Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: (Meyer) Lemon Meringue Tart a New Way
April 11, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in BCM, groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 8 CommentsTags: baking, tarts
A Lemon Meringue Tart is a great classic spring dessert, and you get to burn stuff on purpose– time to break out the blow torch! This one has a little twist though. The “new way” here refers to the lemon filling, which instead of a snappy, eggy curd, is a lemon pastry cream. The result is lighter, in terms of texture and tang. I took it a new way of my own and used some Meyer lemon zest and juice I had in the freezer in place of the regular stuff. The Meyer lemons probably made the filling a little more tame in terms of tartness as well, but it was definitely delicious. Also, I made tartlets instead of a big tart, because I don’t like to share. Just kidding. Not really.
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll.
Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: Pithiviers
March 28, 2017 at 10:33 am | Posted in BCM, cakes & tortes, general pastry, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 9 CommentsTags: baking, puffpastry
The last time I made Pithiviers was in cooking school about 15 years ago. I have never forgotten how delicious it was though. I’m all for two rounds of flaky puff pastry with a filling in between, traditionally almond frangipane (one of my favorite things) and a bit of jammy fruit. The pithiviers recipe is in the “Fancy Cakes” section of the book, but this was a pretty simple one for me. I used store bought puff pastry, had some frangipane in the freezer from another project and instead of making prune filling, I used some black plum jam that I made last summer. Really, the only thing I did have to make for this was egg wash!
Rather than make one large round Pithiviers (that’s too much for us in one sitting), I made a couple of babies. The puff rose nice and high. Because I was making an odd size, I eyeballed the filling amounts. I do wish that I’d used a bit more of the plum jam. I was worried about leakage (there wasn’t any), so I was too skimpy. Next time– these are so easy and good. I’d like to experiment with savory fillings, too, as the concept isn’t really any different from a turnover.
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Salted Chocolate-Caramel Bars
March 21, 2017 at 5:05 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 14 CommentsTags: baking, bars, chocolate, cookies
If the name of these bars doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about them, then the photos should. These Salted-Chocolate Caramel Bars are basically all that is good and gooey in this world in one cookie. With a cocoa shortbread base, a layer of thick, salty chocolate-caramel sauce and toasted pecans on top, they are almost candy. If you’re in danger of eating too many, at least you’ll have no problem finding friends to share them with.
My advice is to keep the bars in the fridge. The caramel layer gets a little schlumpy when they are left to sit for too long. They’re also delicious cold, if you can’t wait for them to come up to room temp.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. It was also Dorie’s #cookiesandkindness selection for the month of March, so you can find the bar recipe on her site, too. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: Black-and-White Marbled Madeleines
March 14, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in BCM, cakes & tortes, cookies & bars, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 11 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chocolate
Over the last nine years, I’ve made many Dorie versions of the little shell-shaped cakes called madeleines. Appearance-wise, these Black-and-White Marbled Madeleines were probably not my best effort. I could tell I would have a little more batter than I needed, but overfilled the molds a bit anyway because: a) I was too lazy to clean the pan and do a second bake-off, and b) I’m too cheap to ever throw out batter. So my edges weren’t the sharpest. I didn’t get the signature madeleine bump this time either…I probably should have rested the batter for several hours instead of just one. Also my marbling technique wasn’t great. But hey– at least I know what my problems were! Taste and texture-wise, they were great. The vanilla-chocolate combo is a classic, obviously, and the little bit of citrus zest (I used bergamot instead of lime) made them extra flavorful. They were soft and spongy fresh out the oven…I don’t know how well they hold up because they didn’t last! I wouldn’t hesitate to give these a go again and be a bit more of a perfectionist when baking them the second time around.
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: “Corked” Breton Galettes
March 7, 2017 at 6:07 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 11 CommentsTags: baking, cookies, jam
These “Corked” Breton Galettes are like the French version of thumbprint cookies. They’re made just like shortbread slice and bakes…you put a nice fat slice into the cavities of a greased muffin tin, so they bake uniformly round. I suppose because they are on the thick side, they bake up with a very pleasing chew to them. If you’re wondering what’s with the “corked” thing, it’s because right out of the oven you press a wine cork into the center of each cookie, making a little divot to hold a spoonful of jam. I have like a dozen open jars of jam in the fridge, some homemade, others shop-bought. I like recipes that help me go through them. Here, I took out two homemade ones– sour cherry and black plum.
Oh mon Dieu, these are delicious! The traditional cookies use salted butter from Brittany, which I was able to do here because I always keep a nice salty (usually French) butter in the fridge for toast. Dorie does give unsalted butter instructions, though, amped up with extra fleur de sel because you are supposed to really notice it here. If you dig a salty-sweet combo like I do, then you should certainly give these a try…slightly classier than potato chips and ice cream…not that I don’t eat that, too…
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. It’s also here. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll.
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Rose-Hibiscus Shortbread Fans
February 21, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 10 CommentsTags: baking, cookies, shortbread
Homemade shortbread is quite a treat, and these Rose-Hibiscus Shortbread Fans are an interesting take on the norm. They have a delicious, buttery Scottish shortbread base, they’re lightly perfumed, and they’re perfect for a tea party. I crushed up some dried hibiscus leaves that I have left in the cupboard from another Dorie Recipe and managed to track down her favorite rose extract. I loved the delicate floral taste and crisp, sandy texture of these cookies. I made a half-recipe in a six-inch cake pan, so my “fans” weren’t as long and slim as they would have been in a larger pan. With a little glaze and pink sugar on top, I don’t think anyone noticed but me.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll.
Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: Sunday in Paris Chocolate Cake
February 14, 2017 at 5:22 pm | Posted in BCM, cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 10 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chocolate
Hello my loves. How about a little chocolate for Valentine’s Day? Maybe with some peanuts thrown in, too? If that sounds good to you, then this Sunday in Paris Chocolate Cake will be right up your alley. This recipe is in the “Fancy Cakes” section of the book, but it isn’t an intimidating one. The batter is pretty straightforward, with some peanut butter and chopped nuts in the mix. And the decoration is simple, too…ganache with a sprinkling of extra nuts and chocolate. I debated making mini cakes or a larger loaf, as the recipe will work either way. I decided to go for dainty little ones and used a silicon financier mold for baking, but a mini muffin tim would be a fine substitute. Watch the baking time if you do small cakes…they don’t take long in the oven.
This sort of reminds me of a cakey brownie. While I could easily eat one of these on it’s own, a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it even better. You can fiddle with the topping, too. Last night, I took two plain (no ganache topping) cakes, accompanied by the obligatory scoops of ice cream, and drizzled them with warm salted caramel sauce and then scattered peanuts over top. Super good!
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Valentine’s Day Share-a-Heart
February 7, 2017 at 12:33 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 11 CommentsTags: baking, cookies, holiday
I know people have different views on Valentine’s Day. Here’s mine– it’s a good excuse to eat a giant chocolate cookie, whether you’re sharing it or not. Dorie’s Valentine’s Day Share-a-Heart cookie dough can be rolled and cut into any size heart your little corazón desires. This is a nice chocolatey dough that’s quickly made in the food processor. It shouldn’t be reserved just for February 14th, though. You can bake up crisp chocolate cats or rocket ships if you’d like. And then go nuts with the decoration. I felt like I should keep it G-rated for the blog, so I just put on a little melted white chocolate and a whole lot of pink sanding sugar. Besos!
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. It was also Dorie’s #cookiesandkindness selection for the month of February, so you can find the share-a-heart recipe on her site, too. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll.
TWD BCM Rewind: Spiced Honey Cake
January 31, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in BCM, breakfast things, cakes & tortes, groups, muffins/quick breads, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, cake
I nominated Spiced Honey Cake a couple of times, and then when it was chosen, I skipped it! Nice, right? I will admit to feeling guilty about that, but now Rewind Week is here to redeem me. So, here it is…
This might not be what you have in mind when you hear the word “cake.” It’s a take on pain d’epices, and is more like a quick bread than a moist, spongey cake. Dorie flavors it with honey (obvi) and also an orange/spice infusion. She uses lavender, Sichuan peppercorns and fresh ginger as her spices, but when I rooted through the cupboard (a chore, let me assure you), I saw don’t have the lavender or the peppercorns. I do have a really nice chai mix with lots of coarse bits of black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and fennel. It doesn’t contain any actually tea leaves, just the spices, so I thought it sounded like a perfect choice to go with the orange and honey flavors, as well as the almonds and dried cherries. Because the cake is purposefully on the dry side, it toasts up really nicely (I will thank my fellow TWDers who made the recipe on-schedule for pointing this out to me!). In fact, it’s better as cake toast than as non-toast. And it’s perfect with tea or coffee, so I’m glad to have gotten around to making it!
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll to see what other folks caught up on this week!
Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: Honey-Yogurt Mousse (sort of)
January 24, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in BCM, groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 11 CommentsTags: mousse
I had some thoughts about passing on this Honey-Yogurt Mousse. I mean, honey-sweetened Greek yogurt and whipped cream sounds delicious, but to make it a mousse, it’s stabilized with a bit of gelatin, which I don’t really care for. Then I decided, who needs the gelatin? I strained my yogurt, whipped my cream, added my honey, and had the same flavors but a softer texture. I make a jar of candied cherries every summer to put in all the cocktails I never wind up shaking or stirring at home. They tend to wind up in ice cream sundaes instead of in Manhattans…here I spooned a few into the bottom of my glass before putting the mousse on top. Light and nice…with or without the gelatin, this would be good with all kinds of fruit or (without the gelatin) even spooned over a slice of poundcake.
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll.
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