Crisps, Pies, Puddings, Tarts Archives

Apricot and Lavender Tart + A Giveaway

I’ve been a big fan of Anya Kassoff’s blog Golubka for a long time. It’s a lovely site full of gorgeously-photographed, health-promoting recipes, many of which are vegan and raw. Anya’s new book The Vibrant Table is just as beautiful and inspiring as her blog.

I received The Vibrant Table from publisher Roost Books a few months back. I’ve flipped through the book many times, reading Anya’s intriguing stories and “ooh”ing and “aah”ing over the photos (taken by her talented daughter Masha Davydova), but I could not decide what to make. I recently settled on the Apricot and Lavender Tart, and was so happy that I did…it’s fabulous!

Anya’s tart crust recipe is gluten-free and while I changed up the flours, mine is gluten-free, too. This recipe is also vegan. It’s the perfect dessert for when you want something that’s very visually appealing, but isn’t particularly over the top in terms of calories. This tart is actually very light, though you can certainly up the decadence factor by serving it with some vanilla ice cream.

Be sure to use very ripe apricots, otherwise your tart won’t be as flavorful as it could be. I found organic apricots at my local natural foods store and used those; I bought my dried lavender flowers at my natural foods store, as well. If you don’t need the tart to be vegan, I imagine butter will work well in the crust.

I started this blog back in May of 2009. Since then, I’ve written almost 700 posts. And a book.

Since I have learned so much and changed so much in the past 5 years, it’s only natural that the look and feel of my blog evolves, as well. So I hired my talented friend Sabrina to give HGK a little makeover as a “blogiversary” gift to myself. I wanted the design to be very simple, natural, and a little messy, even (kind of like me!). I hope you like it as much as I do :)

(Please if you notice any problems with the new design, let me know! That way, we can fix whatever is wrong.)

And what’s a celebration without a decadent treat? I made a Chocolate Silk Pie to mark this blogging milestone.

My parents used to serve a similar French Silk Pie in their restaurant when I was a kid…I have such fond memories of that pie and have been wanting to make one like it for a long time. This pie is so easy to prepare and it’s absolutely delicious: I think it perfectly symbolizes where my blog and I are at these days and what you can expect to see here in the future.

Apricot crisp from www.healthygreenkitchen.com

I spent much of last weekend visiting with dear friends I haven’t seen in years. We enjoyed lots of great conversation and feasting: it was so much fun! I made this fresh apricot crisp as part of a big breakfast I hosted on Sunday and everyone loved it. If you enjoy fresh apricots, I think you’ll love it, too.

Very ripe, local apricots are one of my favorite summertime treats. One of the local farm stands I frequent has them right now, and I keep making the trip over there to buy more!

If you can’t find fresh apricots, you can certainly make this recipe with a different stone fruit, such as nectarines or peaches or plums. You can also use a combination of different fruits, if you like.

This recipe does not contain all that much sugar compared to other crisp recipes I’ve made in the past. I prefer less sugar because I really want to taste the fruit in recipes like this, even if the fruit is a bit tart; also, as I mentioned above, we had this for breakfast (and I prefer to avoid very sweet things in the morning). Feel free to use a little more sugar if you go for fruits treats like this on the sweeter side, or if you are making this for dessert.

If you don’t eat grains (and therefore oats are out), you could make the crisp topping with ground nuts, such as almonds.

Deborah Madison is a legend in the cookbook world and she’s one of my favorite food writers. My parents gave me a signed copy of her book The Savory Way back in 1991 and I have cooked from (and treasured it!) ever since. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is a beloved possession of mine, as well.

Deborah’s newest tome is called Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes. Please trust me when I say it is a stunner! Ten Speed Press sent me a copy about 10 days ago and if I could spend all of my time lately reading this book, I would.

Last year around this time (at the urging of Shauna), LOTS of food bloggers took to their kitchens and made pie (I made this). That first annual Pie Party was a great success, so today we’re celebrating Pie Party 2012. Thank you Garret, Shauna, Justin, and Ashley for hosting ;) I made “mini” cheese pies … Read more

Apricot and Lavender Tart + A Giveaway

Celebrating 5 Years: A New Site Design + Chocolate Silk Pie

Fresh Apricot Crisp

Coconut Parsnip Custard

Mini Cheese Pies with Roasted Plum Jam (Gluten-Free)