The Mixing Bowl: Tarte Tatin by Judy Kaufmann

Barcelona-based illustrator Judy Kaufmann is sharing a recipe today for a truly beautiful dessert, the Tarte Tatin, which is essentially an apple pie baked upside down! Judy sent along several images of the baking process and it really is a wonder to behold. And the finished product looks absolutely delicious! All I’d need to do is add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and I’d be in heaven!

 I was first introduced to Judy Kaufmann’s work via her colorful portrait of Frieda Kahlo. The image is so whimsical and fresh that it’s practically begging to be put on a wall! Her use of bright colors and her quirky spin on the ordinary makes her simple illustrations really stand out. My favorite pieces come from her Circus series (love these!) and from the Famous Print Collection, which includes the Kahlo print. You can check out the full range of prints, and shop online, right here. You can also check out more of her work, and additional product info, via her website.

You can find the complete Tarte Tartin recipe, plus more images after the jump. Thanks, Judy! ~Erin

The Mixing Bowl: Apple Crumble by Sol Linero

I have an addiction...to Pinterest. I joined about a year ago and my obsession with pinning is still going strong. I'm not much of a social networking fan. I never really got into Facebook or Twitter or any of the other sites that people seem to love so much, but, boy, Pinterest has got me, and it's got me good! So, you may be wondering what all this Pinterest talk has to do with today's Mixing Bowl contributor Sol Linero. Well, I'll tell ya. I first discovered Sol's work on, you guessed it, Pinterest! To be more precise, I kept pinning fabulous illustrations by unknown artists, only to discover that they were all created by Sol Linero! After this happened about half a dozen times, I knew that I had to contact her. I simply could not get enough of her charming designs! After graciously agreeing to contribute a recipe to the Mixing Bowl, Sol sent me this wonderful illustrated recipe for her Aunt's Apple Crumble, a recipe choice that made me sooo happy because Apple Crumble just so happens to be one of my favorite desserts! Apple Crumble, Sol Linero, and Pinterest. What is better than that??

Sol Linero is a graphic designer/illustrator who hails from Buenos Aires. She has worked with Discovery, MTV Latin America, Nickelodeon, and MTV, among others. You can see more of her work on her web site, right here. Thanks, Sol! (To see a larger version of the Apple Crumble recipe, simply click on the image at the top of this post.)

Sweet Testing: Date Butter Tart & Apple Green-Chili Pie With Cheddar Crust and Walnut Streusel

Back in November of last year, The New York Times put together an amazing slideshow of unique pies and tarts that appeared on their website. I was instantly taken with each and every pie and have being longing to make one ever since! Unfortunately, it just never happened, despite my best attempts to force these beauties upon other people, no one seemed quite as taken with the idea of green chili apple pie, but me! Well, I am happy to announce my pie dreams finally came true recently when my mom made not one, but two of the slideshow pies for my birthday! And I have to say, they were a huge success! So yummy and different! Normally, I have a little bit of a meltdown if I don't have ice cream with my pie, but, in this case, I actually ate around the ice cream, choosing instead to eat the pie in all its naked, untouched glory. Maybe the next time I eat a date butter tart, I'll eat it with ice cream, but this time I wanted nothing but pie! Oh, and while these pies do come with their own individual crust recipes, we opted for the fantastic Whole Foods gluten-free crust, which is a really good pie crust and, of course, it's gluten free, which makes it fun for the whole family! For the apple pie, which contains cheddar cheese in it's crust, my mom simply put the cheese on top of the crust. Click here to check out the recipe for Apple Green-Chili Pie With Cheddar Crust and Walnut Streusel and here for the Date Butter Tart. {Thanks, Mom!}

The Mixing Bowl: English Apple Cake by Pigeon Post

It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a Mixing Bowl post (sorry about that!), so I’m super excited about today’s recipe and I’m especially thrilled that it’s from Pigeon Post! Created by Studio Tipi founders Keith-yin Sun and Judi Chan, Pigeon Post is inspired by both folk art and mid-century design. They produce utterly original work that is both classic and modern at the same time (with a touch of whimsy thrown in for good measure)! There is quality of surreal familiarity in their illustrations that I adore, so, of course, I was really glad that they agreed to share a wonderful seasonal recipe with us this month!

From Pigeon Post: We love cakes. And as the cold winter starts to set in nothing beats a freshly baked, nicely spiced, traditionally flavoured good old slice of cake. This recipe from Nigel Slate, one of our favourite food writers, is not only simple and easy to follow, but it never fails to deliver amazing results.

I love too many of their illustrations to include them all here, so I’ll just send you to their Web site so you can check out the full collection, including their collaborations with the Art Gallery of Alberta. You can also click here to visit their Etsy store. Dessertgirl readers can get an extra 10% off at the Pigeon Post shop by entering the discount code HOHOHO2010 at checkout (valid until December 17th).

You can find the complete recipe after the jump. Happy baking!

The Mixing Bowl: Oat Crumble Apple Pie by Laura Ljungkvist

This week illustrator Laura Ljungkvist is sharing with us her recipe for oat crumble apple pie (see the bottom of this post on how to access a larger version of the recipe). I was super excited when Laura sent it over because not only is it a great image, but I love love love apple crumble! Especially with ice cream! Actually, if isn't served warm, with ice cream, I may throw a hissy fit! Not that it isn't yummy just on it's own but the heat and the ice cream transform it from yummy to heavenly.

Laura Ljungkvist is a Swedish artist based in New York whose work incorporates colorful images, geometric shapes, and minimalist design. Known for her incredible drawings that are built around one continuous line, Laura has illustrated numerous children's books, including the popular Follow the Line series.

In addition, Laura has also created designs for clients such as Harper’s Bazaar, House and Garden, The London Sunday Times, Mademoiselle, The New York Times, and MTV, among others. In fact, the illustration for apple crisp that Laura sent over first appeared in the awesome British children's magazine, Anorak. Below is the cover of the issue in which Laura's recipe appears. It also happens to be the chocolate issue! So there's sure to be lots of great drawings of chocolate by really talented illustrators. Check out their Web site, right here.


Click here to visit Laura's Web site. Thanks, Laura!


A larger version of the recipe appears after the jump, at the bottom of the post.

Click picture below to see larger image.

To Dry For: Tea Towels

I love these fun tea towels from To Dry For! Based in Oxford, England, Sally and Dave created this site as a way to bring designers and tea towels together and to make the buying of such towels easy for the tea towel loving public. Each towel was created by a specific designer and the product description contains a link to that designer's Web site, making it easy to check out more of their work. Personally, I love the "Right On" design by Stuart Kolakovic, but the Mr. T towel is pretty hard to resist! Check out the full collection right here.

The Dessert Truck

I wrote this post ages ago and kept forgetting to post it. Then, last week, I saw this article on the Wall Street Journal online, and decided that I better post this before the truck trend completely fizzles out. So, without further ado, here is the post. Better late then never.

Yes, it's true. I'm obsessed with the Dessert Truck. I know several other versions of these sugar carrying vehicles have popped up in NYC and other large cities lately, but I think the appropriately named Dessert Truck is my favorite. Maybe it's because one of the people behind the Dessert Truck is a former pastry sous chef at Le Cirque, and that sounds fancy or maybe it's because the desserts they offer aren't typical truck fare (i.e. slow-baked apples and cinnamon [see pic above] and goat cheese cake). But, really, when you get right down to it, I think it has a lot to do with my childhood love of ice cream trucks. How could I resist?

If you too would like to relive your latent childhood fantasies involving magic trucks jam packed with yumminess, click here to find out where and when the Dessert Truck will make it's next stop. Or, if simpler snacks are more your thing, check out the Treats Truck, right here. (Food pics by Eugenio Garcia-Palacios)

Godiva Hearts, for People Who Insist on Celebrating Valentine's Day

photo courtesy of Karen Turner

Okay, I have two statements to make before I get to the chocolatey goodness section of this post.

Preface #1 - I think Valentine's Day is totally lame! I've always felt that way. Well, maybe not when I was in second grade, but I don't think I was waxing philosophical about holidays at that point. I was too busy fantasizing about Fred from Scooby Doo to worry about such things. I just don't understand why people put such importance on receiving a gift on Valentine's Day, especially when it's usually a gift that requires no brainpower, like candy, flowers, or stuffed bears. Oh, yea! My significant other bought me a gift not because they were thinking of me, but because their calender and the mall told them to! They must really love me! Not that I object to flowers or candy. I just object to them on February 14th!

Preface #2 - I think Godiva is, generally speaking, overrated. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this point, but I kind of think Godiva is like Tiffanys, in that all you're really paying for is the name. Is that diamond/chocolate truffle any better than any other diamond/chocolate truffle or are we just wowed by the name on the box? Maybe you're one of those people who genuinely LOVE Godiva's candy. I know a lot of people that do, so it is possible that maybe I'm wrong about their chocolate! I've also, in the past, bought gifts at Tiffanys, so, you know, I understand the lure of the fancy. :-)

That said, I was at Godiva the other day and couldn't stop looking at this box of heart-shaped chocolates!

photo courtesy of Karen Turner

I know! I was shocked! They were so pretty and unique, which makes sense once I realized that they're designed by pastry chef Norman Love (awww . . . love). It also sounds like these little hearts are filled with some interesting flavors like Apple Pie, Bananas Foster, and Caramel Macchiato, which is always a good sign! Give them to someone for Valentine's Day, if you're into that sort of thing. Click here to order the Hearts G Collection online (15 piece or 30 piece box) or click here to find a Godiva store near you.

Orla Kiely . . . at Target!!!

I'm soooo excited! Designer Orla Kiely is coming to Target in February! Her home collection will include great items for your kitchen like towels, placemats, napkins, aprons, oven mitts, dishes, trays, mugs, and a whole lot more. Plus, there are products for other parts of your home as well (laundry bags, shoe racks, desk trays, etc). Click here to see the full collection! Yippee!

Gift Guide: Aprons & Towels

Vintage Voile Apron, tree pattern ($3)


Squirrel Kitchen Towel ($15)

Il Gatto Apron (approx. $25)

Apples, Pears and Polka Dot Apron ($28)


Birdseed Apron ($29)