Lunch at the pottery studio (+honey peach tarte)

What’s the best thing you’ve done for yourself?

For me, at least one of the answers is clear: picking up pottery as a hobby gave me a creative outlet, a way to make unique gifts, a place to relax, and introduced me to lots of amazing people I would have never met otherwise.  I started about 4 years ago, and just couldn’t stop!  (If you’re interested, check out my StonewareBySarah Facebook page or Square Market – I take custom orders!) Here are some pictures I’ve posted to my Instagram feed lately:

There’s one lady to thank for starting it all: Jill Hinckley – she owns the studio, is my teacher, and is still going strong even on her 79th birthday!  She makes the most beautiful pots while explaining how to do it, and is so popular that some of her students have been coming for decades.  One thing you should know about potters: most of them (us!) are foodies, so when there’s a potluck, it’s VERY serious.  This is not a “grab some store cupcakes” kind of event – people bring legitimate delicacies.  This week, to celebrate Jill’s birthday, we had salmon with dill & mustard, fresh gazpacho, broccoli and radish salad, two caprese salads, eggplant caponade, and 3 desserts – among other things!  And cheese, some charcuterie, and pate.  We may not look fancy, but we sure do eat fancy! Here’s Jill with the spread:

Dessert you can eat for breakfast

I made honey peach tartes for the occasion, which fall into my favorite category of things that are sweet like a dessert, but healthy enough to have for breakfast.  This recipe is simple (especially if you make the dough ahead) and I even managed to bake it in the toaster oven at the pottery studio.  Recently, I’ve been into Siggi’s yogurt, which I like because it’s high in protein and low in sugar, and they use real ingredients to flavor, so that was easy for my cream layer.  Of course, you can’t beat a local peach this time of year, so in a few easy steps you have a beautiful little tarte!

Honey Peach Tarte

Ingredients

• Whole wheat crust (I used this recipe and replaced the shortening with Siggi’s vanilla yogurt)
• 8 ounces (1 carton + rest of the other that I used for the crust) Siggi’s vanilla yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
• 2 peaches, sliced (~16 slices per peach)
• 1-2 Tablespoons honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Roll out the crust and move carefully to a baking sheet (I made 2 small tartes because I baked them in a toaster oven; if making one large use a full-size sheet).  Beat egg and sugar into yogurt, and spread into center of crust.  Place peach slices artfully into the yogurt.  Drizzle with honey, then gently turn up sides of the crust to just cover the outside of the border.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until crust is golden.  Allow to cool before slicing.