The Cooking Ninja

Peachy! that's exactly how I would describe Little One, in spite of the fact that she is currently having a bad case of flu. One would think a child this sick would sleep through the night. No, not my daughter. She has to be special... waking up every few hours through out the night. I don't know which is scarier - being caught in a nightmare or being woken up from a nightmare with sound of your bedroom door opening, someone calling out 'mommy' sending your heart 'boom boom boom' hurling off your chest. Oh mind you, she wasn't cranky with sleepy eyes, she was in fact very much wide awake like 'ok, I'm done with sleep. Now it's time to get up and play', even talked and joke with me while I accompanied her several times back to bed. Heaven above, give me strength!

Now the other reason for her present state of euphoria : PRESCHOOL! She LOVES it, BREATHES it and EMBRACES it totally. Today, we enter the 3^rd week of school and one would think her enthusiasm has worn off... no, no, no. She is excited about it as she did on her 1^st day. At the sound of activity in the kitchen in the morning, she would quickly hop out of bed, come down with a keen look on her face: 'mommy, time for school?'. Just last Sunday, she got up early, we were having some quiet time together when suddenly she said: 'Mommy, it's time to dress me up for school or we'll be late..' When I explained to her that there is no school on Sunday, she was crestfallen but immediately cheered up when I told her she has school the next day. I have to say that her enthusiasm for school is quite infectious.

Cute and great as her eagerness might be, it's wearing her parents off. Ever since school started, no ever since she turned 3, she explodes with boundless energy - no matter how little sleep she seems to get. Don't tell me she inherited from her paternal grandfather who needs only 5 hours of sleep. If that's really the case, we are in for a very rough ride. For my sanity sake, I hope it is just a passing phase.

To celebrate the state of Miss Little Peachy, here's a simple recipe taken from Cuisine Vénitienne.

Peach Tart

Ingredients

• 1 pâte brisée (short crust pastry)
• 30 g butter or shortbread biscuits, reduced to crumbs
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 peaches - approximately 1 kg (riped, seeded & cut into 6 pcs)
• 90 - 125 g sugar

Directions

Making the Pastry

1. Prepare the short crust pastry accordingly till step 3.
2. Take it out of the fridge, roll it out into rectangle shape of 1.5 cm thickness. Fold the rectangle in 3 (like you are folding a letter).
3. Roll it again into rectangle shape of same thickness, fold it again like the above. Cover it with plastic and put it back into the fridge for another 30 mins.
4. This makes the pastry a bit flaky

Making the tart

1. Preheat oven at 220°C.
2. Roll out the pastry to a pie dish of 23 cm in diameter. Press the pastry lightly onto the dish and fork the surface.
3. Sprinkle biscuits crumbs all over the surface, then arrange the sliced peaches on the pastry in whichever pattern you like.
4. Put bits of butter all over the top and sprinkle the sugar. (more or less depending on how sweet the peaches are).
5. Bake for about 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190°C - continue to bake for another 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the peaches starts to brown on the top.
6. Take it out of oven and let it cool at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours before serving.

The Verdict

Obviously a fruity dessert - if like my other half you are more into creamy, rich desserts this will probably not be your cup of tea. I personally love this tart, the flaky crust, the light sweetness and the peaches whose flavor stays true to the fruit.