September | 2010 | a whisk and a spoon

Tuesdays with Dorie: Tarte Fine

September 28, 2010 at 12:37 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 23 Comments

So, our move is done, and we are now residents of Fort Greene, Brooklyn! Thanks for all the good wishes in your comments last time. Apart from a couple chunks taken out of a hall wall by a dresser, all went surprisingly well. We have moved five times in four years, so I’m pretty good at packing up by now, but I’m looking forward to not doing it again for at least another ten years! Now to finish tackling the home improvements…

These Tartes Fines were the last TWD project to come out of my old apartment oven. I had some puff pastry in the freezer already, so they were fast and so simple to crank out, which I really appreciated last week. (Thanks, Leslie!) If you have made other puff and apple desserts, then you will know what a great combo these two things are. Really browned and crisped puff is the way to go. If you have either a little apple butter or almond frangipane hiding in the fridge, then a schmear underneath the apples is a nice extra touch.

For the recipe for this super easy, yet totally elegant dessert, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Lethally Delicious. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Coffee-Break Muffins

September 21, 2010 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins/quick breads, tuesdays with dorie | 27 Comments

There are some mornings when one cup of coffee just won’t do the trick. That’s what these Coffee-Break Muffins are for. They are chock full o’ brewed coffee (Chock Full o’Nuts, perhaps??) and instant espresso, and give you that double-shot kick in the pants that’s sometimes needed.

I’ve been having a lot of these mornings lately. Remember when I said I was busy? Well, I still am…running around so much during the day, my brain can’t switch off when it’s time to go to bed. The reason I haven’t been working this summer is that my husband and I have finally found our own place! Seriously, House Hunters could have done a freakin’ multi-year series on just us, but now we’ve closed the deal on a cool old house in Brooklyn. “Old” being the key word…there are a zillion things that need fixing up, so I’ve been shuttling back and forth to get estimates from painters, plumbers, contractors, floor refinishers, you name it…reasearching and meeting these guys is a full time-time job itself. The work has hardly begun, but our apartment lease is almost up, so we move this weekend–yikes! Oh yeah, and we have almost no furniture…we’ll be eating dinner in camping chairs in the middle of a construction zone for awhile. Should be an adventure!

It’s a good thing I made a full batch of these muffins. They are great freezer food and can be defrosted in a matter of seconds for a quick caffeine jolt! For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Chocoholic Anonymous, as it was Rhiani’s choice for TWD. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

The Cake Slice: Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

September 20, 2010 at 12:21 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 19 Comments

OK, I am the first to say that my Fresh Apple Cake cake looks an awful lot like a meatloaf, but it is in fact the perfect sweet way to welcome fall and apple season! I scaled back the recipe to make a standard loaf cake, but to tell the truth, we could have easily polished off a full-sizer. It’s moist texture reminded me of banana bread (and I even swapped a third of the oil for unsweetened applesauce), but the taste here is all about apples, walnuts and vanilla. Yes– vanilla, a welcome change from the usual cinnamon! A brown sugar glaze makes an addictively sticky topping.

This is the last cake the group is baking from Southern Cakes. Not all of the cakes I’ve made from this book have been so successful, so I’m glad to go out on a high note with this one. Speaking of going out on a high note, this is also the last cake I’ll be baking with The Cake Slice group. I’ll certainly still be following the other blogs as they move on to the next book, but I think I need to ease off the baking commitments for a bit. Thanks so much, Katie, for all the hard work in keeping this group going– I’ve had such a great time!

Here’s a printable link to the recipe. Or get your hands on a copy of Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott. Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our apple cakes this month!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Summery Peach Upside-Downer

September 14, 2010 at 12:06 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 30 Comments

Sabrina of Superfluous chose Cranberry Upside-Downer For TWD this week. This cranberry cake sounds sooo good, but it will have to wait for cooler weather (and cranberry season). In the meantime, I made Dorie’s summertime version with peaches and raspberries for Labor Day weekend. I don’t know about you, but I think it looks like sunshine!

The topping isn’t caramelized like it is in a pineapple upside-down cake, but it infuses the fruit with buttery sweetness, all the same. And the cake is soft and full of cinnamon. I made a half recipe, and it was all R & I could do not to eat it all in one go! The cranberry version is definitely making my fall baking list.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Superfluous. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

September 7, 2010 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 27 Comments

Sometimes I’ve wondered how I would function if I had to share living space with someone allergic to peanuts. My peanut butter addiction just might force me to move out. I can’t imagine not being able to have a PB&J for lunch or, say, these Peanut Butter Crisscrosses for a treat.

Peanut butter cookies are one of those childhood things that I’ve never tired of (one of many, I will admit!). These ones are soft and chewy, as a good peanut butter cookie should be, and the sugar sprinkled on top gives them just the right amount of crunch. The recipe was pretty clear about not using natural PB here, but that was what I had, so that was what I used. To make it a little more like the kiddie brands, I put in a squeeze of golden syrup. I also swapped a little AP with a little whole wheat flour. I don’t think anyone would be able to call me out on either of these changes.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Jasmine Cuisine, as it was Jasmine’s choice for TWD this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Speaking of peanuts…has anyone noticed the peanut flour Trader Joe’s is now selling in with the baking stuff? Has anyone baked with it? I am curious…

Last night…

September 1, 2010 at 5:39 pm | Posted in around NYC, other stuff | 4 Comments

…my husband and I had the most wonderful dinner, part of a series of coast-to-coast outdoor events put on by Outstanding in the Field. They stretch their long, white-clothed tables through some of the most dramatic landscapes around North America. This one being in the middle of New York City, they set up camp in a community garden on the Lower Eastside. Even though it lacks the wide-open spaces of some of their other dinners, they still managed to make it look so magical that I forgot it was 90-somethingº outside!

Or maybe it was really all the Long Island wine that made me forget the heat!

The locally-sourced food was cooked by Chef Bill Telepan, and we shared it family-style. I’m sorry I didn’t get any pictures of the food, but I was too busy, eating drinking and making new friends!