Gift-O-Rama

elizabethbeekley — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:58:09 +0000

It crept up on me, it did. It’s damp and chilly, leaves are dropping like… well, like leaves, I suppose. Rake, sweep, repeat. I cannot bear to rake the yard yet, as the bits of color are still so beautiful lying there on the ground. Just the walks for now, thank you.

But in another week or so, the excitement of the holidays will be upon us. Steamy windows, cold and warmth punctuated only by the grumbling hinges of the front door, and good smells slyly winding their way down 23rd Avenue. And in all of the hullabaloo, we sometimes forget what brings us all together in merry solidarity. My sister Carol, who works for UPS, refers to one of December’s major holidays as “The ‘C’ Word.” Easy to feel that way when your job is shipping (I mean, who ever calls to tell you “thank you” for getting a package there on time?) Here at the bakery, it’s just a ramped up version of our daily dose of baking. But something feels different, somehow. I think that the holidays, much like alcohol, magnify elements of our personality (both good and bad.)

In an effort to magnify what we do best at Two Tarts, we’re offering a selection of items we already love with our whole heart and soul. Two Tarts Cookies, Sterling Coffee, Freddy Guys Hazelnuts, and one or two lovely food books written by local authors. Any and all of these can be packaged beautifully and shipped for you. We want your holidays to be simple, so that you can better enjoy the family and friends that have been there for you the whole year through.

Pie Time: The End of an Era

elizabethbeekley — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:25:18 +0000

Psssst! Hey, you! Yeah, I’m talking to you.

You know how every Thanksgiving we’ve made pies for you? Pies you could pass off as your own, in a lovely ceramic or glass pie plate – not those cheesy, boring-ass shallow aluminum (aluminum? really?) pans? Well guess what? It’s been a busy summer, so we’re scaling it back a bit and doing a very low-key offering this year. We’ve got 25 of those gorgeous cherry-red pie plates on hand, and we’re making 25 ridiculously delicious deep-dish pumpkin pies. Freshly roasted sugar pie pumpkins from our favorite farmers, pasture-raised eggs, brown sugar, cream, and a sprinkling of candied ginger and other pie spices. $30 each includes the plate. We’ll stop taking orders when we hit 25.

Email your orders to elizabeth@twotartsbakery.com

Winter, Sweet Winter.

elizabethbeekley — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:48:37 +0000

I realize that it’s technically still Fall, but the chill outside says otherwise. With snow flurries forecast for Saturday market, I’m thinking spicy, warm thoughts. Over the past month, you’ve most likely seen a change in the pastry case as we’ve gradually moved toward our sweater wearing, down vest sporting, warm-your-hands-around-a-hot-cup-of-cocoa varieties. Ginger molasses chews sport three different types of ginger. S’mores made with our thick-cut honey grahams are filled with our very own marshmallow and dipped in dark chocolate. Hubba hubbas are filled with sweet-tart Bandon cranberry buttercream. Pumpkin whoopie pies and ginger pumpkin tassies boast a silky, supple style of spice. Not-so-thin mint bars clear your nasal passages with a whiff of minty goodness. Apple pecan rugelach make the most of this year’s amazing heirloom apples. And now, cranberry spice macarons. By nudging our almond macarons ever closer to winter’s edge, we’ve added a bit of pie spice to the meringue, then filled them with cranberry orange buttercream. Winter macarons, yes indeed. Best enjoyed with a cup of extra chocolatey cinnamon hot chocolate, I think.

When even the Democrats aren’t on my side… Two Tarts and the Durbin Amendment

elizabethbeekley — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:54:43 +0000

We all have our reasons, it seems; budgeting, financial reporting, reimbursements from our employer, fraud protection, miles, and points at REI are some of the many soundbites I hear from customers who are using their credit cards for what we refer to as “small ticket” transactions. Hey, I get it. Credit cards are easy to use! Corporate banks have made us feel that way, at least. But what the banks aren’t telling you is that businesses (small ones in particular, as they don’t have the negotiating power of the Costcos of this world,) pay for all of the above mentioned “benefits” of using a credit card in lieu of cash or a debit card. Here are a few fact that every consumer should know:

Mileage that you accrue using your Airline Rewards Card is paid for by the businesses in which you use them. These cards, along with Corporate Issued Cards (the ones you get from your employer) cost businesses owners the most.

If your card is stolen and you report it within a reasonable time period, by law you are not liable for charges made to the account. Know why? Businesses pay them. It’s called a “chargeback.” If a card is used fraudulently at my business, your credit card company takes their money back.

You know those lovely financial statements that American Express provides for you at the end of every year? Guess who pays for those? Yup, you guessed it! AMEX has one of the highest processing fees of any provider.

So where is this leading? Well, for me, it’s leading to a Debit Only policy beginning November 21st, 2011. Due to the recently passed Durbin Amendment, our processing fees have increased by 20% in the last month. That’s a big deal for small-margin businesses such as ours. And while the Durbin Amendment gives large ticket operations a lower cost per transaction, it penalizes small ticket businesses such as ours. This was a concession to the credit card companies in order to achieve a pass in Congress. Sorry politicians. If you thought small-ticket businesses would sit back and take it, think again.

I realize that in our busy lives we look to modern day conveniences such as credit cards to help us manage our lives. As a business owner, I’ve ditched each and every one of mine. Once I found out who really pays the price for these conveniences, the choice was easy. And you know what? Debit cards are every bit as convenient.

Buddy Biscuits

elizabethbeekley — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:04:33 +0000

Bella and Big Bird (she ditched Edward.)

Do you have a fondness for four-legged, furry creatures? Recognize folks by their pets rather than their faces? Zoom in to the fuzzball at the end of the leash rather than the human attached at the other end? We’re with you all the way. In honor of our loyal friends who never talk back, never judge us, and are always happy to see us, we’d like to introduce you to “Buddy Biscuits,” our in-house treats for cats and dogs (they’re perfectly acceptable for human consumption as well, as Michelle likes to point out.) Made at the bakery with farm-fresh pumpkin, carrot, peanut butter, and rice flour, they are gluten-free and have been thoroughly tested on nearly every animal that happens by the bakery. All sales of Buddy Biscuits benefit The Pixie Project, a Portland-based charity that rehabilitates and rehomes cats and dogs. At $2 per bag, they are the perfect add-on to a bakers’ dozen, and a way to ensure that you get to enjoy the cookies without guilty stares from your furry loved one.

Mac Heaven

elizabethbeekley — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:32:14 +0000

What’s up with this macaron craze? Hey, we’ve always loved the Parisian version that is now en vogue, but it used to be that the American public thought macaroons were made from coconut and sweetened condensed milk. Maybe it’s a spin-off of the gluten-free diet? Who knows? It’s all beside the point if it means we can pump out new flavors of macarons and know that they will sell in a flash. Macarons are fun for bakers – so much flexibility in flavors and fillings.

Yesterday Lindsay worked with some toasted hazelnut “cake” given to us by Barb and Fritz at Freddy Guys. Straight up hazelnuts make very fragile macarons, so Barb and Fritz gave us this “cake” to use. It’s dry roasted, pressed hazelnut mass that results from pressing some of the oil out of the nuts. Turns out, it makes the best macarons ever. Super chewy and beautiful, we’ve filled them with dark chocolate ganache.

Market Watch

elizabethbeekley — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:43:12 +0000

The anticipation is killing me. PSU market opens tomorrow morning. The car is packed, the cookies are baked… now all I have to do is get a lil’ shut-eye and off we go. Emily and I are on market duty tomorrow. We’ll be there with a lucky 13 varieties, and we’re hoping to score some fresh rhubarb if this rotten weather will allow. Marven? You out there picking rhubarb stalks in this muck?

Do me a favor, and cross your fingers for a couple hours of dry weather tomorrow. Pleeeeeeze?

I like coffee, I like tea.

elizabethbeekley — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 04:28:09 +0000

Caffeine.

Other than our kitchen manager, Lindsay, we’re all addicts. Coffee and tea are as much a part of our day as reminding our children to pick up their coats/towels/socks off of the floor. (Only the coffee and tea consumption evokes less eye rolls.)

We like to think that we’ve put as much thought and love into choosing our coffee and tea purveyors as we have into our delicious cookies. It’s no wonder that as of late, we’ve fallen hard for cookies in which coffee or tea is used as flavoring. Espresso macarons, chai tea shortbrea, green tea macarons, cappuccino creams, and now…earl grey brownies. The brownies? We’ve given them the usual dose of dark, thick, chocolatey goodnes. The rub is in the frosting – an earl grey infused chocolate ganache. The citrusy bergamot note from the tea gives these brownies lift. As Mark, our favorite brownie customer noted, “I could eat two of these!” And that from a one-brownie-a-day kind of guy. Kudos to Foxfire Tea for the beautiful earl grey tea.

Star Gazing.

elizabethbeekley — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:22:08 +0000

Meet the newest star at the bakery.

We’d like to introduce you to Cocoa Starbursts – tiny star-shaped versions of our cocoa nib shortbread filled with dark chocolate ganache. Oh, and just to make these little rays of firetruckin’ sunshine all the more appealing, we’ve dipped them in even more dark chocolate.

Also making its debut at the bakery is our newest bite of brownie love, the Earl Grey Chocolate Brownie (I’m hoping for a sweet photo tomorrow from Bitna.) The attraction is simple for tea and chocolate lovers alike – our deep, dark chocolate brownie has been frosted with Earl Grey tea-infused chocolate ganache. The note of Bergamot adds a citrusy note to the ganache. Mmmm.

Macaron Madness. Again.

elizabethbeekley — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:58:11 +0000

mmmmocha.

The pastry world seems to be a-twitter with something as old as the Pont-Neuf. The fascination with the Parisian macaron is alive and well. In Paris these days, even McDonald’s sells them. (mmm… I bet those are tasty.)

But did you know that the macaron isn’t native to France? Monks in Italy were the creators of the first, lowly version. Story goes, they made these little meringues to resemble their belly buttons (gross.) The original Italian version are known as amaretti, and tend to be baked a bit more thoroughly for a less chewy texture than the Parisian macs. The macaron migrated to France with one the Medici chefs, it’s told, where the French put their own spin on the simple treat, sandwiching them with ganache and other fillings. Like other sweet-loving fools, we’re fascinated by the macaron, too. Pastry chefs tend to have a love/hate relationship with these lovely bits of meringue, as their notoriously finicky creatures to produce. Now that the holidays are over, we’ve had time to mess with a few new flavors for your Francophilic pleasure.

Mocha Macarons

Espresso macarons filled with silky coffee buttercream. So simple, so perfect.

Green Tea Macarons

Apparently we’re on another caffeine jag. Foxfire tea has provided us with brilliant green matcha powder

for use in these macarons. We’ve filled them with honey buttercream for a subtle honeyed tea sensation.