Tuesdays with Dorie: Sweet Potato Biscuits
October 20, 2009 at 10:22 am | Posted in biscuits/scones, breakfast things, groups, tuesdays with dorie | 34 Comments
Two TWD brekkie posts in a row— it’s a good month! This week we’re cooking up Dorie’s Sweet Potato Biscuits, thanks to Erin of Prudence Pennywise.
These biscuits have a bit of brown sugar in them, but I wouldn’t really call them sweet (although maybe that’s because I didn’t use the canned sweet potatoes in syrup that the recipe calls for…I used a unsweetened organic mashed purée instead). They’re just as tasty with turkey bacon and eggs as they are slathered with maple butter. Trust me on the bacon and egg thing…this little sandwich was one of the tastiest breakfasts I’ve made in awhile…if you are a fellow HP addict, don’t forget to bring the bottle to the table!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Prudence Pennywise. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Allspice Crumb Muffins
October 13, 2009 at 1:20 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins/quick breads, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 41 Comments
I’m pretty slow-going in the morning, so don’t do that much breakfast baking. That being said, I was happy to have the lovely Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table chose Allspice Crumb Muffins for TWD this week. It’s good to have my routine switched up every once and awhile. And it’s hard to not like having a fresh, homemade muffin (especially one with streusel topping!) with my morning coffee.
Allspice isn’t a spice that I usually have on hand. In fact, before I made this recipe I had to pay a visit to my most favorite tea and spice shop, Two for the Pot in Brooklyn, to score some. Allspice in hand, I subbed just a bit of whole wheat flour for the AP in both the streusel and the muffin itself. I also added in the optional lemon zest…this muffin doesn’t have bits of fruit in it, so I think the zest went a long way towards amping up the flavor a bit. They baked up with kinda flat tops, but I can overlook that in favor of their ease and pleasant simplicity.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Grandma’s Kitchen Table. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
P.S.: I’m taking a quick trip out of town on my days off this week. I won’t be in front of the computer for a few days, so please forgive my lack of comments!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Split Level Pudding
October 6, 2009 at 1:00 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 33 Comments
Did you see the news about Gourmet? I am sad. I need something to make me smile. Something like pudding. Maybe coffee pudding. Some chocolate would be good, too.
Oh, ya know– I have just the thing in the fridge right now, since Garrett of Flavor of Vanilla picked Split Level Pudding for TWD this week. Pudding on top, bittersweet ganache on the bottom. This is just the thing to make me feel a little better. Excuse this short post, but now I’m off to make you something from the pages of Gourmet.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart
September 29, 2009 at 1:24 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 55 Comments
Carla of Chocolate Moosey chose one sexy tart for TWD this week– Dorie’s Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart. Soft bittersweet ganache on top of caramel and peanuts…this is rich and decadent. Using a high percentage chocolate and taking your caramel to a deep amber keeps it from being overly sweet. It’s a special occasion tart that’s surprisingly easy to make, especially if you’ve had some chocolate shortbread dough hiding out in the freezer for a rather long while (I used it instead of making a new batch of sweet tart dough).
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Chocolate Moosey. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Cottage Cheese Pufflets
September 22, 2009 at 1:35 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 31 Comments
This is my second TWD in a row showcasing 45-45-90 triangles. I majored in math back in the day and am seriously thinking of turning this blog into a weekly cooking/geometry lesson (changing the name to “a whisk and a protractor,” of course). But before I start handing out purple-inked dittos to everyone, let’s review these Cottage Cheese Pufflets, which Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes chose for TWD.
I really like cottage cheese, but I also really never buy it. Don’t know why…it just doesn’t pop up on my grocery radar screen very often. I was glad, then, to have a little leftover from these cookies to eat for lunch with carrot sticks. I was also glad that these cookies were fantastic, because while I was curious to try them, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from a cookie with cottage cheese in the dough. But I’ll tell you what to expect…they are puffy and light and flaky, but with a little chew. (You can also expect the dough to be super sticky to work with, so chill it every step of the way and your life will be easier.) The dough itself isn’t too sweet, but it’s complimented by a bit of jam in the center. I filled my pufflets with some of my homemade Easy Plum Jam. Such a pretty color poking out through the steam hole (and through the sides…hmmm), don’t you think?
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Daisy Lane Cakes. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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!
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!
Baked Fresh Weekly
Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.
a whisk and a spoon 