Tuesdays with Dorie: Caramel Pumpkin Pie
October 19, 2010 at 9:13 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 25 Comments
It wouldn’t normally occur to me to eat pumpkin pie before Thanksgiving, but when I read that Janell of Mortensen Family Memoirs chose Caramel Pumpkin Pie for TWD this week, it sounded like a pretty tasty idea! I wouldn’t say that I have a “favorite” pumpkin pie recipe…I think I just haven’t cooked enough turkey day dinners out on my own yet to have found my idea of squashy perfection (although I’ve rarely met a pumpkin pie I didn’t like!). I am doing dinner here at the house this year, though, so I’m counting this as research.
This twist with this pumpkin pie is that half the sugar is taken to a dark caramel. Between that and the rum that’s added, you get a darker custard and a very different taste than with regular pumpkin pie. I know better than to mess with holiday traditions, so maybe that’s not for everyone, but my husband and I just loved it. Can’t wait to polish it off tonight, chilled, and with a big plop of whipped cream!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Mortensen Family Memoirs. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
“Anyway You Like It” Pumpkin Bread
October 14, 2010 at 3:04 pm | Posted in breakfast things, muffins/quick breads, simple cakes, sweet things | 6 Comments
Before I’m able to face the slew of holidays that are fast-approaching, I need to clear my cupboard of the ghosts of holidays past. Here, I’m talking about a freakin’ can of pumpkin pie “mix” I bought at some point last year, thinking it was straight-up pumpkin. I always think I must be losing it when I do stuff like that, but gosh, don’t those cans look so similar? That slip-up is far more understandable than the times I’ve returned from the grocery store and put my purse in the fridge!
I had to get rid of that can, because it’s been taunting me for almost a year now. I didn’t know what to do with pumpkin pie mix, though, because I have no idea how much sugar is really in there, so I turned to the expert source, none other than the Libby’s website, for a little help.
What I came away with was a great pumpkin bread recipe that promises it can be made “anyway you like it.” Hmmm…I like it with chocolate chips (I am always surprised by how good the pumpkin-chocolate combination is) and spinkled with a little spice sugar, so I don’t mind if I do. This bread may not have quite the texture you’d normally expect for pumpkin bread, but that’s because it really has very little added fat. It’s still quite moist, and kept just fine for three days, so I’d gladly trade the reduced oil for reduced guilt (and chocolate chips!).
“Anyway You Like It” Pumpkin Bread- makes one 8 x 4-inch loaf
adapted from Very Best Baking
Steph’s Note: The recipe below is half the size of the one on the website, which makes two loaves and uses a big 30 oz can of pie mix. If you’re more in the mood for mini-loaves or muffins, those variations are at the end.
1 3/4 c + 2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c stir-ins (raisins, sweetened dried cranberries, chopped dates, nuts or chocolate chips)
1 15 oz can of pumpkin pie mix (the stuff with some sugar and spices added)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice, apple juice, skim milk or water
1 large egg
1 to 1 1/2 T sprinkle-ons (chopped nuts, cinnamon sugar, seeds such as: poppy, sesame or sunflower, optional)
-Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.
-Combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine pumpkin pie mix, oil, orange juice and eggs in another large bowl. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in stir-ins. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with your choice of sprinkle-ons.
-Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
for four 5 1/2 x 3 1/4-inch mini-loaf pans:
-Prepare as above. Bake for 38 to 42 minutes.
for one dozen muffin cups:
-Preheat oven to 400° F. Prepare as above. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Fold-Over Pear Torte
October 12, 2010 at 11:37 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 21 Comments
Wow…it takes a move to make me realize just how much kitchen crap I have. Seriously, boxes and boxes of stuff I never touch. I have an 11-inch square pan that I used once eight years ago! I have five flats of unopened Ball jars (was I thinking I’d be the next Smucker’s or something??). A lot of it went into storage when we moved to Sydney four years ago, and it didn’t come out when we moved back. Until now. My latest project is sorting though it…what to keep handy, what to put in the basement and what to say goodbye to. Housing Works has already gotten three boxes full!
One thing I’ll never give up is my six-inch springform, which I found just in time to make a half-size of the Fold-Over Pear Torte that Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen chose for TWD this week. This was the first recipe in a long time where I didn’t know what the heck I was making! I couldn’t really tell by reading the recipe how it would turn out, and there isn’t a picture in the book for a visual clue.
After muddling through and crossing my fingers, here it is in a nutshell: fresh pear chunks, nuts and dried fruit are suspended in a rummy custard-like batter, and the whole thing is encased in flaky pie dough. It’s assembled in a springform for high sides to hold all that fruit and custard. It may look like a deep dish pizza, but it tastes like pure autumn. A delicious surprise out of the oven!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Laws of the Kitchen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Double Apple Bundt Cake
October 5, 2010 at 12:27 am | Posted in bundt cakes, cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 26 Comments
Lynne of Honey Muffin keeps the autumn recipes coming with her Double Apple Bundt pick for TWD. This is kind of a spicy sister to the Fresh Apple Cake I made a couple of weeks ago…that one was flavored with vanilla, but this one has all the classic fall spices goin’ on.
This cake is “double apple” because in addition to fresh apple, it calls for a heaping helping of apple butter. Since I didn’t have nearly enough on hand, I used unsweetened apple sauce instead. I was a little worried, since they’re not really the same consistency, but as it turned out, all was fine. I also swapped out about a quarter of the AP for whole wheat flour, which these days I find myself doing probably more often than I remember to tell you about.
All in all, a delicious fall cake…and it’s a good keeper, too, as it’s super-moist. For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Honey Muffin. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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!
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…
Tuesdays with Dorie: Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
August 31, 2010 at 12:44 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 23 Comments
Let me tell you right off the bat: these Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies that Donna of Life’s Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First picked for TWD…I love them! Maybe this has something to do with the fact that the first time I had one, it was made by Dorie herself. My friend Lauren and I braved a load of snow to visit Dorie’s pop-up CookieBar back in February, and I bought heaps of cookies. All were delicious, but the Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread was my clear favorite.
I’ve made them a handful of times since, and they’ve come out every bit as good as the ones Dorie made. Of course they taste like coffee and chocolate, which is reason enough to like them, and they have that crisp-yet-melt-in-your-mouth texture of great shortbread. I refuse to think about the winter holidays when it’s 90º outside, but if I were to think about packing up holiday cookies, these would be a great addition to the standards.
Don’t skip out on these cookies– for the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Life’s Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First. And check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart
August 24, 2010 at 9:43 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 23 Comments
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve suddenly become a very busy girl, with reasons that have nothing to do with working (heck–I am not even working right now…still on a self-proclaimed “summer break”) or blogging. I’m learning a lot of weird stuff that, up until now, I had no reason to know or care about. I think you’d find it a little boring if I went into details about it now, as it’s all more of an idea than a reality at this point, but I’ll fill you in soon.
No matter what’s going on, I’m never to busy to bake, and even if Rachel of sweet tarte hadn’t decided on Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart, I was still planning on making it this month. I think the peaches here have been great this year, and I’ve picked up a tree’s worth of them at the market. This tart combines those peaches (which I didn’t even bother to peel) with custard and almond streusel and puts them all inside a delicious, cookie-like sweet tart (hey– is that why Rachel picked this?) shell. Yeah, I liked this one a lot, even if it didn’t photograph too well.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read sweet tarte. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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