It’s sad how the thing we love doing the most takes a back seat when we get busy and stressed. I haven’t had time to write even a quick blog post. No time to make new videos for my brand new youtube channel. I had a schedule. I had a plan for each recipe and technique that I would share. But then work and life got in the way.
Have you ever heard the saying that the thing you are doing when you procrastinate is the thing you should be doing for a living? Well, it is so true and it may just be time for me to put that into action!
Spring has sprung
Several weeks ago, while we were drowning in heavy spring-time rain, I made a delicious tart using a friends recipe. This friend is one of the sweetest people that I have ever met. If you follow the baking world much, you have probably heard of her. This friend is Tina Zaccardi and she won The Great American Baking Show Season 4 (aired in December 2018 on ABC).
I met Tina in London but only got to spend a short amount of time getting to know her. I was off on a Scottish adventure while she was baking in THE TENT! But even with the busy shooting schedule, the crazy amount of stress from the show and missing her family, Tina kept in touch with me. She followed my exploits on Instagram and commented often.
The next time I saw Tina, she completely forgot to talk about her accomplishment of winning the show. She only wanted to know about my trip! Ummm…Paul Hollywood and Sherry Yard just crowned you the best amateur baker in America and you want to talk about ME??
Seriously, she is just that sweet and genuinely interested in the people around her!
Who doesn’t love honey?!

Recently Tina posted a recipe for a Ricotta Mascarpone Honey Tart with the greatest decoration on top. As an ode to the honey bee that created the signature flavor, she stamped bees and honeycomb shapes out of the delicious cinnamon pastry that also serves as the crust. And when I say recently, I actually mean a few months ago. Tina got the recipe out there well in advance of the spring season! But, I, however, failed at that.
I asked Tina if I could use her recipe and link to her blog and she said of course! But then it took me several weeks to even find the time to make the tart. And then several more weeks to write a post about it.
The funny thing is, I woke up this morning and decided that I HAD to write this post today. I planned to publish it in the evening after proofreading it. No more delaying –just do it! Then this afternoon, Tina shared the picture of her tart on Instagram to celebrate that today is WORLD BEE DAY!! How did I know that today would be the perfect time to share this post?!
So spring is almost gone (we only get about 2 weeks of spring weather where I live and then we jump right into summer!). I am finally posting my Spring Ricotta Mascarpone Honey Tart made with Tina’s awesome recipe.

The Tart
The tart shell is a cinnamon shortcrust that is just rich enough. It is so easy to roll out and cut and it bakes up beautifully. I have made a couple of batches and stored them in the freezer. They will be ready for the inevitable last-minute baking session that sometimes strikes me at 3 am!
The filling is fast to put together and so creamy and sweet. Feel free to use your favorite honey here – orange blossom, acacia, clover, whatever you like and have on hand. Honey is one of my favorite flavors! It is the main reason that I just HAD to make this tart! I did get distracted and bake it a few minutes too long. Don’t be me! Pull it before it starts to brown!
The decoration is totally up to you. I LOVE the way Tina decorated her tart but I didn’t want to copy her. I came up with own spring design with flowers and raindrops. Mine was inspired by the heavy rains that thankfully bring masses of blooms. Honestly, I may just make extra shapes and snack on them! They taste a bit like Teddy Grams, which I love!
Please check out Tina’s blog for the recipe HERE. This recipe would be great year-round so don’t feel like you have to wait until Spring 2020 to make it! Do it now! You won’t be sorry!

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great story, great post…. I thought she was absolutely great, and I am not at all surprised to learn she is a wonderful human being – that came through in the show…