i knew this year was busy, distracting, exhausting, etc., but i failed to realize just how LITTLE blogging i did this year. it’s been nearly 365 days since my last post. my heart hurts just writing that! well, as they say, some things are better late than never, and i suppose a blog about baking can fall into that category.
to start, my final bake of my year-of-bakes was a lemon meringue pie. i’m not very experienced with homemade pie crust and have never tackled meringue, so it felt like a nice challenge to wrap up that journey and put my skills to the test. in looking back at the pictures, i remember being a little disappointed in the crust, mainly in that it just wasn’t very symmetrical. i guess that just enhances its homemade-ness. 🙂 and even though my curd might not have set as much as it should have, that meringue on top was quite a sight! fluffy stiff peaks and a tart filling made for a tasty bite in the end, and if someone requested a pie like this for a special occasion, i think i could manage.
i also baked some other new and familiar things throughout 2025, including…
some of the tastiest classic cinnamon rolls you can find (kudos to my sister-in-law jessica for sharing the recipe)
chocolate chocolate mini muffins requested by our oldest nephew bode (he said i can make them anytime!) that remind me of the otis spunkmeyer ones i used to get in the omhs cafeteria
and pumpkin cinnamon rolls suggested by clarky boy for thanksgiving (they were so good i sent him home with a couple on his flight back to chicago)
what should i tackle in the new year? i’ve gotten into sewing and am wondering if maybe a new small craft/pattern every 1-2 months might be a good way to ensure my bernette sewing machine (thanks, mom!) gets some good use. time will tell! i pray you and yours have a happy holiday season and joyous new year.
have you been wondering, “where is kelsey’s november bake? how about the december bake? is everything okay?!” there is nothing to wonder or worry about, per se, as the last couple months of 2024 simply took over and flew on by! between a trip to costa rica with family and the holidays with the in-laws, dedicated time to bake something new just fell by the wayside.
rest assured i did not forget my commitment and this past weekend decided to try my hand at homemade pretzels. i was inspired by the Christmas market phillip and i went to last month. it was full of German-inspired treats and goodies, and we indulged in a tasty bratwurst and giant pretzel while we listened to an a cappella group sing some carols. much festive-ness!
i’ve had spotty success when it comes to working with yeast but did not let that deter me from trying out this homemade soft pretzel recipe. i had nearly all the ingredients on hand and figured it was time to brush up on my dough-making skills. the pretzel dough itself came together pretty easily as i added some water, and i was thrilled i didn’t have to schlep out my stand mixer. don’t get me wrong, i love that thing; but it’s buried in the depths of our kitchen cabinets and somewhat of a pain to retrieve. as i balled up the dough and double-checked the recipe, though, i sharply inhaled in a panic. i had forgotten the tablespoon of oil! i reread the steps several times and first thought, “well, if forgetting the oil is a grave mistake, i’ll know soon enough.” but as i revisited the recipe, i thought the oil really was just for the bowl itself. so, we went with that. 🙂
a little over an hour later, i checked on my dough. i wouldn’t say it had quite doubled in size, but sometimes i’m impatient (this past sunday was one of those days), so i abandoned all caution and plopped the dough out and divided it into equal parts. getting that dough to roll into a long rope wasn’t the easiest. the dough kept bouncing back, and i feared overworking it. however, i wasn’t in the mood to let a little bit of pretzel dough stress me out, so one-by-one, i eventually got the hang of it. they look like pretzels to me!
into a hot baking soda-water bath they went. then, it was a sprinkling of kosher salt and into the oven.
the timer sounded, and i opened the oven cautiously. there was a yeasty smell in the air, and i was pleased to see the browning on the pretzels. they looked a little pale in places, but i didn’t want to overbake the bottoms. so, out they came and onto the cooling rack.
the more i looked at my little pretzel treasures, the more they made me smile. i can honestly say i don’t eat soft pretzels that often, but something about them felt very nostalgic. i expect probably because they made me reminisce on trips to the mall growing up. we would almost always stop by the auntie anne’s stand for a hot pretzel between shops to savor the buttery flavor and rest our feet. mm, the good ‘ole days.
is this recipe a keeper? absolutely. was it the best pretzel i’d ever eaten? no, but the recipe is solid, and i’m certain with a little refining and practice, they could easily be something i whip up for a weekend get together or, you know, just because. 🙂
Good day, my friends! Phillip Davis here at it again sincerely and passionately to continue to be a Guest Blogger on the amazing and uncommon blog website of Kelsey V!
I am sure that you know by now that, yes, Kelsey and I love to eat and travel. So much that we basically have planned out our travel plans for 2025. Creating memories is very important in our lives, and for us, it’s been by traveling and spending that quality time together. So, with that being said, I present to you our London Day Two Blog!
Kelsey, Tori, Clark, and I woke up the next morning from our night “knight” caps and took the London Tube from Stratford to the Notting Hill Gate Station, which was about a 30-minute train ride on the Central Line into the city. After a short, brisk walk from the station, we made it to the popular Cheeky Scone, a bakery centered all around the scone and coffee scene that London has to offer. And, goodness did it offer! Kelsey and Tori tried out the Poppy Seed Scones while Clark and I went with the Chocolate Dipped Nutella scones, and boy was it all good!
Kelsey at the Cheeky Scone grand entrance!
Now each scone was offered with two huge (and I mean HUGE!) sides of our choice of jam and London’s clotted cream, which are both staples for eating with scones. At first, all four of us did not know how to eat the scones with the clotted cream and jam, but we saw some locals a few tables across from us. They broke the scones in half and then spread the clotted cream on each half first before putting the jam on the top of the clotted cream. So, an open-faced scone sandwich, if you will! We each had our own coffee to complement our scones, so we savored our lovely breakfast meal in this little cafe before we did other festivities for the day!
The scone lineup!
Chocolate covered scone & poppy scone!
My Hot Mocha, of course! 🙂
Scone + Clotted Cream & Raspberry Jam!
After our breakfast, we all decided to walk around foggy London town since we were in the heart of the city. Since we were very close to Kensington Gardens, and since the weather was nice, we decided to walk there and start there first. Upon entering the gardens from the West side, we saw the grand Kensington Palace and Queen Victoria Statue and walked our way around the Round Pond for a little while. After the Round Pond, we kept walking East until we made our way to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and Hyde Park on the Eastern side. All of these scenes and monuments were very beautiful, and it really made us four reflect on just how much history London has (and we were just getting started on our trip).
While at the park, we also noticed that most of the locals were wearing grey and black apparel or more neutral colors. We also saw lots of dogs and folks riding bicycles, as well. It was all very picturesque in scene, and by this time around midday, we had walked over 20-thousand steps, but who was counting, ha! Then, of course, within minutes and out of nowhere, the rain started coming down so the four of us quickly made our way down to Harrods to, number one, get indoors out of the rain and two, to do some shopping!
We were inside Harrods for definitely more than an hour until the rain died down, but, of course, we purchased some London souvenirs there to bring home with us to remember the memories we created in London. Once the rain stopped, we left Harrods and continued walking East along our journey until we made our way to the Wellington Arch and Buckingham Palace! The palace was just as beautiful as I remembered from my very first trip to London around 20 years ago! This was Kelsey’s, Tori’s, an Clark’s first time to London, so to see their faces light up when we arrived to the palace was definitely priceless! We stayed there a while, sat around the Queen Victoria Memorial, and embraced the scenery all around us.
Kelsey. Looking up at the arch in awe!
As time seemed to fly by (like most vacations do), and since it was around mid afternoon as the day was getting wrapped up, we were definitely getting hungry at this point. So, we hopped on the Tube for a short ride to get some local fish and chips at Rock and Sole Plaice. We all got the Regular Plate of Cod Loin that came with their Signature Tarter Sauce. Kelsey and Tori got London Style Sides which came with homemade coleslaw, gherkins, pickled onion, pickled egg, and mushy peas. Clark and I ordered butter rolls with our meals. We all enjoyed our food with no leftovers at all! We washed our food down with their Rock and Sole Lager Beer and me with their Camden Pale Ale. This was definitely one of my favorite meals of the entire London trip, that’s for sure!
Rock and Sole rocked my soles off! 😂
Fish and Chips. What more can I say? Not much since I was devouring this!
Camden Ale of mine!
Beer. Enough said!
After our wonderful Lunch/Dinner (I like to call this “Linner) fish and chips, we called it a day out in the city and and took the tube back to the Moxy Hotel in Stratford where we, of course, took on some more rounds of What’s The Point and more drinks at the Moxy Lobby bar. After some games, we headed to bed to rest and prepare for day three!
My Moxy Welcome Drink, and what a big pour!
PS – I still have yet to beat Kelsey, Tori, and Clark in a game!! 🙂
last month my mom and i ended up on nephew and niece duty for a football saturday. mom planned to make a big ‘ole pot of chili and suggested cheese straws might be the perfect snack to accompany a piping hot bowl for dinner. say no more! instead of just picking some up at the nearby grocery store, i got to googling and stumbled upon this cheese straws recipe featured in food & wine magazine. i’m finding they are a reputable source, which shouldn’t be surprising but is comforting.
i don’t know that i have ever eaten a cheese straw, much less made one. so i was sure to read the recipe through several times before i got to mixin’. the minimal ingredient list gave me a short pause, but sometimes less is more. what i ended up finding as i prepared, rolled, and cut this dough is that these cheese straws were quite easy to bring together. many of the components are staples that were already handy in the pantry, and i’ll tell you now that the house smelled heavenly as these sweet little things baked up in the oven.
i decided to use a fancy fluted cutter my dad got me ages ago (8 years ago to be exact) and definitely wiggled each straw as suggested in the instructions to create an appealingly curvy shape. just make you smile, don’t they?
and then you know what made me chuckle? how these cheese straws looked so much like crinkle fries once done. much amusement. so they were good looking, but were they good tasting? i’m happy to report they were. if you make these, don’t you dare omit the cayenne pepper. it’s extremely necessary to keep the straws from tasting bland, and if i’m being honest, i think (somehow) the straws tasted better the next day. cheesy? zippy? easy to eat? you can bet this recipe is going in the binder.
oh, and this month i have a bonus for you all! i was suddenly inspired to try my hand at a roll cake. yes, i’ve made cake. yes, i’ve made whipped cream. but have i ever rolled a cake? no. this recipe from john with preppy kitchen will be a keeper. i think my only flub is that the cake was overbaked by maybe just a minute or two. i say so because when i unrolled the cake, filled it with the cream, and rerolled it, some cracks started to appear. the good news is that you drown it in chocolate ganache, which covered up all my mistakes! i am not embarrassed at all to say that i did share a slice with phillip but then managed to eat the whole rest of the cake all by my lonesome. at least i paced myself throughout the week. 🙂
last week i was looking at what else september had in store for us, and it was then i realized i was running quite short on time for this month’s bake! we’ve got some commitments soon that will severely limit my availability to be in the kitchen, so i was quite grateful when fate dealt me a sweet hand.
long story short, i ended up getting to host our book club meeting for september. and even though i usually just bring a couple bottles of wine, i figured it would be the perfect occasion to whip up something special for my ladies. so, i knew the when, but now remained the what. as i pondered my options, it made perfect sense to let the book lead me to an idea, and this month we read the good left undone, a multigenerational novel that carried us from the shores of viareggio in italy to marseille and even the rolling hills of scotland.
quickly i let google guide me through numerous searches of traditional italian and scottish desserts (i decided a french dessert was out since i did eclairs last month 🙂 ). page after page presented endless options, many a little ambitious for the short amount of time i knew i would have on hand. a girl can only do so much on a wednesday night after a full day of work!
after much consideration, i landed on panna cotta. i know nothing about this dessert, not even how it should taste, so figured i had nothing to lose. the element that excited me most was the gelatin. i’ve never worked with it before and was intrigued to see the results. knowing it would be a larger crew, i doubled the recipe and got everything going. the cream was simmering, the gelatin was doing whatever gelatin does, and i prepared these sweet little ramekins of batter. can we call it batter?
as tempted as i was to check on their progress, i let these little buddies sit overnight and whipped up some raspberry coulis in the meantime. many of the recipes i read mentioned it was a common accompaniment for panna cotta, and since i rarely do anything halfway, i heated the water and sugar, blended them with raspberries, strained out all those pesky seeds until my arms gave out, and topped it with a generous spalsh of chambourd. the good news? it was ALL worth it. 🙂 each panna cotta was topped with a lovely spoonful of coulis and paired with a glass of dessert wine. jennifer at local vine always helps me find the right blend for the meeting’s theme, and tonight was no exception. the panna cotta was silky and firm but easy to enjoy with a spoon, and the tart, sweet coulis complemented the slightly vanilla flavor of the panna cotta. if anyone has an italian-inspired evening coming up, i implore you to make this dessert. easy but impressive, it will be sure to delight any guest!
i don’t know how this month’s bake came to mind but ended up deciding on chocolate eclairs. i was drawn to them because (1) i’ve never made choux pastry (2) there were multiple components and i felt up for the challenge and (3) i felt like it would be a good test of my baking skills.
oh, and this bake was doubly fun because mom was in town! now, she worked in food service her entire career, so she could smoke just about anyone in the kitchen (myself especially) but she was patient as i got all the ingredients organized, equipment laid out, and oven preheated. using this recipe from food & wine magazine, we got right to work on the choux pastry. i’ve seen chefs make it countless times on baking competition shows and was excited and nervous to see if it would work out for us. and despite the handful of negative reviews on the website, we powered forward. after boiling our water/butter mixture, i diligently removed the pot from the heat and vigorously stirred in the flour. much to our amazement and relief, the dough started to come together from the sides and leave the trademark film on the bottom of the pot! it was a baking miracle, i tell you! we were on top of the world.
we threw it in the mixer to cool off, added the eggs one at a time, and piped those bad boys out on a baking sheet. they might not look like much now, but just you wait. 🙂
while the oven was hard at work, we fixed up the pastry cream (blessedly easy and dangerously delicious), washed our dishes, and let the anticipation rise. i think i am a capable enough baker to have completed this one on my own without issue, but it was a much more enjoyable experience with mom by my side. love ya, mom!
about 40 minutes later, we pulled open the oven door and grinned from ear to ear. the eclair shells were golden but not burned and had a nice hollow sound when you tapped the bottoms. we’re on a roll! nothing can stop us now.
once those little shells cooled on the baking racks, it all came together pretty quickly. we split them horizontally, dunked the tops in a melted chocolate-butter mixture (YUM), and spooned in generous heaps of the pastry cream.
even though dinner was right around the corner, we immediately indulged. these eclairs are extremely decadent without being overly sweet, and we each scarfed ours down in just a matter of bites. as we say in our household, this recipe is a “keeper” for sure, and i look forward to a special occasion (or, you know, just another random monday) when i can make them again.
a little over halfway through the year now, and the july bake definitely “takes the cake” in terms of fun. as you may have seen, phillip, mom, clark, and i visited london last month. as the plans started coming together (and knowing we were would be there on my birthday), i did a little looking and uncovered a little thing known as the big bakes. likely inspired by the great british bake off (but of course with no official affiliation), the big bakes makes baking classes accessible all over london and just happened to have some classes available while we were there. well, we knew what our plans would be that evening!
i won’t spoil for you what else we got to do that day, but after a lot of walking and a pint and a quick dinner, we took the tube to their east location off haggerston and stepped into our baking adventure. are you surprised to know i was squealing with excitement as we stepped through the refrigerator entrance? if you know me, you’re not surprised at all.
we had arrived a little early so “oohed” and “aahed” as we entered their charming pantry bar. it’s like they know exactly what their clientele will like! with eats and drinks galore, there’s something for everyone, us included. we plopped in the corner booth and enjoyed coffees and champagne and bubbled over with anticipation. i think we were all still stunned that we were actually there, and it warms my heart immensely knowing that we can have such a blast just about anywhere we go. 🙂
oh, and in between sparkling sips, i squeezed in a little selfie session, too!
suddenly remembering we were there to bake and not just drink (which you can actually do), we were summoned to the tent! now, it was a typical rainy london day, so we hurried across the platform and to our stations. if you’ve ever watched the show, the format here is like the technical challenge. you don’t know what you’re making ahead of time, you’re given a recipe, and you have a time limit. it was exciting and terrifying all at once! now, to ensure these classes feel welcoming (and to ensure you tell all your friends about it and come back for more), the recipe is extremely detailed, the ingredients are premeasured, and all your equipment is already laid out for you. talk about being spoiled! oh, and to make it even better, you can bring your beverages from the bar with you and even order more throughout. this is my kind of baking!
following a brief explanation from the instructor, we suited up (i had purchased the birthday package so that we could don our hats and aprons, of course), and got to work. the theme that month was safari cakes, so we were tasked with baking our sponges, cooling them, and decorating them. oh, and then they would be judged in front of the entire class! although that tracks with the show, i definitely was intimidated. worry not; there were lots of home bakers and amateurs there, so we were in great company.
with only two hours on the clock, we dove on in and got to work. we mixed, we scraped, we filled, we baked. i’ve made countless cakes (excuse me, sponges) before, so that came naturally.
the part that stressed me out (and i sensed this in clark, too) were the choices we had to make. everyone got to pick their own flavors and decorations and finishing touches, and when you’re in a flurry of flour, sugar, and butter, it’s hard to focus! talk about being spontaneous. thankfully our partners were the calming force we needed, and soon enough our creations came together and were placed on the front table.
one by one, the instructor used an overwhelming large knife to cut an overwhelmingly large slice out of each of our cakes. each pair shared what kind of animal they chose, the flavors of their sponges and frostings, and (why not) the animal’s name. the instructor then provided a cursory judgment on our sponge textures, and a supporting applause was given to all. with so many creative and unique designs, it truly was such a cheery atmosphere!
now, are you dying to know what we made? mom and clark went for an almond sponge with orange zest and almond slices baked in and an orange frosting to create a tiger affectionately named aubie. phillip and i added some pink to our sponge to support the strawberry flavor we chose for everything on our zebra named woody. they make a dashing pair, don’t you think?
now, this whole “a year of bakes” blog series is focused on things i’ve not ever baked. the element new to me during this experience was the fondant we used on our zebra. i definitely don’t keep fondant stocked in our pantry so knew i wanted to include it. the eyes and nose and ears came about easy enough, although the proportions may have been a little off. where i struggled mightily, though, was with the stripes. i think my mistake was rolling the brown fondant too thinly, which caused it to tear tremendously as i tried to cut out each piece and lift if off the counter. i’ve a feeling it takes a lot of practice to really get the hang of working with fondant and don’t know if i’ll be trying my hand at it again any time soon. regardless, though, we got to use new ingredients and new tools and definitely make something i’ve never made before!
oh, and of course we had to see how they tasted! we lugged our cakes all the way back to stratford in their charming cake boxes and had a piece in the hotel lobby. writing about this bake makes me smile from ear to ear, and i will gladly cherish this memory for many years to come.
Hello there! It’s me, Phillip Davis again, husband to the amazingly uncommon, Kelsey V., who is the owner of this lovely blog website. It sure has been a little while since my last guest blog, and so, it is time to do another one! 😀
Kelsey and I have, of course, been doing some more traveling since we both have been having the urge to take some trips here and there since after the pandemic, and this lovely trip was one we were planning on doing a few years ago before the pandemic. So, what we decided to do, with the help from Kelsey and her side of the family, was to surprise Kelsey’s mom, Tori, and take her on a trip to London to celebrate her retirement! And, it was also really cool that Kelsey’s Birthday would fall during our time across the pond, so we had much to celebrate over there, for sure. So, without further, ado, let’s do this!
Due to the time difference between Atlanta, GA and London, which was a 5-hour difference, we decided to hop on a red eye flight through Delta Air Lines. We were supposed to take off around 5:30p.m. Eastern Daylight Time to arrive in London around 6:30a.m. British Summer Time (BST) the very next day on Saturday, July 6th, however we were delayed about 2 hours or so in Atlanta due to weather in the area and a minor fuel delay. Once the Atlanta weather subsided and our Boeing 767-400ER aircraft was fully fueled for the 8-hour night plane ride to London, we were on our way! What seemed like 8+ hours felt only like 2 or 3 hours because we were just so excited to get there! Oh, and the food on the plane was pretty good, as well! We could choose between a pasta dish or chicken, and since this was an international long-haul flight, drinks were included, as well! Thanks, Delta!
Our Delta B767-400ER that would take us “across the pond!” Relay For Life logo on the plane!
My usual drink choice from Sweetwater Brewing Company! 🙂
My pasta dish with tiramisu and quinoa on the flight back home. I didn’t get a picture on the way there since I ate my dinner rather quickly, ha!
We landed at London Heathrow International Airport around 8:30a.m. London time with some shuteye on the airplane. A few airline movies and music later, we felt a little bit jet lagged, but not too bad. Kelsey, Tori, and I got our luggage and went through immigration and customs, and shortly thereafter, met and hugged Kelsey’s brother, Clark, at the terminal’s arrivals and departures area! Since Clark lives in Chicago, he took a direct flight to Heathrow and arrived a few hours before us. So, what was 3 travelers became 4 when we met up with Clark!
Need I say more!?
Clark set up a shuttle service for us to get to the Moxy Hotel in Stratford, which is about a 15-20 minute London Tube train ride into London city. The Stratford we stayed at is East from London, and Stratford-upon-avon is West of the city. I thought they were one in the same, but they are not! Anyways, our shuttle driver was very kind and showed us some of the important landmarks throughout London and explained some other tips and tricks about navigating the huge city!
Jet lagged Phil!
Stratford, London!
The Moxy Hotel in Stratford!
Mamma Tori so excited to get on the London Tube for dinner!
The Elizabeth Line train we took for dinner on Day One!
The amazingly uncommon, Kelsey V, and me on the tube!
Tori and Clark excited for dinner on the tube!
Once we got to the hotel and checked in, we all decided to take a nap before our dinner reservation over at Dishoom in Shoreditch. Dishoom is a very popular Indian cuisine restaurant in London, and we ended up going to a location close by to the hotel and took the Tube to get there (see train pictures above)! It was INCREDIBLE! I had a chicken curry dish, Kelsey and Tori split a shrimp Indian dish with rice and curry beans, and Clark had a more traditional chicken dish. After dinner, we went over about a block away to a little alleyway that had multiple dessert shops on it. Kelsey and I headed on over to a little place called The After School Cookie Club Cookie Bakerywhere we ended up getting an ice cream cookie dessert while Tori and Clark got some ice cream at the dessert shop next door. Click on the pictures below for captions!
After our dessert, we took the Tube back to the hotel and sat down in the hotel lounge to have some drinks and the “cheers” to my lovely Kelsey’s Birthday and Mamma Tori’s Retirement. While drinking and hanging out, we 4 played one of Kelsey’s and my favorite card games called, “What’s The Point,” which was a game we found when we went to Albuquerque, New Mexico last year at that bar, Outpost 1706 – Downshift. The three of them won at least a round of card play each, but not me, haha! After a few rounds, we all decided to put on our night caps (or should I say knight caps) and head to bed. After all, we were still pretty jet lagged.
Ahhh, refreshing!
Classic Margarita!
I still have yet to beat them in a game! 😀
I will be back on Kelsey’s blog site here for London, Day Two soon!
i know i have been tardy in my baking posts but promise i have not been tardy in my actual baking! i did do a june bake and even already did my july bake! i’ve just been a little preoccupied with some fun activities but am happy to get back to it.
there wasn’t any particular strike of inspiration for my june bake, so i thought i’d turn to a reliable source for ideas. i present the alternative baker cookbook. i’m certain i’ve mentioned this book before, but long story short, it was a suggestion from a former coworker whose wife is gluten-free. i tolerate gluten just fine but welcomed the recommendation to expand my baking knowledge. over the past five years or so, i’ve made several of these recipes (most quite successfully) so flipped through its pages to see if anything would strike my fancy.
after considering a few options, i landed on the buckle. this “old-timey” dessert features ripe fruits that sink into batter, which then buckles up and around. seriously, that’s it! these alternative flours were familiar to me, but i don’t often bake with stone fruits so thought this new-to-me recipe seemed like a comfortable choice.
when i launch into a recipe (especially new ones), i read the instructions several times. i get out all my ingredients and organize my bowls and utensils and measuring spoons so that once i begin, it’s smooth sailing. with this buckle, that included smoothly sifting my dry ingredients (what a relaxing sight) and browning my butter (what an intoxicating smell). each step matters, and the first few are no exception.
from there, i buttered my springform pan generously, plopped in the batter (which had me skeptical since it barely covered the bottom), and added the cut fruit. i couldn’t find good apricots in our produce section so settled on peaches instead. i mean, after all we are here in the peach state. 🙂 then, into the oven it went. i wasn’t really sure what to expect and thought there surely was not enough batter to create the buckle effect described by alanna. however, i’ve found this year that i’ve been surprised more than once so let science do its thing.
the oven filled the kitchen when nutty aromas and cozy feelings, and i had a smile on my face when the timer chimed. look at this scrumptious masterpiece! please trust me when i say this buckle tasted even better than it looked.
although described as a dessert, i greedily ate a slice for breakfast the next day and enjoyed it with a mug of piping hot coffee. the buckle batter was moist and delicate yet not tackled by the heavy peach slices. the alternative baker does it again, and i can see this buckle being a new go-to when we have visitors in town.
this post is about a recipe, yes. but, it’s the kind of recipe post that starts with a story. if that’s not your jam, feel free to proceed. otherwise, it’s time to hear a story about two friends and how life has a purposeful way of bringing folks together.
allow me to set the stage. it’s the summer of 2006, and i’ve moved to athens to start my freshman year at uga. my older brother had already paved the way, and i was tagging along. thankfully, he was good with it. 🙂 before school began, though, i had to survive band camp. yes, if you didn’t already know, i was in marching band throughout high school and college. can a kid get much cooler? i think not.
the dorm wasn’t open yet, so i had to crash at my brother’s place (lovingly named “the sousa house”) for a few nights. i walked through the kitchen and into the living room and was greeted by a fellow incoming freshman with highlighted hair. “hi, i’m kelsey,” i said. “i’m kyle,” he replied. he was quickly nicknamed bank because there were already too many kyles around, my brother included. little did we both know a nearly 18-year old friendship had begun.
through hype nights and football seasons to changes in majors and everything in between, we both eventually graduated with degrees in MIS. and, wouldn’t you know it, ended up working at the same consulting firm for a bit (with my brother kyle, too)! bank got married, got a dog, got a house, and had kids. i got married, got a dog, and got a house. we churched together, worked from home together, and have been there for each other through life’s many seasons. and somehow the old inside jokes are still funny and still we take joy in watching each other grow. we certainly could not have know then what the next decade had in store for us, but man, is it fun getting to cheer each other on.
so, now that you have the whole story, what’s all this got to do with a recipe? well, everything! i needed an idea for my may bake, and when bank got wind, he suggested i make a lemon tart. i learned it’s one of his favorites and a tradition in their house for his birthday. i asked if he grew up with lemon tarts, and he laughed, saying, “dessert in my house was little debbie.” hey, nothing wrong with that! the cupcakes and cosmic brownies are still my favorites. he went on to explain he just wanted something different, and his wife liz (who is a master baker) stumbled upon this lemon tart recipe. she described it as her go-to, so i borrowed her tart pan and got to work.
i’ve made a couple pies before, so fixing up the crust dough was quick work. and i double-, triple-checked the parbake instructions to ensure it wouldn’t overbake. ah, what a lovely crust!
i then tackled the filling. i think it’s quite cool that you deseed the lemon and essentially throw the whole thing in there. and although the color looked right and the fragrance was pleasing, i was worried about the texture. it was pretty grainy, and i was hesitant to put it in the crust. would the filling smooth out? would everything come together?
well, when i had bank and liz and phillip try a slice, they all said the crust was delicious and the filling had great lemony flavor that wasn’t too sweet or too tart (see what i did there?). and i would agree; however, the texture never really resolved itself. you can see the top of the tart was pretty rough, and the inside wasn’t much better. even though i don’t think this tart would win any competitions, flavor is always king over looks, so i guess i had that going for me. overall, for my first tart, i’d say i should be pleased. reliable crust recipe and new techniques. onto the next bake!
kelsey v 