Lemon Meringue Puffs

Lemon Meringue Puffs
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Today’s Lemon Meringue Puffs have been percolating in my mind for a while. I had the idea of lending the classic pie flavor to the format of a cream puff for a year or more now. But I was always unsure of how they would look. Silly little questions, like whether to pipe or dollop the meringue? Or what to fill the puffs with – lemon curd or lemon pie filling? There were a few prototypes, the curd didn’t make the cut and a simple dunk was the surprisingly easy answer to the meringue question. There were a lot of pitfalls along the way, but these Lemon Meringue Puffs are everything I hoped they could be.

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Pinto Pot Pie with Dill Puff Pastry

Pinto Pot Pie with Dill Puff Pastry
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When I was in university, I briefly flirted with vegetarianism. It was actually a fairly simple transition for me. I’ve always been more of a carb and cheese person than a meat person. But whenever any holiday approached, I would get lax in my resolve. I would bend the rules to allow a hunk of glazed ham here and a slice of prime rib there. I wasn’t proud of it but in my defense the vegetarian options on most holiday tables, well, suck. It’s not your host or hostess’s fault, by the way. For pretty much all of human history, feasts have been organized with roasted meats at the center. But making something festive and vegetarian-friendly doesn’t have to be a herculean effort and this Pinto Pot Pie proves that.

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Triple Chocolate Tart with Cherries & Gooseberries

Triple Chocolate Tart with Cherries and Gooseberries
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I don’t know about you, but my social feeds have been inundated with ghoulish goodies all month long. I swear, each treat is more creative than the last and I’m fairly certain I haven’t seen this much dry ice in, well, ever. Halloween may be different this year but people still seem to be in the spirit. But you won’t find any festive sweets on my feed. It’s not that I’m a Halloween curmudgeon, I’m not. I think it’s great that people, especially adult people, have so much love for this holiday. The creative decor and costumes are simply magic to behold. But I don’t have a head for Halloween decor, costumes, or indeed, desserts. In fact, today’s Triple Chocolate Tart is as close as I get and there isn’t a marshmallow spider web or gummy worm in sight. Please forgive me.

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Blood Orange Panna Cotta Tart with Blood Orange Gelée

Blood Orange Panna Cotta Tart
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I’m not what you would call a Valentine’s Day person. This is well documented, so I won’t spend much time on the subject. But the take-home point is I’m not so much about Valentine’s Day. But nauseating over-the-top declarations of love aside, there are things I like about this exceptionally strange day. For example, I am fond of glitter, cheesy puns, and the color pink, all of which hit peak popularity around February 14th. Oh, and I love a pretty, romantic dessert. Something elegant and rich that borders on too gorgeous to eat. Not unlike this Blood Orange Panna Cotta Tart. I’ll take any excuse to make a stunner like this even if it takes the form of a bullcrap “love” holiday dreamed up by capitalists in their desperate bid for infinite financial progress. But anyway…

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