Tuesdays with Dorie: Parisian Apple Tartlet
June 9, 2009 at 2:54 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 49 Comments
I probably would not have considered making an apple dessert when I have two big quarts of greenmarket strawberries in the kitchen, but then Jessica of My Baking Heart selected Dorie’s Parisian Apple Tartlets for TWD. I’m actually glad she did, because I am in love with these little tartlets!
They are so simple (and pretty, too, I think)…a round of buttery puff pastry, topped with half an apple, then dotted with butter and brown sugar…c’est tout. Using good-quality store-bought puff makes this one of the quickest and easiest desserts to put together. In the oven, the apple turns soft, the pastry turns crisp, and the whole thing gets sweetly caramelized. The best part, though, has to be the center of the puff pastry– the part the apple had been sitting upon. It absorbs the brown sugar and the juices from the apple, and is indescribably yummy.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read My Baking Heart. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Cinnamon Squares
June 2, 2009 at 2:17 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 50 Comments
I’ve often wondered when Cinnamon Squares would have their fifteen minutes of TWD fame. Thanks to Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, their time has come.
Chocolate, coffee, and, of course, heaps of cinnamon join forces here to form simple squares of cakey goodness. Add frosting, and it becomes simply outrageous. As an aside, why do I always accidentally stick my finger in frostings, and then notice only after I’ve taken pictures??
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Tracey’s Culinary Adventures. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
May 28, 2009 at 10:36 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, layer cakes, sweet things | 73 Comments
Did you see the birthday cake I made a few weeks ago for my friend’s little tiger? Well, I promised recipes, so now I am here to deliver. Tiger’s mum, my friend C, wanted a basic vanilla-on-vanilla– something that both the kids and the other mums at the party would like– so I began my quest for the right cake and frosting.
I have baked several fantastic cakes from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne, and I really trust the recipes in the book. I’ve seen the authors’ Vanilla Buttermilk Cake make appearances on countless other blogs, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. This yellow cake is nice and moist, and has a great crumb that doesn’t fall apart when you level the layers or when you slice it up. It’s definitely a multi-purpose vanilla cake– just as good for something simple and homey as it is for something dressed-up and fancy.
C had asked for a buttercream frosting, and since I wanted something snow white, I knew it had to be either Swiss or Italian meringue-based. In the battle between the two, I generally side with the Swiss, only because no futzing with sugar syrups is required. The recipe below is pretty standard…I like its particular proportions because it’s not too sweet, and it’s really easy to work with. A basic Swiss meringue buttercream is the perfect canvas for making flavored frostings, if you are so inclined. Switch up the extracts, add melted chocolate, add coconut flakes…I could go on.
Tiger’s birthday cake was a big triple layer 10-incher, so I scaled up the recipes below. I overshot a bit, and wound up with enough extra batter and buttercream to make a two layer 6-inch cake for myself (oops, how’d that happen?!?). I didn’t have quite enough leftover buttercream to fill the layers of my little cake, so I used lemon curd and some smooshed up raspberries in the middle.
Vanilla Buttermilk Cake– makes an 8-inch layer cake
adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne
4 whole large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 c buttermilk
3 c cake flour
2 c sugar
4 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
-Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or spray the bottom and sides of three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment rounds and grease.
-Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Whisk well and set aside.
-Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk and the butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light fluffy (about 2 minutes).
-Add the egg mixture in three additions, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Don’t overmix.
-Divide the batter among the three pans. Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and remove the paper from the bottoms. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream– makes about 6 cups
adapted from Martha Stewart
Note: Unless you like to go really heavy on the stuff, this is most likely more than you will need to fill and frost an 8-inch cake. I always like to be on the safe side with buttercream, however, because finding you are stuck without quite enough is incredibly annoying. Extra buttercream can be stored for a couple weeks and used to frost a half-batch of cupcakes.
1 c egg whites (from about 6 large eggs)
1 1/2 c sugar
pinch of salt
1 lb 4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 t vanilla extract (or seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean)
squeeze of lemon juice
-Combine the egg whites, sugar and pinch of salt in a large metal bowl (I usually do this right in my stand mixer bowl). Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler-style), and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. The mixture will feel hot to the touch.
-Transfer the hot mixture to your stand mixer and whip on high speed until it turns white and about doubles in size. This will take about six minutes. Beat in the vanilla and the lemon juice.
-Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, on medium speed, mixing after each addition. Raise the speed and beat until smooth; this may take up to ten minutes. The mixture may appear curdled along the way; this is normal. Just keep beating and the mixture will become smooth again.
-Buttercream will keep, covered air-tight and refrigerated, for up to two weeks. Bring to room temperature, then beat on low speed before using.
Daring Bakers in May: Strudel, Two Ways
May 27, 2009 at 2:23 am | Posted in daring bakers, groups, other savory, other sweet, savory things, sweet things, veggies | 43 Comments
Courtney of Coco Cooks and Linda of make life sweeter! picked a fantastic Daring Bakers’ challenge this month– strudel! Just thinking about strudel makes me long to re-visit Vienna and Budapest, cities that I travelled to long ago. At just nineteen, it was too bad I didn’t know then what I know now about pastries. Actually, maybe it was a good thing– I would never have seen the sights because I would have been sitting in coffee houses all day long!
Prior to this, the only time I’ve made true strudel dough was while studying at the FCI. I vividly remember my partner in strudel-making crime, S, and I struggling with a huge ball of dough, stretching it gently over our hands to eventually cover our entire worktable. I also vividly remember that taking more patience and concentration than I’m normally willing to put in, so whenever I’ve made strudel at home, I’ve gone the lazy route and used store-bought phyllo instead!
My dessert schedule is rather full on at the moment, so I thought something savory would be the smartest way to get this challenge done. Mushrooms immediately came to mind as a tasty strudel filling, and here I used a combination of crimini, shitake and trumpet. I sautéed them first, mainly so I knew they would be cooked through and seasoned properly, but also to release their liquid so the pastry wouldn’t turn soggy. Caramelized onions, garlic, pine nuts and goat cheese all sounded like good things to add to ‘shrooms, and went into the mix. I have to say that I just winged my filling measurement-wise, and was quite please to have a bit left-over…it will make tomorrow morning’s omelette that much better.
There are only two of us here at home, so I just made a half-recipe of the dough. It was a really easy amount to deal with, and I stretched it solo on a clean tea towel with no problems at all– very little patience and concentration required, thank you! My strudel-for-two was a cinch to fill and transfer as well. The mushrooms and goat cheese made a wonderful, hearty filling…perfect for a cool spring day like today. A glass of red wine and some asparagus on the side…much to R’s dismay, I was belting out “I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen” at the dinner table (OK, so that was probably just the wine)!
I had only planned to make the mushroom strudel, but I had the teensiest bit of dough left after rolling it, so I made a couple of two-bite apple strudels as well. Since they were so small, to make the filling, I just grated half an apple, squeezed most of the liquid out, and tossed it with dark brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans. And the only way to eat apple strudel? Mit schlag, of course!
This was a really fun recipe to make, and it’s very adaptable. Sweet and savory possibilities are limitless, although I’m sure you’ll find heaps of inspiration on the Daring Kitchen site. I’m listing the recipe for the dough below, but you can find more information on Coco Cooks and make life sweeter!
Strudel Dough
from Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers
1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegaryour prepared filling of choice
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
-Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary. Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.
-Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).
-It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.
-The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it’s about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.
-Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Spread about 3 tablespoons of the melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread your filling about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip.
-Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit, if necessary. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.
-Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.
The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chipster-Topped Brownies
May 26, 2009 at 3:28 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 37 Comments
OK, so I totally thought that a Chipster-Topped Brownie was a brownie with some chocolate chips scattered on top (what can I say…my mum does that all the time to jazz up plain brownies). It wasn’t until Beth of Supplicious chose them for TWD, and I checked out the ingredient list to see if I needed to buy anything prior to baking, that I saw that they are actually brownies with chocolate chip cookies on top. Whaaat? Dorie, you crazy!
Once I had that sorted, I developed in my head an expectation of what they would be like– specifically, a fudgy brownie base topped with a big, soft, brown-sugary chocolate chip cookie. Chalk it up to an overactive imagination, but oftentimes in life, and in baking, I just don’t get what I expect…this was one of those times. That golden cookie top you see in the picture was actually just a super-crisp, thin crust, and underneath it was a large pocket. It pretty much shattered when I cut into the bars. The piece in the photo was the only one who’s top halfway held together. And apart from that outer shell and the presence of chocolate chips on top and walnuts on the bottom, the two layers didn’t visually appear very distinct. The top did have a different texture than the brownie, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it “cookie-like.” The bottom, though, was most definitely brownie.
I had no problems with the cookie batter, and no difficulty spreading it nicely over the brownie. What went on here, I just don’t know. The bars were tasty, though, and my husband liked them a lot. I probably won’t make them again (even if they had come out the way I’d envisioned, I still prefer my brownies as just plain ol’ brownies), but I am curious to see all the other outcomes from the TWD Blogroll. For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Supplicious.
The Cake Slice: Mile-High Devil’s Food Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
May 20, 2009 at 4:19 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 34 Comments
I liked this. *sigh* I liked this very much…but I’ve gone on before about my feelings for devil’s food cake.
Back when I cooked up Southern Coconut Cake, I found that I could bake half of an 8-inch cake recipe in a quarter sheet pan. Here, I did just a third of the recipe in the same sized pan. The slightly thinner layers made it more “kilometer-high” than “mile-high,” but trust me, I was quite satisfied with the altitude of this moist cake. And the brown sugar buttercream? Well, it is quite a luxury (and one best appreciated at room temperature). It definitely takes this cake from childhood favorite to grown-up delight.
Here’s a printable link to the recipe, courtesy of Gigi Cakes. Better yet, get your hands on a copy of Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne. This is now the eighth (actually ninth, but more on that later) cake I’ve made from the book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough! Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our mile-high cakes this month.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Fresh Mango Bread
May 19, 2009 at 2:47 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins/quick breads, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 48 Comments
This is a recipe that’s caught my eye many times while flipping through BFMHTY, partly because it is directly opposite one of the things I most want to make (that would be Oatmeal Breakfast Bread for those in charge of next month’s selection…hehe), and partly because it just sounds a little wacky. Well, since Kelly of Baking with the Boys picked it for TWD, it’s time to try this wacky stuff out.
When mangos are cheap and easy to find (like they are now), I usually have one on my counter…they’re great for smoothies. So, without even having to make a trip to the store, I was good to go on the star ingredient here. The supporting player, raisins, on the other hand, don’t usually have a place in my home, so I thought I’d play up the tropical flavors of this bread and swapped in a little chopped candied ginger instead. Each piece was a sweet and spicy bite.
So guess what? Mango bread is really not so wacky after all. It’s moist and well-spiced…quite like a muffin, but in loaf form. No pat of butter or slather of jam needed with this bread– just a big cup of coffee, and you’re good to go.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Baking with the Boys. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Tartest Lemon Tart
May 12, 2009 at 3:47 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 44 Comments
Have I told you how happy I am that it’s May? One of the best months of the year in New York, if you ask me. I won’t even let all the rain rain we’ve recently had dampen my enthusiasm for a great month. I’m at the Union Square Greenmarket every Wednesday, stuffing asparagus, ramps and sunchokes into my little tote. I’m walking around without a jacket. I’m looking for new flip-flops. And, I’m enjoying another ray of springy sunshine right now– the Tartest Lemon Tart, chosen by Barb of Babette Feasts for TWD this week.
At first glance this recipe may throw you for a loop– it uses the whole lemon. That’s right kids, take everything but the seeds and chuck straight into a blender (try and use an organic lemon if you can)…with sugar, of course. If you’re worried about overwhelming puckeriness, you can follow a suggestion Dorie made here, and blanch the chopped up lemon in boiling water before proceeding with the recipe. I did this, and you never know, maybe my lemon was not so tart to begin with, but the blanching seemed to do the trick of removing any bitterness.
Dorie says in her recipe intro that the lemon filling becomes almost jelly-like in the oven, and I have to say that it kind of reminds me of a soft gumdrop. In combination with the cookie-like Sweet Tart Dough, it’s just stellar. And it’s also quite pretty, in a rustic sort of way. I didn’t feel the need to do much to it…a little powdered sugar on top and some whipped cream on the side. When they come into season, a tumble of fresh berries will be wonderful.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Babette Feasts. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
As a complete aside, I saw Chef Cheryl Smith while walking down Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn the other day…does anyone remember her from the show Melting Pot from Food Network’s earlier days? I’m totally checking our her restaurant when I get a chance.
Great Big Birthday Cake!
May 7, 2009 at 4:33 pm | Posted in cakes & tortes, layer cakes, sweet things | 20 Comments
I spent most of this rainy afternoon decorating a birthday cake for a friend’s little guy. A fun project, but glad it’s behind me. Doing something like this just seems so much harder at home than at the bakery…not enough space, not enough bowls and, most importantly, no one to wash the dishes for me!
It’s a simple vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, but I’ll post recipes when I assemble a small cake I plan to make with the leftovers. The tiger face was made with white chocolate, and was by far the part that made me most anxious!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Tiramisu Cake
May 5, 2009 at 3:21 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 48 Comments
Tiramisu may mean “pick-me-up,” but to me it’s more like “give-me-some,” so I had a smile on my face and a fork in my hand when I saw that Megan of My Baking Adventures chose Tiramisu Cake as this week’s TWD recipe. I’ve made plenty of tiramisu at home– in fact, my version of it is the very first recipe that appeared on this little blog (although I don’t think anyone actually read it!). This one’s a bit different, though…a re-interpretation of the classic dessert into a layer cake.
Rather than ladyfingers, a yellow cake acts as the sponge for an espresso-liqueur syrup (Myer’s rum, in my case). I like my tiramisu full of coffee and full of booze, and while this cake did have great flavor, I do think the layers could have been a bit more saturated with the syrup. (If it looks fully soaked in the top photo that’s only because, when I put the cake away the night before, I brushed the exposed sides with a little extra syrup to keep them from drying out.) I’ll try and figure that out if I make it again (which I probably will)…maybe poking the layers with a skewer before brushing on the syrup, or pouring the syrup into a pie plate and quickly dunking the layers would work?
The frosting, part mascarpone and part whipped cream, was silky smooth and light as a feather. Truly delicious, and easy to work with, too. That smile on my face is still there, just thinking about it.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read My Baking Adventures. 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 