Onion Tart

I first made this tart—Gourmet‘s Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel—a few weeks ago. And, trust me, I would have loved to post about it right away. But this tart has a super power that stood in the way. That’s right: this is a magically disappearing tart. When I first made it, as a little nibble for guests as they arrived at our bistro-themed Bon Voyage party for my friend Maggie, the tart vanished within mere minutes after I wielded my pizza wheel to slice it into squares.

I could’ve told you about what a joy the tart was to make, with its ethereal, spongy dough that rolled out like a dream and its loooong, slooooow caramelization of slim onion half moons. And I could’ve told you how heavenly the toasted fennel seeds smelled, how fun it was to slather the tart with Dijon mustard or how thrilled I was with the brilliant golden color the tart took on after a brief stint in the oven. But, beyond all this, it would have been a little difficult to describe a tart I didn’t even get to try (!). And, more importantly, how could I entice you with photos of scant crumbs on an empty platter?

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Crisp Pickled Vegetables

The clouds of sugar and flour have settled over here after Dessert Week Aught Eight, and in its wake, today’s post is just what the doctor ordered. After sweetness and decadence for five straight days here at The Kitchen Sink, it’s time for something a bit more austere, I think. I mean, I love desserts as much as the next gal, but after so many in a row, I was craving the punch of sharp acidity and bite that this recipe for crisp, pickled vegetables delivers.

The truth is, I was on the hunt for a pickled vegetable recipe long before last week’s sugary binge. My pickle infatuation might start with crisp dill pickle spears, but it doesn’t end there. I also have a weakness for other vegetables, marinated in potion that are various parts sour, salty and sweet. I think pickled vegetables are lovely served along side meats and cheeses on an antipasto platter, heaped next to a slice of quiche for brunch, or eaten on their own as a light lunch or snack. But I never found a recipe that looked quite right.

(Click “more” for the rest of the story, more photos & the recipe.)

Ginger Ice Cream

This ice cream is the official end of this week-o-desserts, the mere act of writing the posts for which has given me a massive sugar hangover, cavities and reason to hit the treadmill. This ice cream is also a testament to how much my husband loves me. No, not because he requested this ice cream. In fact, while I think he liked it well enough, he’d probably opt for yesterday’s brownies over this ice cream (or under this ice cream, now there’s a thought!) any day.

No, this ice cream shows the depth of Kevin’s tolerance of (er, love for) me in a couple ways. First, he barely batted an eye lash when I announced on Wednesday night that I would be making ginger ice cream to complete our dinner with a friend on Thursday night. Then, he rather pleasantly grated a quarter cup (a quarter cup!) of ginger for me (for us, for us). This not only left his arms aching and his knuckles in peril, but it also robbed him of time usually spent watching Seinfeld reruns or checking fantasy sports results.

(Click “more” for the rest of the story, more photos & the recipe.)

I’m a Brownie Believer

Back to the sweet taste of success today (ha! sweet — get it?). It was slightly painful to re-live the whole ugly birthday cake debacle yesterday, so I’m more than happy to move on to a birthday treat that was neither error-prone nor hard to look at. When I saw these brownies featured on the wonderful baking blog Bake or Break, something about them caught my eye, even though I’m not a huge brownie fan (Kevin is googling Chicago-area divorce lawyers after reading that, I’m sure). I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, though. When I saw RecipeGirl make the same brownies recently, it hit me: these are exactly like the kind of brownie my stepdad (an avowed brownie connoisseur) would adore. Even better, his birthday was mere weeks away, so I decided then and there that I would arrive in Minnesota last Friday (two days after his birthday), bearing these brownies.

Little did I know, I would be delayed on the runway for quite some time at O’Hare en route to Minnesota (I think I’ve mentioned the pesky Easter blizzard …). We were stranded on the tarmac for a long time and I was hungry. I am not too proud to admit that I strongly considering busting into the pan of these delectable brownies, which were stashed in my purse. Thankfully, my plane got cleared for takeoff just before the hunger hit code-blue level, so these brownies made it to Minnesota and the birthday boy intact.

(Click “more” for the rest of the story, more photos & the recipe.)

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (or Ugly Cake)

As promised, the desserts will continue to dance across this page. But. After Monday’s and Tuesday’s back-to-back success stories (the oreos and cheesecake bars), this was probably bound to happen. Today, I bring you a banana layer cake with cream cheese frosting, with chopped pecans tucked between the layers. Sounds good, right? Well, I’ll admit it was pretty tasty. But, man, was it u.g.l.y. As in, it had no alibi.

(Click “more” for the rest of the story, more photos & the recipe.)