Guilds, Chefs and Desserts!

So did you know that most Everyone called a chef is actually not a Chef, the way it works is you pretty much have to join a guild to get your acradadation, pass your guilds test, then work your way up till you are the sole person in charge of the kitchen you work at(ordering, scheduling, menu and ALL) and if you want to go further in the guild it go's all the way up to Master Chef.. when ask if I ever want to try for that I not so politely say "NO, I like being married" that kind of dedication requires a life destroying obsession, that I'm okay with not getting in to. So anyway kind of like how most people think that if you work at a hospital you are either a Doctor or a Nurse, when in reality there is a plethora of healthcare vocations (IE: EKG EEG lab techs, Respiratory Therapists, Audiologist, Pharmacists, Polysomnographs and on and on and on). So too in a kitchen there are a lot of vocations, mine is Certified Pastry Culinarian in layman's that means I'm a fancy baker, or if I or anyone around me is lazy I work in a kitchen so I'm a Chef, I find this hard for one because I have not earned the title Chef, but I get called Chef all the time, and for two it gets exhausting to tell people that a lot of true chefs spend most there time in the office keeping the whole place running, to witch I have no interest. I like baking, I LOVE european pastries, most of my favorite recipes are the hard ones, the creative ones, the ones that make people say "That is too beautiful to eat" this fills me with so much joy I have to turn away and say how happy I was to do it and "Please eat it, it should be quite good and I made it to be eaten and enjoyed". On that note my favorite dessert to make and to eat is Fruit Tart. If I was able I'd make one once a month and have it for breakfast as often as I could get away with. Before starting there are some things you should know always read the whole recipe before starting, gather ingredients in proper amounts "mise en place" and be careful this is hot stuff!

Fruit Tart

In food processor Mix till it comes together:

1 Cup powder sugar

3 cup AP Flour

12 oz butter (that is 1 ½ stick’s)

Press onto the bottom and sides of two 8” pans

Bake for 15 min till golden

Then put crust out to cool.

In a separate pan on stovetop boil:

½ cup sugar

4 cup milk

¼ cup butter

In separate bowl whisk:

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

¼ cup corn starch

½ cup sugar

2 T Vanilla

Temper milk into egg mixture.

Then place back in pan over medium heat and bring to a boil NEVER stop stirring! Warning at some point it will clot up, just Keep Stirring! once it smoothes out and starts to scare you with molten popping bubbles of pain, remove from stove and poor in to crusts . Slice fruit arrange in circles and brush with apricot glaze (½ cup apricot jam ½ cup water heat till boil).

Sorry for the bad photos.