Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Picture this (TWD)



So you know you've really gotten into this food blogging thing...  when you get up in the middle of eating your dessert so you can take another picture of it.  Which is exactly what I did Sunday night.  =)

That got me thinking about how much things have evolved over the past 6 months since I started doing this.  Thank goodness for digital cameras and being able to take a whole bunch of pictures to see what works and what doesn't.  I think the single thing that has helped the most was discovering the macro setting on my camera, so I can take close-up shots that aren't blurry in front and focused on something in the background of the picture.  I've tried different things, like taking pictures as I make a recipe (to show some of the process), but I think what I like best is taking interesting pictures of the final result. 


On to the recipe that inspired the photographs of my interrupted dessert...  La Palette's Strawberry Tart was selected by Marie of A Year From Oak Cottage for this week's installment of Tuesdays with Dorie.  This seemed to be a pretty popular choice with most people, since in many areas it's a good time of year for strawberries. I hit the jackpot for good fruit at the end of last week--juicy peaches, fragrant raspberries and some good-looking strawberries.  It turned out that the strawberries weren't quite as ripe as they looked, but they were still pretty tasty.  I didn't have quite as many as I needed, so some of the raspberries ended up in my tart as well.


This tart uses the same dough as we used for the French Lemon Cream Tart back in April. When I made the dough before, I went with mini tarts, so this was the first time I baked a full-sized shell with it.  I found the dough pretty easy to work with, and freezing the dough in the pan before baking worked quite well.

Next, the recipe calls for strawberry jam to be spread on the crust.  I actually have a jar of strawberry jam in my fridge, but I really don't care for it--for one thing, it's way too sweet for my taste.  So I ended up going with my favorite raspberry fruit butter, which was nice with the raspberries that I added to the tart.  I tossed the berries with a bit of sugar, and once they'd had a chance to produce some juice, I spooned them over the crust.  


The verdict?  Yum.  This is definitely one to make again, as long as we have really good fruit.  I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.  Next time I may try some sort of topping, such as the creme fraiche that Dorie suggests, but simple is good too.  If you want to make your own delicious strawberry tart, the recipe can be found in Baking From My Home to Yours.  Don't have a copy?  Enter here to see if you can win one and join the fun at Tuesdays with Dorie. While you're there, don't forget to check out the blogroll for more beautiful tarts.  


33 comments:

  1. Raspberry fruit butter sounds to-die-for!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i love taking the photos too, di, it's just as fun as the whole process for me!! sometimes you get a great one and a big smile breaks out. looks fab!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It looks amazing! I love fruit butter!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful job with the tart! It is true that we think more about taking the pictures than actually eating it. Too funny!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, sounds so good with raspberries too! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Raspberry fruit butter?! WOW! That sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great job, nothing more to say

    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

    ReplyDelete
  8. yum, the mixed fruits sound so good! and the fruit butter too... mmm :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so intrigued about this raspberry fruit butter now! Great job!
    Clara @ I♥food4thought

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've never heard of raspberry butter. It sounds delicious! The photo thing made me laugh. I do the same thing now.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your tart look fabulous! :o)

    I'm with you on the pictures...I take them at all stages and think about it when I'm not taking photos! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Funny - I love taking the pics too! My hub thinks it is strange, but oh well! (at least it keeps me from eating it so fast!)

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a beautiful tart! Your pictures are so pretty. I love the raspberries.

    ReplyDelete
  14. These photos are lovely! And I HAVE stopped eating dessert midway to take just one more picture. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. those berries are picture perfect--lovely tart!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yum raspberry fruit! I have to discover the macro setting on my camera! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I had to laugh - I get up in the middle of eating to take pictures too, sometimes! Isn't it great? Your tart photos look great!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your tart looks delicious! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have to try this with fruit butter! Great job!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This dessert compelled photography throughout its consumption, didn't it? And yes... only a food blogger would be likely to notice that. :) Great job making it AND eating it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. oh! raspberries as well. those look lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mmm. I bet raspberries were great with the strawberries. You pictures are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Raspberry fruit butter? Really? I LOVE the idea! Delicious and beautiful. Thank you for commenting on the photo taking process too. I am still adjusting to taking pictures of food while cooking, eating, breathing, etc. . .it gets addictive. =D

    Your strawberry and raspberry tart looks just like Spring and Summer should. . inviting, fun, and colorful! Thank you for the warm welcome too!

    ReplyDelete
  24. That tart looks so good! Thanks for the comments and for welcoming me to TWD. I'm off to explore your blog now.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Isn't the macro setting, just the best?! Your pictures look delicious and you've got me green with envy over with your raspberry fruit butter! YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh, the fruit butter! Yum-it sounds amazing, and I can definitely relate to getting up in the middle of eating to photograph.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Mmm, I really want to try this raspberry fruit butter, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.
    I enjoyed your comments re: photography - I too am teaching myself along the way.
    My daughter is threatening to start her own blog about having to wait until her crazy mother takes pictures of all the food before we can eat it!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I've heard some others say the Clearbrook farms products are good. I used their peach butter and it is soooo good. I will have to try some of the other flavors.

    Nice pics! Your tart looks fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful work on your tart...especially like the idea of fruit butter -yum!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your "interupted" strawberry tart looks delicious!
    Shari@Whisk: a food blog

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wow! What dedication! If I got up for a second photo, it would be to show the crumbs and sufficiently-licked-clean fork. Looks lovely!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. your tart looks just as dorie intended, w/all the beautiful berries spilling over the sides! great job

    ReplyDelete