[Foodie] Fruit Tart with Cream Cheese Custard and Mascarpone

So the countdown has begun for Matthew to head out to training. With that in mind, we’ve been trying out best to meet up with as many couples as possible and at the top of our list was Esther and Lee! It was even better than we had expected as Lee made us a Irish staple – Corned Beef and Hash – which I am already craving again big time. It was seriously such an encouraging time to meet up with a couple that has centered their whole relationship around Christ and has run the race in their marriage.  A huge reminder for both Matthew and I of the importance of keeping Christ our number one goal and how thankful we are to have each other!

Anywhooo! Since Lee made us a comfort food dinner to satisfy our bellies, I made dessert to satisfy our second belly, reserved only for the sweetest of sweets! Esther said to bring a fruit tart so naturally I said…..”I can make that.”  🙂

I’ve tried to make many a custard in the form of fruit tarts, banana cream pies…and I have been sadly unsuccessful. It’s kinda embarrassing, really, but I always seem to cook the eggs in the custard when you combine the hot milk and….ugh. It’s a hot mess. LITERALLY.

Until THIS recipe! It’s fail proof, delicious, and the fruit makes me feel like it’s nutritious! Strawberries, kiwis, and blueberries – just a few of my favorite fruits. And the kiwi makes this dessert festive enough for a St Patrick’s Day celebration! For the strawberries, I sliced them top to bottom for longer pieces. For the kiwis, I peeled the skin, cut them in half and then sliced them so they’re little half circles. For the blueberries, I just tried not to eat all of them hehe.

I added a layer of mascarpone cheese and basil for an extra kick which made a world of difference. Plus the basil makes it even more bright, refreshing, and green. But if it’s not your thing, then of course you can just stick to the tradition custard filling that is still really really gooood.

This even got a stamp of approval from Matthew! When it comes to desserts, that’s a pretty big stamp.

Thankful for sweets. Thankful for a reason to bake. Thankful for encouraging couples who keep it real. Thankful for Matthew. And above all, thankful for Christ.

Happy baking everyone! And especially with this one, happy eating!!

Juang

Cream Cheese Custard and Mascarpone Fruit Tart 

Adapted from Red Shallot Kitchen 

INGREDIENTS

• One Premade Pie Crust
• One Third Cup of Mascarpone Cheese
• A Generous Dollop of Honey
• Two Tablespoons of Chopped Basil
• One and One Half Cup of Milk
• One Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• One Package of Cream Cheese (Eight Oz)
• One Half Cup of Sugar
• Six Large Egg Yolks
• Two Tablespoons of Cornstarch
• Two Kiwis, Sliced
• One Cup of Strawberries, Sliced
• One Fourth Cup of Blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Bake your pie crust according to the package directions. It should be until golden brown at 350F.
2. Mix together the mascarpone cheese, honey, and basil. Spread a thin layer on the bottom of the pie crust once the crust has cooled.
3. Heat the milk on the stove until just before it has boiled. But don’t let it actually boil!! Then add the vanilla extract and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
4. Mix together the cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth and creamy. Slowly whisk in the hot milk in batches until everything is incorporated.
5. Put the filling back on the stove and continuously whisk  it at medium-low heat until the filling is thickened and slightly bubbling.
6. Press the filling through a fine mesh (I used a cheesecloth) and then let the custard cool to room temperature before filling the pie crust.
7. Now for the hard part….let it chill in the fridge for a few hours before layering the fruit on top. Enjoy large slices at a time 🙂

[D.I.Y.] Happy Happy Birthday Cards

A HUGE Happy Birthday shoutout to my two fabulous twin sisters – Isabel and Angela!!!!!!

It’s unbelievable to me that they are already NINETEEN. What the heck. In my mind they are forever 10 years old. But I have seen that God has been so faithful to them both, perfectly orchestrating every journey they’ve had to point them back to Christ. They are one of the biggest testaments of God’s faithfulness to answer prayers and redeem the lost. After seven long years of praying for my little sisters, I saw God’s sovereign and gracious hand in bringing them to a saving knowledge of who he is. In his perfect timing and in his perfect way, both Isabel and Angela came to know and love Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior [and within two weeks of each other! Twin power to the MAX]. What a sweet, sweet moment to be able to finally call my Juang sisters my beloved sisters in Christ 🙂

So happy birthday to my dear sisters who I love so much!!! And what better way to celebrate than to go to the happiest place on earth?? DISNEYLAND!

I was fortunate enough for them to visit me the weekend of their birthday and have a full day to play in Disneyland!! Even though I went to UC Irvine for undergrad, this is the first time in FIFTEEN YEARS that I’ve been to Dland. How sad hahaha but at least I got to go with my two favorite girls 🙂

Ok so all that just to say that my sisters’ birthday was the inspiration for these lovely little birthday cards that started taking over my creative brain. I hate having to pay for cards in general because I feel like I can just make them and so I did! Plus, I feel like anything you make yourself immediately is more personal and more meaningful 🙂

This definitely satisfied my crafting cravings this month. It started with just these two for their birthday…

…and ended up with all these!

I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot more to come soon 🙂 Hope you guys enjoy and it inspires some card crafting of your own!!

Happy crafting!

Juang

[Foodie] English Breakfast Liege Waffles

Being unemployed has given me a whole lot of time to start on my long list of baking and cooking adventures which means a lot more to share with ya’ll. And these Liege Waffles are stinkin’ amazing.

Liege waffles are a thicker yeast waffle with a more of a bready texture. Plus they’re  sweet and delicious all on it’s own because there are these magical sugar crystals inside that don’t melt away into the batter but caramelize the waffle. Crispy on the outside but oh so soft on the inside…they’re heavenly.

Anyways, I was freakin’ out when I had these and decided I needed to figure out how to make it on my own.

And hello…..waffle maker!! Any chance to use it makes me a happy camper.

So here we are 🙂

Yum yum yum.

The original recipe is also delish, but I am kind of a tea fanatic. Honestly. I can’t function in the morning without tea time.

And these are only the teas I drink regularly…

To incorporate the English Breakfast Tea, you simply seep your tea per usual, except in half or even a quarter of the amount of water in order to get that tea flavor to really pack a punch. I even tried this with Thai Tea, Early Grey and a Vanilla Almond Black Tea!

A day well spent making and experimenting with these bad boys! And a day well spent remembering to be content in my current unemployment status and reflecting on how God is really growing me through this experience. Learning to put my full trust and dependence on the Lord and his timing has definitely not been a walk in the park, but thankfully he is putting me through the refiner’s fire. Praise praise to the Lord for always remaining the single constant when everything else is is a whirlwind around me.

 

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations. 

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 

Psalm 108: 2-4

 

Alright friends, happy eating ❤

Juang

English Breakfast Liege Waffles 

Adapted from The Sugar Hit 

INGREDIENTS

For Sugar Crystals

• Half Cup of Sugar
• Two Teaspoons of Maple Syrup

For Waffle

• One Third Cup of English Breakfast Tea (Lukewarm)
• One Teaspoon of Yeast
• Two Teaspoons of Sugar
• Two Cups of All-Purpose Flour
• Half Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• Big Pinch of Salt
• Three Large Eggs
• Fourteen Tablespoons (Two Sticks minus Two Tablespoons) of Butter, Melted

DIRECTIONS

1. The night prior, mix together the sugar and maple syrup to make the sugar crystals. It should be the consistency of brown sugar. Spread it out fairly thin on a plate and refrigerate overnight. When you take it out, it should break/crumble into pieces.
2. Seep one bag of English Breakfast Tea in half a cup of hot water. Let it sit until it is lukewarm. Once lukewarm, mix in the yeast and sugar. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt,
4. Incorporate the tea mixture. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to look pretty dry.
5. Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is well incorporated.
6. Take the melt butter and mix it in small batches  until it forms a dough, making sure each batch is well incorporated.
7. Let the dough sit and rise for at least one hour or until doubled in size. Gently mix in the sugar crystals and then let it sit for another 15 minutes (I know….waiting is a killer…)
8. Get your waffle maker nice and hot and bake your waffles according to your waffle maker’s instructions.
9. Enjoy multiple at once.

[Note] These waffles will make your waffle maker pretty stinkin’ messy from all the butter and sugar caramelizing all over the place so do not neglect cleaning that bad boy out ASAP.