Friday, November 26, 2010

Crostata (tart)

The November 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge.



I have been missing out on the past few DB challenges some due to my illness, then a short vacation and some cause of the floods. But I am back now and hope to stay in.
I was quite busy this month and was not really wanted to do any baking as I was going through some problems with family and my best friend.
My 3 year old niece was diagnosed with diabetes just a week back and due to some spouse issue with my friend we had to end our friendship so I was really upset and stressed due to these things specially my niece watching her get her shots 2 daily is really hard. =(
Especially since she was always with me while backing and she loves chocolate cake after putting off the challenge I finely managed to do it just yesterday. Which actually helped me relax...i guess baking for me is a therapy.

Now for the challenge..


We were given 2 versions of pasta frolla to choose from, the challenge was to use the recipe provided and lots of variations were allowed for the filling.
I chose the 1st version of pasta frolla, I didn’t have any problem with the dough, infect it was really easy and turned out great.
The filling I used was of almond paste and cream cheese with fresh fruits of kiwi and pomegranate.
I blind bake the crostata first and the baked it again with the almond past filling...all the time my little niece was helping me…the crostata came out very good my family loved it (I managed to get few pic’s) infect its already gone. =D
I’m very happy about it!..Thanks Simona and The Daring Bakers for such a great challenge.


Recipe here:

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

13 comments:

Audax said...

So good that it worked so well for you and I love the photos also. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.

Deeba PAB said...

I absolutely love what you did with the challenge. IT IS PRETTY...what an eye-catcher! Sorry to hear about your little niece, and then the friend issue. Life is so tough at times. Hang on there...Here's a hug for you!

Renata said...

BEAUTIFUL Crostata! The colors are stunning! I totally agree with you that baking is therapy! Great that you used it to overcome your stress. Seems like it has worked well for you! Welcome back!

Unknown said...

I love your mini tarts! I had quite a bit of leftover pasta frolla, but sadly didn't have little tart pans to put it in. I'll have to stock up for next time!

Unknown said...

Baking is very therapeutic, and it certainly sounds like you needed it. Hope things are looking up for you. Your tart is so pretty with the red and green, and the filling sounds delicious.
:)

Simona Carini said...

I am so glad you were able to use baking as a way to relax. It sounds like you have a lot going one. I like your choice of fruit: colorful and tasty.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Sorry to hear about the sadness you're having to deal with. But its good to have you back and your crostata looks colourfully gorgeous.

Kris Ngoei said...

My sympathy for what you have been through... take sometime to cool off with your friend, maybe there is a new way to patch up your friendship.

Kiwifruit and pomegranate makes perfect visual impact on your crostata. Beautiful and delish :-)

alice said...

Here's hoping that things settle down for you soon. Your crostata has beautiful contrasting colours. The fruits would be delicious together.

Joyti said...

What a pretty crostata. The little mini ones, in particular - so cute.

Lisa said...

Wow, you've been through the ringer. I had to end a relationship with my best friend several years ago...so I know exactly how you feel.

That said, welcome back, and your crostata looks 'Christmasy' beautiful. I love the almond paste cream cheese filling beneath the fruit and your pasta frolla looks to be flaky, tender perfection :)

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear about your neice. Life is so tough sometimes...
Its wonderful that baking helps :)
Your tart looks so beautiful and exotic! The colors really compliment each other, and it look delish! and the mini ones look adorable!

Sue said...

Your crostata is beautiful, and I'm sure, delicious! I hope things are looking up for you now:) Best wishes to your niece too!