Baking: Apricot Flan Tart

This is a favorite of mine. The recipe comes from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook. Bouchon is amongst the best bakeries in the country. I've been there once, while visiting friends in California. If you ever happen past the town of Yountville, I recommend you stop in and try their goods. Since that is a long way for me to go for bakery, I like to make some of it for myself. This weekend's mission was Apricot Flan Tart. This is the third or fourth time I've made it. It's a relatively straight forward recipe, but it does demand your full attention while making it.

(I won't be sharing the recipe, as it is from a copyrighted book...that would be illegal...we're just looking at the process and highlights)

The recipe begins with a Pate Brisee for the shell. A simple mixture of flour, butter, and water. If you want your tart on Saturday morning...this needs to happen on Thursday evening. It needs to be chilled over night.

A Common Misconception About Taps

Let's take care of this once and for all: the difference between "gun" taps and standard taps.

On the left a standard fluted tap. On the right is a "gun" fluted tap. You will notice that the gun tap has an additional section ground away near the tip. That grind has a very specific purpose: it turns the chip around and forces it down. Standard taps move the chips up.

Lee Valley Plane Iron

When I got my Stanley SW #3 I decided to get a new iron for it. Since Lee Valley was having a nice little sale last week, it was the perfect time to get one. I've been using a Lee Valley back iron on my #5 and really like it. It was time to try one of their irons.

The original SW #3 iron and back iron next to the Lee Valley/Veritas set.