tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51868183290765702642024-03-05T05:14:57.792-05:00The TortefeasorCathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-27314137297034670862014-11-11T10:38:00.000-05:002014-11-11T10:38:39.213-05:00TWD: Palets de Dames,Lille style<p>Hello, is this thing on? My last post to this page was nearly 4 years ago, but I have the best reason for dusting off this bad boy, and that is the release of Dorie Greenspan's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Chez-Moi-Recipes-Anywhere/dp/0547724241/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415716954&sr=1-1&keywords=baking+chez+moi">Baking Chez Moi</a>. Dorie's last baking cookbook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415716984&sr=1-1&keywords=baking+from+my+home+to+yours">Baking: From My Home to Yours</a>, was a serious game-changer for me. I had been a full-fledged adult for years when Baking was published, cooking and baking for first myself, and then myself and my husband, and then eventually myself, my husband, and my kids, for years -- always from recipes I found in cookbooks or magazines (I'm not a kitchen improviser). But I had NO idea what a truly great cookbook really looked like until Baking came along.</p>
<p>Lots of cookbooks have good recipes. But Baking: FMHTY was so much more than lists of ingredients followed by lists of instructions. To bake from Baking was to feel like Dorie was actually in the kitchen with you. Telling you not to freak out, because it's supposed to look curdled at this point. Explaining what the dough should feel like. Teaching about what sounds to listen for when mixing up a pie crust in the food processor. The "serving" and "storing" suggestions in Baking became so indispensable to me, and I can't for the life of me understand why more cookbooks don't include this information. If I'm baking some Christmas goodies to mail from Alabama to Connecticut, I know I can count on Baking to tell me whether something is best eaten the same day, or whether it will stay fresh for 5 days, and choose accordingly. There are so many little details like that in Baking that (along with the quality recipes and Dorie's kind, fun, reassuring voice) add up to the extraordinary cookbook that it is. I became a better, more confident, more skilled baker thanks to Dorie. </p>
<p>In addition to the cookbook itself, through Baking I found a little group of online bakers called <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>. Baking along with that group was some of the most fun I've ever had, and I made some lifelong friends in the process. I'm thrilled to see the group still thriving, and it will be fun to do some baking along with Baking Chez Moi!</p>
<p>Baking Chez Moi was to be released right around my birthday, so obviously I asked for it for my birthday. For whatever reason it was a bit delayed being delivered and did not arrive in time for my birthday, and I could see that my husband had plans to squirrel it away for Christmas. So I dropped subtle hints that I would rather not wait until Christmas ("Actually, I really want that book now. Where's the book? GIVE ME THE BOOK!!!!"). He gave me the book <strike>then slowly backed away.</strike> It's gorgeous, of course, and I immediately felt like I was reconnecting with an old friend. The first recipe I baked from the book was this week's TWD selection, Palets de Dames. God bless the French for a lyrical language that makes everything sound more elegant. I served the Palets de Dames on the good silver, whereas the English version, Soft Iced Sugar Cookies, would have gone straight into the Tupperware.</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBshmcgikV5GlHJcIktfOMNd1daZMn9WsYbdkgEdnsYGqh0AqxlPnFvy7EiBIs5LA74KrpSkNYAsrT-rMisdH5mLyEXRglqd_jcprlf67-FJ3eoyRpIh6JtdIhwnDPyVxZVnEuPYQfgfc/s1600/FullSizeRender+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBshmcgikV5GlHJcIktfOMNd1daZMn9WsYbdkgEdnsYGqh0AqxlPnFvy7EiBIs5LA74KrpSkNYAsrT-rMisdH5mLyEXRglqd_jcprlf67-FJ3eoyRpIh6JtdIhwnDPyVxZVnEuPYQfgfc/s400/FullSizeRender+(2).jpg" /></a>
<p>These are simple cookies that contain only a handful of basic ingredients, and they were delicious -- soft and not overly sweet. I forget my son's exact description, but I know it contained the word "heaven." Another wonderful cookie from Dorie! I'm so excited about Baking Chez Moi. Thanks, Dorie!</p>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-18745885623614491082010-12-07T19:49:00.002-05:002010-12-08T11:45:35.624-05:00TWD: Translucent Maple Tuiles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqTgI4qfrCW_pW5KiBHaZZq9a8WwLE2N1koReSKkLY3ma3Pd5iOS3Ylpg2Y5y-ukSHjXA9fkzKVohv_9vZ2q2KfJhMjN3aSFya10csHfytg41CB71PaMn_RAlM1WHzboUsv5bjMR_IvNJ/s1600/012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqTgI4qfrCW_pW5KiBHaZZq9a8WwLE2N1koReSKkLY3ma3Pd5iOS3Ylpg2Y5y-ukSHjXA9fkzKVohv_9vZ2q2KfJhMjN3aSFya10csHfytg41CB71PaMn_RAlM1WHzboUsv5bjMR_IvNJ/s400/012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548120644645239746" /></a><br /><br />I had a feeling that this week's TWD recipe would give me fits, and my feeling was correct. Clivia from <a href="http://bubieslittlebaker.blogspot.com/">Bubie's Little Baker</a> chose the Translucent Maple Tuiles -- those beautiful, delicate, paper thin cookies that I'd previously only seen atop elegant desserts in fancy restaurants. But as soon as I saw this was the pick, I knew I had to make them (to further my baking education and all). <br /><br />The batter itself is so easy to mix up that it almost compensates for the ordeal that ensues once these come out of the oven. Mix together butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and flour -- no need to even haul out the Kitchen Aid; you can just use a sturdy spatula or hand mixer for this. The dough needs to chill well; I let mine refrigerate over night. I figured I'd bake them up first thing in the morning and then snap a few shots in that pretty 8 a.m. light -- you know, while the sun's golden rays illuminated the intricate patterns of my translucent honeycomb cookies.<br /><br />Reality quickly jolted me out of that daydream. These are supposed to get baked on an unbuttered cookie sheet. They spread extremely thin, and then after they set for just a second, you're supposed to quickly get them off the sheet with a spatula and transfer them to a rolling pin, which will mold them into their traditional curved form. But when I went to slide the spatula under mine, the cookie completely crumpled into itself and dissolved into a pitiful pile of maplebuttersugarflour. I tried with a few other cookies and got the same result. There was NO way these babies were coming off with a spatula, at least not in my kitchen. I scraped the cookie remains into the trash and proceeded with the non-cookie aspects of my day, still undecided about whether I would try again with the rest of the dough.<br /><br />But as good fortune would have it, when I was in carpool line this afternoon I jumped onto Facebook (carpool line is my favorite time to Facebook, which may explain why a disproportionate amount of my Facebook activity involves complaining about carpool line) and saw <a href="http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2010/12/twd-translucent-maple-tuiles.html">Tracey's post</a> on these tuiles, in which she mentions <a href="http://noe847.blogspot.com/">Nancy's </a>suggestion to make the cookies on individual squares of parchment to make for easier handling. That sounded like a brilliant idea, so I rounded up the children, took a quick detour to paint pottery with Santa:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnDuXFJBVj36TZoa2mRoq4Q6gijJnmXPGUCuSrhQcDutnCneqoG-9BO4sEuSDQmYsyhA0LlhQ-0EYvqMfjOmCSFJB2zVyRcVwaBngjKrTecRXU4yw3-8LIFX_9388jB5HgNKiH7ix_pZz/s1600/006-edit1_edited-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnDuXFJBVj36TZoa2mRoq4Q6gijJnmXPGUCuSrhQcDutnCneqoG-9BO4sEuSDQmYsyhA0LlhQ-0EYvqMfjOmCSFJB2zVyRcVwaBngjKrTecRXU4yw3-8LIFX_9388jB5HgNKiH7ix_pZz/s400/006-edit1_edited-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548161701303580882" /></a><br />and hurried home to try the tuiles again using the parchment trick. And it worked perfectly! I never had to touch a spatula; I simply transferred the cookies directly from the parchment square onto the rolling pin. Nancy, you are the best! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpn6e26pzUzWcY_0HkkiTPth1la6BmqTGMPc2cjfT0Q29hF64sP44moNOLV-8qO-b_zJDlVsp6zfR33rvkbkjMyB7gHYfg17HZkc7dSXST6Rj-1-nFDXM4lUC-ru2dqm48azWqGYLVjxI/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpn6e26pzUzWcY_0HkkiTPth1la6BmqTGMPc2cjfT0Q29hF64sP44moNOLV-8qO-b_zJDlVsp6zfR33rvkbkjMyB7gHYfg17HZkc7dSXST6Rj-1-nFDXM4lUC-ru2dqm48azWqGYLVjxI/s400/009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548120653000793986" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Note the incandescent light illuminating the intricate patterns of my translucent honeycomb cookies</span></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFORJioRkdHLQc6uRH9GMYQxUYupUBppgbfyN7KIleLy5a0qwcKctkYn2hX_JuNzp9zD7i03nfMbIg45xACsPIlps6u6gVUzya_AA7vaZlvSBjYo6jrIdul01PckOfBGNwysz40sQeEQk3/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFORJioRkdHLQc6uRH9GMYQxUYupUBppgbfyN7KIleLy5a0qwcKctkYn2hX_JuNzp9zD7i03nfMbIg45xACsPIlps6u6gVUzya_AA7vaZlvSBjYo6jrIdul01PckOfBGNwysz40sQeEQk3/s400/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548120634111766626" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">I know he needs a haircut and plan to make it a top priority very soon</span></center><br /><br />I only baked two of these cookies (successfully) so far, so I have a bunch of dough in the fridge to bake up later. David, while in the midst of enjoying his cookie, asked innocently "so you have to bake these one at a time?" I explained that others could probably bake several of these at a time, but yes, *I* need to bake them one at a time (well, I can probably work up to two or three eventually).<br /><br />I don't know if I'll ever think of these as a stand-alone dessert or even a stand-alone cookie, but they are totally delicious, and a really lovely accompaniment to just about any dessert. What a fun pick - thanks Clivia! You can find her terrific post about these cookies <a href="http://bubieslittlebaker.blogspot.com/2010/12/twd-translucent-maples-tuiles.html">here.</a>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-23244044180156745082010-11-16T00:01:00.000-05:002010-11-16T00:01:00.775-05:00TWD: Cranberry Orange Galette<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWd-TdourOrKRW6irh8kl-RBjUESofDXYTRNDGrfDqAvFxPV8cUnS4YV9OEaqEd1pmebrzLauO7lvPzzyADy36ZoeXh8NaipONFP_yDBt8Hu4SRLCCEFOMAbcLJN5nRayNAaMCnLTF4oj/s1600/009-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWd-TdourOrKRW6irh8kl-RBjUESofDXYTRNDGrfDqAvFxPV8cUnS4YV9OEaqEd1pmebrzLauO7lvPzzyADy36ZoeXh8NaipONFP_yDBt8Hu4SRLCCEFOMAbcLJN5nRayNAaMCnLTF4oj/s400/009-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539993127970402274" /></a><br />This week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe is the wonderfully seasonal Cranberry Lime Galette. When I saw that this was on the calendar, I initially thought that I'd make it for our wedding anniversary, which happened to fall on the weekend before the galette was due. It never occurred to me in the first 10 years of our marriage to bake pies to celebrate our anniversary, but then I started baking, and when you bake as much as I do, you make the dessert fit whatever occasion happens to pop up (and you actually invent whole new occasions so that you have an excuse to eat the dessert). As I read the recipe through when still thinking it would be the anniversary pie, I decided to go with the cranberry orange version, which Dorie describes as "a little less edgy but no less enticing" -- that seemed to fit a 12th anniversary just perfectly. But then we were invited to attend the Thanksgiving feast at David's grandmother's retirement home, and the "Baked Good Foisting Opportunity" bells just started blaring furiously in my head; we'd have to find another way to celebrate 12 years of wedded bliss, because this Cranberry Orange Galette would be taking its rightful place on the retirement home dessert table. <br /><br />I made Dorie's pie crust again, and I think this was my best/most successful pie crust ever. I even rolled something approximating a circle. But I must have been spending too much time congratulating myself on the crust and not enough time concentrating on the filling, because I forgot the fresh ginger (which I think would have added a nice dimension to the other flavors). The rest of the filling was easy - cranberries, apples, dried cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest, orange marmalade. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS8nEp7amKlLcKf2_aAc2nL_iHTIvHQU06fiDVnxCwbTT2koYR-ux5g3-pirvcEqAuy8FA5CAXdOWcNzQtiKk_z_SI2Mp7kxE3JC-kl9lVJHFbqNNKJSOLtHoxeinBG1barQXPsIv36Z3/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS8nEp7amKlLcKf2_aAc2nL_iHTIvHQU06fiDVnxCwbTT2koYR-ux5g3-pirvcEqAuy8FA5CAXdOWcNzQtiKk_z_SI2Mp7kxE3JC-kl9lVJHFbqNNKJSOLtHoxeinBG1barQXPsIv36Z3/s400/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539991277461729634" /></a><br />Top the crust with a ground nut/bread crumb mix and then the filling, fold the edges up, then bake.<br /><br />This baked up beautifully and was a rustic, yet attractive (in a homely way), dessert. We (the extended family) decided that David and his brother would attend the feast, because we knew the energy level at the party would be high enough without my 8, 5 and 3 year old running around. I packed it up carefully for David and made sure that he knew to tell the person in charge that there were nuts in the dessert (in case of nut allergies) and also sugar, fat, gluten, etc. -- basically, this pie was one big, delicious dietary violation. I also told him that he had to eat a piece and report back to me, and with that, I sent him on his way. When he got back later that evening, he gave me some general positive reviews about the galette, which was fine at the time, but when I sat down to write this post I told him that I needed descriptive adjectives, and "the galette was good" wouldn't cut it. So he told me it was "tart." And then he added "I figured you'd just say that it baked up well. The crust was perfect. All the old people loved it, and there was none left. It was a nice departure from the sea of pecan pies." <br /><br />Whitney, April and Elizabeth of <a href="http://celestialconfections.blogspot.com/">Celestial Confections</a> chose this galette. Thanks for the crowd-pleading pick, ladies!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-54938203908897892592010-11-09T22:28:00.004-05:002010-11-10T09:42:26.670-05:00TWD: Not-Just-for-Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYRXS6Hn6qLCSFpQfWE11nJDgKVR-z6K84r70lwaAwzJhNG1lrrVCr76VfqxZvHnYeRaVGmQslQs5y6Ia99BaA176NxhKanOaRgxJymPFN5_obCTmk2L4R5PrMtfV_Wh_RvfSHZVcRCFe/s1600/382.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYRXS6Hn6qLCSFpQfWE11nJDgKVR-z6K84r70lwaAwzJhNG1lrrVCr76VfqxZvHnYeRaVGmQslQs5y6Ia99BaA176NxhKanOaRgxJymPFN5_obCTmk2L4R5PrMtfV_Wh_RvfSHZVcRCFe/s400/382.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537771915198335458" /></a><br /><br />This week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe is for the Not-Just-For-Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread cake, chosen my one of my favorite bloggers, Jessica of <a href="http://www.singletoninthekitchen.com/">Singleton in the Kitchen</a>. Any child who watched cartoons in the early 80s could tell you that Orange Juice is Not Just for Breakfast Anymore, but the fact that Cranberry Shortbread Cake is not just for Thanksgiving anymore has not been as widely known -- until now. Because thanks to Dorie (for creating this recipe) and Jessica (for choosing it) I have no doubt that TWDers everywhere are spreading the word about this cake and its late October/early November/anytime fabulousness. <br /><br />The recipe begins with a cranberry/orange jam filling. Dorie's recipes are famously clear and easy to follow, and this one is really no exception, yet for some reason all the talk here about orange segments/orange membranes sort of confused me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVuJxjtgOiHB0WkRBXGU7HGo9yqhRs-KX3nfGwsUnr3S7oVQsg3mULKyju1bujJHPAkstwVdIUpCNvfV-j7iJBd7nP24UUvxOvnlvjjmGGBu77Yfvu3BRREDsMnnUHoaV8IT5Xr7tKxEG/s1600/373-text_edited-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVuJxjtgOiHB0WkRBXGU7HGo9yqhRs-KX3nfGwsUnr3S7oVQsg3mULKyju1bujJHPAkstwVdIUpCNvfV-j7iJBd7nP24UUvxOvnlvjjmGGBu77Yfvu3BRREDsMnnUHoaV8IT5Xr7tKxEG/s400/373-text_edited-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537771148924552562" /></a><br />I may have done better if I'd had charts and graphs and the steady hand of a surgeon, but lacking all of those things, the process of removing the segments from the membranes went poorly for me, as my segments never completely released from my membranes, and my segments contained leftover pith (which required additional sugar later to offset the bitterness). Basically it was an orange train wreck. Dorie then says to try to squeeze some juice from the membranes, and if you could get 1/4 cup, great! I could not even get 1/4 teaspoon. (Seriously, did anybody out there get any measurable amount of juice out of the membranes?) No matter, water or additional orange juice worked just fine. I added the cranberries and sugar (and extra sugar to taste, per Dorie's suggestion) and the jam cooked up beautifully.<br /><br />The cake is a shortbread cake {as the recipe name would indicate} and the batter tastes EXACTLY like super awesome sugar cookie dough. Cranberry filling between sugar cookies? Sign me up! As it turned out, the cake definitely baked into a cake, not a cookie - the texture was a little on the dense and chewy side (in a good way!), and the sugary/buttery flavor paired so well with the tart filling. We loved this one!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9p69BE9WJorMxgEA5vI7xtZbDHOf_vs5plhTRmsZA8clQzfjWc9lAUZ9AdLKLcYP2UsJCDhwIIH6vLnGgSvdlQGdpjGjlW3vJdaiztp0-x3evo89Tv0Du9-uq8nPcMTcYVAY-F9Vs2E8/s1600/381.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9p69BE9WJorMxgEA5vI7xtZbDHOf_vs5plhTRmsZA8clQzfjWc9lAUZ9AdLKLcYP2UsJCDhwIIH6vLnGgSvdlQGdpjGjlW3vJdaiztp0-x3evo89Tv0Du9-uq8nPcMTcYVAY-F9Vs2E8/s400/381.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537771905734817554" /></a><br /><br />Jessica, thanks so much for the fantastic pick! Hurry over to Jessica's blog for fun narratives, beautiful pictures, and <a href="http://www.singletoninthekitchen.com/2010/11/twd-not-just-for-thanksgiving-cranberry.html">the recipe!</a>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-48294444062324893822010-11-02T00:01:00.002-04:002010-11-02T10:15:20.267-04:00TWD: Peanuttiest Blondies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RzS0hB57E1EzNYn6CNzWYXoPdWYmspUvj2gbwm6oASbNKdJdsX_fMy3Sq89W258fj_1Ngj8KOwkEahedehcvjrCHfoZUxVzAquefjj3XRc8o70-rZ9GJTtL0PsY3yvqI0xLbTIgJc9pp/s1600/003-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RzS0hB57E1EzNYn6CNzWYXoPdWYmspUvj2gbwm6oASbNKdJdsX_fMy3Sq89W258fj_1Ngj8KOwkEahedehcvjrCHfoZUxVzAquefjj3XRc8o70-rZ9GJTtL0PsY3yvqI0xLbTIgJc9pp/s400/003-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534799090421683506" /></a><br />I intended to make this week's TWD selection, Peanuttiest Blondies, to serve for dessert after Halloween (pre-trick or treating) dinner. It may seem insane to serve dessert before heading off to collect candy, but it always seemed to me that enjoying a quality dessert after dinner may actually reduce the impulse to pour grape-flavored Nerds into one's mouth before bed. In the end it didn't matter, as I woke up sick as a dog on Halloween, and was not able to walk to the kitchen for a glass of water, much less bake blondies (or make my kids Halloween pancakes using my new <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/halloween-pancake-mold/">Halloween pancake molds</a>, which I'm still pretty bummed about. I plan to make them for breakfast tomorrow (11/2) but they're no fools - they know that eating a bat shaped pancake in November is not the same). Anyway, as soon as I was certain that the plague had indeed left me, I went ahead and made these blondies. And what a great way to reenter the world of eating food!<br /><br />The one ingredient I wasn't sure of here was the cinnamon. I'm funny about cinnamon - I love it, but I generally don't like to be surprised by it. If it's in something I'd expect it to be in (pumpkin-spiced things, oatmeal raisin cookies, apple pie), I'm fully on board with it. But when it shows up in something unexpected (like chocolate), I find myself wishing it wasn't there. I almost skipped the cinnamon here because I didn't see why it needed to be here, but OH MY, am I glad I listened to Dorie. The cinnamon MAKES these blondies. It's subtle, but it's there, and it just works. <br /><br />Dorie calls hers the peanuttiest blondies, but I believe mine are even peanuttier, as I added peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips so that my husband would eat them. Every ounce of my being wanted to add chocolate chips, but the peanut butter chips really worked well as a distant second choice. My dream peanuttiest blondie would probably skip the peanuts and add both chocolate and peanut butter chips - oh yeah.<br /><br />I will make these again and again - no doubt about it. We all loved these, and I'll take one over a fun-size Milk Dud any day of the week. Nicole of Bakeologie chose these blondies. You can find the recipe <a href="http://bakeologie.blogspot.com/2010/10/twd-peanuttiest-blondies.html">here</a>. Thanks for the great pick, Nicole!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-80298271741181138772010-10-27T11:17:00.001-04:002010-10-27T22:46:11.073-04:00TWD: All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJpyfBc5yjRm-qGsgA8qpT-e87j0gfg9gacdu3YahrsmUD7s5Q_BKIApvLiwmTDivxisot_PBE2usSBR4rn04x8V0cDAo0bcdFx-ycYVA2fl60FdAw64hV78kN2cYzZs5YfrUQvxfuS5W/s1600/050=edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJpyfBc5yjRm-qGsgA8qpT-e87j0gfg9gacdu3YahrsmUD7s5Q_BKIApvLiwmTDivxisot_PBE2usSBR4rn04x8V0cDAo0bcdFx-ycYVA2fl60FdAw64hV78kN2cYzZs5YfrUQvxfuS5W/s400/050=edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532920910565518210" /></a><br />I haven't ever tallied up my posting average for the time I've been in TWD. I figure I post at least 50% of the time -- I'll go stretches when I post every week, and then I'll go two months without a post {which is a flagrant violation of TWD rules by the way, and (justifiably) grounds for being cleaned off the blogroll when housecleaning occurs}. That said, even when I go through a posting drought, I still bake the vast majority of the TWD recipes. How I can't manage to throw up a bad picture and a "loved the cake!" sentence those weeks is beyond me, but oh, crazy life, it just gets in the way sometimes. But one thing I've never ever done is post on a day other than Tuesday. If I miss the Tuesday deadline, I just don't post. Because this is <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays </a>with Dorie. But this apple pie was so delicious that it warrants the unthinkable - a Wednesday Tuesdays with Dorie post.<br /><br />I went ahead and used Dorie's good for everything pie dough this week (after using the Cook's Illustrated pie crust for the <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2010/10/twd-foldover-pear-torte_12.html">pear torte</a> and the <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2010/10/twd-caramel-pumpkin-pie.html">caramel pumpkin pie</a>). I think that both crusts are equally delicious. The Cook's Illustrated crust may be a tad easier to roll, but I've never had to <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2010/10/twd-foldover-pear-torte_12.html">drain and wring out</a> Dorie's pie dough the way that I did with the CI recipe, a stressful process that I'd rather avoid. So I'll probably stick with Dorie's going forward.<br /><br />The apple pie filling here contains the usual suspects -- apples (I used a mix of honeycrisp, gala, granny smith and golden delicious), cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, lemon zest as well as the unexpected, quick cooking tapioca, which is used as a thickener. I lost my quick cooking tapioca, which forced me to wander around the house asking "has anyone seen my quick cooking tapioca?" over and over again. If there is anything worse than having to make a special trip to the store to buy quick cooking tapioca, it's having to make a second special trip to the store to buy quick cooking tapioca to replace the quick cooking tapioca you bought two hours ago and lost. Fortunately, I found the quick cooking tapioca under the passenger seat in my car, next to a can of canellini beans I lost two weeks ago. (I'm sure you could use corn starch or something else as a thickener, or skip the thickener -- my grandmother never used anything to thicken her apple pie and it will always be my favorite pie ever).<br /><br />This pie baked up just beautifully. It was all-American and all-delicious alright! It is pretty much the quintessential apple pie, and if you like apple pie, you'll have a hard time doing better than this one.<br /><br />Emily of Sandmuffin chose this pie, and be sure to check out her post <a href="http://sandmuffin.blogspot.com/2010/10/twd-all-american-all-delicious-apple.html">here</a>. Thanks for the perfect October pick, Emily!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-47368947942895238932010-10-19T07:19:00.002-04:002010-10-19T12:24:13.362-04:00TWD: Caramel Pumpkin Pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nDmtOB-G0LP41hbJB06gSTY-5b1TOeLdgO62tnlZgSw97zKGJXUMUA4-kbbnQlS-uPA0333vcY0XxAwEqVu7q1kSEg1g9RuiC-FQpHUPDE3ZUw1RNN3PCaOKLrjNzVBB57UWYlJYqvfl/s1600/024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nDmtOB-G0LP41hbJB06gSTY-5b1TOeLdgO62tnlZgSw97zKGJXUMUA4-kbbnQlS-uPA0333vcY0XxAwEqVu7q1kSEg1g9RuiC-FQpHUPDE3ZUw1RNN3PCaOKLrjNzVBB57UWYlJYqvfl/s400/024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529360010348691394" /></a><br /><br />Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and if that is true, Albert would have been the first one to tell me that I would not enjoy this pumpkin pie, and that I was insane for even thinking that I might like it. As is well documented on this blog, I do not enjoy boozy desserts. And if I happen to like a boozy dessert okay, I always think that I would have liked it more if it hadn't been boozy. For those of you keeping score at home, that is over two years' worth of boozy desserts; over two years of not liking boozy desserts; and/or over two years of thinking thoughts like "that dessert wasn't bad, but a little too boozy for me -- I think it would have been great without the booze." And yet what do I do every. single. time a boozy dessert shows up on my calendar? I use the full amount of booze called for in the recipe, while thinking "I bet this rum will complement the fall spices nicely." Why would I think that? Because I'm insane, that's why. That is not to say that the rum does not complement the fall spices nicely; it very well might, it's a matter of personal taste -- *I* will just never think that it does. I will just think that it is too boozy. And that is what I thought about this pumpkin pie.<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan to begin with. I love pumpkin flavored baked goods and pumpkin spices, but the texture of pumpkin pie is not my favorite. This pie offers a fun spin on the classic pumpkin pie with the addition of a very dark caramel. The caramel begins with sugar in a skillet, and after it turns a dark amber color and starts bubbling furiously, cream, butter, and dark rum, cognac, or apple cider get added to the mix. Had I been sane, I would have opted for the apple cider since I know/should know what my personal preferences are by this point, but instead I decided to prove Albert right by going with the 2T rum (although in fairness to my inner sane person, I know that a lot of people in my world like boozy desserts way more than I do, and I don't bake to eat it all myself, anyway). I actually think I nailed the caramel for once, without setting off the fire alarms or frightening small children.<br /><br />This pie? Really not the pie for me. I felt like the rum was simply overpowering. I did not taste caramel at all - rum, just rum (and a slightly bitter aftertaste). The next night, I served a piece to David, who had been on a haunted camp out with Jacob the day I made this, and I issued a warning before I served it. And David liked it WAY more than I did. That is why I want to be clear that this might be -- heck, probably is! -- an incredible pie - but it is not your pie if you don't like pumpkin pie or boozy desserts. If you do like pumpkin pie and boozy desserts, you should absolutely try this pie, because it's a Dorie dessert - i.e., money in the bank - and therefore without a doubt the best boozy pumpkin pie ever.<br /><br />Janell of Mortensen Family Memoirs chose this pie. Janell <a href="http://lkmortensenfamily.blogspot.com/2010/10/tuesdays-with-dorie-caramel-pumpkin-pie.html">made the pie twice</a> because she did not enjoy it the first time, and voila! -- the second time was a charm. Janell suggests not cooking the caramel quite as long as the recipe calls for. This is an interesting point, and it makes me wonder if that was part of my issue - my caramel was definitely deep amber (I thought the perfect color), but perhaps if I hadn't cooked it as long I would have tasted more "caramel" and wouldn't have gotten that bitter aftertaste. Anyway, food for thought. Janell, thanks for the great seasonal pick!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-79795079611851262642010-10-12T00:01:00.000-04:002010-10-12T00:01:04.371-04:00TWD: Foldover Pear TorteI made this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe, Foldover Pear Torte, late last week. But you'll just have to take my word for it, as I have no pictures to share of it, since I forgot to take pictures. It's as if I was baking pear tortes on a random Thursday without some underlying blogging purpose or something! I forgot, just plain forgot, even after my husband (as he's been conditioned to do) asked me on two or three separate occasions if he could eat the torte. You'd think that at least one of those times before granting permission I would have done the whole "do I need anything more from that torte, like a picture?" analysis, but I did not. I told him to eat it, and then it was gone, and I had no pictures to prove that I made it. I'm thinking that might have been divine intervention though, as my torte was not pretty, and it's probably best that anyone who may stumble upon this post be spared the ugly evidence.<br /><br />I did snap a picture of the pear/apricot/nut mixture, which will hopefully suffice as proof that I made the torte:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kZVTrz-6XwscLIblDMbcm0sERYDhJwCZK_QeQ_nIvnLQUp2xjZvdis1fXeIfZ3nvtkGaqNsPs-iX0Q5kX1r9cZBrmUStuF8Q_ERaA_zQQGqh3zrDUSpBfzuaJqzskPTRG_00YSC1XZh7/s1600/190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kZVTrz-6XwscLIblDMbcm0sERYDhJwCZK_QeQ_nIvnLQUp2xjZvdis1fXeIfZ3nvtkGaqNsPs-iX0Q5kX1r9cZBrmUStuF8Q_ERaA_zQQGqh3zrDUSpBfzuaJqzskPTRG_00YSC1XZh7/s400/190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526968242346128994" /></a><br /><br />This torte has three major components - fruit/nut mixture, a cream/egg custard filling, and pie crust. I've made Dorie's Good for Anything Pie Dough numerous times, and it is fabulous. But I've long been intrigued by the <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/11/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-dough-recipe.html">Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough</a>, so I decided to try that recipe this time. And I can report that it is indeed foolproof, because never has a pie crust been so abused and mangled yet still managed to bake up so flaky and delicious. I still cringe when I think about what this poor pie crust endured -- after I added the liquid (water/vodka), it was simply drowning. No amount of mixing would incorporate that much liquid (and of course, everyone knows that overmixing pie dough is the death of it, so I faced an impossible dilemma). I finally ended up pouring off the excess liquid, ringing out the dough the best I could, and sticking it in the fridge. I called out to my baking friends who've made this crust before, and nobody could recall having had excess water issues. Once again, I'm making good on my promise to put any recipe writer's claim of foolproofedness to the test. I was shocked, truly and utterly shocked, that the crust ended up being delicious. The process was so traumatic that I will probably stick with Dorie's pie dough from now on; on the other hand, if I could not ruin the Cook's Illustrated crust, I believe that it simply cannot be ruined -- i.e., is foolproof -- and therefore I have to recommend it as an excellent option for any pie crustaphobes out there.<br /><br />But of course with a dessert like this the crust is simply a vehicle for the torte filling. The recipe calls for a fruit/nut mixture of pears, dried apricots or raisins, and walnuts, topped with a custard filling. Pears tend to be pretty unassertive, especially when baked, but I think they were perfect in this recipe, since the real star here is the custard. It'a made of eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla and almond extracts, butter and cream, and it is simply fabulous. I think Dorie made a great call pairing it with a mild fruit like pear, which will not compete with the custard (that said, I'm very eager to see what other TWD bakers used in this torte!) The dried apricots were kind of distracting to me -- perhaps because I didn't cut them small enough -- and next time I'll be sure to dice them really fine, use golden raisins, or skip the dried fruit altogether.<br /><br />The result? We thought this torte was great -- definitely a perfect "seasonal transition" dessert, as Dorie describes in her notes. Somehow this one seemed like a whole lot of work to me. I think that was my fault, as I kind of started out unorganized, and in a train-wreck of a kitchen, and then there was the Waterlogged Pie Crust Incident that kind of flustered me out of the gate; and it seemed like there were bowls and knives and zesters and extracts and small kitchen appliances everywhere, etc. I'm not sure how that was any different from any other baking session, but for whatever reason I emerged from this one in need of a {insert <span style="font-style:italic;">nap/massage/drink/break/maid/online shopping session</span> here}.<br /><br />Cakelaw of <a href="http://kitchenlaw.blogspot.com">Laws of the Kitchen</a> chose this fantastic torte. Cakelaw is an Aussie lawyer with a fun food blog -- you can find the pear torte at her blog right <a href="http://kitchenlaw.blogspot.com/2010/10/twd-fold-over-pear-torte.html">here</a>. Thanks for the great pick, Cakelaw!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-78340608104660783662010-10-11T00:01:00.001-04:002010-10-11T22:44:34.058-04:00TWD: Foldover Pear TorteCathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-35192355655121515262010-10-05T09:06:00.001-04:002010-10-05T09:42:40.992-04:00TWD: Double Apple Bundt Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEa23C7EGhFbj1lre0o4HNjl7ME-bpPCoU9Z-Glh9f89BQ0EtYh9JSfYpQ3FcsyBT6ytj-6JUVMtYxEDYOYSox7D8op__eieArRFT4FSoMPG17mclLGqH6Ql4iqV7r8cHETaqzHR-FmzR/s1600/066-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEa23C7EGhFbj1lre0o4HNjl7ME-bpPCoU9Z-Glh9f89BQ0EtYh9JSfYpQ3FcsyBT6ytj-6JUVMtYxEDYOYSox7D8op__eieArRFT4FSoMPG17mclLGqH6Ql4iqV7r8cHETaqzHR-FmzR/s400/066-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524547782656126098" /></a><br /><br />I'm sure if you gave my husband truth serum he'd tell you that I have a whole host of annoying habits, but the only one I know of that really really bugs him is when I buy myself presents in the month before my birthday. I was trying REALLY hard to be good this year, and was doing so well until <a href="http://doriegreenspan.com">Dorie Greenspan's</a> highly-anticipated book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Around-My-French-Table-Recipes/dp/0618875530/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286284679&sr=1-1">Around My French Table</a>, was released a month earlier than planned. I tried to ignore it -- added it to my Amazon cart and then deleted it, added it again and deleted it -- but in the end my pointer finger was powerless against the Place Order button. Sorry honey. The good news is that as a recreational baker/wannabe photographer/book collector/clothes lover/handbag hoarder, I've got to be right up there in the top 10 Easiest People In The World To Buy For. The other good news is that we won't have to wait until late October to start enjoying regular dinners out of Around My French Table -- I've already made the gourgeres and the roast chicken for <span style="font-style:italic;">les paresseux</span> -- and they were both fabulous. But to make it up to my hubs for violating the sacrosanct "no self-gifting in the 30 days prior to gift-giving occasion" rule, I figured I better bake him a bundt cake.<br /><br />As luck would have it, this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe is Double Apple Bundt cake, and the timing of this cake is perfect, as we've finally seen a hint of real fall weather around here. I've made this bundt cake before -- I don't remember exactly why or when -- but I do remember it being delicious. I made a full bundt the first time I made it, but this time, I went with a loaf cake and a dozen mini bundts (because my 5 year old was having a friend over, and 5 year old girls appreciate cute food).<br /><br />The "double" in this double apple bundt refers to shredded apple and apple butter. The cake also calls for a nice assortment of fall spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), nuts, and raisins. I did not ice it, and served it our favorite way -- in a domed cake stand on the kitchen island with a knife next to it -- and we helped ourselves to slices and/or mini cakes for several days (this one is a good keeper). The cake has a great texture and hearty fall flavors - definitely a perfect fall snack cake. Our little houseguest chose a mini cake over pancakes for Sunday morning breakfast. This was a hit around here for sure.<br /><br />Lynne of <a href="http://honeymuffin.wordpress.com">Honey Muffin</a> chose this week's Double Apple Bundt Cake. Be sure to visit her blog for the recipe. Thanks for a great pick, Lynne!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-9751853913907243202010-09-28T09:06:00.000-04:002010-09-28T10:13:50.358-04:00TWD: Tarte Fine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVC2CS6b7mt7lJPmvhNd-oiCTpTzlzFeQ4Z55vlR7iAAx24zqVntDkvILpaD_QiEXOXwINjgyF_GzeqDWJ6hbDgAviuq6-Hz-z2QTjTMJp2cUZn13bziAMdhzEWTN2GBSsGfwMysKBkw5/s1600/009-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVC2CS6b7mt7lJPmvhNd-oiCTpTzlzFeQ4Z55vlR7iAAx24zqVntDkvILpaD_QiEXOXwINjgyF_GzeqDWJ6hbDgAviuq6-Hz-z2QTjTMJp2cUZn13bziAMdhzEWTN2GBSsGfwMysKBkw5/s400/009-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521432122697735122" /></a><br /><br />The only thing that has gotten me through the twenty-three (23) days of 90+ degree weather in September has been the appearance of apple desserts on the <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>schedule. I'm a fall/spring lover, winter/summer hater, which means I have never lived in the right place in any of my almost 38 years (Connecticut: winters too long/cold. Alabama: summers too long/hot). But I won't dwell on that, and will instead thank <a href="http://lethallydelicious.blogspot.com">Leslie</a> for picking this week's fabulous recipe, Tarte Fine. I've actually made the tarte fine before, because it's one of those delicious and impressive desserts that is super easy, thanks to the miracle product that is frozen puff pastry.<br /><br />When I started baking/blogging, I had no idea what frozen puff pastry ("FPP") even was. I remember googling "frozen puff pastry" and printing out a picture of the Pepperidge Farm package so I would know what to look for at the store. And now two years later, not only am I a regular consumer of FPP, but I have brand preferences and everything! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOqNpefnUoXKNtug3Vm87b4fMVhJP28_BnfU902UKmswDCf2F1aeFk0jpdQiNCeXQRphdtsXBnQe0b4UQODgL7gMVWRHmcCBqtoUwN4BL5qtXZYRda0Dj6aMpXLEDnRnbNRbghC0ytxuk/s1600/image.php.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOqNpefnUoXKNtug3Vm87b4fMVhJP28_BnfU902UKmswDCf2F1aeFk0jpdQiNCeXQRphdtsXBnQe0b4UQODgL7gMVWRHmcCBqtoUwN4BL5qtXZYRda0Dj6aMpXLEDnRnbNRbghC0ytxuk/s400/image.php.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521963866354691714" /></a>I first tried Dufour Pastry Kitchen's all-butter FPP after reading Dorie's recommendation -- she claims that it is so good that she stopped making her own puff pastry. Other accolades: winner of the International Fancy Food Show, and called "The most buttery and flaky pastry you will ever find" by Details Magazine {as an aside, I always thought of Details as more of a "Jessica Alba reviews the iPhone 4" kind of magazine -- but I may be mixing them up with Maxim}.<br /><br />In any event, this dessert would be wonderful with just about any kind of FPP. Roll out the defrosted FPP, top with lemon juice soaked apples, top with sugar, brush the pastry edge with milk or cream and the apples with an egg wash, and bake. Easy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZo23iBCpVa02BeiY08HFEk954lpTcER6MC9ex_AHRItqT20S0fStUGby2O1i8qnyWAtzpc-RB9xZFLhuzKf-za4JH14v18jTWprIcShf6F2KB7oXZjaymwHkbsojsZmT6xSef08Zq0FF/s1600/021-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZo23iBCpVa02BeiY08HFEk954lpTcER6MC9ex_AHRItqT20S0fStUGby2O1i8qnyWAtzpc-RB9xZFLhuzKf-za4JH14v18jTWprIcShf6F2KB7oXZjaymwHkbsojsZmT6xSef08Zq0FF/s400/021-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521432131157948114" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">My daughter just picked it up and ate it like pizza.</span></center><br /><br />I may not have defrosted my pastry quite long enough, and may not have achieved optimal puffage as a result. No matter, it was still delicious. I served this with David Lebovitz's cinnamon ice cream, my favorite. The cinnamon sticks seeped in my milk for two hours rather than the prescribed one hour, because I never seem to be home for an hour straight. So it was very cinnamony, and so delicious, especially with this scrumptious tarte!<br /><br />Leslie, thanks for the fabulous fall pick! Please run, don't walk, to Leslie's great blog, <a href="http://lethallydelicious.blogspot.com">Lethally Delicious</a>, for the recipe.Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-51331225439487955582010-09-14T19:54:00.000-04:002010-09-14T22:40:13.886-04:00TWD: Cranberry Upside Downer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYHAvWjK9RHpbcEXq1FuC9gnSDSXTozwFfeCWOkA5OAfbhi-QdEJcWKDgvrjZ08V5XG9c3LOf8d3eZxRK2IdNScwOTOgGeiZfhx7zRhUjhGbNKaQRDpJfkBfFAhYS3im_NJ2ooMXAxDrh/s1600/009-crop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYHAvWjK9RHpbcEXq1FuC9gnSDSXTozwFfeCWOkA5OAfbhi-QdEJcWKDgvrjZ08V5XG9c3LOf8d3eZxRK2IdNScwOTOgGeiZfhx7zRhUjhGbNKaQRDpJfkBfFAhYS3im_NJ2ooMXAxDrh/s400/009-crop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516947561141842754" /></a><br />One of my mother's favorite sayings has always been "everything in moderation." While it induced major eye rolls when I was in high school (but then, what didn't?) something about that message sunk in, because now that I am indisputably an adult, I am extreme in my moderation. I sleep not too much, not too little. I drink a glass or two of wine a week. I will never be a workaholic. I get regular, non-compulsive exercise. I try to eat healthy most of the time, with all of the food groups represented. My midlife crisis car will probably be a Maxima. I have a strong preference for those glorious, moderate seasons, spring and fall (and really want to live somewhere where it is spring and fall all the time -- suggestions?) and tend to get winter/summer fatigue in a hurry. Yup, I am pretty much a moderate by every measure except for Cranberry Upside-Downer consumption, as evidenced by the fact that I ate 90% of this by myself in hourly, 1/8th inch slice increments over the course of a couple of days. And what can I say? -- extreme behavior never tasted so good!<br /><br />I bought a bunch of cranberries during cranberry season last year, and they've been taking up awkward space in my freezer ever since. I was thrilled to get to use them a little bit earlier than planned; with more room in the freezer and an upside down cake on the counter, everybody wins! This was an easy cake to make. Melt some butter and sugar on the stovetop, mix in walnuts and cranberries, and spread the mixture into an 8" round pan:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFNatFwgsnHNjxEX8i_4M5NPOKYt06eZXNUw6BttVUiYnYtzDpep0aMv3q61m4PYPI1sknOVcDnoagDBBZoglprMJGjQ_1zW9gg3g75RymVKlSJ1VKvTok7v6puZs99CDYAb2-V57lhne/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFNatFwgsnHNjxEX8i_4M5NPOKYt06eZXNUw6BttVUiYnYtzDpep0aMv3q61m4PYPI1sknOVcDnoagDBBZoglprMJGjQ_1zW9gg3g75RymVKlSJ1VKvTok7v6puZs99CDYAb2-V57lhne/s400/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516946392438382242" /></a><br /><br />Top with batter and bake.<br /><br />This came out of the pan nicely and made for a festive presentation. I l-l-l-loved this cake! It has the perfect texture, and the tart cranberries and the cinnamon cake make for a heavenly combination. <del>I</del> We treated this as a breakfast/snack cake, but it would totally work as a true dessert with ice cream or whipped cream. David, who luckily got the first slice before I ate the rest of it, noted that while he is not usually a cranberry fan or an upside down cake fan (Really? Who thinks about upside down cakes as a distinct genre of cake, and then forms an opinion about whether to be a fan or not? Apparently my husband does.), he thought the cake was delicious. I have no idea what we are doing for Thanksgiving this year, but if I am anywhere near an oven and willing eaters -- strike that, I don't need the willing eaters; I can handle this baby myself -- I am making this cake.<br /><br />Sabrina of Superflous chose this Upside Downer, and you can find her post <a href="http://superfluouslysabro.blogspot.com/2010/09/twd-cranberry-upside-downer.html">here</a>. Sabrina, awesome pick!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-30316800493349522732010-08-31T07:00:00.000-04:002010-08-31T08:51:05.282-04:00TWD: Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKznO9ziP26XZY9S3B5EdIA3a98ok0DaxI0iJAgw1JnN9ACDwMRpVBeHTgxrMMvFB0zQPJkvpWiqJtqy1n5mPZWTf0w-eh2UqeGc3x3xHepe8PWmRNVR6xo245_pfbdvdDtQD0BWg2JC1Q/s1600/006-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKznO9ziP26XZY9S3B5EdIA3a98ok0DaxI0iJAgw1JnN9ACDwMRpVBeHTgxrMMvFB0zQPJkvpWiqJtqy1n5mPZWTf0w-eh2UqeGc3x3xHepe8PWmRNVR6xo245_pfbdvdDtQD0BWg2JC1Q/s400/006-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511548693010210578" /></a><br />The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is have a cup of coffee. If I plan to run that morning, I have the coffee before I run, which I'm sure violates all sorts of fitness rules. It is very important that I have my coffee before I speak to any human beings. My children know that I do not make/find/reach/feed/retrieve/help/turn on/turn off/mediate until I have the first sip of coffee, which has led to some pointed questions about the limits of my rule: "What if someone is bleeding?" "What if there is a fire?" "What if there is a lizard in the house?" I think I've helped them understand that I will rise to the occasion in case of a true emergency {as defined by me}, but that the house default rule is that nearly everything can wait the approximately 3.5 minutes between when I get out of bed and when the first splash of java hits my mouth. <br /><br />But while coffee is a vitally important element of my morning ritual, it is <span style="font-style:italic;">only </span>a part of my morning ritual. I have one cup in the morning, and then no interest in it -- in fact, kind of an aversion to it -- the rest of the day. Except for that one morning cup that is so essential to my sunny disposition, I rarely drink the stuff. And, more relevant to this week's post {not that I have ever been constrained by relevancy when writing blog posts}, I don't really care for coffee flavored food. So I wasn't sure how I'd like this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe, Espresso Chocolate Shortbread cookies, chosen by Donna of <a href="http://lifes2shortnot2eat.blogspot.com/">Life's Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First</a>. {Amen!} They sounded interesting though, and I have enjoyed many of Dorie's shortbread recipes, so I was eager to try them.<br /><br />I just celebrated my two year blogiversary by . . . <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/1978/08/twd-crunchy-and-custardy-peach-tart.html">actually writing a blog post for the first time in two months</a>! It's funny to think about the things that help us mark time. My baby was an infant when I joined TWD two years ago. I would wait for her to go down for her nap, or fall asleep at night, and then start baking {sometimes recruiting my two older children to be my helpers}. Well, these two years in TWD have flown by, as evidenced by the fact that my baby is now a chair climbing, kitchen-aid monitoring, bowl-scraping, rolling pin-wielding helper in her own right:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6RVojnWU0dOEJiV9L9Bdlm3qs4AdjQFDEWG4HbxO2EnX9pS54za9OT68UT7NpMlKlkOFTKmvVHQxGGS8jqnPvypOcLHQ93nhzJejbP-86Cf5VNoGa5K2zyysmOFnwsEepy1t1NyD-n_F/s1600/014-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6RVojnWU0dOEJiV9L9Bdlm3qs4AdjQFDEWG4HbxO2EnX9pS54za9OT68UT7NpMlKlkOFTKmvVHQxGGS8jqnPvypOcLHQ93nhzJejbP-86Cf5VNoGa5K2zyysmOFnwsEepy1t1NyD-n_F/s400/014-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511393043181652290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo3T1V42iaiC_SCc8z2Oy3zzghaZPR8gbJJoRsws_oLX790YCF0QMj6KawBxP_HH7nKVvABgQxET5Un8mna4lyW1JJGPhxf6Nb6OD6erRW8du7LsMJcG3pCiUU9EKZCJiwOnd3VdtLIQY/s1600/005-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo3T1V42iaiC_SCc8z2Oy3zzghaZPR8gbJJoRsws_oLX790YCF0QMj6KawBxP_HH7nKVvABgQxET5Un8mna4lyW1JJGPhxf6Nb6OD6erRW8du7LsMJcG3pCiUU9EKZCJiwOnd3VdtLIQY/s400/005-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511393033382593634" /></a><br /><br />The dough is made with confectioner's sugar and a tablespoon of espresso powder, in addition to the usual suspects -- lots and lots {and lots} of butter, flour, vanilla. Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate get folded into the dough, and then the {extremely soft} dough gets rolled out in a ziploc bag. It then needs a good stint in the refrigerator in order to be properly cuttable. I let mine stay there overnight. Then cut off the bag, slice the dough into little rectangles, and bake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVboesd41Ar652u4rWYsFWyuPNkuBQwdi-uXjO92hO8sU_SjZrRT9ZShSo1l0STmxLYK10GtJO_xXxd1fReBCfc5xGNvbhrQayn-onYtLLAbkcF5mt7342vHaw6eDbgKVGJtWkTxe5vwj-/s1600/007-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVboesd41Ar652u4rWYsFWyuPNkuBQwdi-uXjO92hO8sU_SjZrRT9ZShSo1l0STmxLYK10GtJO_xXxd1fReBCfc5xGNvbhrQayn-onYtLLAbkcF5mt7342vHaw6eDbgKVGJtWkTxe5vwj-/s400/007-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511551514618656002" /></a><br /><br />The verdict? Well, my older two children would not try these, and my youngest spit it out {which is hardly a reliable commentary about the quality of the cookies - I don't think that espresso cookies are likely to be embraced by the preschool set any time soon}. My husband did not eat these because they contain chocolate. Which leaves me. I like most things that contain copious amounts of butter and sugar, and these cookies are no exception. Will they go down as my favorite cookie ever? No. This may be the first recipe I've baked with confectioner's sugar (as opposed to white or brown) and I'm not sure I cared for the resulting texture {if the texture was in fact sugar-related}. But I think folks who like coffee-flavored desserts will enjoy these immensely, so I'm filing this one away in my "coffee-flavored dessert" arsenal. Thanks for the pick, Donna!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-33883658171448019512010-08-24T11:24:00.001-04:002010-08-24T23:32:47.746-04:00TWD: Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXOP4DPLXtRuq2yCvK-CysEM7snhfQrR_aX4HsKESxH72RDEUnkxyK_GGsimmCPKqzwRNyenGEjN28s6HIEFFByzeHJncFUizo1gtXC7oOAzCqdgy0epc_t3m2XhkygIaYgjHD1luQc13/s1600/008edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXOP4DPLXtRuq2yCvK-CysEM7snhfQrR_aX4HsKESxH72RDEUnkxyK_GGsimmCPKqzwRNyenGEjN28s6HIEFFByzeHJncFUizo1gtXC7oOAzCqdgy0epc_t3m2XhkygIaYgjHD1luQc13/s400/008edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509123121042186738" /></a><br /><br />For some reason, baking in the summer is a challenge for me. The kids are out of school and we're running around a lot. It is hotter than Hades here (we're going on 50+ straight days of temperatures near or above 100 degrees). Air conditioning does not work (I mean, it technically works, but I keep waving my hands over the vent to make sure cold air is really coming out -- it is, but is no match for what nature is dishing out). In these circumstances, I sometimes balk at the thought of cranking up the oven for mere recreational purposes. That said, my favorite dessert of all time may very well be the Summer Fruit Gallette, which was covered by TWD right before I joined. So I know that summer baking (baking in the summer and/or the baking of summer fruit) can be so very worth it. <br /><br />I've had my eye on this tart, to put it mildly. In fact, I initially picked it for my TWD selection when I was up back in June. But then I started fretting that the peaches would not be in prime form in as early as late May, when TWDers would actually be making it. I polled friends who are more familiar with the peach cycle than I am, determined that late May/early June was indeed too early to count on great peaches, and emailed Laurie back with <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2010/06/twd-tender-shortcakes-my-pick.html">Plan B</a>. Then I prayed that someone with a July or August pick would come through with the Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart. Thankfully, <a href="http://www.sweettarte.blogspot.com/">Rachel </a>did. Rachel, you are my hero.<br /><br />The tart begins with Dorie's trusty sweet tart dough. Top with peaches, an easy custard, and an almond struesel topping. Try not to burn the almond streusel topping, as I did, but know that even if you do, the tart will still be wonderful. Such is the magic of a Dorie dessert -- it's so otherwordly delicious that a few minor (or major) mistakes can't hurt it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6q_UDwkw2pSkOHPWsOUG2Fg4XkGBjfTvZgF6cauMj2YzPPlEwwyKxX2ojgiYeu0VDk8JVkrti8XXjPlKuaccXk5sHDY17dQxPQiENU6nTQcIzp8XBLirO7Zw1qlNpOZOXU8d9HLPPHAy/s1600/005-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6q_UDwkw2pSkOHPWsOUG2Fg4XkGBjfTvZgF6cauMj2YzPPlEwwyKxX2ojgiYeu0VDk8JVkrti8XXjPlKuaccXk5sHDY17dQxPQiENU6nTQcIzp8XBLirO7Zw1qlNpOZOXU8d9HLPPHAy/s400/005-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509123107724406626" /></a><br /><br />Thanks for the perfect summer pick, <a href="http://www.sweettarte.blogspot.com/">Rachel</a>!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-45948335024777356612010-06-29T01:43:00.000-04:002010-06-29T08:07:16.196-04:00TWD: Lemon-Drenched Vanilla(ish) Cakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN1B3QHNBzjnNydFzS9zSdA19Iw0-O-8sMsQZYu8g98cy1LCu1bE-ilzRS45QMKnEZEScM-ePJ0gJ-bZ1GjANg35xghyphenhyphenzFapbx4SYhZkcZsIUcQvyerIXt_OUdmF-ujaQXqm0H9N3izH3/s1600/097-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN1B3QHNBzjnNydFzS9zSdA19Iw0-O-8sMsQZYu8g98cy1LCu1bE-ilzRS45QMKnEZEScM-ePJ0gJ-bZ1GjANg35xghyphenhyphenzFapbx4SYhZkcZsIUcQvyerIXt_OUdmF-ujaQXqm0H9N3izH3/s400/097-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488164761184907058" /></a><br />The really awesome Wendy of <a href="http://pinkstripes.wordpress.com">pinkstripes</a> chose this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays With Dorie</a> recipe, Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes. Both "rum-drenched" and "vanilla cakes" sounded great to me in a vacuum, but after years of trying, really trying, to like boozy desserts, I've finally accepted that I'm just destined to be a dessert teetotaler. If I like a cake with rum in it, you can be sure that would like the cake without rum in it even better. Therefore, I decided to skip the rum and instead go with the lemon variation suggested by Dorie.<br /><br />I was so happy to see that this was a loaf cake, and a simple one at that. My other baking project over the weekend was to try to make a <a href="http://http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-cream-roll-recipe">chocolate swiss roll cake</a> that looked like a <a href="http://star-wars-obsession.buzzsugar.com/854548">lightsaber </a>- a test run for my son's birthday in a couple of weeks. I'd never made a roll cake before, or used rolled fondant for that matter. Suffice it to say that after my practice round I am not brimming with confidence about my ability to pull off the edible lightsaber under pressure. I've got the bakery on speed dial, just in case. But a loaf cake? That I could do.<br /><br />This cake is hand mixed -- no mixer required. That endeared the cake to me immediately, especially because my beloved Kitchen Aid started to make some ugly squeaking noises during the lightsaber batter mixing. I don't even want to think about My Precious conking out on me, and since this cake was mixed by hand, for five minutes I didn't have to. This is a straight up mixing process -- combine the dry ingredients, whisk eggs into sugar (since I was doing the lemon version, I first rubbed lemon zest into the sugar), add vanilla (Dorie says that the rum/vanilla version depends on the "very best vanilla you could find" - presumably vanilla beans from Tahiti or Madagascar, but since I was just doing the modified lemon version, I went with the very best vanilla I could find in my pantry - Kirkland Signature Pure Vanilla Extract from Costco), then whisk in heavy cream. Finally, add in the dry ingredients and fold in melted and cooled butter. Pour into a loaf pan and bake.<br /><br />After the cake is out of the oven, poke a bunch of holes in it with a skewer or something similar, and then brush the cake with a simple syrup of sugar, water, and, (for the lemon version I did) lemon juice. I've never drenched a cake before - it was tons of fun!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYY959ZJZvtvK_8kfzFdI_5DrYUIfD5FKl_k4aP5kQAI30puVq_9v7ZYhJuOd1Sn-qb8BIhZ_K3tFpZK6dpCWfNW0LF3daRGNLLpXNyYKTlw8N1UaoJDw0dB1yarDevYkdSl5NpFmR8_G/s1600/099-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYY959ZJZvtvK_8kfzFdI_5DrYUIfD5FKl_k4aP5kQAI30puVq_9v7ZYhJuOd1Sn-qb8BIhZ_K3tFpZK6dpCWfNW0LF3daRGNLLpXNyYKTlw8N1UaoJDw0dB1yarDevYkdSl5NpFmR8_G/s400/099-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488164770298047442" /></a><br />The results? Wow, we really love this cake. The crumb is exactly as Dorie describes - tight, compact and sturdy, but still soft and moist. The lemon flavor here was fabulous - I LOVED how the lemon syrup infused the cake with extra tartness. This cake is delicious enough to stand on its own, but it would also be great with berries and cream, lemon curd, etc. It's been a while since I made the French Yogurt Cake, another lemon cake that we adored around here, so I can't really say which is better. But it would be hard to beat this one for the total "simplicity and pure deliciousness" package. <br /><br />Run, don't walk, to <a href="http://pinkstripes.wordpress.com">Wendy's blog</a> to read more about this cake (and tons of other fabulous creations) and for a daily dose of fun and adventure. Great pick, Pink!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-42476641914470956992010-06-22T00:01:00.003-04:002010-09-30T21:30:09.113-04:00TWD: Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j5-XptHL7YyqzNdceSsINs7v38RF83hzVy1IztMOrwGHBOJK0afRiYTvqL9d6t6G2-QheW9mgGU3bO2xz_VXX6HAiLOqwx4QDVJub93BMcLqjmN63e2ALWT5vApVf-Z_KBi067KQ20j8/s1600/159-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j5-XptHL7YyqzNdceSsINs7v38RF83hzVy1IztMOrwGHBOJK0afRiYTvqL9d6t6G2-QheW9mgGU3bO2xz_VXX6HAiLOqwx4QDVJub93BMcLqjmN63e2ALWT5vApVf-Z_KBi067KQ20j8/s640/159-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485425654553356626" /></a><br /><br />Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake - Take 1<br /><br />I first made this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe, Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake, on a whim one day after Amanda and I decided to bring Heather lunch. Heather is on bed rest with baby #4, and by gosh, Heather deserves some chocolate cake. Plus, <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2010/04/twd-chockablock-cookies.html">the baby likes my baked goods</a>, and we all want the baby to fatten up over the next few weeks, so any way you slice it, this chocolate cake had Heather's name all over it. I wanted the cake to be fresh as possible, so I baked it the morning of our lunch date, but I didn't really have time to do that, so the cake ended up ugly. That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Close your eyes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrGHesNoe2TRq5_dR8aXB4kDfM2lXGCHiGXYoFRPdc3b4qBZhuU-ESOVwt_D6EIqOenL2rtaR5PK_oc9St9iYRm5VCELrZJ9SO4Zjhy2DlgAHvanLwI0zttqc0Fl13rGpsFuXZ1KtLy8P/s1600/037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrGHesNoe2TRq5_dR8aXB4kDfM2lXGCHiGXYoFRPdc3b4qBZhuU-ESOVwt_D6EIqOenL2rtaR5PK_oc9St9iYRm5VCELrZJ9SO4Zjhy2DlgAHvanLwI0zttqc0Fl13rGpsFuXZ1KtLy8P/s400/037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485413625136982370" /></a><br /><br />Okay, you can open them now. If you did sneak a peek, I will tell you that the photo captured the cake at its absolute prettiest. It went downhill from there as it survived multiple car rides, elevator rides, the take out window at La Paz, the 40% off sale at Grandmother's Joy Children's Clothing Boutique, and temperature swings of 50 degrees depending on whether it was inside or outside. When Amanda and I finally got to Heather's, I quickly hid the cake in the refrigerator and hoped that I'd be able to sneak into the kitchen to cut it without anyone having the misfortune of seeing it. Because it's one thing to bake an ugly cake, it's another thing to bake an ugly cake when you've been baking cakes for two years straight. It is bruised and battered by now, but I do have my pride.<br /><br />Fortunately, once it was sliced it pretty much looked like any sliced chocolate loaf cake, so my "ugly cake" secret was safe for another day. And it was delicious! We all enjoyed it, and it was the perfect way to cap off a light ladies' lunch of cheese dip and burritos.<br /><br />Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake - Take 2<br /><br />Much as I liked the cake, I almost didn't blog about it because of the ugly picture. So instead of doing the sane thing and posting about it in spite of the ugly picture, I decided to bake it again. Just a half recipe this time, in mini loaf pans. I rationalized my bizarre behavior by telling myself that I could keep it in the freezer so that I'd have something on hand if unexpected guests arrived. The prospect of "having dessert in the freezer for unexpected guests" never fails to persuade me to go ahead and bake that unnecessary dessert, notwithstanding the fact that in the 19.5 years since I've reached adulthood, I have never once had an unexpected guest. If my doorbell rings unexpectedly it is either (1) the UPS man, or (2) a guy in a pickup truck asking if I want to buy pine straw. But I think I inherited my freezer-stocking compulsion from my grandmother, who regularly kept things in her freezer for unexpected guests (although she actually had unexpected guests -- so many, in fact, that at some point I imagine it ceased to be unexpected). I frequently watched her pull a pie out of nowhere when Uncle Bill and Aunt Theresa stopped by to play pinochle, or turn out some tea and cookies in two minutes flat for Rosie and Adeline, the sisters renowned for their housekeeping prowess - legend had it that they "cleaned on top of clean" (the highest compliment my grandmother could bestow on someone.) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVF5dBgJLFlku9ZmeiTmPUlpR_rmekX_DXvTpuLCpKLxgmHLgRpws10gg1LrYKazRqpNWbpK-BOS93enpn_vkvCto5XDHgLfNhsl9uLB7YRqydm-ZvyzcQkFZ6Vnt7FrCr_GUF2xBEs52/s1600/162-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVF5dBgJLFlku9ZmeiTmPUlpR_rmekX_DXvTpuLCpKLxgmHLgRpws10gg1LrYKazRqpNWbpK-BOS93enpn_vkvCto5XDHgLfNhsl9uLB7YRqydm-ZvyzcQkFZ6Vnt7FrCr_GUF2xBEs52/s400/162-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485433508453686850" /></a><br /><br />So despite my historic dearth of unexpected guests, I now have one and a half mini dressy chocolate loaf cakes in my freezer at the ready, just in case. Thanks to the fabulous Amy Ruth from <a href="http://amyruthbakes.com">Amy Ruth Bakes</a> for picking this wonderful, crowd-pleasing, freezer-friendly cake. Be sure to visit Amy Ruth and the <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD blogroll</a> to see some beautiful cakes (and obtain actual relevant information about the cake!)Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-50552009405859735302010-06-08T00:01:00.004-04:002010-06-08T00:16:49.831-04:00TWD: Tender Shortcakes {my pick!!}<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTngFql18X-alWGVMNWtiOU4Kmysp9B2JODOISwIvhec87NcVWSx6zJ76JWkHW11dLv6rI57Hj9WfrlC_FAcp7pdzu0TaPIOflmBfZwUeMfeE7-XtsyekjFep-FOJWxGxpe0bcL21cxAOE/s1600/207.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTngFql18X-alWGVMNWtiOU4Kmysp9B2JODOISwIvhec87NcVWSx6zJ76JWkHW11dLv6rI57Hj9WfrlC_FAcp7pdzu0TaPIOflmBfZwUeMfeE7-XtsyekjFep-FOJWxGxpe0bcL21cxAOE/s400/207.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480207600363860930" /></a><br />I know that many people know well ahead of time which recipe they will choose when their turn comes up in <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>. But there must be others like me, who really have no idea which recipe they'll pick, and then end up having a kind of out of body experience that involves typing "I choose the Tender Shortcakes" in response to Laurie's "Your turn to pick for June!" email. And who wake up the next day thinking "did I really pick the Tender Shortcakes over a gazillion other amazing-looking desserts in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275926682&sr=8-1">Baking</a>? Let me check my sent items folder. Yes I did." Now, don't get me wrong -- I like strawberry shortcakes. But my sister has always been the real strawberry shortcake lover in the family - she'll choose it for her birthday dessert and order it in restaurants, and my mother will always serve it for dessert if she knows Diane is coming over for dinner. I, on the other hand, can usually be found rummaging through the pantry to see if there is anything in there that can be turned into chocolate cake.<br /><br />But I was never going to pick anything chocolate, because I needed David, who has been my most faithful and loyal taster for the nearly two years I've been in TWD, to eat and review whatever I chose. And once I knew that I had a June pick, I started zoning in on seasonal recipes. <a href="http://doriegreenspan.com">Dorie </a>calls these tender shortcakes "the quintessential shortcakes" and, well, I think of strawberry shortcakes as the quintessential summer dessert. So Tender Shortcakes it was!!<br /><br />Some desserts/techniques have a reputation of being somewhat difficult or fussy (e.g., meringue, custard, caramel), and generally speaking, if they are difficult for anybody, they are difficult for me as well. Then there are the desserts that do not have a reputation for being difficult (e.g, brownies) but which manage to be difficult for me anyway (chronic underbaker here). <br /><br />That brings us to biscuits, or members of the biscuit family (as these shortcakes are) which also have the reputation for being a tad tricky, yet which inexplicably have never given me any trouble. For whatever reason I am square with the biscuit/shortcake gods. I really hoped that this biscuit magic continued through these shortcakes, because I really didn't want to have to write a "fail" post for my week.<br /><br />Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOJ4LO-ZagDkSM7KjvyDxxXdUg43OrvM4n43fAyYtJs7QYXiKLybsRqzM-CnVJVIKJVe9ALP79qvt6MdTbCcKVKvTQ8BZt4_lsqvsVaymR-xC4yhTKEgzPA5A0i9WAEjrgPEKA2gout5l/s1600/160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOJ4LO-ZagDkSM7KjvyDxxXdUg43OrvM4n43fAyYtJs7QYXiKLybsRqzM-CnVJVIKJVe9ALP79qvt6MdTbCcKVKvTQ8BZt4_lsqvsVaymR-xC4yhTKEgzPA5A0i9WAEjrgPEKA2gout5l/s400/160.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479992625402594258" /></a><br />Make sure your cold, unsalted butter is ready to go:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9IebSTq5BgJvDRHQ5nutiWDgjY8o0fIrKGZunKhSU-RuAFGvnpvUA_-D3vJ5DGyzas2MTIuuaZ558FBtfKS_ACZ3K6Px4WQuwdiv5GmwKliE6YVdGIlcCVFoal8uLSB8Vhb5qdvfYfL2/s1600/163.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9IebSTq5BgJvDRHQ5nutiWDgjY8o0fIrKGZunKhSU-RuAFGvnpvUA_-D3vJ5DGyzas2MTIuuaZ558FBtfKS_ACZ3K6Px4WQuwdiv5GmwKliE6YVdGIlcCVFoal8uLSB8Vhb5qdvfYfL2/s400/163.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479992635323529650" /></a><br />Drop the butter onto the flour mixture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNFr-85LycSA9K38_hWF68sknGxz9wZ1neQANpq4sDVPmXm6Wftjikxc5OvUO75SPHk66fQI3KGeblcoNnfUIGtx94kVEjF2G2Tp54PH8fkOBgVz-Xn2Br3N8J6B77gNWw6S4PwKPXGTd/s1600/164.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNFr-85LycSA9K38_hWF68sknGxz9wZ1neQANpq4sDVPmXm6Wftjikxc5OvUO75SPHk66fQI3KGeblcoNnfUIGtx94kVEjF2G2Tp54PH8fkOBgVz-Xn2Br3N8J6B77gNWw6S4PwKPXGTd/s400/164.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479992639332412402" /></a><br />And then working quickly using your fingers (Dorie's preferred method) or a pastry cutter, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSq922N6qB1ck600Zc_CJzHmaWBbjyiU3gmMspMWBaNPO3y0G70EiKZBWx7lf4cnhDNLNsF8zgnEecK9hOkDOq0PXSp_Zo3m2EBHshj9UuJYQPgaUNibRBU0pqBViJjFo30uBcvaGqOk_/s1600/166.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSq922N6qB1ck600Zc_CJzHmaWBbjyiU3gmMspMWBaNPO3y0G70EiKZBWx7lf4cnhDNLNsF8zgnEecK9hOkDOq0PXSp_Zo3m2EBHshj9UuJYQPgaUNibRBU0pqBViJjFo30uBcvaGqOk_/s400/166.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479993546335124978" /></a><br />At this point Dorie says you should have pieces the size of peas, the size of oatmeal flakes, and everything in between. {I also had many pieces the size of . . . flour, but (SPOILER ALERT) the finished product was fabulous anyway.}<br /><br />Pour the cream over the dry ingredients and toss and gently turn the ingredients with a fork until you've got a very soft dough. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDeTKRw7HJFz2tOBIBoz10aqXjo9QGDLU9X66MZZWb4uE-z1ofIwKNNIXv0ADYnwLFJbPUzoXQTzymWRgmIZVOgGpmoCIkkXSE8u2MGTufdXhILAhp_pvFBjjRg_Exfw9RiHYIcSrcWiM/s1600/167.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDeTKRw7HJFz2tOBIBoz10aqXjo9QGDLU9X66MZZWb4uE-z1ofIwKNNIXv0ADYnwLFJbPUzoXQTzymWRgmIZVOgGpmoCIkkXSE8u2MGTufdXhILAhp_pvFBjjRg_Exfw9RiHYIcSrcWiM/s400/167.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479993553622714434" /></a><br />Spoon out about 1/3 of a cup of dough for each shortcake onto a baking sheet:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fRcvP0MtMhL0C1GALbxKrmX6iyo8w0VLbyKNwfKq_TjbU9_Pt2zoAVEEk53WLCUJhy7jKgzr9XDr4GZJ3BgjYT3PJOosf-eNw_tTJRDpDvhyphenhyphentJmRmxrWhhf77Smc4-A5w_FBj5pZuBsq/s1600/169.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fRcvP0MtMhL0C1GALbxKrmX6iyo8w0VLbyKNwfKq_TjbU9_Pt2zoAVEEk53WLCUJhy7jKgzr9XDr4GZJ3BgjYT3PJOosf-eNw_tTJRDpDvhyphenhyphentJmRmxrWhhf77Smc4-A5w_FBj5pZuBsq/s400/169.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479993557214587026" /></a><br />Pat each mound down until it is between 3/4 inch and 1 inch high:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-vEAxgomvhob0RcyaXUCvym-ZIKaJtSmnpgdzoRSJPhP32pI9Z-9QJEYn551dcb9MKE-u7W_p_1inwBoGpItRgRSeA5VsnG4CAKOljUuJmnFnuCxNd_CWKdSXXvXb8JNYEA5fVrf5Mcz/s1600/171.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-vEAxgomvhob0RcyaXUCvym-ZIKaJtSmnpgdzoRSJPhP32pI9Z-9QJEYn551dcb9MKE-u7W_p_1inwBoGpItRgRSeA5VsnG4CAKOljUuJmnFnuCxNd_CWKdSXXvXb8JNYEA5fVrf5Mcz/s400/171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479993561996324130" /></a><br />At this point you can freeze the shortcakes on the baking sheet, and then wrap them airtight and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. I froze the dough for all of my shortcakes before baking them off, and the frozen shortcakes baked up perfectly after exactly 18 minutes in my oven. I love this "freeze the dough" technique -- it gives you the freedom to turn out fresh, delicious homemade shortcakes on a moment's notice.<br /><br />With my shortcakes safely in the freezer, I set out to my favorite <a href="http://www.pepperplacemarket.com/">farmer's market</a> to hunt down June's finest berries:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4zDxf0ygvW_YcEZ9LS6VrGge8TsGhh8U2TLTO_ZTKQTRJGjy-jm5lupGdexTKMH9ju1TjzzBXiJdcf7o0aBuC96k5-5TWP409f-MAfURJkx44_4qeIzYN9P9_8cysaN7qQ_h3fD9ZLtr/s1600/011-boost.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4zDxf0ygvW_YcEZ9LS6VrGge8TsGhh8U2TLTO_ZTKQTRJGjy-jm5lupGdexTKMH9ju1TjzzBXiJdcf7o0aBuC96k5-5TWP409f-MAfURJkx44_4qeIzYN9P9_8cysaN7qQ_h3fD9ZLtr/s400/011-boost.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480205071273522658" /></a><br />With my first round of shortcakes, I went with a combination of strawberries and blueberries. Top the berries with a little sugar to taste and let them sit for 10 minutes or so, until they are juicy. Once the shortcakes are baked and the cream is whipped, it's really just a matter of assembly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp7n1UrZnFF1n7bRQ0g61jT8Yvpl_qZJwGMRGF5WsTQi8NGoV-NN1STZ9_AdTiEy1dR2wGvoXd3xMAsFMk8X2VyWz1T2OhzOHio-JbSeHjGwfoSTTtnBFI1rTrEgASk0m8-NKetb2xFbQ/s1600/208.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp7n1UrZnFF1n7bRQ0g61jT8Yvpl_qZJwGMRGF5WsTQi8NGoV-NN1STZ9_AdTiEy1dR2wGvoXd3xMAsFMk8X2VyWz1T2OhzOHio-JbSeHjGwfoSTTtnBFI1rTrEgASk0m8-NKetb2xFbQ/s400/208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480207609439420418" /></a><br />Peach variation:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DJ6h0cfhysd1zf2-oXH5_LWz8_814icEQyJEA5yH_w0b7LdwURPtPhTQethQTQjt3oiX-MKIsyI-Y8NzGcq68fh7g2mD8HEfpM11Y6cos6rv2UetQEzmHjKzMkRFxKfK1FipkEsUbfxQ/s1600/008-edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DJ6h0cfhysd1zf2-oXH5_LWz8_814icEQyJEA5yH_w0b7LdwURPtPhTQethQTQjt3oiX-MKIsyI-Y8NzGcq68fh7g2mD8HEfpM11Y6cos6rv2UetQEzmHjKzMkRFxKfK1FipkEsUbfxQ/s400/008-edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479991925721295298" /></a><br />The verdict? One bite of these shortcakes and all second-guessing about my choice ceased immediately. David and I agreed that these are in a completely different universe from any other shortcake we've ever had. They are tender, flaky, and melt-in-your mouth delicious. They have just the right hint of sweetness while maintaining the buttery essence of a great biscuit. They are indeed the quintessential shortcake -- the perfect vehicle for the summer's bounty of fresh fruit and berries. <br /><br />I hope that everyone enjoyed these shortcakes as much as we did. Thanks to my fellow TWD bakers for baking along with me this week! And thank you, Dorie, for another winner in the treasure trove that is Baking!<br /><br />Tender Shortcakes, from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Makes about 10 shortcakes</span><br /><br />FOR THE BISCUITS:<br /><br />4 cups all-purpose flour<br />2 tablespoons baking powder<br />3/4 teaspoon salt<br />6 tablespoons sugar<br />1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces<br />1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream<br /><br />FOR THE FILLING:<br /><br />Berries (about 1/2 cup per shortcake), hulled and slice if using strawberries <br />Sugar<br />Lightly sweetened softly whipped cream<br /><br />GETTING READY: <br /><br />Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.<br /><br />TO MAKE THE BISCUITS:<br /><br />Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips (my favorite method) or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces in between - and that's just right.<br /><br />Pour the cream over the dry ingredients and toss and gently turn the ingredients with a fork until you've got a very soft dough. When the dough comes together, you'll probably still have dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl - just use a spatula or your hands to mix and knead the dough until it's evenly blended. Don't overdo it; it's better to have a few dry spots than an overworked dough. Even with all the flour mixed in, the dough will be soft and sticky.<br /><br />Spoon out about 1/3 cup of dough for each shortcake onto the baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches of space between the mounts of dough. Pat each mound down until is is between 3/4 and 1 inch high. (The shortcakes can be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake with out defrosting - just add at least 5 more minutes to the oven time.)<br /><br />If you have more dough, repeat, cooling the baking sheet first. <br /><br />Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back at the midway point, until the shortcakes are puffed and give just a bit when prodded. Pull the sheet from the oven and transfer the shortcakes to a cooling rack.<br /><br />TO MAKE THE FILLING: <br /><br />Put the berries in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar to taste and let sit for about 10 minutes, until they are juicy.<br /><br />The cakes are tender and really pretty fragile, so go easy with them. Use a serrated knife and not much pressure to cut each cake in half horizontally. (Alternatively, you can use the tines of a fork to prick a ring around the middle of the shortcake, then use your fingers to gently pry the halves apart.) Put the bottom halves on plates, top with the berries - make sure to include some of the sweet juices - and spoon over some whipped cream. Put the tops on the shortcakes or lean them against the cream, my preference. If you decide to go for the open-faced shortcakes, you'll get two textures - moist and moister.Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-27182570511822586502010-05-25T15:50:00.000-04:002010-05-25T16:53:09.968-04:00TWD: Banana-Coconut Ice Cream Pie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNKQbbEGpWj2uVaBCHVdi1s2Kc_O-TXbou0D9d2irbCal_8EsOhX_YIqE4V_b3TiPOVEwpZGPV3pB7GKyXFsyBQ24XeSpBGvxWNO-9WKiLNW6vNqX5uMzRe9hYMV0NAcMXBuRs9UxlrBh/s1600/Pie+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNKQbbEGpWj2uVaBCHVdi1s2Kc_O-TXbou0D9d2irbCal_8EsOhX_YIqE4V_b3TiPOVEwpZGPV3pB7GKyXFsyBQ24XeSpBGvxWNO-9WKiLNW6vNqX5uMzRe9hYMV0NAcMXBuRs9UxlrBh/s400/Pie+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474859634626898434" /></a><br />I feel like I am a much more adventurous eater since I started baking with <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD</a>. I enjoy things I didn't used to like (coconut, custard), and I have come to appreciate <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2010/04/twd-chockablock-cookies.html">certain flavor combos</a> that I never would have expected. I trust Dorie, I do. She rarely leads us down the wrong road. That said, I have to draw the line somewhere, and a pie that involves banana, coconut, rum and CHOCOLATE ice cream seemed like as good a place as any. Swapping vanilla ice cream for the chocolate was pretty much a no-brainer for me, since my husband wouldn't eat the chocolate version anyway, and vanilla just seemed safer to boring, rule-following, never-did-a-single-crazy-thing-in-her-life me.<br /><br /><em>UNDERACHIEVER'S DISCLOSURES</em><br /><br />(1) I did not make my own ice cream for this recipe<br />(2) I did not make my own butter cookies for this recipe<br />(3) I used all "ripe but firm" bananas for the recipe, not some "very ripe" bananas and some "ripe but firm" bananas<br /><br />I've never made a crust like this before - it's a no-bake crust that contains a stick of butter, a couple of cups of coconut, which get toasted in the melted butter, and crushed up butter cookies. After it's all mixed together, it gets pressed into a pie dish and then frozen. After the crust is ready, it gets topped with slices of "ripe but firm" bananas. The pie filling starts with making a puree of "very ripe" bananas (I used "ripe but firm"), lemon and dark rum in the food processor. Add vanilla ice cream to the puree and pulse to combine, but be careful not to melt the ice cream. My ice cream (which was very hard out of the carton) melted upon first or second pulse, so I'm not quite sure how to pull off that trick, but there was nothing do be done about that but pour it all into the pie crust and hope for the best.<br /><br />My camera died, so the pie pictures here are iPhone photos taken by my 7 year old. I think he did a good job, even though he only took the pictures as a ploy to take my iPhone from me. Meanwhile, my camera is en route to Canon for fixing. Ever wonder what a shutter looks like when it won't close? It's that tiny bronze-ish dot in the lower right hand quadrant of the black box.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicdKQf-KPQAJp-flijpKfNogWDljzq18Kw2TjC5Td29cdXW_XQcCxIGboLqOmb4EBVDaK2MDp9Wlq-POvMXqxL7atsLDyRT5v8qU8IAghiiJhrNtB1nBpkByDeGuPZxx8SRVmZOq1C5d0/s1600/Pie+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicdKQf-KPQAJp-flijpKfNogWDljzq18Kw2TjC5Td29cdXW_XQcCxIGboLqOmb4EBVDaK2MDp9Wlq-POvMXqxL7atsLDyRT5v8qU8IAghiiJhrNtB1nBpkByDeGuPZxx8SRVmZOq1C5d0/s400/Pie+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474859623652993826" /></a><br />Incidentally, Canon customer service was awesome (so far - I don't have my camera back yet, of course). So awesome, that I almost forgot I was calling them because my 6 month old camera just conked out on me. The guy seemed almost as distressed as I was that my camera was broken, and by gosh, he was going to get to the bottom of it! We went through a whole battery of troubleshooting exercises. At one point he told me to hold down the picturetaking button (he didn't use the phrase "picturetaking button") and asked me to look into the hole (he didn't use the phrase "hole") and tell him if I saw a blue/green shade. I told him that I didn't think I saw blue/green, but more of a nailhead/pinhead against a black background, almost like the back of a small nail. It was at that point that he said: "Oh no. What you are seeing is your shutter. It's not closing" -- as if it personally pained him to have to tell me this. At that point there was really nothing left for us to talk about other than the instructions for sending my camera back to Canon.<br /><br />The good news/bad news is that I'm not sure I would have done a whole lot better than this even if I had my camera.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbqyrl_k0vxkCNHVnAiU3NB6W0QKelhQzUNLp_BL4nNNzccVCIXQStjaxTS1RM__oW4GirfaH8AtMNmM-lvsY2uUXUiTM0H6r_mumPvqGiT1rJpB0cP1OLFCxNTfugxToufvUrzYBQr2v/s1600/Pie+003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbqyrl_k0vxkCNHVnAiU3NB6W0QKelhQzUNLp_BL4nNNzccVCIXQStjaxTS1RM__oW4GirfaH8AtMNmM-lvsY2uUXUiTM0H6r_mumPvqGiT1rJpB0cP1OLFCxNTfugxToufvUrzYBQr2v/s400/Pie+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474859617357889010" /></a><br />David, his parents and I had this for dessert over the weekend. Everybody liked it. It's a nice warm-weather dessert with unquestionably tropical flavors. Tropical flavors tend not to be my favorite flavors, at least not in solid form (i.e., I'm more likely to be effusive in praise about a banana/rum/lemon/coconut/vanilla concoction that I'm supposed to drink) but again, this is a great dessert choice if you are looking for a tropical, cool dessert that requires teeth.<br /><br />Spike of <a href="http://spikebakes.blogspot.com/">Spike Bakes</a> chose this pie. You can find the recipe (and lots of other great things!) on Spike's blog. Thanks for the summery pick, Spike!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-24084846059390533152010-05-11T00:01:00.000-04:002010-05-11T00:01:03.984-04:00TWD: Quick Classic Berry Tart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfr7TbH-BbrW3Fpu5IAa0WdseDn9w_jwuUA9elMZMb1KlfC9n3N027NtlmdCc4dgQXMEhjpru8SyGwBXiJjWv63U3mYRTS18HPazgB5outg5NcbUFiOmzNgG5hQ_fjpk9ykcceQ1JdoT0/s1600/048-fix.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfr7TbH-BbrW3Fpu5IAa0WdseDn9w_jwuUA9elMZMb1KlfC9n3N027NtlmdCc4dgQXMEhjpru8SyGwBXiJjWv63U3mYRTS18HPazgB5outg5NcbUFiOmzNgG5hQ_fjpk9ykcceQ1JdoT0/s400/048-fix.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469837603784468050" /></a><br />I am going to take my inspiration from this week's TWD recipe, Quick Classic Berry Tart, and submit a Quick (non)Classic Post. As has been the case with all of Dorie's tarts, this one was amazingly good and deceptively easy to make. It involves three components, two of which can be made ahead of time, and the third of which is fruit placement. Even I can't mess that up (although I can make it look less aesthetically pleasing than you). Part one is the sweet tart dough, which I have made and discussed here many times. Same old story -- I think I'm overhandling the dough, I probably AM overhandling the dough, but the taste and texture is of the tart crust ends up wonderful anyway. I can only imagine how great it must be when it is not overhandled. The great thing about the crust is that it actually needs to be frozen for a bit before it is baked, and while the recipe only requires a short stint in the freezer, you can keep the unbaked crust in there for days, weeks, months ahead of time! Perfect for the tart maker on the go!<br /><br />Dorie's pastry cream is to die for delicious. I can usually take or leave puddings, custards, etc., as I generally prefer for there to be flour somewhere in my desserts, yet whenever I taste this pastry cream I have this crazy urge to tuck the bowl under my arm like a football and protect it from people who might try to strip it away from me. Then I remember, "oh yeah, I bake as a way to show people that I love them!" and I put the bowl down. Anyway, I've made Dorie's pastry cream several times for various recipes and have never had any trouble with it. It thickens easily and is rich, smooth and delicious. And it can be made a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated until it's time to assemble the tart. It's pretty much perfect -- I don't know why I'd ever want to make a different pastry cream. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwsnNtUjl-wwj2rxwBaVzTKAjt45bWrWUYiNsCn7o5v4DCCGzwOWHN42qIJfMFGYyTjd4016yBB8VBkLzCG5Y9wDyeeEaekWOzOfOn3g-dNOYhKQ3Ux8Xyj2ePFnn87XZ-zGacR07pxoB/s1600/056-fix.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwsnNtUjl-wwj2rxwBaVzTKAjt45bWrWUYiNsCn7o5v4DCCGzwOWHN42qIJfMFGYyTjd4016yBB8VBkLzCG5Y9wDyeeEaekWOzOfOn3g-dNOYhKQ3Ux8Xyj2ePFnn87XZ-zGacR07pxoB/s400/056-fix.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469837610589705298" /></a><br /><br />The fruit placement segment of this dessert is our chance to flex our creative muscles. I went with randomly scattered berries, which seemed to suit my lifestyle more than some kind of orderly pattern. <br /><br />Then brush the fruit with a jam glaze (I guess that's a fourth component), and you're done!<br /><br />The result is a beautiful, impressive dessert that is really no more difficult to make than brownies (in fact, for me, it might be easier than brownies, since I'm riding a long streak of underbaking brownies). I made this when we had some friends over for dinner, and it was a huge hit. Dorie says that it's best the same day once it's assembled, but David and I enjoyed it the next day as well. This tart is now my go-to spring and summer dessert.<br /><br />Cristine of <a href="http://cristinecooks.blogspot.com">Cooking with Cristine</a> picked this tart. Great pick, Cristine!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-7813401405557331922010-05-04T00:01:00.001-04:002010-05-04T15:58:01.925-04:00TWD:Burnt Sugar Ice Cream<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNUe-xUAW24TSOUmoMR1w4Utu9EekQAbD95Lqyo2RR8IIUek3lNYFa7S5EsI321k3c_-ISLS9Z7KL4usb-baqrMwLIjAemBB2PiyPBCeUcL11f3NqxBR5CtMxcjl5f8uX3n6CRELzbDhX/s1600/149-fix2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNUe-xUAW24TSOUmoMR1w4Utu9EekQAbD95Lqyo2RR8IIUek3lNYFa7S5EsI321k3c_-ISLS9Z7KL4usb-baqrMwLIjAemBB2PiyPBCeUcL11f3NqxBR5CtMxcjl5f8uX3n6CRELzbDhX/s400/149-fix2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251641679756178" /></a>
<br />This week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>recipe, Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, combines two techniques that have caused me significant angst over the past two years: (1) making caramel, and (2) making custard. I knew this ice cream would be good if I got it right, but the chances of that seemed so remote that I almost skipped it.
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<br />My big problem with custard early on was that I didn't have any experience with it, so I really didn't know what it was supposed to look like when it was ready to come off the heat. Therefore, I was overly reliant on my (unreliable) thermometers, which consistently did me wrong. As I failed and failed again, I became an expert on what custard looked like right before the point of failure, so I felt more confident going into this that I would catch it in time and maybe, just maybe, not fail.
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<br />My main problem with caramel is that as soon as sugar starts boiling in my house, I think of one hundred other things that I need to be doing. Something about sugar boiling makes me ambitious (to do things other than watch the sugar). This time, I decided that if I needed to glue my feet on the floor in front of the stove, I would not walk away from the boiling sugar.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwgUWffqSsYRmcIfFhOq344sn5Dc-_FIglPZr-xbajBpVN1OaAR0jP-LtV795DbCzHi2bWQYuZcfHaaDDEP6wFwfWeRQ6MUzBEPdqD_1lxozUqXK69oW7AtAeHwd8Oq03wnl2vHTsOuFo/s1600/037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwgUWffqSsYRmcIfFhOq344sn5Dc-_FIglPZr-xbajBpVN1OaAR0jP-LtV795DbCzHi2bWQYuZcfHaaDDEP6wFwfWeRQ6MUzBEPdqD_1lxozUqXK69oW7AtAeHwd8Oq03wnl2vHTsOuFo/s400/037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467171345694659570" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Keep your eyes on me. Yes, you.</span></center>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcB4LgXzh3-9-nEbiMBW9fdE-lSgGNMCiDd3TjXhvsLG6Ce8IR_LqkOLEKSGY_2fC-WHYWQN6FQCk1QdYagQ47QT8aZ2EXTlijqaYeN25iWnhtFZgpZM4GALAnENyFarlAvRfBSoElK_k/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcB4LgXzh3-9-nEbiMBW9fdE-lSgGNMCiDd3TjXhvsLG6Ce8IR_LqkOLEKSGY_2fC-WHYWQN6FQCk1QdYagQ47QT8aZ2EXTlijqaYeN25iWnhtFZgpZM4GALAnENyFarlAvRfBSoElK_k/s400/038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467171352565501858" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Seriously? The laundry has been sitting in the dryer for two days! It can wait another ten minutes.</span></center>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nNRfwdWclqQHqVFKQ5PC_e24yOr0uz9Ew6xlSfGY62-FQGu9aqSQ-3mvpB7R3On_cvSFms9-y2v4OtYxdX7Q0VheBsTeWk3BrtH0DNnaQ_x8L2UHAhqWuIIMGg7ge2R22yn6MtO5p0-0/s1600/039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; <<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nNRfwdWclqQHqVFKQ5PC_e24yOr0uz9Ew6xlSfGY62-FQGu9aqSQ-3mvpB7R3On_cvSFms9-y2v4OtYxdX7Q0VheBsTeWk3BrtH0DNnaQ_x8L2UHAhqWuIIMGg7ge2R22yn6MtO5p0-0/s1600/039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nNRfwdWclqQHqVFKQ5PC_e24yOr0uz9Ew6xlSfGY62-FQGu9aqSQ-3mvpB7R3On_cvSFms9-y2v4OtYxdX7Q0VheBsTeWk3BrtH0DNnaQ_x8L2UHAhqWuIIMGg7ge2R22yn6MtO5p0-0/s400/039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467171361528954146" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Do. Not. Go. Check. The. Mail.</span></center>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wir4YZ02LujLEJX5CNdEjm85RMPOmVfjnPgi15DKd_38Sq_a-BKY50IMl30Nh2L558LrvOsfCjA3CB87Vbi3NNFUHcHcs_6azPPDw7m9VdVtdXeHAyg88zUM32M9rN2ptMNRDthnIU86/s1600/041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wir4YZ02LujLEJX5CNdEjm85RMPOmVfjnPgi15DKd_38Sq_a-BKY50IMl30Nh2L558LrvOsfCjA3CB87Vbi3NNFUHcHcs_6azPPDw7m9VdVtdXeHAyg88zUM32M9rN2ptMNRDthnIU86/s400/041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467172447881544930" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">How about you call and make that hair appointment AFTER you don't burn the caramel?</span></center>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS-SP5IKP1KjIEAhTA0W3IV1MAzdreFR9Lpxtp-RpOMG9Mue4ZFdefK914qJeoAg5ktMIit4mR4NfT7GnOMndGvfBLMceutagYd5xw7wtS9av5S2O3up5KurFpNnZ6zRBvy4UkkiWvd5O/s1600/042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS-SP5IKP1KjIEAhTA0W3IV1MAzdreFR9Lpxtp-RpOMG9Mue4ZFdefK914qJeoAg5ktMIit4mR4NfT7GnOMndGvfBLMceutagYd5xw7wtS9av5S2O3up5KurFpNnZ6zRBvy4UkkiWvd5O/s400/042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467172896310754482" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">You know, I wouldn't worry as much about other people trying to take pictures while doing this, but you? You really need to put the camera down.</span></center>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiof_AGHOnJOHZxYYJ7aWnofkJovZB0LWG2m24476q7PoesqBBC1tkW8_QjanZLHa4a12c7g8Sy4scJrBJfEkiY1xnml6PEp8Zrj7KK8WkUh121KNx9fx58r0ewrqOTTynt4Z8LcBiO3w/s1600/043.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiof_AGHOnJOHZxYYJ7aWnofkJovZB0LWG2m24476q7PoesqBBC1tkW8_QjanZLHa4a12c7g8Sy4scJrBJfEkiY1xnml6PEp8Zrj7KK8WkUh121KNx9fx58r0ewrqOTTynt4Z8LcBiO3w/s400/043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467172904872195458" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">That's deep amber enough - next step!!</span></center>
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<br />The next step is to lower the heat and add milk and cream, at which point Dorie warns us that things will get a little wild, what with all the bubbling and seething and hardening of caramel. All of the above did happen, but just as Dorie says it will, the hardened caramel smooths out as you continue to heat and stir. At that point you temper an egg yolk/salt mixture with the warm caramel/milk mixture, add the rest of the caramel/milk to the eggs, return all of it to the pan and cook over medium heat until the custard reaches between 170 and 180 degrees. I knew better than to rely on a thermometer to test for doneness, so I used the "spoon test" (the custard coated the back of a spoon); the "track test" (when I ran my finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard did not run into the track); and the "instinct denial test" (in which my instincts told me to cook the custard for a few more minutes, and I ignored them).
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNvmkDesUEN-ggbOljMowgt22AOj3VnbxTpduHJnTh-ETlBeIO1ki5cIJGorSdue8envaTPykQJthltfMNCLMk4qjNr2_bBe7KAPHsiQF9H18EgrRca7L93Fh033enTl3Hmv9vLy3GY2O/s1600/046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNvmkDesUEN-ggbOljMowgt22AOj3VnbxTpduHJnTh-ETlBeIO1ki5cIJGorSdue8envaTPykQJthltfMNCLMk4qjNr2_bBe7KAPHsiQF9H18EgrRca7L93Fh033enTl3Hmv9vLy3GY2O/s400/046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467258061925961666" /></a>
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<br />The results - perfect custard!! Woo hoo!! This ice cream base tasted incredible. I could barely wait for it to chill sufficiently so I could churn it. In fact, I probably churned it a little sooner than I should have - it just couldn't chill fast enough for me.
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<br />My husband likes a lot of the desserts I have made, but I think this ice cream might have been his all-time favorite. He just could not take a bite without offering up a new compliment. I bake for praise, so I was all over that. I loved the ice cream too -- I found it to be veeeeeerrrry sweet, so sweet that I added hot fudge to my bowl to cut the sweetness a bit:
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBUJYSvTUGP8iuIuQSj_OMwSIQ3so0Sd8XRmW-urwooPQhLiXLH-9UvjJAJPZ0WZQVQSsBZrNeQ_RaPcgxNIO8xaWoh-7KN-GJUpXwiKW3_kMQ5ehSNO5QX2laVlAImnZgb9VID2hC1GW/s1600/154.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBUJYSvTUGP8iuIuQSj_OMwSIQ3so0Sd8XRmW-urwooPQhLiXLH-9UvjJAJPZ0WZQVQSsBZrNeQ_RaPcgxNIO8xaWoh-7KN-GJUpXwiKW3_kMQ5ehSNO5QX2laVlAImnZgb9VID2hC1GW/s400/154.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467175397292996754" /></a>
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<br />You know something is sweet when hot fudge neutralizes the sweetness. Still, this was far and away the best ice cream I've ever made, and possibly the best I've ever tasted. I sure hope that the caramel/custard success wasn't a fluke, because I can't wait to make this again.
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<br />Becky of <a href="http://projectdomestication.blogspot.com/">Project Domestication</a> chose the Burnt Sugar Ice Cream. Great pick Becky!
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<br />Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-1960789644794391602010-04-27T00:01:00.003-04:002010-09-30T21:28:48.566-04:00TWD: Chockablock CookiesI know this happens to everyone who has baked along with <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">TWD </a>for any length of time. You get to the recipe of the week. You think "I would never in a zillion years make this on my own." Then you read the recipe more closely and think "there is no possible way that (x flavor plus y flavor plus z flavor) can be good together." Followed by "I will half the recipe and give these to A, and explain that I only made these for my baking club and would not have picked this recipe on my own, and then thank A for being such a good sport and eating them for me." <br /><br />And then you taste the recipe and are amazed at how good it is, and equally amazed that you doubted Dorie for even a second, because you should really know better by now. Such was the case with this week's TWD pick, Chockablock Cookies, chosen by Mary of <a href="http://www.popsiclesandsandyfeet.blogspot.com/">Popsicles and Sandy Feet</a> (I can tell I'd like Mary just from her blog name!). The ingredient list for these cookies? Molasses, chocolate chips, oats, coconut, dried fruit. Even though I'm no longer a committed coconut hater, I was one for too long to ever feel genuine happiness when I see it on the ingredient list in a recipe. Same thing with molasses - I like, <a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2009/11/twd-sugar-topped-molasses-spice-cookies.html">even love</a>, several recipes I've made with molasses as a prominent ingredient, but I still can't feel the enthusiasm when it's time to bake with it. Chocolate chips are fine and dried fruit is fine, but not together. All in all, there just seemed to be way too much going on in these cookies for me to possibly like them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH34TDHVPRct37sQqKfp_ohc_wkSljCxfeNVN_r1xjN-fdmrKcSLU9_NexOvuYwrSUNMP3Jl1s8ZqcqQhAwDXLB5PFi6wUB9bG1RyRt0xfaNCVSTyn1OBWcpNfnmG4_7Z1uyHEdLf-12Vd/s1600/001-fix.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH34TDHVPRct37sQqKfp_ohc_wkSljCxfeNVN_r1xjN-fdmrKcSLU9_NexOvuYwrSUNMP3Jl1s8ZqcqQhAwDXLB5PFi6wUB9bG1RyRt0xfaNCVSTyn1OBWcpNfnmG4_7Z1uyHEdLf-12Vd/s640/001-fix.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464560208175617650" /></a><br /><br />I made them last Monday afternoon, before my photography class on Monday night [IMPORTANT NOTE: please do not expect my food pictures to improve just because I am taking a photography class. While I feel like my pictures of my children have indeed gotten a little better, food photography continues to stump me. You would think that a cookie would be easier to photograph than a two year old because the cookie doesn't run away from you, but you'd be wrong. To the many talented food photographers out there -- I bow to you].<br /><br />Anyway, so I made these to bring to my photography class, the one group of people in my life on whom I had not yet tried to pawn off baked goods. Actually, that's not completely true, given that <a href="http://threeleesinapod.blogspot.com">Heather</a>, <a href="http://themissmissjournal.blogspot.com">Amanda </a>and I make up a full 1/3d of the class, and I've definitely pawned off baked goods on Heather and Amanda before. The class seemed to genuinely love these cookies (and seemed to be genuinely shocked that I baked cookies to share with the class. If only they knew! If they are not careful, I may collect their home addresses and start delivering baked goods to them weekly.)<br /><br />When I was in law school, my then boyfriend (now husband) and I would sit in the back row of class and do the crossword puzzle. I've often wondered how today's law students manage to get through Corporations. It must be so much easier for the kids today, in the days of wireless internet and iPhones, than it was back in my day, when we had to hike uphill to class in the snow at 7 a.m. and rely on nothing but a tall cup of day-old coffee and the Cavalier Daily crossword puzzle to keep us awake. I got a taste of the life of the modern student while sitting in photography class last week, as the teacher was up in the front of the classroom explaining that "There are just three certainties in life. Death. Taxes. And an 18% gray image tone from a normally exposed simple subject."<br /><br />***********************<br />To: Cathy and Heather<br />From: Amanda<br />Subject: Do y'all think<br /><br />He looks like Albert Einstein tonight?<br /><br />Sent from my iPhone<br /><br />*************************<br /><br />To: Amanda and Heather<br />From: Cathy<br />Subject: Re: Do y'all think<br /><br />OMG yes. Totally thought that last week too. It's uncanny.<br /><br />Sent from my iPhone<br /><br />***************************<br /><br />But the most gratifying electronic note I got passed during class on Monday was from Heather, who has almost two year old triplets and is pregnant with her fourth child, Penelope, due this summer. Heather sent me this message shortly after eating a chockablock cookie:<br /><br />****************************<br /><br />To: Cathy<br />From: Heather<br />Subject: Penelope likes the cookies<br /><br />Sent from my iPhone<br /><br />*****************************<br /><br />If these cookies are good enough for Penelope, they are good enough for me. I did not expect to enjoy these, but I loved them. If you would have told me two years ago that I would make, and savor, a molasses coconut oat chocolate raisin cookie, I would have thought you'd been smoking the coconut. I officially no longer trust my own judgment about whether a recipe is worth making or not.<br /><br />Thanks for the excellent pick, Mary!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-66126077944854616092010-04-20T00:01:00.001-04:002010-04-20T19:08:45.281-04:00TWD: Sweet Cream Biscuits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEOe2BROQ5X6Cg41sBk_9GfEC5Y2Im2yxWQUg870fk8NFTO9YbvJp-ubC-xajjNWQ8oNT7Er8AF0oKDaJK2IkO3OPhcNqds-LalO5j8oUo5ksqLXzz-5Vyn79oc1_YKabZl7CXhrEa3LO/s1600/060-fix.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEOe2BROQ5X6Cg41sBk_9GfEC5Y2Im2yxWQUg870fk8NFTO9YbvJp-ubC-xajjNWQ8oNT7Er8AF0oKDaJK2IkO3OPhcNqds-LalO5j8oUo5ksqLXzz-5Vyn79oc1_YKabZl7CXhrEa3LO/s400/060-fix.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461681943807335250" /></a><br /><br />Melissa at <a href="http://aloveatfirstbite.blogspot.com/">Love at First Bite</a> chose this week's TWD recipe, Sweet Cream Biscuits. I really enjoy baking breakfast treats more than anything else. I don't think there is anything better than waking up (or, in my personal situation, waking other people up) to the smell of freshly baked blueberry muffins, or cinnamon scones, or coffee cake. It makes the day seem a little more special, right from the beginning. <br /><br />These biscuits are simple to whip up, because there is no butter in the recipe, and therefore there is no need to cut butter into the flour. Flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and cream - that's it. I rolled my dough to the 1/2 inch thickness that Dorie recommends, cut them with a 2" cutter, and froze them unbaked.<br /><br />I know going in that certain baking activities are fraught with danger, so I can do the requisite hand-wringing ahead of time. The sugar may not carmelize. The custard may not thicken. The egg whites may get under whipped. The egg whites may get over whipped. But strangely, I had no idea until I read the P&Q that I should be worrying about whether my biscuits would rise. I suppose that any time I use baking powder I have a fleeting thought that maybe it's lost its magic, but I did not have any specific worry about my biscuits. So I blissfully mixed and cut and froze these just a few days after the April recipes were posted (i.e., well before the P&Q was up) and baked them one Sunday morning while we had friends visiting us from out of town.<br /><br />And they rose like champs!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLUV_NYXI2MjG6fA46z_ckxwifOtyCTxLiavT3-JVHpARZwg1tBKlDuDLU0rZFzSw6sAA4hDdro4CvxijF0iQO7mpwO9EsZBl2A7r7dBqUI8ISL_Htja4yXl0de9AoDlpfjpyQ3K0jvKk/s1600/175.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLUV_NYXI2MjG6fA46z_ckxwifOtyCTxLiavT3-JVHpARZwg1tBKlDuDLU0rZFzSw6sAA4hDdro4CvxijF0iQO7mpwO9EsZBl2A7r7dBqUI8ISL_Htja4yXl0de9AoDlpfjpyQ3K0jvKk/s400/175.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462049186291343522" /></a><br />Everybody devoured these. They got eaten with, <span style="font-style:italic;">inter alia</span>, butter, bacon, jam, and eggs (not all at the same time) and were universally adored. <br />Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I learned that I was really lucky that my biscuits rose the first time. Since they were such a hit when I made them, I decided to try them again to see if my success was just a fluke. Usually if there is baking trouble to be had, I will have it, and it felt much more natural for me to head into a recipe with an acute fear of failure. Second go-round I decided to make minis using my 1.5" cutters. And once again, they rose! (See proof at top of post).<br /><br />One by one my bed-headed kids padded down the stairs and ate biscuits:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDUMCWIR9PMYUQqJcADUvutISsIdNAAQs4fgbHCNElAuqerWBBsqOdOtnsHMx0bJ2xGo9vNsp7fCEQQiQyhgkdyrlBi2E5YOx5fbZLYx_bC-eTJENgAtcuzznQq3omKOCqGP8w02G_wuq/s1600/071.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDUMCWIR9PMYUQqJcADUvutISsIdNAAQs4fgbHCNElAuqerWBBsqOdOtnsHMx0bJ2xGo9vNsp7fCEQQiQyhgkdyrlBi2E5YOx5fbZLYx_bC-eTJENgAtcuzznQq3omKOCqGP8w02G_wuq/s400/071.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461685332979001602" /></a><br />I pretty much spent the whole morning spreading butter or jelly on tiny biscuits. They couldn't get enough of them. These are a big hit around here, to put it mildly. I can only hope my biscuit-rising hot streak continues, because these are simple to make, light and flaky, delicious, and hugely popular with my family.<br /><br />Thanks for the great pick, Melissa!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-73654179995112468362010-04-13T00:20:00.004-04:002010-04-13T16:39:44.728-04:00TWD: Swedish Visiting Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiba39fsHkhnetEsPrXVBvgehZku3K_WY6lHWWn0mlBQHNbjPL2T_Y6isgMGAxJdDm_Lo_FTTvkmLsMo4dOVKMR3ikyufomE8a7RYDgou7b87snvtPHHD_S7oafkmmmvpqujQxY1-vU0PDl/s1600/023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiba39fsHkhnetEsPrXVBvgehZku3K_WY6lHWWn0mlBQHNbjPL2T_Y6isgMGAxJdDm_Lo_FTTvkmLsMo4dOVKMR3ikyufomE8a7RYDgou7b87snvtPHHD_S7oafkmmmvpqujQxY1-vU0PDl/s400/023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459032586306667154" /></a>I'm twenty months into (mostly) weekly baking and blogging, and, much as I enjoy it, it can get a little tiring at times. Every once in a while we just get sweeted out around here, plain and simple, and the thought of baking another cake seems outrageous. Giving the goodies away sounds good in theory, but unless you're friends with the high school swim team (know anyone, <a href="http://grandmaskitchentable.typepad.com">Kayte</a>?), even my most enthusiastic sweets recipients experience dessert fatigue after a while. Plus, it seems like everyone is watching some combination of sugar/fat/calories/carbs, while I'm a big proponent of "everything in moderation" myself, I certainly don't want to be the evil temptress sabotaging anyone's dietary efforts by showing up at their door with a bundt cake. Then there is the blogging part -- while I suppose it's not technically necessary to come up with new ways to say "I liked the cookies!" every week, if one is inclined to do so, well, that gets difficult after a while. New adjectives really need to be invented to do Dorie's desserts justice, but until then, some of us will stare at the computer and think: "this tart was fabulous. No, I already said the crust was fabulous. Maybe, this tart was most excellent! No, too Wayne and Garth. This tart was superb?" <br /><br />But one aspect of blogging with <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> that has never gotten tiring for me is getting to know many great people, including Nancy of <a href="http://noe847.blogspot.com">The Dogs Eat the Crumbs</a>, who chose this week's recipe. Nancy and I realized early on that we share an alma mater (wahoowa!!), we're both born and raised Northerners living in the Southeast, and we both have husbands who don't eat chocolate. Clearly we were destined to be blog friends. Nancy's blog is wonderful (fabulous? superb? -- All of the above). Her posts are consistently detailed, informative and fun, and her pictures are beautiful. And wow, can she ever pick recipes!<br /><br />Nancy chose the Swedish Visiting Cake, which Dorie tells us was traditionally brought by Swedish women when they visited one another. The cake is supposedly so quick to make that you could start making it when you see guests coming up the road, and it will be done by the time they arrive at your door.<br /><br />We were not expecting any Swedish visitors this month (other than a <a href="http://hannaandersson.com">Hanna Andersson</a> package or two), so I decided to try the cake out on a Missourian visitor, a North Carolinian visitor, and a couple of Alabamian visitors. Also, I kind of cheated and made the cake early in the day that I knew our visitors were coming, rather than waiting until I actually saw them coming up the road. So I didn't really test "up the road/cake ready" speed claim.<br /><br />No doubt this is a fast cake to make, though. And it's all made in one bowl! Rub lemon zest into sugar (a great Dorie trick - really brings out the lemon flavor); whisk in eggs, salt and vanilla and almond extract. (As an aside, Dorie says that the extracts are optional, but I feel like the almond extract makes this cake, and I will definitely use it every time). Mix in the flour, then fold in a stick of melted and cooled butter. And that's it! Impossibly quick and easy! Bake it in a 9" cast iron skillet for 25 or 30 minutes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nCJWruPhE5iOQMYN5qYNCpCbL-kPft5qEFwfhvp38-NEsp0wNPLBCRQDQkNWLWWdkexi_RvnrNgeWYpupNQg46EleESz5hfFtvkGS_rDwJFysmU6Tj5shmYg2-EbY6agdYGGW0l8QeqX/s1600/024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nCJWruPhE5iOQMYN5qYNCpCbL-kPft5qEFwfhvp38-NEsp0wNPLBCRQDQkNWLWWdkexi_RvnrNgeWYpupNQg46EleESz5hfFtvkGS_rDwJFysmU6Tj5shmYg2-EbY6agdYGGW0l8QeqX/s400/024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459032597062029746" /></a><br /><br />The first time I made this, I was a little worried it was going to be too thin. There is no leavener in the cake, so it wasn't going to rise much. And it is a thin cake. But once I tasted it, all worries flew out the window. This is an AMAZING cake! It's sweet but not overwhelmingly so, with an irresistible almond flavor. I think the texture is almost a combination of a cake and a blondie. It has a little chew to it, kind of like a blondie, but it also has a softness and a moistness that is more cakeish. David (who also loved the cake) told me not once, not twice, but at least three times over the course of two of these cakes that the texture reminded him of cornbread. And as I told him, that kind of remark makes me reluctant to ask him what he thinks about these desserts ever again, because this is NOTHING like cornbread. Cornbread is dry and crumbly and this cake is neither. I THINK what he was trying to get at was the cake was dense like cornbread, as opposed to being a light and airy cake? In any event, we may not agree about how best to describe the texture, but we both agree that this cake is incredible. Our visitors seemed to love it as well.<br /><br />This is one of my favorite TWD recipes yet. It's delicious; it works as a dessert or as a snack cake; and it is insanely quick and easy to make. I won't just say I'll make this again and again -- I already HAVE made this again and again (and I'll continue to). Our first visitors (Missouri and Missouri-via-North Carolina) liked this so much that I made it again for the second wave of visitors (Alabama). It's a safe bet that any regular visitors to this house will have this cake sooner or later. Thanks Nancy for the great pick!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-31597281488445739982010-04-06T00:01:00.003-04:002010-04-06T07:59:20.738-04:00TWD: Mocha Walnut Bundt Bunny Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FLX231m1TnjEYz9eseormqm_rEKq4I_uS7HfJ3KG8v1tQQE8qF7vhAVZ0ll-c-tTRIUj4Z6O3BFJnma3VdCAAShljm0R8f0ZTjKKVbG9AC_7PgVVHTnjKwdlBMaxoHyhyfNYefKpQVu_/s1600/312.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FLX231m1TnjEYz9eseormqm_rEKq4I_uS7HfJ3KG8v1tQQE8qF7vhAVZ0ll-c-tTRIUj4Z6O3BFJnma3VdCAAShljm0R8f0ZTjKKVbG9AC_7PgVVHTnjKwdlBMaxoHyhyfNYefKpQVu_/s400/312.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456774864181105426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays with Dorie </a>recipe is Mocha Walnut Bundt cake. Since my special occasion dessert selections have a strange tendency to track the TWD calendar, I decided to make this cake for Easter. And seeing as I have <a href="http://http://www.kitchenkapers.com/nordicware-bunny-pan.html">this bunny pan</a>, and a 7, 5 and 2 year old in the house, I opted to skip the bundt and go with the more whimsical bunny. This was my second bunny cake, but my first marble cake. How I've managed to go twenty months in TWD without marbling anything boggles my mind.<br /><br />The vanilla cake batter that forms the basis of the entire cake includes ground walnuts. They add a little something something to the cake without making it overly nutty. A little less than half of the batter is added to a melted chocolate/coffee mixture to create the "mocha" portion.<br /><br />I tried to marble:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXSQtADeHBqwj2X2ecBCcPjOZROfceybdiXejGRZmOJEcKb-Fe9VEdh5tytNzBDjC-WmHKPZ9tGBTQ3r4B2VvUjDg28N5kdC2IGgYadahMbrCOlRY5oD1B3I6SG01fsHsuihmNISWWhlt/s1600/118.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXSQtADeHBqwj2X2ecBCcPjOZROfceybdiXejGRZmOJEcKb-Fe9VEdh5tytNzBDjC-WmHKPZ9tGBTQ3r4B2VvUjDg28N5kdC2IGgYadahMbrCOlRY5oD1B3I6SG01fsHsuihmNISWWhlt/s400/118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456775346478277634" border="0" /></a><br />I realize that "marble" in this context is a verb that suggests considerably more movement that what is seen here. I'll have to work on my marbling next time I'm making a cake that doesn't involve floppy ears and a cottontail.<br /><br />I wasn't quite sure how long to bake the cake. I swear that the <a href="http://joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html">Joy of Baking</a> site has conversions for every conceivable pan size except for three dimensional bunnies. I decided to start out at 30 minutes and go from there. The center (torso) was way underdone at 30 minutes. I kept adding 5 minute intervals and finally took the cake out after about 45 minutes.<br /><br />Depanning went smoothly - whew!<br /><br />I made Dorie's bittersweet ganache to hold the two bunny halves together. It worked, to my great relief (and was really delicious with the cake!)<br /><br />As for decorating, the materials that came with the cake suggest three options:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bhYgrE5drP3UUv4ark2KV_YDMX1EIb0kb1xb2C7jYQz6_uwUE5fqQ7e1-xgt7lYfCBLQSFIItMOVUUhwdHwpPOV2yc2BTenwtZKgZyTghIV7301miA2U3jfKUiTETErUHaIgLu14gdRe/s1600/018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bhYgrE5drP3UUv4ark2KV_YDMX1EIb0kb1xb2C7jYQz6_uwUE5fqQ7e1-xgt7lYfCBLQSFIItMOVUUhwdHwpPOV2yc2BTenwtZKgZyTghIV7301miA2U3jfKUiTETErUHaIgLu14gdRe/s400/018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456774559493914066" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Ding ding ding! Why yes, I went with door #3, the confectioners' sugar bunny. Unfortunately, although dusting always sounds easy in theory, I have a really hard time with it. I just don't know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em when it comes to powdered sugar dusting, which my sweet husband likened to an artist who just can't stop dabbing paint. Well, he had the "just can't stop" part right, anyway. So unfortunately, it looked a little bit like a snow-covered bunny:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkJRxkTffbZRX1dNH2lpigpfFaPIvt6fh1LZHks4KUNZU6WnDzwahJL-zUpX_q6KRVxki4qVPnzgml00fH1jYh9Yh5i2icowqrRstwKZW0CwlTZHU37gZ6-h8VeEPtCr1GJo4R_yT-nIV/s1600/299.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkJRxkTffbZRX1dNH2lpigpfFaPIvt6fh1LZHks4KUNZU6WnDzwahJL-zUpX_q6KRVxki4qVPnzgml00fH1jYh9Yh5i2icowqrRstwKZW0CwlTZHU37gZ6-h8VeEPtCr1GJo4R_yT-nIV/s400/299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456774581133479538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I wasn't sure quite what to do when it came time to cut the cake. I was as intimidated as I am when facing a whole chicken. I decided that typical chocolate bunny rules (first ears, then face, etc.) did not apply to a bunny cake. I started with the tail and cut it in slices, as if it were a loaf cake. That worked fine and wasn't terribly messy. Then I got to the head, checked to make sure there were no children in the room, got on my Mr. McGregor and chopped off the bunny head. I then removed the ears for good measure.<br /><br />For reasons that I still don't quite understand, I left the head (i.e., two head halves) and the ears (i.e., two separate floppy ears) on the serving plate. As I'm sure is self-evident to you bakers, the head is essentially a muffin that has been baked for 45 minutes, and the ears are mini muffins that have been baked for 45 minutes. So those suckers were inevitably going to be overbaked, and not just a little bit. Clearly I should have thrown them out, but subconsciously, I guess I figured it was the slices that looked most appealing, so people would just naturally grab the slices. So I was horrified to see one person walk by with a bunny head half on the plate, and then another, and then someone else walked by with a floppy ear, and then someone else passed by with the other ear. Four plates, four overdone bunny head parts. I wasn't sure what to do at that point -- I'm pretty sure Emily Post does not cover what to do when family members serve themselves well-done bunny head cake parts that you stupidly left on the serving platter at Easter dinner -- so I just decided to not say anything. Still, I was so angry at myself - I survived the mixing, the marbling, the baking, the getting-the-bunny-out-of-the-pan, the making-the-ganache-thick-enough-to-hold-the-bunny-halves-together; the bunny assembly, the confectioner's sugar, the installation of the edible grass; and the transportation of said cake on my lap across the neighborhood in one piece ONLY TO SERVE SECTIONS OF THE CAKE THAT WERE, AT A MINIMUM, 90% OVERDONE.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxSpod-8fki2eUYlCSQaVM_HuaNcGZqtKpjuAOWYr-p73vwh-rSmqR_vzk6tjQaRPfFHXVytGqsm46e2np5cOlUl8udTUMwl2qApF8ZWckLqIh3ocNGRX_jBQN6pFlijSth0zPlUcGiYL/s1600/319.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxSpod-8fki2eUYlCSQaVM_HuaNcGZqtKpjuAOWYr-p73vwh-rSmqR_vzk6tjQaRPfFHXVytGqsm46e2np5cOlUl8udTUMwl2qApF8ZWckLqIh3ocNGRX_jBQN6pFlijSth0zPlUcGiYL/s400/319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456774568225608610" border="0" /></a><br />I served myself an actual slice of cake, so I feel like I have a pretty good sense about how the cake really tasted. I did not seek or receive additional feedback about the cake - possibly because it was a fun, busy day with lots of activity, and everyone quickly moved from dessert to the next fun thing, and possibly because people literally could not speak after choking down the dried out, seared bunny head pieces. But nobody is more critical about my desserts than I am, and I can say with confidence that the center of the bunny cake (i.e., the bunny torso) was delicious. Even these slices were a wee bit overdone though - I probably should have taken it out about 5 minutes sooner. So I can't even imagine how awful the head and ears must have been. (<em>Let it go Cathy. Let it go.</em>) But the flavor (of the torso) was wonderful, and the texture was dense, rich and moist. I will make this cake again. Not in a bunny pan, though. <br /><br />Erin of <a href="http://pastrybrush.wordpress.com/">When In Doubt, Leave it at 350</a> (great advice!) chose the Mocha Walnut Bundt cake. Thanks for the delicious pick, Erin!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5186818329076570264.post-62022459897793065042010-03-30T00:01:00.001-04:002010-03-30T14:22:33.162-04:00TWD: Coconut Lime Tea Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9NdOkoFCfK_pyjE981_j9bUXHayflMFGVABjPcXgzhddtaA2hoeW9_CJI3lVr5Ooz8nir3wfYtSQKmKWLnNurMmDSXR51fbQzPtvgNliq32YQzch_Kt6hRjmcds65kURVnxOiJTjrR-G/s1600/071-edit.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9NdOkoFCfK_pyjE981_j9bUXHayflMFGVABjPcXgzhddtaA2hoeW9_CJI3lVr5Ooz8nir3wfYtSQKmKWLnNurMmDSXR51fbQzPtvgNliq32YQzch_Kt6hRjmcds65kURVnxOiJTjrR-G/s400/071-edit.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453893628563178594" /></a><br />I thought of myself as a coconut hater for so long that it is hard for me to remember that I'm now a (sometimes) coconut liker. My mind immediately defaults to its standard coconut setting (aversion, disinterest, lack of enthusiasm, Coppertone) when I see a coconut recipe, and this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.com">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> selection, Coconut Tea Cake, was no exception. It wasn't until the neurotransmitters carried the "<a href="http://thetortefeasor.blogspot.com/2009/03/twd-coconut-butter-thins.html">Coconut Butter Thins</a>!" message to the "baking motivation" section of my brain that I was able to rally enough to make this cake.<br /><br />And (how predictable is this?) I'm so glad I did! I decided to make the coconut lime version of the cake, since I've enjoyed that combo before. The cake came together easily. I did make one mistake though - I was supposed to beat together the eggs and the sugar until "pale, thick and almost doubled in volume." Instead, I just beat the eggs until pale, thick and almost doubled in volume, and then had to go back and add the sugar (and lime zest) later and beat for another few minutes. Those poor eggs. Believe it or not, I actually have to read things carefully for a living. Apparently when I'm not on the clock I prefer to read every third word. <br /><br />The dry ingredients, coconut (I toasted mine), vanilla and dark rum get added to the <del>eggs</del> eggs and sugar, along with a melted butter/coconut milk mixture. I don't think I've ever used regular, full-fat coconut milk before. I've used light coconut milk in various Thai recipes. Dorie warns that you need to stir the coconut milk first, and it states clearly on the can that coconut milk naturally hardens and separates, but even so, I wasn't ready for this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6F2r7CUKpTPKq6_y8aEDNQlUBPSK2lpnj7l2QI_7gLixsAu87KDl6pmIK4-kUJ0nkwVTuQz_UvXyO0kUfJ5FNzO01hyU4R_YmHODuw78gga9WFkwbYHKqeu5M0DAITpKcdhtSGvQH6uw/s1600/068.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6F2r7CUKpTPKq6_y8aEDNQlUBPSK2lpnj7l2QI_7gLixsAu87KDl6pmIK4-kUJ0nkwVTuQz_UvXyO0kUfJ5FNzO01hyU4R_YmHODuw78gga9WFkwbYHKqeu5M0DAITpKcdhtSGvQH6uw/s400/068.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453893624058374354" /></a><center><span style="font-style:italic;">Mmmmmmm, can't wait for that coconut tea cake!</span></center><br /><br />I poured the batter into my kugelhopf pan, and an hour later, D and I were eating and reviewing the cake:<br /><br />D: It's really really good. It's kind of dry, but not in a bad way.<br />C: Exactly! That's just how Dorie's friend who grew up eating Austrian desserts likes it.<br />D: Um, yeah. I mean it's really good. It's not what I'd call a decadent cake.<br />C: Okay good, I nailed it then. I'd be worried if you thought this was decadent. Dorie specifically says that it is more of a well-mannered cake.<br />C: Good with coffee or tea.<br />C: Refined.<br />C: Perfect for cutting slice after slice every time you walk by it.<br />D: OH COME ON, that was a WALK!!!<br /><br />(My taster got distracted by the end of the Tennessee/Michigan State game.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDxf4p7mfFp2vMPoGDUFw0QJ4dndI0J3Lb0fFr6q_mrbdcQXTMF0TiHfel2Rwv0Zr-2w3POFbGE-xVgNK2ivYXAsB3ArPuESQJgLs3c6IjgmUawAZuYIBHmju11w24iv9rj3DrIWkAcbD/s1600/074-edit.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDxf4p7mfFp2vMPoGDUFw0QJ4dndI0J3Lb0fFr6q_mrbdcQXTMF0TiHfel2Rwv0Zr-2w3POFbGE-xVgNK2ivYXAsB3ArPuESQJgLs3c6IjgmUawAZuYIBHmju11w24iv9rj3DrIWkAcbD/s400/074-edit.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453893634537964642" /></a><br /><br />One thing we both agreed on: the coconut flavor was VERY mild. If you are coconut-ambivalent, this is the perfect coconut cake for you. Honestly, if it weren't for the occasional coconut flake (more of a texture issue there), I'm not sure I would even identify this as a coconut cake. David said that he wouldn't go quite THAT far, but he agreed that the coconut was subtle. Either way, we loved the flavor and thoroughly enjoyed the cake.<br /><br />Carmen of <a href="http://carmencooks.wordpress.com/">Carmen Cooks </a>chose this week's recipes. Fabulous pick, Carmen!Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06859210460017421539noreply@blogger.com31