My love for Bon Appétit spans twenty years, and I have the archived issues to prove it! In fact, one of the motivations behind this blog was to make use of my library of special editions by challenging myself  to recreate the cover recipes. Salivating through the May 2010 issue, I was gobsmacked when I came to the article  Pudding…British for Dessert and immediately went to FaceBook to contact my friend, and expat, Lorna to ask her if she would like to be a guest “cooker” and prepare one of the delectable desserts presented by British cookbook author and TV personality Tamasin Day-Lewis.

My appreciation for food extends beyond the obvious and immediate sensory pleasures to being intrigued by cultural associations and traditions. I’ve enjoyed documenting moms preparing Jewish latkes, Mexican tamales, and Polish pierogies. Now, courtesy of Lorna of Califlorna, we proudly present a classic British dessert:

Bakewell Tart with Raspberry Preserves

from Bon Appétit

Legend has it that the Bakewell tart was invented in the 1800s in the village of Bakewell. An inexperienced cook made a mistake when putting together a strawberry tart—and ended up with a pie crust with a layer of preserves on the bottom and a soft, cake-like filling. This version uses raspberry preserves, but strawberry would also be delicious.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

FILLING

• 3/4 cup raspberry preserves

• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

• 4 large egg yolks

• 3 large egg whites

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

• Pinch of salt

• 1 cup roasted salted Marcona almonds

• Lightly sweetened whipped cream

PREPARATION

CRUST

• Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter. Using on/off turns, cut in until very coarse meal forms. Add 3 tablespoons ice water. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Soften briefly at room temperature before rolling.

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12- to 13-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of overhang and fold in, pressing dough to come 1/4 to 1/3 inch higher than pan sides. Freeze crust until firm, about 10 minutes.

• Line crust with foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides are set, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until crust is pale golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Cool on rack 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

FILLING

• Spread raspberry preserves evenly over bottom of crust. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into medium bowl. Add sugar and blend with back of fork to distribute vanilla seeds evenly. Add butter, egg yolks, egg whites, almond extract, and salt; whisk to blend. Finely grind almonds in processor; stir into filling. Pour filling into crust.

• Bake tart until browned on top and set in center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on rack until just slightly warm, about 45 minutes.

• Push up tart pan* bottom to release tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

* A tart pan is not essential – Lorna used a ceramic pie baker which went from oven to table beautifully.

While the tart was baking Lorna shared another British classic with me: a Pims spritzer! I knew nothing of this refreshing cocktail that’s a fine Wimbledon tradition along with the eating of strawberries and cream, royal patronage, and strict all-white dress code for competitors. Cheerio!

I dare say, it was another fine day at the beach!

My mom is awesome!! So awesome that I have a whole series inspired by her on my blog: http://elislids.blogspot.com

She is always there for me whether it means babysitting or a phone call about nothing. She is compassionate, creative and really funny… but don’t tell her I said the funny part! And I love that we are friends now that I’m a mom of 2 ¾ children myself

I love you mom, Happy Mother’s Day! You are fantastic!

Kara Noel

Andrissa is a remarkable mother of 2 amazing boys.  She is a woman who doesn’t complain about problems – instead, she takes action.  For example, when the lower elementary grades of her sons’ school did not have a real PE program, she went in and implemented one.  She was the top volunteer and was flown all over the country to speak for Head Start.

When her older son Sebastian was diagnosed with asthma and severe allergies. instead of just giving him the prescription drugs, she researched and experimented with different food possibilities which resulted in her eliminating dairy from his diet and incorporating reflexology on his feet. Six years later he no longer requires medication and his asthma and allergies are completely under contorl. He can run a mile in under 9 minutes and has been able to add dairy back into his diet.

Her younger son, Oliver – age 11, was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and CHOC hospital personnel are amazed at how well he has dealt with it. It’s all a result of Andrissa’s unwillingness to let health “problems” interfere with having a normal, active childhood.

Plus, she’s lived in Huntington Beach all her life, works for causes that are important to her (like keeping the downtown library) and is now running for city council to improve the quality of life in Huntington Beach!

I’m nominating Andrissa because she is definitely the most deserving Mom that I know. (nominated by Lisa S.)

Yes, its March already and we’re featuring another awesome mom, wife, and business-owner  from Orange County!

Carrie was nominated by Kim of saveourbeach.org. who said this about her:

“Mountain biker, mini-van driver, wardrobe refashioner, public school advocater, church goer, This is Me - kid’s journal creator, mother of 3 … AND she’s also the mama behind This Mama Makes Stuff !!! Her oldest daughter is hand making origami cranes to raise money for sick children! That’s amazing!  She helped me organize a beach cleanup the day before Thanksgiving and we had 89 participants!”

I think you’ll agree that Carrie is definitely a Top Mom

Photo credit: James Carson Photography

Shelby is a mom of 3 adopted children, the youngest has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and neutropenia. In addition to 3 kids, she has her own business www.GlitterFulFeltstories.com where she makes felt boards tthat help preschool children learn to read. She and her husband are writing a book about adopting children to help others adopt. She is a sweetheart and deserves to be recognized as Mom of the Month.

When I told her I was nominating her, she said she no one has ever done anything like that for her!

Nominated by Kim M. at SaveOurBeach.org. Please go to Kim’s page and sign up for beach cleanup. After all the storms, they need all the help they can get. Pay it forward, volunteering is good karma and you’ll be helping the environment in a big way!

“Jennifer is an awesome mom and military wife of my cousin Neil  who has served with the US Navy for at least 14 years now. Jennifer has 3 lovely children. She works full time as a controller for a large company, juggles the family schedules with school, Tae Kwan Do classes & tournaments and has a beautiful home. She is about to endure another challenging time with her family – her husband is getting deployed to Afganistan in January 2010. This is her husband’s second tour, last time he was deployed to Iraq in 2004. Jennifer has such strength to endure the tribulations of a being a military wife. She deserves to be a Top Mom!” <nominated by MaryAnne>

Nominating all Military Moms

“This is not about a single mom, but the body of moms who are Military Moms. This is a group of women, braver and more proudly patriotic than any in the USA. They give their child up to service to their country to serve and defend in some cases others who have neither respect nor pride in what they do for them, and YES, some moms actually sign to allow their under 18 child to enter the service. They listen to all the pros and cons that everyone gladly heap upon them when they find out that their child has entered the service. No matter what the moms own opinion about the military and war is, they will defend to the death their childs choice. They send cheer filled notes and packages filled with goodies, the whole time their heart is breaking that their child is so far away, and in danger. They find creative ways of sending Thanksgiving dinner to their child living in a time zone 12 hours away. Turkey jerky, Craisins, crustless pumpkin pie sealed in a canning jar and sweet potato candy. Boxes sent with Birthday cake in jars, b-day hats and noise makers, goofy packages with squirt guns, silly putty, disposable cameras, anything to lighten the mood and give them some fun and a chance to be the kids that most of them are. The joy of their return turns to the silent heartbreak when months later, it’s “Mom, I’m going again.” These same moms are the ones that send cards and packages to strangers, because they would have none left out. These are the same moms that support and lift up in prayer the other mothers who are having a hard time, because we all have our bad moments. These are the unsung heros of this war, the moms who birthed the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coasties, but also the civillians who are away serving their country in their own way. Hug these mothers, watch out for them, lift them up in prayer and listen.”

(anonymous nomination, received December 15, 2009)

TopMomBlog would like to feature a gallery of military moms for January, 2010. Please click on the email button in the sidebar to send a photo of a military mom that you love who has had to live with the anguish of having their son, daughter, husband, or wife so far from home and facing constant danger. Only first name and last initial and place of residence will be published. OR Become a Fan of TopMomBlog on Facebook and share the photo on the fan page.

Photo from http://wesupportallourtroops.org

Gina is the caring and loving mom of 14 month old Sophie, and is expecting her second child at the end of this year. Gina worked in the entertainment industry for many years, as a script supervisor, and her organizational skills have enabled her to make her own baby food for Sophie, create hair barrettes to sell at street fairs, take Sophie to museums and play dates, and make a beautiful home for her husband Heath. And by the way, their dog Daisy gets her walk everyday, too. Because of all these things, and so many more. Gina is my Top Mom of this month and every month. (As told by Patti S.)

Our October Mom of the Month lives in Tewksbury, New Jersey and works in New York City. Jane T. is a professional in the fast-paced and competitive fragrance industry. She was nominated by one of her peers who said this about Jane:

“Jane is an award-winning package designer in the Fragrance Industry for 25+ years.  After years of trying to have a baby, she and her husband decided on adoption, and were able to give a warm, secure home to two babies from the US.  Most of us would say that two children are the right number, but Jane and her husband are set to open their arms again to another young child who is in dire need of the love, warmth and care given in the healthy environment of their NJ farm.”      




Jane’s life is beyond busy – I had to Goggle her to get the picture above because I didn’t want to keep  sending her e-mail reminders asking her to send me one.  Naturally, the fragrance industry articles that I found and her bio on Linkedin focus on her career achievements.  A quote from a recent article:  ”In addition to the pressures of deadlines, Jane describes her daily challenges as balancing creativity and business objectives.”  But as a TM Mom of the Month, we honor Jane for opening her heart and home to two children and for creating a loving and nurturing environment that will soon share the joys of being a family with a third child.