How not to be a Daring Baker
african vanielje on Jan 30 2008 at 6:21 pm | Filed under: Daring Bakers, baking, food blogging event, sweet kitchen
- Don’t presume that the end of the month means the very end of the month when it comes to the DBers
- Don’t check the DB site once, print off the challenge and promptly lose it
- Don’t start making the pastry and realise you only have bread flour
- Don’t go and buy plain flour and set aside a morning to bake then remember that you used the last of the eggs for an omelette the night before
- Don’t go to the farm down the road to buy more eggs without any money in your purse, and no paper or pen to leave an iou
- Don’t go to the cash point at the local petrol station after the school run and find out that your cash card that split when you stuck it in your back pocket and then sat on it has finally given up the ghost
- Don’t curse and stamp and wish loudly that you could just start the year all over again. You will only confirm the local suspicion that you are indeed a crazy foreigner
- Don’t decide that you should never have joined the Daring Bakers because discipline is not your strong point and you definitely have a problem with being told what to do. (You know you can make lemon meringue pie, you’ve done it hundreds of times, it’s your husband’s favourite)
- Don’t forget that your tax return have to be in by the end of the month too, and the 28th was your sister’s birthday (Happy Birthday Babe!)
- Don’t bother with your tax return until you have a plate of Lemon Meringue Pies to help you wade through it.
- And whatever you do - don’t not make the Pies because this is a really good version, not too tart, not sickly sweet, and the vanilla gives it a lovely added dimension
My eventual experience of this month’s Lemon Meringue Pie challenge recipe is in pictures. If you would like it in words you can check out the January DB host, Jen of The Canadian Baker. For other DBers who have taken the LMP challenge check out their blogroll.
Your little tarts look great!
As always, beautiful….And your list from this month sounds like mine from last..I missed the Buche de Noel for many of the same reasons…except the part about the card…and the eggs..because I have chickens…
great job.
Perfect
They are quite beautiful.
Wow. I love them .
A beautiful collection of tarts! I love your crusts. I agree…a wonderful recipe.
They turned out perfect! I love the swirl of the meringue! Glad you could join in!
Ok, that just might be the prettiest ones I’ve seen. And that’s saying a lot, these days
I wish I could be your apprentice for a few days - you’re so incredibly talented. 
Better late than never!! I’m sure there were many an appreciative family member!!!!
I love how you pile the meringue so high! They look fantastic
I waited until the last minute too… glad we were able to get them done!
How did you get them looking so beautiful, the swirls are like magic mountains?!
I thought you’d dropped off the face of the earth. Kept checking by and I loved the sardines on toast the first few times but then I’d had enough of them when I’d seen them seventy billion times! Hadn’t reaslied you were running backwards trying to get the year to start over again. Yep, I’ve wished that too and I’m on home turf!
Hope you got that tax return done or that’s 100 of those fine English Pounds you’re worse off.
Thanks Deborah. I’ll be doing my long overdue DB rounds shortly.
Marye, thanks, I envy you your chickens. Sorry I’ve been a bit scarce but will be out visiting soon.
Maryann, Courtney, Claire, merci!
Thank you Tartelette. Besides my family loving LMP if I miss another DB challenge they’ll be asking me to leave.
Anne, that’s very kind but I don’t always feel talented, these days I just feel frazzled and ‘half-baked’. i’m banking on this improving as the year goes on.
Valli, the recipe made so many that my daughter has been taking them to school for her friends. The pastry discs have actually held up quite well!
Jen I don’t normally pipe my meringue but as I’ve made LMP so many times I went for the challenge parts, and it was fun!
Amanda, sorry, the only good thing is I’ve got quite a back store of photos and recipes , and hopefully slightly improved pictures. (I don’t want to talk about tax returns!!!)
Lovely little free-form tarts! And so glad to see you back and posting!
If I had to pick a winner out of all the contestants in the Daring Baker competition, I would pick yours. Your blog inspired me to take part next time.
Photo’s are fantastic.
Thanks
Glad to hear that despite all of the setbacks you managed to complete the challenge!
Ah but a challenge is always a good…could do with fewer roadblocks along the way but at least those little lemon guys look delicious
That was supposed to be “a good thing.” Excuse my typing
Thank you Ann. Sorry I’ve been so scarce.
Nina, that’s so nice. I struggle with my pics so encouragement is really…well encouraging
Brilynn, it was touch and go but I felt if I didn’t overcome this hurdle it would become symptomatic of the whole year.
Sognatrice, I agree, and I ate far too many of those little lemon guys. Sorry I’ve been so scarce, but am planning a catch up weekend this Sat & Sun.
Your little lemon meringue tarts are lovely…they just seem to beg, “Eat Me!” They look fantastically delicious!
wow! these look sooo cool! i think these are the most beautiful of all the ones i have seen so far!
Thank you Deborah! I did. Eat them! The ones I managed to stuff in before my daughter ate them, at least.
Aamena, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you.
Sara - I deleted your comment by accident, sorry. But thank you for visiting.
Your tarts are so lovely, and I really like the photo gallery for your post! It sounds like January was one heck of a month for you. Best wishes.
I couldn’t help laughing reading that… i had to run out for eggs and lemons too! But those tarts look like they were worth all that trouble!
I laughed all through your list!
Heehee 
Whatever the case though, your little tarts came out beautiful! Cementing my belief yet again that I should have made tartlettes instead of the whole pie!
Wow, great post, great pictures and great merinque! So glad we found you !
Sounds like you had a tough month there, but it didn’t stop you from making the most beautiful lemon meringue pies! I bet they taste great too!