There is something rather therapeutic about baking pastry. It’s the stages I think. Making the dough, chilling the dough, rolling out the dough and finally baking. The stages fit rather well with my running schedule. I’m running for Action Against Hunger in the 2016 Virgin London Marathon. I’ve started training now because I’m a slow and steady kinda runner vs a speed chaser. My pastry running schedule is as follows:
- I make the dough and then go for a run while it chills in the fridge. This is a minimum of 45 minutes.
- I roll it out, line the pastry tin and then pop it back in the fridge for another run around the block. Again another minimum of 45 minutes.
- I pop the oven on and while that warms up I do 15 minutes of skip jumps in the garden.
- I line the pastry tin with baking beads and then while that bakes I have a shower.
- I take the baking beans off and make a quick smoothie or milkshake while it browns off.
See!? It totally works!
Of course the downside of the pastry making is the pastry eating. Yes it is rather calorific but it is Friday after all AND I am running a marathon – a whole 26 miles – so I think a little pastry indulgence is totally called for. In fact it’s Friday so a little overindulgence is perfectly acceptable.
You see Friday is usually Haagen Dazs Cookies and Cream Day. The only day I indulge in a tub of ice cream. (Yes I did say a ‘tub’ of ice cream. Some people have their wine or beer on a Friday night. I have my ice cream). Today however I have a tub of Coffee Haagen Dazs. It’s a new flavour which combines Brazilian Coffee with a usual ingredients of cream, egg yolks, milk and sugar. It’s a wonderful delicate flavour which reminds me very much of my usual Single Shot Flat White.
I’ve paired it with these Chocolate and Hazelnut Tarts because these are the two undertones in my favourite coffee – Rave Signature Blend. Together the whole thing is just pure Friday night indulgence.
Chocolate and Hazelnut Tarts New Indulgence - Haagen Dazs Coffee Ice CreamChocolate and Hazelnut Tarts
Notes
To make them
Thank you to Haagen Dazs for commissioning this recipe and providing me with a lovely sample pot of the new coffee ice cream to try. Thanks to them also for giving me a new Nespresso coffee machine to raffle off for my marathon fundraising.
What is your Friday night indulgence?
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Do you know, I could almost be tempted to take up training for a marathon using your schedule! The tarts look fabulous – just what’s needed after a long run. Good luck with the training.
Thanks Sarah x
I actually made chocolate and hazelnut torte with homemade ice cream this weekend! If I hadn’t made the ice cream HD would have been my choice. It’s the only ice cream I will buy because the ingredients list is so good.
Exactly. Nothing fake and you can really taste that.
I love the pastry and exercise schedule. It is similar to our sourdough schedule. Knead, iron a few garments, knead again!
Beautiful tarts and I must try that coffee ice cream too.
Yes I can totally see how the sourdough routine ties in with ironing!
Brilliant way to make pastry, I’d be sure to burn it if I did that though! I love the idea of coffee icecream, must look out for it. Good luck with your marathon.
Thanks Janice x
Oh heavens these sound positively amazing and that ice cream… oh my!
Thank you Elizabeth 🙂
This is brilliant Urvashi… totally sums up how efficient you are with your time you impressive lady!!!!! Loving all the coffee and chocolate flavours going on here… stunning tarts and think it’s great you have your tub of ice cream indulgence too… well deserved as you work so hard!!!!
Ha ha! Efficient out of necessity but thank you Katie. 🙂
I feel like I need to have a Friday night indulgence now. I’ll have to come up with something decadent and yummy. You’re so organised, im amazed at how clockwork your baking and running schedule are! GG
I think a Friday night indulgence is called for everyday!
Yum that would be fantastic with the new flavour. I love making pastry, especially adding flavours to it.
I hadn’t thought of adding a flavour to the pastry but you’re right. I think cinnamon could work here.
Coffee, chocolate and hazelnut are a pairing made in heaven. I love pastry but I do find it a bit of a faff… I would also like to exercise more but I can’t find the time, so it sounds like I need to borrow a bit from your schedule. Not sure I can manage all that running though; a mile and I’m done!
Ha ha! Yes the schedule is good. I need to develop a bread based one did my longer runs closer to April. 13 miles so about 3 hours worth of bread rising time.