Pies & Tarts Archives - THE BAKING SKILLET

Peach, Mozzarella, Basil Galette

September 5, 2017 26 Comments

Peaches, mozzarella and basil are all hanging out here in this delicious, flaky, galette made with spelt flour. Make this sweet, savory galette with the best peaches while they are still in season! I hate giving interviews! Anyone with me on this one? Interviews have me stressed out like nothing else. Not even the job itself, not annual review meetings, not presentations, not KPI meetings. Nothing freaks me out more than interviews do. The thought of not knowing what is going on in the interviewer’s mind, not being able to anticipate the questions on my life and my career, the fact that the subject in question here is not a brand or a marketing campaign or a promotion, but me – open to scrutiny and judgement is what terrifies me. I know it sounds crazy but what can I say. I can be a bit unreasonable sometimes. Last week, two interviews had me in a stomach churning, head spinning, sleep depriving bind – basically being a pain in poor Steve’s butt with my non-stop whining and preparation. But then the long weekend arrived and I forced my whirring brain to stop and enjoy the “last weekend of summer”. We had […]

Desserts, Pies & Tarts

Pimm’s Summer Fruit Crumble

July 11, 2017 17 Comments

It is summer and everyone wants to be out and about. I get it! So, I won’t blabber on too much coz I have some sun to soak up, patios to be at and summer cocktails to sip! Do people here drink Pimm’s Cup? Or is it just an English thing? My sister-in-law, who is not a big dessert person, made a Pimm’s fruit crumble and she loved it. I trust her taste buds so I had to make it! But not before I made a couple of drinks for myself and I discovered I quite enjoy the herby, citrusy flavour. I haven’t had one of these since I first tasted it in a small town outside of London while visiting some friends. I am an Aperol Spritzer person and that is usually my summer drink of choice. However, it is nice to change it up and since I have purchased a bottle of Pimm’s now, I think I will be drinking Pimm’s long drinks with lots of fruit this summer! Since everyone is looking for easy summer desserts, this is a great option, especially to make good use of all that gorgeous fruits we are buying in bulk! And since I am a big sucker for mini / individual portion desserts and adding alcohol in my dessert, this one hits all the right notes. I mean, I am pretty sure that 80% of the time you have a chilled drink at hand while cooking so why not add some to the food right! From start to finish this takes about 45 mins with actual standing-at-the-counter time being 10 mins. Really, every amateur baker / cook should have a crumble in their repertoire because it is so easy, delicious and fool-proof! And intermediate / advanced bakers need not feel shame in making such a delightfully easy dessert because sometimes you need to chill with everyone else without having to fret over a show stopping 4-layer cake in a hot kitchen! Notes - I used rhubarb and cherries because that is what I had at home, but you can substitute for your choice of fruit. Make sure to chop into small pieces. - Use all AP flour if you prefer, I like the mix of the two and the nutty taste of whole wheat. - Baking the crumble topping in two layers helps all of it to crisp evenly – ref. Fine Cooking - The crumble is ready when the fruits is bubbling and overflowing. Make sure to place the ramekins on parchment lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Pimms Summer Fruit Crumble Ingredients – makes 4 individual servings For the Rhubarb Cherry Filling 1 cup (135g) Rhubarb – chopped into ¼ inch pieces 1 cup (170g) Cherries – pitted and chopped into half 3 tbsp Pimm’s ½ tbsp Cornflour 1 tsp lemon zest 3 – 5 tbsp fine granulated sugar (at 3 tbsp, it is slightly tart. Go up to 5 tbsp for a sweeter filling) For the Crumble Topping ¼ cup (55g) butter – medium soft ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar ¼ cup (25g) AP flour 3tbsp whole wheat flour ¼ cup pecans – chopped Make the Fruit Crumble Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 4 ramekins slightly with butter. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix all the crumble topping ingredients in another bowl with two forks or your fingers till it comes together in chunks. If it seems to wet, add some more whole wheat flour – 1 tbsp at a time. It should not be too dry and grainy and not too wet like a dough. You need whole pecan sized chunks. Divide the filling equally amongst the ramekins. Top with a thin layer of topping. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Add the rest of the topping and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes till the filling is bubbling over and the topping is golden brown. Enjoy warm with a chilled Pimm’s drink!

A super easy summery dessert with rhubarb and cherries and a to die for pecan crumble, this Pimm’s Summer Fruit Crumble is great for summer entertaining! It is summer and everyone wants to be out and about. I get it! So, I won’t blabber on too much because I have some sun to soak up, patios to be at and summer cocktails to sip! Do people here drink Pimm’s Cup? Or is it just an English thing? My sister-in-law, who is not a big dessert person, made a Pimm’s fruit crumble and she loved it. I trust her taste buds so I had to make it! But not before I made a couple of drinks for myself and I discovered I quite enjoy the herby, citrusy flavour. I haven’t had one of these since I first tasted it in a small town outside of London while visiting some friends a couple of years back. I am an Aperol Spritzer person and that is usually my summer drink of choice. However, it is nice to change it up and since I have purchased a bottle of Pimm’s now, I think I will be drinking Pimm’s long drinks with lots of fruit […]

Desserts, Indian Inspired, Pies & Tarts

Phirni – Indian Rice and Coconut Pudding Tart with Granola Almond Crust

October 20, 2016 2 Comments

Coconut Phirni recipe Rice Coconut pudding

It is Diwali season in India – the festival of lights and crackers and sweets and gifts and pretty clothes. A rich, creamy rice pudding or Phirni is one of the popular desserts back home. This version is a take on the classic, served in a granola tart base. My head has been full of Halloween, just like the blogging world is full of Halloween desserts. Then the other day I was Skyping with my mom and she mentioned Diwali holidays coming up soon and I realized that it is indeed Diwali season back home. And just like there is thanksgiving and Halloween and pumpkin talk everywhere in this end of the world, plans for Diwali – shopping for clothes, crackers, lighting, home décor, sweets making, invitations – are being laid out in India. It is easy to forget when you are away from home, busy immersing yourself in a new culture, learning its ways and discovering new things; it is fun, but it is also equally fun to celebrate your own culture in small ways in a different country. To share the spirit from back home with new family and friends here. And although the two celebrations are as […]

Desserts, Pies & Tarts

Summer Galettes

August 1, 2016 No Comments

Make this super easy dough and keep it in your freezer. When you find yourself with lots of fruits that you got at the farmer’s market, make little galettes or one big mixed fruit tart and enjoy summer in its true lusciousness. I think what I really want to write is “10 tips for great Airbnb living”. I think that it has the potential to become a great post. Once I write it. Once I figure out those 10 tips. We are on our 5th BnB right now since we moved to Canada in January this year, and besides the packing and unpacking and the poor quality of beds, we manage rather well I must say. Right now we have settled ourselves in the first capital of Canada – Kingston, also known as the “Limestone City” due to the many buildings constructed using local limestone. This quaint little city, with its beautiful waterfront with hundreds of boats and thousands of seasonal tourists is our first pit stop on our summer escape from Toronto. They have a lovely farmers’ market at the Springer Market Square which is in the heart of downtown and very hard to miss. The quality of produce […]