a low speed with a dough hook until the dough begins to come together. about 3-5 minutes. slowly add the remaining cup of flour till the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. about 2 minutes. remove the dough for a second as you grease the bowl with the remaining tbs of butter. cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. let the dough rise till it has doubled in size. 1-2 hours. while your dough is rising, make your filling and your topping. to make the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. stir well till it makes almost a paste. to make the topping, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, sugar and pistachios in a sauce pan. melt over medium heat, stir well to combine and set it aside. when your dough has doubled in size, cover a working surface with some flour and roll the dough out till it is about .25 inch thick. spread the filling all over the dough. roll the dough up to make one long roll. slice into 12 equal pieces. use parchment to cover the baking pan (f you don’t have any, no problem, you can skip this step it just makes more mess). spread the topping mixture onto the parchment and top with the rolls. cover the rolls and allow them to rise until they have puffed up and filled the baking pan, 1-2 hours. now, you can do all this prep in advance and then place the buns in the fridge over night and bake in the morning. or, after the second rise you could go ahead and bake them off. whenever you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f. melt the remaining butter and the cream over low heat, just until butter is melted and the liquids have combined. pour the butter & cream mixture over the top of the buns and bake for 35-40 minutes. until bubbly and golden brown. to serve, scoop out a bun and flip it over onto a plate. scoop up any ooey gooey topping bits left behind and spoon it on top of the sticky bun. serve warm and enjoy.