Tarts, tarts everywhere.  That’s what greeted us when my mom and I returned home this evening from a trip to the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.  Spectacular doesn’t even begin to describe the masterpieces on display in its rooms.  For two hours (not nearly enough, mind you), I was transported back to my art history classes in college.  It was mind-boggling.

But back to the tarts.  Papa bought Chloe a mini-tart pan today, something she’d been clamoring for since discovering the joys of cooking and baking.  She made an assortment of tarts:  apple, apple frangipane, pear frangipane, mixed berry, chocolate…and the crust from scratch.  The house smelled like a bakery when we walked through the door.

The thing is, we weren’t prepared to be greeted with dessert – and I had planned for the girls to go home with my mom, where they’d eat dinner and spend the next two nights.  But I learned that Chloe had other plans for us.  To eat at home first, so that we could all enjoy dessert together.  She was disappointed that I had other ideas, but she settled for a compromise.  We would all eat dessert together before going our separate ways for dinner.  Which was absolutely fine by me.  I love dessert.

The tarts were yummy.  My favorite was the apple tart.  Sophie liked the chocolate tart, of course, and my mom enjoyed the slightly sour mixed berry concoction.  Papa, as is his wont, liked them all.