So, let's talk about these tarts. I'm not sure how I can convince you to make them right away, other than by telling you, promising you, that they will be the best strawberry rhubarb tarts you will eat this summer.
Because his family is a true-to-the-bone pancake family, I really wanted him to share with me the secrets to making a good pancake, thin and delicate, perfectly browned on the outside, soft on the inside. He gave me a recipe, one that he has memorized. A set of very specific instructions, the right temp, the right amount of time for frying. I followed it to a tee, and sure enough, the pancakes came out the way I had always dreamed they would.