Tuesdays with Dorie: Flaky Peach and Blueberry Turnovers
September 15, 2009 at 1:55 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 37 Comments
This week Jules of Someone’s in the Kitchen chose Flaky Turnovers for TWD. My husband refused to call them “turnovers,” referring to them as “handpies” instead. Whatever you want to call them, these little fruit-filled sour cream pastries are good! Like pie, but so much easier…super versatile, too…fill them with whatever fruit you fancy.
I actually made these back in August, when this month’s recipes were first announced. We were still in prime summer produce season then, so I used peaches and blueberries in mine (yum!). Instead of making turnovers shaped like half-moons, I did triangles (no scrap!). Normally I like my pastry to be a bit more golden brown on top, but I refused to make eggwash for just two turnovers (lazy!), so they got the powdered sugar disguise (really lazy!).
I made a half recipe, and got four turnovers…two of them were baked right away for immediate gratification, and two went into the freezer for a busy day. I had that busy day, and am happy to report that they worked really well baked just out of the freezer, keeping their shape nicely with no leakage.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Someone’s in the Kitchen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Soufflé
September 8, 2009 at 1:57 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 42 Comments
I wonder if the bankers in the building across the street ever notice me taking photos of my food on the windowsill. I can see them clearly, so maybe they see me, too? If they do, I’m sure they were jealous that on a Wednesday afternoon, while they were sitting in their offices or in the conference room with the red walls and heinous artwork, I was enjoying a chocolate soufflé with hazelnut crème anglaise. This is all thanks to Susan of She’s Becoming DoughMessTic, who chose chocolate soufflés for TWD this week.
At every restaurant I’ve worked in, there’s been a soufflé on the menu at some point. Every pastry chef seems to make them a little differently, but I’ve picked up a few universal tips along the way. Use soft butter to coat your ramekins well (one chef had us do two coats). Use room temperature whites and whip them until they “look like shaving cream.” (I prefer to whip my whites by hand, if the amount is manageable.) Fill individual molds right to the top, level them off, and clean off any batter that may have slopped on the rims. Most importantly, get your soufflés to the table straight away (in a restaurant, this is actually the hardest part, because when a soufflé comes out of the oven, inevitably there are no waiters to be found!).
I made a few individual soufflés, rather than the larger one Dorie suggests. The principles are the same, but the baking time is shorter. I had mine in the oven for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes…I like them a little puddingy and creamy inside. They were really very chocolatey, light and delicious….and a little pot of chilled hazelnut crème anglaise served alongside didn’t hurt matters any.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read She’s Becoming DoughMessTic. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
September 1, 2009 at 1:15 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 49 Comments
My taste in brownies is usually pretty plain. Lots of chocolate and some walnuts– that’s pretty much all I need. I’ve never even had a cheesecake brownie…at least not until Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell chose Espresso Cheesecake Brownies for TWD. Espresso and chocolate are a winning combo, so I was game to give the recipe a shot (in half-recipe form, baked in a loaf pan).
The brownie layer was pretty standard. My cheesecake batter was super-loose, though, and I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t set-up. I wasn’t able to swirl the extra brownie batter into it, so I just plopped bits on (hence the leopard-print spots) and crossed my fingers as it went into the oven. Success! The heat did it’s trick, and everything cooked up fine.
I decided at first to go without Dorie’s suggested sour cream topping for the brownies, but after eating them the first night, I thought they needed more chocolate pop. So the second night, I topped the remaining pieces with a chocolate sour cream topping. Not bad, not bat at all.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Life in a Peanut Shell. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie
August 25, 2009 at 1:42 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 31 Comments
The brilliant baker Linda of Tender Crumb picked this cool and refreshing Lime Cream Meringue Pie for TWD this week. Lots of lime and grated ginger made for a snappy combination…just right for a hot and muggy summer’s day. I went with a crumb crust, and used waaaay less butter in my lime cream (I don’t know anymore just how much, but I didn’t measure anyway). The lime cream was, well, creamy, and far better in taste and texture than some heavily cornstarched giggly-wiggly meringue pie fillings I’ve had in the past.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Tender Crumb. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
The Cake Slice: Pistachio Petit Four Cake
August 20, 2009 at 1:47 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 26 Comments
With marzipan roses on top (however garishly colored–oops!), this Pistachio Petit Four Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes may be the ultimate ladies’ treat– something that you’ll want to eat with your pinkie curled in the air.
It’s not just for the girls though…R was completely happy to have it as his birthday cake this past week (want to see last year’s, or the year before’s?). And he’d have been crazy not to want it. Pistachio butter cake stacked with rolled marzipan, apricot jam and chocolate ganache make for a layered affair that is not just beautiful to look at, but tastes beautiful, too.
Sounds like a lot of fuss for a cake, but it’s completely worth it, and it’s not really that hard…at least not compared to stuggling through the petits fours glacés section of a French cooking school curriculum! Buy the jam, and what the hell, buy the marzipan, too. Even though there were instructions in the recipe for homemade marzipan, I confess that I just got the stuff in a log (one log worked great for the six-inch cake I made, but if you are doing a full-sized cake, I’d suggest two).
Here’s a printable link to the recipe. Better yet, get your hands on a copy of Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne. Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our sky-high cakes this month.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Applesauce Spice Bars
August 18, 2009 at 1:23 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, cookies & bars, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 27 Comments
Apples, cinnamon and brown sugar…these are flavors that make me instantly think of fall, but, really, I enjoy them anytime of year. Karen of Something Sweet by Karen must, too, because she’s picked Dorie’s Applesauce Spice Bars for this week’s TWD.
These bars weren’t exactly what I expected, but I mean that in a good way. I was thinking they’d bake up into something chewy and kind of dense, but they were actually like a snack cake..super moist and with a cake-style crumb. A toffee-like glaze sweetly seals the deal. I couldn’t just stop at the itty-bitty bar-sized potions Dorie suggested, so we ate bigger squares. We enjoyed them so much that next time I’ll make more than just a third of a recipe (which baked up nicely in a loaf pan).
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Something Sweet by Karen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Brownie Buttons
August 11, 2009 at 1:26 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 50 Comments
Boy, are we cruising through the brownie section of BFMHTY. Who knew there were so many types of brownies out there? The latest take on these little squares of chocolatey goodness are actually not squares at all, but Brownie Buttons, chosen by Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen.
Baking the batter in a mini-muffin tin is all it really takes to turn your brownies into “buttons.” There is some optional orange zest in this batter…I’m not usually a fan of fruit and chocolate, so I opted out. I said “yes, please” to the white chocolate topping, though.
These gave a good little chocolate pop, but I won’t lie and say that I was only able to eat one at a time! For that reason, I’ll probably stick to regular brownies (OMG– who else made these?!?), but I can see myself making these again if I need to do a cookie platter.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Classic Banana Bundt Cake
August 4, 2009 at 1:21 am | Posted in bundt cakes, cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 49 Comments
At the end of every month, just before the new list of TWD recipes comes out, I do a little dance in the hopes that a Bundt cake will be chosen. My efforts to summon the cake gods have gone unrealized every time, but leave it to Mary The Food Librarian, herself a lover of all things Bundted (seriously, she has made a bazillion of them), to finally chose Dorie’s Classic Banana Bundt. Yay!! (Now I am doing my happy dance!)
I love Bundt cakes, and this banana one is no exception. It’s dense and moist, not unlike a banana bread. It’s full of banana flavor, and the inside is full of those little black squigglies…do you know what I’m talking about? Those fascinate me, and I must study them in every slice.
I made half a recipe of this cake in my treasured six-cup Bundt pan. I switched out a quarter cup of the AP flour for whole wheat, and added in a sprinkle of nutmeg. I also used half sour cream and half yogurt in the batter. The coolest thing about any Bundt is how pretty it is, no thanks to me– it just comes out of the pan that way (provided I spray it well)! I drizzled a quick and easy milk chocolate ganache over this one, because hey– bananas and chocolate are great together!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read The Food Librarian. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Vanilla Ice Cream
July 28, 2009 at 1:32 am | Posted in groups, ice creams & frozen, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 40 Comments
Do I really need to say anything at all about vanilla ice cream? It is good…so good…not to mention good with everything (sweet, that is). It is fantastic if you make it yourself. And it is amazing if you make it yourself and use real beans in your custard. I dare you not to lick every last bit off your machine’s dasher!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (Dorie also has it here on her website). Lynne of Cafe LynnyLu chose it for TWD this week, so she’ll have the recipe, too. Don’t forget to scan the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Blanc-Manger
July 21, 2009 at 1:16 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 34 Comments
Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy went midevil on us this week and selected Raspberry Blanc-Manger for TWD. It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a sophisticated dessert here! Time to class up this joint! Blanc-manger is actually something I had never eaten before tonight, because it contains gelatin, which (since I don’t eat most meats) I try my best to avoid. After some initial hesitation and thoughts of skipping this week’s recipe, I got my hands on a Kosher vegetarian gelatin called KoJel, so I gave it a go.
Blanc-manger may have its roots in the Middle Ages, and may have historically been prepared with chicken (what?!?!– did you read the link?), but the modern-day version is basically almond milk and whipped cream set in a mold with the aid of gelatin. I scaled back Dorie’s recipe to just a third, and made two individual portions in ramekins. I folded a combination of fresh raspberries and red currants into the mix before chilling it, and served it with a raspberry coulis. While I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this dessert at first, it is light as a feather (although not low-cal in the least) and absolutely delicious with the berries and currants. Quite beautiful, too, I think.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. Don’t forget to scan the TWD Blogroll!
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