Coconut has been an acquired taste I have developed over my baking experiences.  The aroma and taste of warm coconut custard is irresistible.  I can never make it through a recipe without satisfying the need by getting  out at least one tasting spoon.  I was not disappointed.  I am becoming more and more in love with coconut.

Mom’s know….wanna know how they know?  Because their Mom’s taught them.  That’s how.

I’ve made this tart before and so I shared this tart with my neighbor who graciously accepted the treat.  Isn’t it so fun to surprise people?  It makes me smile.  So, if you were so kind to stop by this morning, or if this is your first visit, you should know this tart is GGGGGGRRRREEEEAAAATTT!!!!!  I hope you’ll stop by the rest of the TWD blog roll and see all the variations our really creative group  offers.

Corbin is so sweet and is responsible for the photos.  Thank goodness he is back at it.   Whew! ]]> http://www.amyruthbakes.com/2010/03/toasted-coconut-custard-tart-2/feed/ 16 http://www.amyruthbakes.com/2010/03/toasted-coconut-custard-tart/ http://www.amyruthbakes.com/2010/03/toasted-coconut-custard-tart/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:21:34 +0000 Amy Ruth http://www.amyruthbakes.com/?p=1352 Thank you for clicking over for a visit.   Have you thought about what it is that compels you to click through a blog roll, a link or a reader to go to a blog and see for your very own self what they did with their TWD?  Or let’s say you have no idea what TWD even is and you’ve come upon a name or a photograph that has plucked that little thread of curiosity?  Or Twitter, now that’s a great chatter box!

So, ….. people if you’ve been kind enough to say Hello this morning, “thank you” and I hope you’ll come by for a piece of Toasted Coconut Custard Tart  after dinner for a little dessert treat.  I promise to save it just for you.  Until then….

My point to all of this is, yea, I know its Tuesday and where are those delicious little cookies?  Well, they are right here.  haha  I made them a while back and yesterday and last night totally forgot to write my post.  I’m not going on any totally awesome trips where you “do it ahead” or anything that exciting.  I was just immersed in discovery of a new iphone app and iTunes and talking to Corbin and I totally forgot that today is the day to show you pictures of my sweet little Dorie cookies.

What are the names of these cookies you ask?  Good question.  They are a bit unusual and seem to remind me of a British biscuit that would pair well with tea or would be consumed in the mid morning whilst visiting with a friend over coffee.  Here you go  coffee or tea and a Honey Wheat Cookie.  Dorie says she discovered it (see there’s that word) in the NYT’s and saved it.  It spoke to her as being wholesome because, ladies and gents, it has 1 cup of wheat germ in its ingredients.

I photographed these thinking of love and this whole month of love.  Can you tell?

I hope you’ll stop by and visit Michelle at The Flourchild where you too can grab the recipe for these awesome little cookies, not too sweet but just a simple little cookie for snacking, filled with wholesome goodness and honey.  Check it out.

Thanks for stopping by… gotta run!

How many cookbooks do you have in your bookshelves or around your house, containing cookie recipes? How many of those recipes are for the (what word describes?) chocolate chip cookie. Oh we could talk for days about all the thousands of entries on google for “Ultimate,” “The Best,” “Grandma’s” ” or some other person’s name” chocolate chip cookies. Some people have even made it their life’s ambition to search, find, bake and eat, only then to exclaim that they, at long last have discovered the coveted and exquisite chocolate chip cookie. The thing is people, everyone has a favorite. My Mom’s, your Mom’s, this book, and that book. So it really boils down to what you grew up eating (maybe), or what you are used to eating. However, if you are really brave and love a really big and I mean folks, a daring adventure, he he then you’ll try something “different” (yes, I said the “d” word) and you may even make a new discovery. Whoa! Yea, I know, hard to believe but sometimes different can be good. This recipe is different for me and its good especially if you are a person who might prefer a little crunchiness to his or her chocolate chip cookie. This is the one for you! So mush on and bake these chocolate chip cookies and you will be a CCC hero. CCC=Chocolate Chip Cookies in baking lingo. If you hang around baker people much you will run across this acronym. Don’t worry it took me a minute to figure it out too. I took a picture of my cookies. (Corbin was busy) so that’s why they look a little like home made cookies, you see they are! hehe Hope you enjoy this recipe when you make them and I know you will. I know this because I don’t know anyone who isn’t searching for the best CCC they can find, right? Told ya!

If you would like to snag the recipe for this crunchy with a bit of chewiness on the inside, stop by Kait’s Plate blog for a visit and she has graciously posted the recipe for your enjoyment.  I just stopped by her blog and she has included some helpful tips as well.  Don’t forget the blog roll for Tuesdays With Dorie for many other variations, I’m sure.  We bake from Dorie Greenspan’s book entitled Baking From My Home to Yours. You can have your very own copy as well.  So enjoy!

Romance between two can be shared  without a designated day of forced merriment.  Don’t misunderstand….I am one of those girls, (ha ha… who are we kidding?  I’m old, anyway) who can never have too much romance or chocolate.  I love hugs and kisses, a stolen glance,  a great romantic comedy,  sweet notes, a great meal and  of course chocolate.  Oh yea, I love to laugh.  I love it a lot.   Tasting different chocolates from different makers has been a fun almost hobby of mine.   Chocolate can have a variety of flavor notes and there are many chocolate artisans all over the world  who craft their product with a passion that exceeds our expectation.  How fun is that?    Essentially, its up to you, your journey,  and your very own tastebuds to determine your own chocolate preferences.

This week the Tuesday’s With Dorie baking crew made a brownie recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours, however Dorie writes that she obtained this brownie from Rick Katz.   Either way, where ever it originated, its a delicious chocolatey brownie recipe.  The first baking I didn’t bake them long enough, nor follow the directions properly.  They were under baked and so I popped them into the freezer.  Oh wow!  Folks they were amazing!  I did bake again and yep, this is a brownie recipe you will want to try.  Don’t pass it up!  Especially if you are a chocolate lover.  A little crusty top layer providing the initial crunch as you bite into the fudgy-ness in the middle.  Oh my!  Don’t miss out folks.  Enjoy.  I did!

ChocolateChic helped continue our chocolate love this month.  She loves chocolate.  Surprised?  Not me!  I highly recommend you visit her site for the recipe, or purchase Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to visit the TWD Blogroll for more fun.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your love!

Even though I have been under the radar for  a couple of months, YAY,  I had big fun with my little family for the holidays.  Santa was so good to the kids this year!!!   They’re in college & a teenager, and they were happy!  Score!!  So you’re a skeptic and you don’t go for all the hoopla?  Duh, You bet I believe!  Would you deprive the jolly, beloved,  velvet enrobed man the pleasure?

Anyway people, its fun to talk to you again, if you’re out there.  I hope you are.

February baking is always festive and happy.   Beginning the month with Dorie’s Milk  Chocolate Mini-Bundt cakes is pretty sweet .  The quintessential personal serving of a gentle milk  chocolate cake glazed with chocolate sauce.  A selection this week made by the lucky baker Kristin, the Queen of Quite a Lot and blogger I’m Right About Everything…. who can argue?  Seriously a fun month to be part of the recipe rotation.  You see, if you’re new to this baking thing called Tuesdays With Dorie then let me just say its a growing bakers group who take turns choosing recipes from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook, Baking From My Home to Yours. Each week a featured member chooses a recipe that all who participate can bake and then post to their blog on Tuesday.  Its a magical day.   That featured baker then posts the recipe for all to see on her or his blog.  In this case once again it is Kristin at I’m Right About Everything.  Just click on her link or here. Lots of ovens working, right?  Of course you really should add Dorie’s book to your shelf and bake along if you like.

My Lift and Serve Molten pan hosted this recipe because I do not own a mini bundt pan.  It worked out perfectly.  Also, I substituted buttermilk for the whole milk with the minor addition of 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda as suggested by Dorie.  A couple of the little cakes had a pecan swirl, the rest were pure milk chocolate.  They are nice little cakes, quite delicious and tender.  I paid particular attention after they passed the 18 minute mark in the oven.  They remained there for the toothpick test for a few more minutes until they were tenderly baked, but not too much.  Just right Goldilocks!

Thanks for the visit.

Okay, maybe you can have just one so go on over to Britan of the Nitty Britty and she will have the recipe right there for you to bake from and enjoy this tasty, worthy of giving to your friends, beautiful holiday bundt cake.  Just for fun, there is at least one more stop  at Mary The Food Librarian who has baked Big Bundts for an entire month.  Yup, that’s right!!!  If you don’t believe me, check it out.  hehe  She has that many bundt cakes with recipes posted.  Have you ever thought someone could solve all your bundt cake challenges?

Thanks folks for being so kind and stoping by for a visit.  Have a wonderful holiday season.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Photos of this holiday concoction are forthcoming.  For those of you who have an X-box in the house you may be aware of a new game recently introduced.   I am a midnight baker and so he is a game player.  You’ll see the proof later this evening.  Thanks again.

At last, the photo shoot was completed and, (this is where it gets good) I finally cut the cake.  Yup, I tasted it and then some.  It is moist,  full of fun Fall flavors, a perfect choice for warming up the season with loved ones and sharing with friends.  Dorie’s All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake is a keeper and definitely will be repeated.   Even my sweet Texas friend who isn’t a TWD baker is getting ready to make it.  See, I can be convincing.

Somewhere on this page you will see a photo of a beautiful Paula Dean pie plate. Do you see it? Around the end of October I opened my email to find an email from a lovely young Mom, Angie of Southern Grace Gourmet, who notified me that I had won the pie plate from her blog. I never win even though each time I enter a contest I tell myself, “Amy, someone is going to win it may as well be you.” Yea, I know… . Anyway, this time I scored. Of course, original intentions were to make a pumpkin pie. You see Angie has a post using pie pumpkins which inspired me to give it a try. However, I couldn’t resist baking the Cran-Apple Crisp in it. It worked perfectly. I love it! Thank you so much Angie and  Mr. Random Picker Program! (whoever you are?)

Let it be said that the crisp is out of this world, thank you Dorie! Just one of those familiar tasty fall spice kind of treats. Super simple to make and the only additional ingredient I required was the fresh cranberries, duh…. tis the season. You must make and enjoy one or two or three or okay more spoonfuls. De-lish!

Now as far as those cookies go…. I love molasses! Know what? So does Corbin. He loves these cookies too. Sweet little guy. Well, he isn’t so little but it just makes me happy that he loves them.   A Mom thing.   Also, one must understand that this third child is very discriminating. A polite way of saying he is a picky eater. ugh!  Well, I’ve made these for Corbin before during the fall season.   The aroma brought the boy to life so tonight I whipped the dough out of the freezer and sliced off  six little cookies to bake along while making the Cran-apple crisp.  They were sort of a reward for taking these scrumptious photos, ya know.  he he

One more order of business, the recipes of course can be found in Dorie’s wonderful book or if you like you may also find them at the following blogs, because these bakers are the lucky ones who took their turns choosing the recipes for this month.  Isn’t it such a wonderful season?

Pamela of “Cookies” with Boys chose the cookies,  ha ha do ya get it?  cookies….  haha  Okay, well the Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies recipe can be found on her blog here.

Well, guess what?  Sometime this month Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef will reveal to you the magic recipe for Cran-Apple Crisps.  Just stop by for a visit.  I know lots of others in the baking group have been baking up lots of special treats for their families and friends so please join in if you would like.  All you need is the book, a blog and a visit to the TWD site to get yourself set to roll.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I really enjoyed sharing these treats with you this week.  They were among some of my favorites from Dorie’s book.  Hope you’ll like them too. (They weren’t even chocolate?)

It is the best way to eat your vegetables I would say.  Recently, while flipping through the final issue of Gourmet I noticed a small article near the back explaining all the varieties and further describing their appearance as well as nuances of their flavor.  Still I would probably have to have flash cards or the magazine with me to identify the different varieties.  Crazy huh?

Erin of Prudence and Pennywise chose these unique and yummy biscuits to help usher in the upcoming Thanksgiving season.  They are pretty tasty especially with jam.  To top it all off, you can whip these up in no time and you can even use canned sweet potatoes if you want.  That’s remarkable.  This little biscuit is in the front section of Dorie Greenspans Baking From My Home to Yours along with some other types of biscuits and scones.  If you would like to give them a whirl, you can find the recipe on Erin’s blog or in Dorie’s book.    Hope you are enjoying the Fall season along with all the yumminess too.

Well, I suppose you are wondering what became of all the efforts to reduce the fat content?  The Allspice Crumble muffins reduced fat version, actually weren’t that bad with out the butter fat and minus one yolk. Don’t get me wrong.  I love living the good life just like anyone else.  Like  butter in my baked goods.  No shortening for me.  The flavor with the brown sugar, allspice and optional lemon zest (included)  was quite comforting and nice.

COMO has had grey, cool and partly rainy weather lately.  I think that is what they call Fall.  Darn, really liking warmer weather right about now a whole lot better.  Does a warm sunny beach sound pretty good?  Yea, that’s what I was thinking too.  The point is, Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table lovingly and thoughtfully chose this weeks recipe for all the bakers this week.  If you are reading this Kayte, thank you for  this choice.  Nice of you to choose a simple, “go-to” muffin.  I had all the ingredients on hand even the whole milk which I keep for baking and I really use it.  Go figure with all these new found thoughts of reduced fat.  hehe  Yes, you will want the recipe and you can find it posted on Kayte’s site.  You can also journey through the blog roll of all the Tuesdays with Dorie bakers here. There really are a lot of very talented people who love to write their stories, bake a little for their friends and families not to mention some awesome photography. (BTW Corbin was busy so…..these are mine with a different camera)

I shared this little treat with one of my special gym rat friends along with a small bottle of 2% chocolate milk.

Even they like treats.  Yes they do.

Thanks for stopping by.  I’ll be sure and come by your place for a visit too.