Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Once again, I was awakened by a dream about food. This one, though, was even more specific than the one for Bistecca con Crema di Porcini. This dream was about a dessert and included all the parts of the recipe — the crust, the fruit layer, the custard. Again, I opened up my iPad, squinted at the bright light, and typed in a few notes.

When it came time to make the actual recipe, I realized my dream had made a few mistakes. First, it had me baking saffron into the crust. Awake and thinking clearly, I adjusted the recipe and moved the saffron to the filling. Had I left the saffron in the crust, all the flavor would have cooked out.

The other part of the dream was that was off was the filling itself. I dreamt it was a custard but, in reality, I wanted something silkier. I decided a small batch of heavenly-scented panna cotta would be just perfect. And you know what? It was!

I made these Apricot Saffron Rose Tarts as a special dessert for my friend Jennifer’s birthday. We all loved them —and they even felt light after a big meal. They are a bit more work than many of the desserts you see here on Cocoa & Lavender, but they are worth it!

~ David

35 Comments

  1. Mad Dog

    February 18, 2023 at 5:19 am

    How lovely and it looks amazing on that square plate!
    I was dreaming about cooking beef last night …I think relative to a Basque dish I intend to cook this week.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:16 am

      Glad I’m not the only one who dreams in Culinary land, Mad Dog!

      Reply
  2. Lisa Harper

    February 18, 2023 at 6:28 am

    You have amazing dreams. Mine are not so tasty. I will try tp make this when fully awake.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:16 am

      Maybe I’ll have some incredible dreams in Morocco!

      Reply
  3. Frank | Memorie di Angelina

    February 18, 2023 at 8:20 am

    Funnily enough, seeing as how food is such a big part of my waking life, I never dream about food. Weird, right? But if I can easily see why you’d dream about this! Sound gorgeous.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:15 am

      I actually don’t know too many people, even those who are food, obsessed, like us, who dream about food like I do. I just want more dreams like this!

      Reply
  4. Jill W Becker

    February 18, 2023 at 10:38 am

    Oh so beautiful. A perfect birthday dessert.

    Reply
  5. Margery Saunders

    February 18, 2023 at 2:52 pm

    Some questions from a novice: So does the foil line the individual tart pans, so that you have to lift out the partially baked shells & then put them back in the pan to finish baking? And we should use roasted but not salted nuts?

    Reply
    • Margery

      February 18, 2023 at 2:57 pm

      Never mind, I read it again & see that the foil goes on top of the dough…. I will be trying this with mango.

      Reply
      • Cocoa & Lavender

        February 25, 2023 at 11:14 am

        Mango will be a great switch in this recipe! Let me know how it works.

        Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:15 am

      I see that you saw the info about the foil, but I do use unsalted roasted nuts for this recipe. I think the salted nuts would add too much of a conflict with the sweet, delicate flavors.

      Reply
  6. Eha

    February 18, 2023 at 3:05 pm

    Methinks this may be called perfection on a plate . . . perchance I may not try and copy but would be happy to hang the photo on my dining-room wall . . .

    Reply
  7. Ronit

    February 18, 2023 at 9:08 pm

    Perfection!
    I would enjoy each layer on its own, let alone all together.
    Love the addition of saffron here. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:13 am

      Thanks, Ronit. Saffron is one of our favorite flavors in this household.

      Reply
  8. Sherry M

    February 18, 2023 at 11:34 pm

    i love the flavours here. all that saffron and rosewater and pistachios and apricot jam! lovely. i just can’t do gelatine at all. Calves feet! Even agar agar etc… it’s the texture i can’t take :=) I remember a flatmate years ago made a sweet with agar agar, and you could bounce it off the walls!! I never dream of food…

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:13 am

      I’m sorry if I offended you using gelatin! I know it’s a difficult thing for many people. I also know quite a few people (my sister-in-law included) who don’t like the texture.

      Reply
  9. Pauline McNee

    February 19, 2023 at 3:13 am

    David your tarts look absolutely perfect and beautifully presented on those plates. I would be very happy to just make the panna cotta without the pastry as a treat, the flavours sound so lovely, very Middle Eastern flavours aren’t they?. Lots of potential there. thanks for the inspiration. I go to bed thinking about food, and occasionally dream about it, but don’t actually dream up recipes. There’s still time for that, hee hee.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:12 am

      Pauline, I was thinking the same exact thing about the panna cotta. I think it’ll be lovely on its own! And maybe with a tiny skim of apricot jam underneath. Yes, they are Middle Eastern flavors, which are some of my favorites. I know that you also liked those flavors, as well.

      Reply
  10. Chef Mimi

    February 19, 2023 at 7:31 am

    This is just so beautiful. So delicate. Wonderful flavors!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:11 am

      Thanks, Mimi! The flavors work so beautifully together.

      Reply
  11. Jeff the Chef

    February 19, 2023 at 8:37 am

    What an amazing dream! And look what it led to! And man, you have some really amazing plates!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:11 am

      I do have a couple of really nice plates, Jeff. Thanks for noticing! Now, I just need more dreams to get me more fun recipes.

      Reply
  12. 2pots2cook

    February 21, 2023 at 6:14 am

    Perfect flavours to surprise your friend! It seems you love Eurythmics, don’t you?

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:10 am

      I did love grooving to that song back in the day, Davorka! The Eurythmics were quite the group!

      Reply
  13. Ben | Havocinthekitchen

    February 21, 2023 at 5:22 pm

    Oh my goodness, this is such a luscious and stunning tart. Terrific flavours too; I’m especially excited about the pistachios and rose notes. I wish my dreams were that productive! Lol

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 25, 2023 at 11:09 am

      Combination of all the flavors does pretty spectacular, Ben. But the pistachio crust is one of my favorites!

      Reply
  14. Raymund

    February 26, 2023 at 2:26 pm

    I can totally relate to your food dreams! Sometimes the most interesting and creative ideas come to us in our sleep, and it’s always exciting to try them out in the kitchen. The Apricot Saffron Rose Tarts sound absolutely delicious, and I love the combination of flavors you used. I agree that panna cotta was a great choice for the filling to give it that silky texture. It’s amazing how much attention to detail you have when it comes to your recipes, even down to adjusting the recipe based on your dream. I’m sure your friend Jennifer was thrilled to have such a special dessert for her birthday.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      March 2, 2023 at 2:45 pm

      Thanks for the kind and thoughtful comment, Raymund! It was fun having this appear inmy dream – only to correct myself when awake!

      Reply
  15. The-FoodTrotter

    March 3, 2023 at 1:55 am

    These recipe seems to be taken directly from a Medieval Italy cooking book! The overload of expensive spices was a symbol of wealth and this beautiful combination of saffron, rose water and apricot sounds delightful!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      March 4, 2023 at 7:30 am

      That is a great point, Romain — it does sound rather Medieval/Renaissance…. Actually, the combination of saffron and rose is inspired by my Spanish Baroque Hot Chocolate (which also contains cinnamon, vanilla, and chile de arból). The apricot and pistachio combination just sounded good!

      Reply
  16. Valentina

    March 5, 2023 at 6:58 pm

    David, you must write a cookbook titled “Delicious Dreams” or “The Flavor of my Dreams.” Okay, maybe not the latter. Ha! I’ll keep working on it — and you keep dreaming.
    This dessert is so beautiful. The color is amazing and it’s so perfectly smooth on top. And of course the flavor combination is delicious! 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      March 17, 2023 at 12:10 pm

      Ha ha! I’ll need a few more dreams to get to Cookbook status…

      Reply
  17. Inger

    March 6, 2023 at 10:21 pm

    My oldest loves rosewater–this would definitely be her thing!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      March 17, 2023 at 12:06 pm

      Some people find it too much like soap or lotion, but I’d like a little bit certain dishes.

      Reply

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