Today I attended a lunch at The Daily Meal. It was sponsored by Driscoll’s Berries and Kitchen Aid and the guest of honor was Dorie Greenspan, who in real life, is just as charming and kind as you would imagine! It was such an honor and a pleasure to meet her. As you know, I used to (I still consider myself to) be a part of French Fridays with Dorie cooking group.  Unfortunately my travels this year got the best of me and it was soon put on indefinite hold.  But, I pop in every now and again and I still follow many of the wonderful blogs I discovered there.

Anyway, the theme for today’s lunch was #MadeWithLove and it was all about raspberries and using raspberries in different ways. Lunch was a variety of h’or d’oeuvres.  Each bite we tried had a raspberry inspired component. There was one bite in particular that was incredible and I could seriously eat just that all day- a butternut squash latke topped with duck confit and a  raspberry preserve. The warm crunch of lakte and the silky confit paired beautifully with the sweet, tartness of the raspberry. It was a perfect bite. And it would make a great addition to our Thanksgiving meal.

The highlight was listening to Dorie discuss her upcoming baking book and learning about the products she uses and loves. I especially enjoyed learning about the items she brings back from Paris- fleur de sel  and butter, in particular, from a small producer in Brittany.  It was a lively and fun conversation.

Once the appetizers were passed, those of us who prepared a dish made with raspberries for the contest, got to explain what we had made and how it was done. My recipe was for a chocolate ganache torte (tart?) on a pecan crust topped with raspberries.  It’s truly one of the simplest desserts I make- even though it looks so beautiful and like I slaved for hours over it.  It’s a staple at dinner parties or if I have to bring a dessert to someone’s house (as long as they are okay with nuts). But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean that it isn’t decadent. It’s pure delight for the chocolate lover.  Incredibly rich, only a sliver is all you really need.

There is only 7 ingredients (sometimes a few more depending on the version I am making- orange and cardamon, coconut and almond, chili and burnt chocolate, salted, mocha, etc.)  and it’s incredibly quick to make without dirtying up your entire kitchen. My kind of recipe!

Well, I am thrilled to report that I actually won! Me!!! Well, my tart anyway. But still! Yay!!!!  And both Dorie Greenspan and Arthur Bovino of The Daily Meal gave it rave reviews! I was so excited and shocked! (I really never win anything- and yet, in the past two weeks, I’ve won two contests!)  I am in shock still because it’s really so simple that it’s honestly almost embarrassing to be given such an honor!  My reward? Well, sometime in 2014 there will be a feature on the Driscoll’s website. Yay!

Because it is so easy, I decided to write a detailed step by step photo tutorial so you too can make it! It’ll go up in the next few days. In the meantime, I want to thank The Daily Meal, Driscoll’s , KitchenAid and the lovely and charming Dorie Greenspan. I had a terrific time and I am so grateful!