the first one

to kick-start this new project, i figured i should start with something extra special.

so i pick maury rubin! author of the most beat-up, butter-stained, dog eared cookbook in my collection: book of tarts. other bakers my disagree, placing their faith in that martha stewart bible, but for me, book of tarts is where it's at.

it all started at city bakery on 18th street in chelsea. discovered during my first summer in nyc, city bakery is easily one of my favorite places in the city. aside from yummy food (what kind of cherries are those!?) the purposefully messy piles of sweets at the counter easily make one drool. it's hard to deny the famous chocolate chip cookies, or pretzel croissants, and hardest of all to resist the tarts. if you're ever in new york, you MUST go here!

maury rubin, creator of this wonderful haven, was kind enough to put his favorite and most successful tarts in a book. the first time i used this book was at home with my mother, and we made a basic lemon tart with fruit as well as the milky way tart. i remember she was tentative, nervous about all the different elements. there are so many ways to misstep between the two different crusts, lemon curd, caramel, and chocolate mousse! but rubin calmly and clearly guided us through the process, and a few hours later we had some delicious and beautiful tarts!

lemon curd and summer fruit tart

milky way tart

as i've experimented with other recipes over the years (does that sound silly?), i always return to my book of tarts for security. rubin has given me confidence in my baking abilities, trying techniques and combinations i never would've tried, which spread beyond his book to all kinds baking and cooking even.

a part of that confidence definitely comes from the fact that i've never made an unsuccessful tart from his book. i think i'm going to share my favorite recipes (except the dough, since that'd take forever. for that deliciousness just buy his book!!!):

chocolate custard infused with ethiopian coffee beans

3 large egg yolks, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 heaping tablespoon coarsely ground ethiopian coffee beans, 3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped, 6 fully baked chocolate tart shells, 1 ounce melted bittersweet chocolate for design

1 place egg yolks in a med bowl

2 pour heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. remove from heat and add the coffee beans. let infuse for exactly one minute, whisking several times. strain cream through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan.

3 bring the coffee cream to a simmer. remove from heat, add the chocolate, and let sit for one minute. whisk until smooth. slowly add the cream to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. strain into a bowl.

4 with a ladle or a large spoon, fill the tart shells with the chocolate custard. refrigerate for at least thirty minutes, or unitl set.

5 fill a small paper pastry bag with melted chocolate. stripe and dot the top of each tart to make a simple design. let sit at room temperature for ten minutes before serving.

(from book of tarts, page 34)

zinfandel-marinated cherries with cocoa

2 pints dark pitted cherries (1 can=1 1/2 cups, 2 cups=1 pint, so get 3 cans), 2 cups red zinfandel, 6 partially baked chocolate tart shells, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, cocoa powder for dusting

1 place the cherries in a medium bowl and pour the wine over them. cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for one hour.

2 preheat the oven to 350 degrees f

3 with a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to a plate. then pack them tightly into the tart shells with their smooth sides up.

4 pour 1/2 cup of the zinfandel marinade into a small nonreactive saucepan, and stir in the cream and sugar. (you won't need the rest of the marinade.) heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. remove from heat.

5 divide the zinfandel cream among the tart shells. bake twenty to twenty-five minutes, until the juices are bubbling around the edges. remove from the oven and let sit for one minute, then remove tart rings with tongs. using a wide spatula, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

6 very lightly dust the tops of the tarts with cocoa powder and serve.

(from book of tarts, page 62)