Living Tastefully
  • Home
  • PAINTINGS
  • About
  • Passions-to-Pastry Blog
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • BOOK
  • Bisous In Paris

Finally, the Party!

6/14/2011

15 Comments

 
Picture
    
                                           I've been doing a little baking.

Picture

      The graduation party for my daughter Claire finally took place this past weekend.


Picture

     I've spent the past month baking for the French pastry-themed event.  Layers for the buttercream frosted cakes were made ahead and frozen, as were the French chocolate bouchons (on the left).  There was also Framboise et Fromage de Chèvre des Sablés (shortbread with raspberries and goat cheese), French blueberry, rhubarb, and cherry clafoutis tarts, individual apricot galettes, a caramelized walnut and chocolate tart, small, individual fruit tarts filled with lemon curd and pastry cream, French cookies, Palmiers, and lemon, chocolate, and vanilla pound cakes with fresh berries and cream. 
    
Picture
     Individual Apricot Free-form Tarts (recipe here).

Picture
Picture

         My niece, who is a French-trained pastry chef, flew in to help me finish up the desserts.
Picture

      My friend Kathy (also the architect who designed my kitchen), was a huge help, making the lemon curd for the tarts (see recipe below), the palmiers, and the lemon poundcake.
Picture

                            The desserts were served outdoors on the patio.

Picture
Picture



Picture


                                   Lemon Curd Tarts with Berries
                                                   Fine Cooking Magazine

For the Lemon Curd:
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the eggs and yolks.  Beat for 1 minute.  Mix in the lemon juice.  The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.
2.  In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth.  (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.)  Increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.  It should leave a path on the back of a wooden spoon and will read 170˚ on a thermometer.  Do not let it boil.
3.  Remove the curd from the heat.  Stir in the lemon zest.  Transfer the curd to a bowl.  Press plastic wrap on the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator.  The curd will thicken as it cools.  Covered tightly, the curd will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months. 

                                      For my favorite tart crust, click here.


TAKE a LOOK:





15 Comments
Stacey Snacks link
6/14/2011 07:07:23 am

Congratulations to beautiful Claire.....and to you for creating such a magnificent display! I am glad it didn't rain on all this beauty!
Stacey

Reply
Sheri
6/14/2011 11:00:33 am

Wow...the pastries are beautiful!

Reply
Paula Pfaff link
6/14/2011 11:10:15 am

This was the most amazing party. I have been to Paris several times too and I thought I was there again on Sunday afternoon in Eileen's backyard. The pastries were over the top and so is her yard and garden. Daughters Whitney and Claire are also lovely young women. A beautiful day, the weather was actually perfect in that it wasn't sunny enough to melt all the buttercream frostings! Time to rest now Eileen, you deserve it.

Reply
Eileen
6/14/2011 11:13:20 am

How sweet... Thank you Paula!

Reply
Camille
6/15/2011 11:02:29 am

Congratulations ! Your love for your family came through in each beautiful lovey amazing dessert. Thank you for sharing the pictures. You must be a proud mom. Your efforts were displayed and looked like a french bakery~fantastic job !

Reply
Eileen
6/15/2011 11:14:37 am

Thank you, Camille!

Reply
Jean
6/17/2011 02:28:49 am

I am impressed! What beautiful goodies you have made! Just wish I had been there to sample them. Wonderful job!

Reply
Leona
6/17/2011 06:53:35 pm

What a beautiful party!

Where did you buy your spectacular pastry
stand?

Reply
Eileen
6/17/2011 11:07:03 pm

Leona - The wooden tiered stand is an old piece that belongs to my sister. She bought it several years ago on ebay.

Reply
Tom @ Tall Clover Farm link
6/19/2011 12:04:33 am

You had me a apricot galette! Actually I would have been asked to leave had I attended, being politely advised that one cake is not a single serving.

Wowie, wow, wow, Eileen, what a display, what a joyful energy and remarkable talent you possess. No doubt, one day Claire will be sharing this memory with her daughter or son, and enjoying the richness and flavor of the day that you baked into it.

Congratulations, Claire and the entire family!

Reply
Heidi @ Food Doodles link
7/4/2011 04:33:52 am

Wow! What a display! Everything looks incredibly beautiful

Reply
lynne link
7/4/2011 01:53:08 pm

Woah! This sounds like an amazing party!!

Reply
Allison Conyers
10/23/2012 08:36:23 am

Eileen..it's Allison here (was Moyers ~ Henry's Mum) ~ found your blog after Mary Kay suggested I take a look. FANTASTIC!!!! BEAUTIFUL!!! The food for Claire's grad party looks amazing! So glad I can continue reading your blog! xx

Reply
Ayesha
5/26/2014 06:36:11 am

Hi Eileen, just wanted to say wow!!! What an amazing spread, it all looks incredible :) I love the doilies and particularly the rectangle shaped ones you had your raspberry shortbreads displayed in! I know it was a long time ago but any chance you remember where you got them from? My husband's best man is getting married and for one of his many functions, I wanted something similar to put an Asian sweet in. Thanks for any guidance in advance!

Reply
Eileen Troxel
5/26/2014 06:44:11 am

Hi Ayesha -- I think I got those at Tuesday Morning many years ago. Whenever I run across something I know I'll eventually use, I buy it. Have you checked on Amazon? Also, do a search for pastry paper items. There are a lot of different sites that cater to pastry. Hope this helps!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture




    Picture
    Picture
    Enter your Email

    Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz






    Categories

    All
    Amana
    Appetizers
    Beef
    Breads
    Breakfast
    Cakes
    Chocolate
    Condiments
    Cookies
    Daring Bakers Challenge
    Desserts And Sweets
    Drinks
    Eggs
    Espresso
    Etcetera
    Fish
    French Bulldogs
    Friday Night Dinner
    Fruit
    Germany
    Gratins
    Great Kitchens
    Grilling
    Ice Cream
    Lamb
    Main Dishes
    Muffins
    My Garden
    My Kitchen Renovation
    New Years Day Brunch
    Paris
    Pasta
    Pork
    Poultry
    Provence
    Restaurants
    Rhubarb
    Rice
    Salads
    Scones
    Seafood
    Side Dish
    Soup
    Sunday Mornings
    Sweet And Savory Tarts
    Thanksgiving
    Tomatoes
    Vegetables
    Vegetarian

  • Home
  • PAINTINGS
  • About
  • Passions-to-Pastry Blog
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • BOOK
  • Bisous In Paris