Almost The End of Tarts and Cookies

Tomorrow will be the last day of Tarts and Cookies, followed by my first practical and written exam of this pastry program.  After 11 days in the sweet kitchen, my partner and I had our first reall kitchen boo-boo.  We burnt our caramel.  It's amazing how quickly and how much the sugar continues to burn after we remove the pot of sugar solution from the heat. 

Technically we made 2 tarts and one batch of cookies but I did not bother to bring home/eat the Tartelettes Tatin.  Even though we remade a batch of caramel (the first batch burnt) for the Tart Tatin, the sauce tasted burnt and was just unpleasant to eat.  We secretly (which now isn't a secret since it made it to the blog) sent the tart to the compose bin after we picked at it a little.

My favorite take home goodies today are these lovely Bourbon-Peacan Cookies.  I am definitely going to add it to my permanent recipe box.  They are incredibly crumbly but not milly like shortbread cookies.  On the palette, it has the sensation of nuts and cookie crumbs held together by a light meringue.  It has great crunch without being hard or dry.

The Tarte Aux Noix Caramel (Caramel-Nut Tart) turned out beautifully but it's a little too sweet for my liking.  This tart is filled with chopped walnuts and caramel, topped with almond paste. 

Tarte Aux Noix Caramel (Caramel-Nut Tart)