TWD: Baked Yogurt Tart

I am late, sooo late. It's Sunday and the tart was due on Tuesday. Honestly, as I always bake on Sundays, I am late one week. Sorry for that.
But here it is. One ordinary tart and some tartelettes, one in a heart-shaped mold. Like that, I culd use all the filling.

The filling is a yogurt mix, what means it has a comparatively low calories level. The recipe asks for non-fat yogurt what did surprise me, because usually dessert recipes ask for fat as a taste-means. And there is no butter in it. So, except for the sugar (with 3/4 c also not too much), there are no calories or fat in it.

If you are looking for a recipe that does not interfere with your bikini-figure this ia a perfect option!

I gave some lemon zest to the filling, but it made no difference in the end. I used blueberries because I really think they are best for all things baked, and gave some toasted coconut shreddes instead of the nuts on the tart. For decoration i Used red currants and made little starts from left-over tart dough.

The filling is really easy, easy, easier. If you have a pre-baked crust in the freezer or at least a ready made dough the tart itself will be ready very quickly!

For my part, I like the taste. But I have to say that I am a big yogurt lover! I prefer frozen yogurt over icecram not for diet-reasons but for the taste. And in summer I could live from yogurt and berries. But I am not sure of other people like the taste just like me. Additionally, the look tricks  you a bit because you might think it's a cheesecake . but it is totally not. And it is nor a very sweet tart. So - as much as I love this tart and yould do it ever and ever again, I can imagine other people wouldn't.

TWD: Berry Galette

 Berries, berries, berries. Can't get enough! The berry season is going to end soon anyways so I am going to profit from the remaining days. In the berry-universe, blueberries are by far my favourite so it was no big deal what fruits I would choose for the Berry Galette.


The galette itself is definitely a keeper for me. It is a kind of a "free-style" tarte and that makes it easy for me to handle. No fitting in a tart shell, no covering the tarte with a top. Just a bit of rolling and filling. And the best part is: There's no need to fold the dough over the berries in a regular, even pattern. The more irregular and unprecise it is, the better it looks - not too bad!

I made two mini-galettes (with a shorter baking time - about 15-20mins) and they were great! Not too sweet and good looking! Should be very pretty on a dessert table.

I stored one of them in the fridge and still liked them the next day. The recipe recommends not to do it. Right, the texture changes and the dough is not that crispy anymore. But different is not worse, in my eyes. Maybe it would not work with a big galette, but for the minis it was more than ok.

If you want to find out about the recipe have a look at the pages of the TWD-hosts this week: Lisa of Tomato Thymes in the Kitchen and Andrea of The Kitchen Lioness. Or simply by the book by Dorie Greenspan with the recipes of Julia Child, turn to page 377 and go for it!

TWD: Blueberry Nectarine Pie

I'm back from holidays and before I went back to work (yesterday was my last day off...) I made the last July recipe. Blueberries and nectarines are a wonderful combination! I remeber a recipe in one of Nigella Lawsons early books, a dessert containing of nothing else than nectarines and blueberries, shortly warmed/baked in the oven. Pure Perfection.

Therefore, I was very happy when I saw this recipe was chosen for July, although I still (even after 2,5 years of baking with the group) tartes and pies frighten me. Whatever crust we make, no matter which technique is employed, I never manage to get it right. Rolling the dough and bringing into the pan - that never works for me and I always have troubles with crusts getting too dark (or being not trough).

Anyways, nectarines and blueberries made me do this recipe.

The dough is interesting, as it does not involve any sugar. But don't worry, the filling has sugar enough :o]

As always, I had troubles with rolling and fitting the dough, but this is only my special topic and I am sure the dough works out fine and is simple for anybody else. In the end, my "pie" turned out more as a spoon dessert because the crust was more than "flaky".

But the filling is just marvelous - therefore, thanks to everybody for choosing this wonderful, season-perfect recipe. If you want to find out about the Blueberry Nectarine Pie go to the blog by Hilary (Manchego’s Kitchen) or the one by Liz (That Skinny Chick Can Bake) - or have a look at the book: "Baking with Julia" by Dorie Greenspan on p. 384.

TWD: Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake

 June has arrived! And with June came full summer - and berries! Blueberriess belong to my favourite fruits so I was very excited to bake this. I don't need no fancy dressed up cakes and torte. Give me a plain and simple cake, made with some of my favourite fruit, and you see me happy! Therefore - thanks to Cindy of Everyday Insanity who has chosen Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake for this week's TWD. Go to her page to have a look at the recipe or buy Dorie's book - you find it on page 36.

This cake is not only simple, but also fast in the making. I am sure it would also work with many other fruits and if you like it a bit dressier there are plenty of options that could work out fine - crumbles or just the most obvious, I guess. I am pretty sure my fellow bakers will show you other creative ideas.

I made one loaf that did work out fine. My baking time was a bit longer and the cake still turned out very very soft and mellow. I sprinkled the berries a bit with flour following Nicole's recommendation. Most berries sunk about into the middle of the cake so in the end it looked a bit marbled.

I also made six minis to have "test-pieces" and they did not work so well. I guess the problem is that the molds are a bit hard to handle because they have a heart-shaped bottom, so very humid batters tend so stick in the mold. I am sure, with ordinary muffin-cups it would have worked perfectly!

The cake did taste just great. It was so fast away from my office-kitchen that I had no time to take pictures of single pieces to show you the inner look of the cake. Therefore you must be satisfied with the pictures of cakes and mini-cakes in molds :o]

Verdict: Perfect summer treat!