Winter at the farmers’ market is a bit ho hum for me. If it weren’t for citrus, I’d probably have to buy vegetables and actually cook for once. Luckily, I did not need to resort to such drastic measures and instead, made a citrus tart using beautiful dark Moro blood oranges and pink grapefruit. I’ve always loved the idea of panna cotta, so creamy, smooth and flecked with vanilla bean. I adapted this Williams Sonoma recipe for the filling and topped it with slices of citrus.
Humphry Slocombe is one of my favorite ice cream shops in San Francisco. The menu changes daily to incorporate inventive, seasonal flavors. A few of my favorites include Candy Cap (winter), White Miso Peach (summer) and Black Sesame (ongoing). The latter is one of the best versions of sesame I’ve ever had. It has a strong flavor and the flecks of sesame add a nice texture. The flavor is available on and off throughout the year. So, the next best thing when I’m craving it, is to make it.
It is my third time making the traditional French pastry, galette des rois, to kick off the new year. You can see my first version and read a bit more about the pastry here. For the filling, I adapted the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook’s classic almond frangipane recipe to make a pistachio version.
As December comes to a close, I started looking back at all the things I made this year and asked, what was my favorite? Scrolling through my Instagram feed, one pic instantly jumped out, Strawberry-Basil Cream Tarts. I remember how happy it made me feel to eat one and how good it was, SO good I didn’t want to stop eating. Luckily they’re individual-sized. Knowing me, I would have tried to eat a whole 9″ tart. I hope you find these tarts just as satisfying.
