Fruit Tart Bluberries Raspberries Watercolor Illustration
By Charlie

Sweet Tarts And Other Memories

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Berries” today, my mind drifted to a fruit tart. So, we have a blueberry one. This prompt is always a fun one because most of the things we call berries aren’t true berries at all. So, while blueberries count, the raspberry on top is actually an aggregate fruit. Why this should matter at all is anyone’s guess. What’s true for anything we call a berry, though, is that it’s always a fruit and perfectly delicious. Especially when it shows up in a dessert. I’ve always loved desserts with fruits, and although Philippe grew up with tarts like this one, my dessert fruits were most likely to show up in the form of an apple pie, pineapple upside-down cake or a Jello mold. When we’re visiting family in Paris, I adore passing the various pastry shops to see what’s on display in the window. It looks like fine art! It’s truly all I can do not to wander in and ask for one of everything. My French is still notably lacking so this would at least make it easier to order as well. Philippe, however, is all about chocolate, but I love fruits with cream or custard most. Unfortunately, it’s just a preference on his part and literally any dessert in our house risks disappearing before I even have a chance to sample it.

One of our favorite treats when we’re in France at end the meal is something called “café gourmand”. It’s a delicious sampling of tiny desserts so you don’t have to go through the horrible pain of choosing just one. When we were in Costco this weekend, we were thrilled to discover they had a little café gourmand set imported from Belgium. We immediately snatched one up! Okay, Philippe was still standing there and considering it when I made the decision for us and tossed it in the cart. There are three rows of four different tiny desserts, each in their own little ceramic bowl. They’re adorable and as a bonus, we get to reuse the little bowls. This was indeed the selling point for Philippe. After trying a chocolate one, he just shrugged, no doubt thinking he could do much better. And, I for one, will be happily encouraging him to try! It’s no secret that part of the reason I adore this time of year most is that Philippe gets inspired to make more desserts. Thinking about it now, it’s probably good for my waistline that this only happens once a year. That’s actually quite true for all of the holiday season.

But, my inner child is doing backflips already. I’m so thrilled for the days ahead! Today, Disney launched their streaming service and Philippe and I were, of course, already signed up as part of the Founder’s Circle. So, we’ve been enjoying some of our favorite shows from our youth. Just bits and clips and we won’t have the attention span to watch anything in its entirety until the weekend. The only difference, of course, is that Philippe saw all of them in French. So, he experienced not only a different language but different voice actors. We saw and loved Frozen together so that’s one that he prefers in English, saying the French translation is just a bit weird. I have no concept of what that must be like and am just thrilled that Frozen 2 will be coming out soon! I’ve no affiliation to Disney. I’m just a big kid, and love all of the memories that it brings back to me. I’m not sure why anyone in the world would ever choose to grow up. Life is so much more fun when you spend it with your inner child. Even though the fruits of my youth were different than Philippe’s we both share a love of nostalgia. But, we’re not living in the past. We’re just making the most of the present with sweet tarts and other memories.

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Da Vinci Paint Co.: Gold Ochre, Quinacridone Red, Terra Cotta, and Ultramarine (Green Shade). Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen (Broad Nib) with black ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!
 Fruit Tart Bluberries Raspberries Watercolor Illustration Sketchbook Detail

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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38 thoughts on “Sweet Tarts And Other Memories”

  3. I’m probably one of the few of my generation that doesn’t have fond memories of Disney movies. My father pretty much controlled the TV and movies we saw, and he didn’t care for them, so my childhood was virtually Disney-free. I’ve watched a few since, of course, but I think you need to bond with them while young to really get the full impact.

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  6. When I saw sweet tarts, I immediately jumped to candy! I used to love them. That was in the good old days before they got chalky and too sweet.

    It’s a good thing you don’t live nearby, because if you did I’d be bringing you baked goods all the time! Plus, I grow my own raspberries!

    I swear, every time you post about food, I need a snack! Shame! 😂

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    2. hehe! I thought about that! I love Sweet Tarts are well! Yeah, I think chalky and new sweet is the new normal. Thankfully there’s a few vintage remakes of the good stuff! And now I just wished I lived next door to you!! 😃💕 hehe! yay!! You’d be welcome over any time, with or without baked goods! hehe

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  7. Charlie that looks like a perfect treat! I occasionally treat myself to something similar from the bakery. One of the nice things about being retired is to be able to enjoy treats like that, now and then, when I run errands in the middle of the day.

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  8. Fresh picked blackberries on ice cream, while watching Disney on Sunday nights…my kind of nostalgia! Your tart looks good enough to eat (now I have to resist the urge to have dessert tonight…ugh!😞

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  9. Charlie says, “I’m not sure why anyone in the world would ever choose to grow up.”

    and I totally agree. Right now I would like to devour that blueberry tart. It looks so luscious.

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  10. After reading your post I now want something tasty! I am currently on a fast but I am now looking forward to using those blueberries in the fridge. Although my taste buds were tickled, my heart is with you in regards to nurturing our inner child. I think that there is something magical when you meet a person with a lively inner child, don’t you think? By the way I loved Disney growing up, Sundays at 7 pm, yep! We are trying out the Disney plus 7 day trial. I am really looking forward to watching all that I can. Cheers!

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    1. Yay! I KNEW you’d be a Disney fan, Margaret! No wonder we get on so well! 😃💕hehe… yeah, it’s true… I look for that glint in the eye when I meet people. It’s very easy to spot. No words necessary… just friends for life!

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  12. I was expecting a package of “Sweet Tarts”. Lol! This is so much better! The first year they had the Frozen show at DL, is was so magical. Parts were digitalized. One of my favorite parts was the water lapping up on the stage. It looked real. It is still a beautiful show, just a little watered down now. It won’t stop me from seeing again, if time allows. There’s a lot of Christmas shows going on right now. 🙂

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