Before we begin today’s post, did you know that May is Brain Tumour Awareness Month in Canada? Did you also know that 27 Canadians hear the words “you have a brain tumour” EVERY DAY?
Many of you know that I was diagnosed with a meningioma in May of 2023 and underwent emergency surgery to remove it (less than 48 hours after it was found). As part of my goal to raise awareness and, ultimately, funding to help BTFC support research projects, offer support, deliver trusted information and resources, and drive national advocacy efforts, I am donating $2 for every copy of my self-published mini cookbooks, French Food for Everyone sold during the month of May to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.
Get your copy of French Food for Everyone: le petit déjeuner, le goûter or le dîner (or all three) here!
Now onto today’s recipe!
In our most recent baking session, Les Petits Chefs baking club made a favourite easy recipe of mine – especially so because it looks so much more complicated than it actually is! The recipe involves crème pâtissière (pastry cream), fruit (in this case, apricots), and puff pastry (with some bonus pearl sugar if you can get a hold of it) and to make sure we had enough (and enough time!) I made a batch of this earlier in the day.
Once the session with the students started, I divided them into small groups and assigned jobs:
Station 1: Crème Pâtissière
Station 2: Apricots (they needed to be drained and patted dry)
Station 3: Pastry cutting:
Once all the components were ready, we got assembling!
It’s like a delicious construction project ! The tops are brushed with a little egg wash and sprinkled with pearl sugar (<<< affiliate link – you can also buy this locally in Toronto at some specialty food stores or at Flavourfull).
The assembly was the MOST fun!
After a flurry of activity, these were ready for the oven!
25ish minutes later, the space (more or less) clean, the recipe having been reviewed, the aprons put in the washing machine and the dishwasher stacked, these appeared:
“They look like real pastries, you know, like from the store!”
Well I’ll take that as a compliment of the highest order!
They are very very good, they really don’t take much to make (and if your custard overcooks a bit and is lumpy, you are hiding in the pastry so it doesn’t matter!) and they look impressive! Winning, right?
Get the recipe!
Get my recipe for Mini Fruit Danishes here.
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Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now!
Click here for details and how to order!
