baking up a storm

My hand hurts when I type right now, so I've been baking instead. Playing with different dough recipes, fillings, fruits, berries - you name it. I've tried it. The best combination so far is this, a free-formed tart, with a smear of frangipane and a fan of nectarine slices. I'd give you a recipe, but unfortunately I've been playing mix and match with many different recipes, so, currently my frangipane recipe yields about 13oz of frangipane - that would be about 3 cup's worth - while this tart needs only a thickish smear as the base for the fruit. Not entirely practical, is it? You'll just have to be content with a picture for now I'm afraid. Hopefully I'll get the formula down soon.

Pretty picture though, no? Delicious too if I might add.

I should tell you also about that unmitigated disaster that was a tomato and roquefort tart this afternoon. The same dough I made this open-faced tart with, with a filling made of a combination of Roquefort cheese, Boursin - yes that Boursin - and whipped cream, then layered on top with the first crop of dry-farmed tomatoes - so fresh I picked them myself from Joe's farm today. Don't ask me why this combination. It sounded such a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, not so much with the end result. The cheese mixture turned out a rather disturbing shade of green - sort of like the stuff that grows in old, dirty sink - and no amount of lovely tomatoes would save it. Sad.

Meanwhile, my hands smell of butter. My house smells of butter. Even little Ella does too. Life is not so bad.