Bake It Yourself: Inspiration (and Recipes) from Tartelette

My cousin and his fiancée are getting married with a backyard wedding ceremony. I tell you this because I was reminded of it the other night when I came across their save the date again, and I started thinking about how I would do it if I had chosen that path.

You might not know it, especially those of you who know that I am a self-proclaimed “picky-tarian”, but I love to cook – and bake, in particular. I follow a number of foodie blogs in my Google Reader, and though I don’t normally discuss other blogs in my editorial space (those I love I share with you on the Inspired Bride’s blog roll), considering part of my strategy would be to bake my own dessert buffet, I figured I’d share a few favorites today in case you were itching to “bake it yourself”.

If I could write up a list of people I look up to in the blogging world that I’d love to meet, Helen from Tartelette would be pretty darn close to the top of the list. I’ve had the pleasure of e-mailing back and forth with her on the Nonpareil Magazine side of my wedding world, and she’s so incredibly sweet. Her photography and styling are just so on point, and her recipes naturally follow suit. If you want amazing gourmet dessert ideas, this is the first place I’d recommend stopping by – whether you’re tackling the pastries yourself or not.

Everyone’s going crazy for macarons lately, and as a French pastry chef, it’s no surprise that Helen makes absolutely flawless ones with incredible flavor combinations. If you’re worried about tackling them, Helen’s also written a great PDF on macaron making that is available for download from the sidebar of Tartelette. I’ve taken a few of my favorites above, but definitely take the time to explore Helen’s recipe index for other amazing ideas and inspiration.

Images by Helen Dujardin of Tartelette.