Miniature Rhubarb Galettes—Best Teeny Fruit Pies For Summer Parties!

I felt surprisingly inspired at the famers' market and whipped up a feast with local staples like crunchy snap peas, Long Island duck, and the most beautiful rhubarb I've ever seen—bright pink!

The 5-Min. Breakfast Tart That Will Instantly Improve Your Morning!

Happy Monday, lovely friends! Is your week off to a good start? It's freezing here in New York City, which didn't make getting up any easier. 

Summer Berry Breakfast Tartlets—Simple, Chic Way To Start The Day!

Good morning, lovelies! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fabulous? Boyfriend and I had a super low-key few days—it felt so good! We went to the movies, checked out a new restaurant in Williamsburg and made BLT sandwiches. 

I'd love to share a super-quick recipe idea with you this morning, if you're interested: Simple Summer Berry Breakfast Tartlets! To be honest, I've been getting a little bored of smoothie-mania. I need something pretty (and tasty) to look forward to waking up for, what about you? But who has time, right? Aha! Well, these mini tarts use good-quality English muffins as the base. They toast up in about 3 minutes—top those with ricotta, berries, honey and a few pistachios, you have a quickie breakfast that's easy and elegant (they remind me of the miniature berry tartlets I used to see in the patisserie window next to my apartment in Paris)! Feel free to swap in different berries and/or nuts to perfectly suit your taste...

SUMMER BERRY BREAKFAST TARTLETS
SERVES: 4

2 good-quality English muffins, cut in half to make 4 rounds
1/2 cup goat milk ricotta cheese or other reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1 pint raspberries or blueberries
4 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup chopped pistachios 

1. Preheat a toaster oven or regular oven on the convection setting to 350˚. Arrange English muffins on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes; let cool slightly. 
2. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons ricotta on each English muffin half. Top with berries and 1 tablespoon each honey. Sprinkle with pistachios. 

What do you make for breakfast when you're feeling a little fancy (but still kind of lazy)? I'd love to know! My mom would make me strawberry-yogurt-grape nut parfaits when I was in school—they were so darn pretty and couldn't be easier to make. Well, I guess minus having to slice berries. Anyway, leave your breakfast idea in the comments if you have one! xo Erin

3 Spring-Green Tart Recipes I'm Dying To Try: Asparagus, Spinach & Pea!

Good morning! It's finally starting to feel like spring here in New York (thank goodness). Boyfriend and I walked to our favorite dinner spot in Brooklyn—sans jackets!—and ordered a big plate of barely dressed pea shoots with tons of shaved cheese on top. I scraped every last crumb off the plate; it was so fresh and tasty! Anyways, the pea shoots got me thinking about springy green veggies. We're not seeing them in the farmers' markets here yet but they're coming, I just know it :) While I wait, though, I'd love to share 3 fantastic savory tart recipes from around the web that I'm dying to make once the time comes. Here are the spring-green tarts on my list... 

Above, 3-Ingredient Asparagus-Gruyere Tart by the lovely Simple Provision! How fantastic would this be for a quickie brunch or casual dinner party? Love! when something this beautiful is that simple to make.  

Spinach and Three-Cheese Pie by the ever-inspiring Donna Hay. Think of this as deconstructed spanakopita! I may need to let my family in on this one for Greek Easter (it's late this year—May 5th!)

And how beautiful is this one? Pea and Herbed Goat Cheese Tart by Sylvie Shirazi of Gourmande In The Kitchen (bonus: It's gluten-free)! Try this recipe with fresh English peas if you can find them. If not, frozen peas are absolutely fine. As Sylvie says in her post, they're frozen right after picking so the peas keep their famous green sweetness.

What spring vegetable are popping up in your grocery store/famers' market? I'd love to know! Anything, interesting? xo Erin

Thanksgiving Pie Update: Dark Chocolate–Fig Tart Recipe!

There will always be a place for apple, pumpkin and chocolate pudding pie on our Thanksgiving table! But my lovely friends have already started asking me about new, modern twists on traditional pies they can whip up for the big day. This dark chocolate tart is elegant and rich, a perfect addition to your fall dessert spread. Give it a try!

DARK CHOCOLATE–FIG TART

Recipe adapted from September '08 Gourmet 

SERVES: 8 to 10

FOR THE CRUST

1 sleeve chocolate graham crackers (about 9 crackers)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

¼ cup sugar

Pinch of salt 

FOR THE FILLING 

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1¼ cups heavy cream

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla 

¼ teaspoon salt

1 package fresh figs, sliced

Honey, for drizzling (optional) 

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter, sugar and salt and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. 

2. Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the bittersweet and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; pour over the chocolate in the bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth. Whisk the eggs, vanilla and salt together in a separate bowl; stir into the chocolate mixture.

3. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake until the filling is set around the edges but still wobbly in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely. To serve immediately, arrange the figs on top of the tart and drizzle with honey, if desired. Or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 1 day.

[Photograph by Kat Teutsch; Food Styling me! Erin Phraner]

Picnic Fare

This weekend was all about the sun, picnics & BBQ's. Like everyone else, my friends and I spent the weekend catching some rays in the park. I could not pass up the opportunity to whip up some portable snacks to sustain our afternoon outing. It takes a lot of energy laying in the grass.

The crowd favorite was a saltine-fig tart inspired by a recipe that I found in one of Food Network Kitchens cookbooks. There's something magical about making a beautiful treat out of pantry staples you already have lying around your kitchen. This tart is a perfect example of how simple ingredients can be transformed into something spectacular. For those of you who have never had fig jam, you can find it in most grocery stores and taste like the inside of a Fig Newton.

Saltine-Fig Tart

1 sleeve saltine crackers
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 egg white
1 small jar fig jam
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree. Line an 8 inch round cake pan with parchment
2. Pulse the crackers in a food processor to make a fine meal. Add the melted butter and egg white. Pulse until the mixture is sandy. See photo below.

3. Press the saltine mixture flat into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.

4. Once the crust has cooled spread one small jar of fig jam over the crust. Meanwhile, spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the toasted almonds from the oven and arrange on top of the tart. Cut and enjoy!

For a more substantial bite, I made Ina Garten's Pitas stuffed with tabbouleh and shards of feta cheese. Check out the recipe on the Food Network's Website.

Key Lime Tartlets

This morning I was looking through my photos and realized that I forget to tell you about Nanny's Key Lime Tartlets down in Tarpon Springs. The night before I left Florida Nanny created Margaritaville right in her living room. She whipped up a pitcher of frozen mango margaritas and presented us with a tray of Key Lime Tartlets she had chilling in the fridge.

Nanny is the Queen of frozen phyllo shells. Some of you may remember her pepper jelly tarts from the Oscars. These sweets use the same phyllo base but have a cool creamy filling bursting with key lime flavor. This dessert could not be easier to make. The trick is pre-baking the cups so they're nice & crispy, the perfect contrast to the smooth filling. Keep the ingredients on hand for an impromptu dessert! You can find key lime juice in almost any food store. NO regular lime juice is not a good substitution. The recipes for these tarts came from a recipe book Nanny received with the phyllo shells. There are a few various online. My advice: stay away from the frozen whipped topping variations...it's not real food. It's gross!

Key Lime Tartlets are a refreshing way to usher in spring. Give 'em a try. Enjoy!

Key Lime Mini-Tartlets

1 cn (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c key lime juice (I've used lemon or regular lime as well.)

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened

zest of one lime

4 packages frozen mini fillo dough shells

Raspberries, if desired

1. In a large bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in milk, lime juice and lime zest on medium speed.

2. Spoon heaping teaspoonful lime mixture into each fillo shell. Cover and refrigerate tarts at least 1 hour or until set but not longer than 24 hours.