Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Gozinaki
July 19, 2022 at 7:22 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
I have sort of a Christmas in July thing going on here with these Gozinaki. Made simply of chopped, toasted walnuts bound together in a honey syrup, these are traditional holiday cookies from the country of Georgia. I didn’t have enough walnuts on hand for the recipe, so I added what pecans I had in the fridge, but I didn’t have enough pecans either, so I added flax and sunflower seeds, too. I guess I made a mash-up of both the mixed-nut and multi-seed Playing Around variations. Since I was playing around already, I added a pinch each of fine sea salt and cinnamon. The sticky nut mix is rolled out and typically cut into diamond shapes, but I just did squares for summertime ease (I guess you can rotate them a turn and they are diamond-ish??). I liked these a lot. Even though these cookies were sticky to the touch (as in, I had to pick bits of stuck-on parchment off their backsides), my birdseed blend stayed really crunchy for several days.
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 BWD: Crumb-Topped Ricotta Coffee Cake
July 12, 2022 at 4:45 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, groups, muffins/quick breads, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 8 CommentsTags: baking, brekkie, cake
This Crumb-Topped Ricotta Coffee Cake is one of my recent baking standouts. With a heap of super-crispy (thanks to a secret ingredient…shhhh, it’s cornmeal) crumbs on top and a dense but tender cake (thanks to a not-so-secret ingredient…ricotta), it doesn’t get much better. Oh wait– what about adding a layer of fruit? Well, that would make it better, but not to worry, as this cake has that, too. I used sweet dark cherries in mine, but you could use any berry. Hiding just under the layer of crumbs, the fruit turns soft and jammy. It’s good for a breakfast, snack or dessert treat. Really, this cake hits all the notes.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan yet, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
Everyday Dorie: Cornmeal-Buttermilk Skillet Cake
July 8, 2022 at 3:29 pm | Posted in breakfast things, cakes & tortes, everyday dorie, groups, muffins/quick breads, simple cakes, sweet things | 3 CommentsTags: cake, everyday dorie
This Cornmeal-Buttermilk Skillet Cake with Strawberries is one I actually whipped up a couple of years ago. With the pandemic in full swing, summer 2020 was all around good times. I, like most you, was cooking with whatever I could get my hands on or had already. Saturdays were my shopping days, masked up at the farmers’ market and wondering what would be left after waiting in block-long socially distanced lines, and then going to the grocery store for the other stuff and finding the shelves half empty. But if you know how to cook, you can make some pretty good stuff in all kinds of different circumstances…you can even have cake.
This was an easy, dump-and-stir type of cake that can be baked off as a loaf or a round (I went with the cast iron skillet option). It’s made similar to cornbread, but a little sweeter. I stirred in some strawberries, but you can use whatever berries you have, or none at all. Maybe I should make it again this summer, while the blackberries are around and more readily available.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see all of our cakes this week.
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Chocolate-Pecan Cookies
July 5, 2022 at 2:45 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
We’ve made Dorie’s “Do-Almost-Anything” Chocolate Dough a few times now, and here it is again, making its final (!!) TWD appearance in these Chocolate-Pecan Cookies. This time we’re working chopped toasted pecans into the dough, and then before baking, we’re topping our cookies with a little mound of chopped nuts tossed in a sugar-egg white coating. Not only does this act like a glue, but it candies the top pecans nicely, too. These are good, simple cookies, and they’ve stayed crisp in the tin for a few days now, despite my sauna-like summer kitchen. I cut my dough into squares as to avoid fiddling with re-roll, and got 12 of them out of a 1/4 batch.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Everyday Dorie: Mostly Rhubarb Tart
June 24, 2022 at 2:05 pm | Posted in everyday dorie, general pastry, groups, pies & tarts, sweet things | 7 CommentsTags: everyday dorie
Mostly Rhubarb Tart is just what the name says…a tart that’s mostly rhubarb, but with a little extra stuff, too. Macerated rhubarb covers the bottom of a par-baked Sweet Tart Dough crust. An easy custard, quickly whisked together but delicately rose-scented, fills in all the gaps. Then some halved strawberries are arranged here-and-there on top. I was pleased to find hot pink stalks of rhubarb at my greenmarket, and by placing the strawberries on top of everything else, they get direct heat and concentrate into deep red jammy pops. Anyway, the whole thing was very pretty and tasted like a spring day.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see all of our tarts this week.
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Zan’s Birthday Cookies
June 21, 2022 at 10:29 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 6 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
Some baking book authors are into streamlined desserts…one bowl, one whisk and into the oven it goes. Others make you use every bowl you have, a stand mixer, two sets of measuring spoons, two sieves, multiple cookie scoops, who even knows how many whisks and spatulas, and want you to fire up the oven two separate times. Dorie often falls into the second camp, but at least you can trust you’ll get something delicious in exchange for dish duty. Zan’s Birthday Cookies involve making and chilling three different components: a chewy brownie cookie base, a coconut pastry cream and a cocoa streusel topping. Dorie says these layered treats have German chocolate cake vibes (my favorite!) and, minus the pecans, I happily agree.
Making these three components is actually not difficult. You can make them a day (or more) in advance, but I did them all this morning…I like a challenge, plus I had the extra daylight of summer solstice on my side for late afternoon photos. I made a quarter of the recipe and had enough base and crust for nine cookies. I only had enough coconut pastry cream for eight, though, so I gave the ninth one Black Forest vibes instead with a spoonful of cherry jam. Dorie says in the recipe headnote that you’ll wind up with extra streusel to use for something else, but I didn’t want to deal with that kicking around in my freezer so I just loaded up my cookies. More is more. And and extra is extra, so I also added sprinkles (which I saw Mardi do and then I couldn’t not).
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 BWD: One Big Break-Apart Chipper
June 14, 2022 at 12:04 am | Posted in BWD, cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 5 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
Sometimes (most times) one little cookie isn’t enough, and for those times, there’s One Big Break-Apart Chipper. Rolled out into a thin sheet, this chocolate chip cookie slab is ideal for those who like a crispy CCC. (I feel like this style of cookie is also known as “cookie brittle” but I’m not 100% on that). Dorie includes ground cinnamon and cardamon in her recipe. I left out the cardamon because I only have whole pods and didn’t feel like getting out the spice grinder. You can add nuts if you want…I’ve been in a salty peanut mood. I made one-third of the recipe and it fit into a quarter sheet tray. This is a tasty treat, and you can break off big pieces or little pieces, depending on the cookie monsters you are baking for. It makes a good bit of crunch for an ice cream sundae or a good dipper for a cup of coffee.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan yet, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
Everyday Dorie: Portuguese-Style Fish and Beans en Papillote
June 10, 2022 at 7:59 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 3 CommentsTags: dip, everyday dorie, savory
It’s been a minute since I’ve cooked something en papillote, but gosh, what a good technique to be reminded of with this Portuguese-Style Fish and Beans en Papillote. I don’t really cook fish that often, and usually save it for eating out, but this was an easy and excellent dinner. No stuck-to-the-pan skin or disappointingly shredded up flesh or accidental overcooking happening here. Not even any fishy splatters to clean off the stovetop. Everything– layers of sliced lemon and tomatoes sandwiching garlic-and-paprika-marinated cannellini beans and a similarly-seasoned fish fillet–steams nicely in contained bundle in the oven.
Dorie uses cod in her recipe, but I went with some striped bass from Long Island, because that’s what my fish guy had today and recommended. She also uses thyme and scallions in her bundles, but I swapped those for parsley and garlic scapes. A drizzle of olive oil and white wine helps kickstart the formation of a flavorful broth, which turned out brick red for me, as I used a heavy hand with the paprika in my seasoning….I regret nothing. Tied up in a parchment pouch, it all comes out of the oven perfectly cooked in just 15 minutes, including the jammy and delicious lemon slices, which I’m glad I didn’t just push aside. Technically, this is a complete meal in pouch, but I roasted some broccolini while the oven was on and warmed up a piece of bread, too, to mop up all that yummy broth.
For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: French Vanilla Sablés
June 7, 2022 at 3:07 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 1 CommentTags: baking, cookies
Never met a Dorie sablé I didn’t like (and by now, I’ve met a lot of them). Actually, I’m particularly well-acquainted with these French Vanilla Sablés, as they form the base for many of Dorie’s jammer variations, but here they get to shine all on their own. They are buttery and sandy and lovely, with slightly caramelized edges from baking them in a muffin tin. Since I scaled back the recipe to just a quarter, I skipped the step of rolling out the dough and instead portioned and pressed it directly into the tin. I don’t have any sanding sugar that isn’t bright red or hot pink, so I just sprinkled these with some regular sugar for a crispy-sweet topping.
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 BWD: Asparagus-Lemon Quiche
May 31, 2022 at 9:59 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 3 CommentsTags: baking, quiche, savory
Finally it’s more than just turnips and old apples at the framers’ market! My local Saturday market is now hopping with asparagus and green garlic, both of which found their way into this Asparagus-Lemon Quiche. I added a little green garlic bulb to the minced shallot that gets softened for the filling and used the tender green tops as the herb component. Along with the asparagus spears, I took Dorie’s suggestion to toss in some peas, but those aren’t at the farmer’s market quite yet so they came from the freezer department.
I have to say I was sort of confused about the lemon part of the quiche. Not the flavor, as lemon plus asparagus is a winning combo, but cutting a lemon up into slivers and scattering them around the bottom of the tart shell sounded odd. Then I found a write-up of the quiche in Dorie’s newsletter, complete with a photo of those scattered lemon chunks. Instead of doing it that way, I decided to slice part of a lemon as thinly as possible. I then covered the bottom of my par-baked shell with a layer those paper-thin slices, so they would more or less melt into the quiche filling.
I don’t make quiche often….really only when one rolls around for TWD, but I liked this a lot. It’s slim, more of a veggie custard tart than an eggy deep dish pie, and definitely tastes of spring.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
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