Happy Halloween!!!

Costume Contest!!!!

On Friday October 30, the customer with the best costume (as determined by the Queen of Tarts staff) will win one of these fabulous haunted gingerbread houses.  All ages are welcome (10am-7pm), and there will be treats for everyone.  The winner will be contacted Saturday morning and may pick it up at any time (that we are open, of course).

My family, my guineapigs

I love all my family for many reasons.  We are a very generous, loving family full of wit, intelligence, and good taste.  For every and any occasion I bring dessert, of course.  And my wonderful family members always give me free reign - does that not prove their intelligence and good taste?  So I happily oblige and create something special for each occasion.

The chocolate mocha truffle cake I created for my cousin and her husband (two exceptionally witty and intelligent and tasteful people who designed and created this lovely site for me) for their wedding last fall:

And now they are expecting!  So for a combo baby shower / birthday party, another special cake.  I know that they both love my snickers tart, so I built it into a cake; dark, rich chocolate cake, filled with chopped toasted peanuts, buttery caramel, and peanut butter mousse, then masked with a light chocolate buttercream (it was an afternoon party, after all, have to keep it light).  Divine.

Great Grapes!

Cheese, grapes, and nuts - what could be better?
Our short crust filled with a vanilla bean and mascarpone filling, then

Concord grapes - yum.
Sweet and green inside, tart and dusky black-purple skin, tasting like the perfect sour candy.

Lightly mashed to release their juice, add a touch of honey, then simmered briefly....

A few chopped toasted walnuts on top for texture.

This topping would make an amazing peanut butter and jelly tart. Hmmm.....

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We will be open Tuesday - Friday 10-7

Saturday 9-5

We will be closed Sunday and Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gianduja

Gianduja (pronounced John-doo-ya) is a preparation of chocolate and hazelnut paste (think Nutella on steroids), originating in the Piedmont region of Italy, and named after a marionette character representing the Piedmontese.  I have a personal weakness for gianduja and all things hazelnut, so the first chocolate tart of fall is always gianduja.  We use the milk chocolate version from Callebaut to make a ganache to fill the chocolate shell, then finish it with a layer of dark chocolate ganache.  Velvety, voluptuous, decadent.  Pure heaven.