Morning picked Strawberry Shortcake

Fresh strawberries are abundant right now and they are delicious. For the cream, I used about equal amont of heavy cream and mascarpone for the thicker texture.

Chestnut Tart

I improvised the previous Alsatian tart recipe a little and added chestnut cream to the filling. Chestnuts (preserved in honey and cognac) were used as garnish.

Cherry Tart

This tart recipe comes from Alsace region in France. The filling is almond cream and for the topping, you can also use apricot, apple, pear...etc..

Sablés

This time, I made Sablés sandwich-style cookie with lemon curd...not a bad combination I thought, although Mr. Ladybug preferred them without the curd. Edna liked the flower best. :)

Provençal Pizza

Pissaladière is a type of pizza made in Southern France. This pizza-like creation is topped with black olives, anchovies (we obtain our anchovies from Capri Flavors in Morrisville - their anchovies are superb) caramelized onions and fresh thyme. Wonderful appetizer, goes very nicely with Vinho Verde.

Artisan Style Bread

Very crunchy and crusty outside, fluffy yet still moist inside. Easy to make but has a complex flavor due to the secret ingredients (which I am revealing - are beer and vinegar).

Scottish Shortbread

I like buttery, crumbly desserts. Lemon zest added a nice accent to the shortbread. My pet, Edna the ladybug is liking it, too :)