Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Java Mini Mads
September 13, 2022 at 4:17 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, cakes & tortes, cookies & bars, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, madeleines
When I say that I like to have a little coffee treat on-hand, I mean a little treat to go with my coffee…but when my coffee treat is also a coffee-flavored treat, like these Java Mini Mads, that’s even better! I’ve made lots of Dorie madeleines over the years, and even have both large and small shell-shaped molds for them. Here, though, she has us bake these buttery, espresso-infused bites in a mini muffin tin, which shows you really don’t need that extra stuff cluttering your kitchen.
These are easy to put together, as the batter is mixed by hand. The hardest part of making it is having patience…it needs a long rest in the fridge, a recommended five hours minimum before baking, if you want to achieve the signature “madeleine hump” in the oven. Dorie says the batter will last refrigerated for up to three days, so I baked these off over the course of a couple of days. The photo above is from round one, but for round two, I decided to dunk their humps in cinnamon sugar while they were hot from the oven. Spicy.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Everyday Dorie: Peach Flognarde
September 9, 2022 at 12:09 am | Posted in breakfast things, cakes & tortes, everyday dorie, groups, muffins/quick breads, pudding/mousse, simple cakes, sweet things | 5 CommentsTags: custard, everyday dorie
If you’re wondering what a flognarde, join the club. Well, I do know what one is, but only because I just made one. Flognarde is what you call the classic French country dessert clafoutis when it’s made with fruit other than cherries. Here I did a spin on Dorie’s recipe with plums and made a Peach Flognarde.
To make this, a simple crêpe-like batter is poured over sliced fruit. As the batter bakes, it soufflés around the fruit and, as it cools, it settles into something that’s more like a sliceable custard. This one baked really beautifully, truly custardy inside and not rubbery, and I love the edging. I swapped the spices in the recipe for a splash of almond extract and the cognac for a glug of Combier, both of which I thought would pair well with the peaches. Now I want to try this out with all the fruits!
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see all of our cakes this week.
Everyday Dorie: Butter-Poached Corn with Egg Noodles
August 26, 2022 at 9:40 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, pasta, savory things | 4 CommentsTags: everyday dorie, pasta, savory
Butter-Poached Corn with Egg Noodles sounds a bit like something off the children’s menu, but I’m down for buttery carb-on-carb action and I like to try corn all the ways this time of year. This is actually a really tasty summer dinner, and it can be a really quick one, too, since fresh corn kernels and egg noodles take little time to cook. I did turn this into a bit of a project by making my own noodles, but store-bought fresh pasta would be great here. I broke out the “fancy” salted butter I usually save for toast to poach the corn and slick up this dish. I’m tempted to make this again and let a handful of cherry tomatoes burst in the butter bath along with the corn.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see how the group liked this one.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Buttermilk Scones
August 23, 2022 at 8:06 pm | Posted in biscuits/scones, breakfast things, BWD, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, scones
A quick search tells me we made a Buttermilk Scone recipe before, back in 2014. I have no memory of those (a BWJ recipe), or really of 2014 in general, but apparently I liked them and even said I’d make them again. Well, of course I didn’t, but now I have made these BWD Buttermilk Scones instead.
With only 2 teaspoons of sugar (could that be a typo??), other TWDers said these were more like buttermilk biscuits than sweet pastries. I bumped that up to 2 tablespoons of sugar and also sprinkled the tops with turbinado before baking. They were a sticky-but-easy mix and they got a pretty decent rise in the oven, but they still registered as only very lightly sweetened. While some butter and honey or jam (or 2 or 3 more tablespoons of sugar) would probably give them what they’re missing, they certainly did make me think of a biscuit or a cobbler topping. Since buttermilk is so lean, they also don’t have the same delicate, rich texture as a cream scone. I decided to turn a couple of my scones into strawberry shortcakes with sweetened mascarpone whipped cream and macerated berries and mint. The rest headed into the freezer for Scones Pudding next month.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
Everyday Dorie: Shrimp-Mousse Squash Blossoms
August 12, 2022 at 10:05 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks, veggies | 6 CommentsTags: everyday dorie
This time of year, zucchini abounds at my farmers’ market, and thankfully, a couple of farm stalls sell the blossoms, too. I buy them frequently in the summer; usually for Mexican recipes, like soups or quesadillas with flor de calabaza. I also do love me an Italian-style cheese-stuffed squash blossom, although I usually only order them out because I don’t love me a pot filled with fryer oil. That said, I have, a few times, made those cheesy ones myself so I was game to try these Shrimp-Mousse Squash Blossoms.
These zucchini flowers are stuffed with a chunky “mousse” of chopped shrimp and herbs and spices bound with egg white. The stuffed blossoms get dunked in a tempura batter and fried up. I only made six and didn’t use nearly the amount of oil Dorie calls for, but instead did a true shallow fry…one side and then the other. They did wind up super crisp and the filling reminded me of what’s probably my favorite fried shrimpy treat– shrimp toast. I’ll have to give that a try next!
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Tomato Tart
August 9, 2022 at 9:51 pm | Posted in BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 5 CommentsTags: baking, savory, tart
Tomatoes are spectacular at the farmers’ market right now. I could happily just eat them raw, in salads or on toast, but this Tomato Tart really does showcase them beautifully. They are the stars of this show for sure, but they get some support from a schmear of honey-mustard, a few herbs and a bit of cheese (I went with a combo of Gruyère and a French spreadable cream cheese). Oh, and a tasty pastry crust. Even though this tart is baked in a tart pan and not free-form, I used Dorie’s savory galette dough, which held its shape really nicely. (Speaking of galettes and tomatoes, this Cheese and Tomato Galette was one of my favorite recipes from BWJ). The tomatoes become a bit more concentrated in flavor in the oven, and combined with the sweet-salty filling and the crisp crust, well, this tart makes a lovely Summer lunch or dinner. I have a leftover slice and, in the morning, I’m going to put a fried egg on top of it because I think it will be a good brekkie, too.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it twice a month. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: S’mores Ice Cream Cake
August 7, 2022 at 3:17 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, groups, muffins/quick breads, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 3 CommentsTags: baking, brekkie, cake
I live in a house with no central air, so I’m always looking for a way to keep cool in the summer. S’mores Ice Cream Cake is possibly the best way I’ve found yet to get my core temp down. Think: peanut-graham crust, layers of ice cream, fluffernutter goo, fudge sauce and a mountain of toastie marshies. I scaled it down to fit in my six-inch springform, and also only used two layers of ice cream (coffee was my flavor choice) separated by the peanut fluff instead of the original three. It still weighted a ton…this is a substantial treat. The cake takes a bit of time to put together, as it needs freezing after every step, but it is so good! Seriously, my childhood dreams all came true in one fabulous sugar high.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan yet, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Fortune Cookies
August 1, 2022 at 11:11 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
We (TWD) started baking through Dorie’s Cookies back in 2016 with Peanut Butter Change-Ups, and now, almost six years later, here we are finishing off the book off with these Fortune Cookies! It feels weird to put a book that’s lived on my kitchen table for so long up on the shelf, but I’m excited for my baking schedule free up a bit for other stuff I haven’t had the chance to make. While it’s a bit bittersweet to finish cooking though this book, I’ll bake on with my group of friends from Baking with Dorie, so I’m very happy for that!
Back to the fortune cookies…they’re made from a standard tuile batter, flavored with vanilla and almond extracts. The trick to shaping these cookies is to work quickly, and while they are hot from the oven and pliable. Dorie recommends baking just a few cookie circles at a time, so you can fill and fold them without cracking. I have asbestos fingers and kept the cookies on the hot sheet tray to do the first fold over the fortune (rather than transferring them to the countertop, where I think they basically cool immediately, and then it becomes difficult to do the next bend). I managed to bake five at a time that way, and since I just made a half recipe, it only took me two rounds in the oven. These are thin and crisp and tasty, and reveal your fortune with just a delicate snap.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the final DC TWD Blogroll!
Everyday Dorie: Basta Pasta Potato Salad
July 23, 2022 at 9:49 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, pickles, salads, savory things, veggies | 2 CommentsTags: everyday dorie, salad, savory
This Basta Pasta Potato Salad really threw me for a loop. I judged a recipe by its name and not its actual ingredient list and was thoroughly convinced it was a pasta and potato salad. Sounds unusual, but mash-ups are all the rage, and I’m down for some carb-on-carb action. I saved aside a small portion of a twisty little dried pasta shape that I thought would look cute in photos just for this. Imagine my surprise when I finally set out to make the salad and there was no pasta to be found in the recipe.
What this recipe (based on a potato salad Dorie had at a restaurant called Basta Pasta– mystery of the missing pasta solved!) does have are typical pot sally mix-ins like mayo, scallions, capers and pickles, as well as some not-so-typical ones like saffron, wasabi, OJ and cukes. Dorie wouldn’t lead us too far down a crazy path, though, and it all works together nicely. It’s kind of what you’re used to, but with a twist, and sometimes it feels good to keep things interesting.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Gozinaki
July 19, 2022 at 7:22 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
I have sort of a Christmas in July thing going on here with these Gozinaki. Made simply of chopped, toasted walnuts bound together in a honey syrup, these are traditional holiday cookies from the country of Georgia. I didn’t have enough walnuts on hand for the recipe, so I added what pecans I had in the fridge, but I didn’t have enough pecans either, so I added flax and sunflower seeds, too. I guess I made a mash-up of both the mixed-nut and multi-seed Playing Around variations. Since I was playing around already, I added a pinch each of fine sea salt and cinnamon. The sticky nut mix is rolled out and typically cut into diamond shapes, but I just did squares for summertime ease (I guess you can rotate them a turn and they are diamond-ish??). I liked these a lot. Even though these cookies were sticky to the touch (as in, I had to pick bits of stuck-on parchment off their backsides), my birdseed blend stayed really crunchy for several days.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
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