Amy Ruth

“Celebration.”  Googling a word usually elicits a link for correct spelling and or definitions. The listings under Celebration brought up “Kool and the Gang.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwEMxYggoKQ If you are old enough you may remember that upbeat song. There are  many interpretations of celebrations, occasions and  businesses.  You can’t imagine how many celebrations listing I found. Even a Hotel in Florida. The other really notable occasion that knocked me in the forehead was of course the 4th of July. Then of course there are always a host of family traditional gatherings called Celebrations. The list is infinite. Clearly defined, celebration is the action of marking one’s pleasure at an important event or occasion by engaging in enjoyable, typically social activity. (Yep, that’s from the dictionary, formerly in book form.  Remember that ?)    See, theses days that usually includes food.   My favorite food is dessert or something sweet.

The Perfect Party Cake comes from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.   She writes that she adapted this recipe from her very favorite Nick Malgieri.   Who has authored  numerous notable and award winning cookbooks.  As part of a group of bakers called Tuesdays with Dorie, just under 400 bakers fire up their Kitchen Aid mixers, splatter flour on their cheeks and noses and proceed to bake  a weekly recipe selection. Each member takes his or her turn with the honor of selecting a recipe from Dorie’s book.  This week’s Perfect Party Cake was chosen by Carol of Mix, Mix, Stir, Stir and I think its a perfect cake for this time of year.  Snowy white, lemony cake with a splash of fruitiness on the inside between the layers and or outside if you wish, with an optional coconut finish.   White again.   I think if you ventured along amongst the blog world you would find much associated with Fourth of July celebrations and this cake would certainly be pronounced among the top choices.  Just in case this sounds and looks good to you, the recipe is posted on Carol’s Mix Mix Stir Stir website  or you can find it in Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.  

I hope you’ll go a step further and go get the book for the bounty of fabulous recipes or visit Carol for this cake.  Start your  oven ~ and bake like a mad person.  Its great fun, plus you can share with friends and make new ones all at the same time.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.  

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That’s right Dorie. This one is for you, or maybe not. After having dropped off the radar for a couple of weeks imagine how excited I was to see such a straightforward little sweetie on our June schedule. Even though apples are typically a fall fruit, I thought this would really be a lovely trade out for summer fruits. Even a medley of peach, mango, blueberries. I love apricots too. Perhaps a sprinkling of chopped nuts.

Dorie, most of the TWD bakers  all know you love to be in your apartment in Paris as often as possible. So what would a “Dorie Book” be without the near and dear to the heart, apple tartlet? Dorie introduces her Parisian Apple Tartlet as a version of a widely enjoyed little treat that can be eaten out of hand or elegantly plated. So make it your choice.  

On one end of the tray is an apple tartlet, the opposite is an apricot & blueberry.  The beauty of this delicious treat (I ate them both after Corbin photographed them…..shhhh)  is the “bang for the buck!”  These can be produced in a very short amount of time.  Start to finish, a little more than 1/2 hour.  Depending on the size of the fruit the recommended baking time may be a bit shorter.  Now, if you keep your secrets to yourself you can present a very tasty and impressive sweet treat to an unsuspecting loved one.  :-)  

Thanks goes to  Jessica of My Baking Heart  for  the palmsized sweet treat that I enjoyed eating tonight.  She had the fun choice this week.  You can get the recipe on her site as well.    Get into that Baking From My Home to Yours cookbook by Dorie Greenspan if you have it on your shelf.  If not ?  Seriously, why don’t you?  Thanks again Dorie for such a nice, homey little treat.  It is way better than a donut!!!

Playa del Carmen was our Spring Break destination of choice. We are beginning to feel very much at home there.

No, this wasn’t it, we flew.   It would have taken way too long, but it was a nice way to get back and forth to the Paseo or to breakfast at La Cueva del Chango.   Absolutely, without a doubt, our favorite breakfast and lunch spot. Come to think of it, a great place to have dinner as well!  This trip, I got to have some of their fabulous Mole on my scrambled eggs one morning.  Oh My Gosh!!!  

Of course this is most of what we spent our time doing…..and my daughter (the middle child) was joined by three of her closest friends.  Days of these and sunshine, books, salsa, guacamole…

 The trip photos courtesy of Corbin.    I hope you don’t mind that I am sharing his fun with you.  We will get to the baking, I promise.  The first born male child of 21 was the body guard,  for the four young ladies, along with Corbin.    It was pretty fun to watch them bond and enjoy their time together during break.

You know that question in the OSI on the Tuesdays with Dorie website?  The Day Off question?    Gloriously, I am having one of those days off.  The hubs is off in St. Louis for a weekend with his Tri-sport friends.  I am totally in the kitchen…. accompanied by, at the present, one of my favorite chick flicks.  A Nancy Meyers film, (a woman whose work I adore) Something’s Gotta Give.  Do you love it?  

 Dorie, you have provided a certain element of therapy for those who connect with the creative, organic practice of baking.  Dorie, do you know how many lives you have saved, or been the object of seriously funny stories posted  on TWD, how many temper tantrums you have thwarted or how many happy baking experiences you have facilitated???  Dorie…..are you reading?  he he  I hope so.   Oh and how about eating the finished product and sharing with those you love?   Okay now, I am not writing a romance novel, the bread pudding is coming.

   “Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding,” this weeks recipe selection by Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle.  It will be fun to see what she does with this simple concoction.  Check with her for the recipe.  She is an accomplished Pastry Chef whose blog I enjoy visiting to see her beautiful photos and her interpretation of Dorie’s  recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours.  Thank you Dorie for the suggestion of a fine little “bread sponge” such as challah or brioche.  A nearby grocer makes challah,  so for  convenience that was what I bought and toasted for the suggested 10ish minutes. Besides its absorption quality, the buttery sweet flavor was unique to any other bread.  I had a little over 3 ounces of 70% cocoa chocolate chopped up already and to that I added the balance of the bittersweet with 60% cocoa chocolate.  For a person who really likes an intense chocolate flavor, by all means add more.    I liked its simplicity and ease of assembly.  That’s bread pudding for you.  A nice comfort food.  

The End!      {It really is delicious chilled!!!  Enjoy}

Baking From My Home toYours, by Dorie Greenspan  characterizes this versatile little cake.  Dorie’s collection of recipes tells us all how she feels about home and family through the recipes she compiled in her book.  A variety of recipes from all her homes and many families she calls friends.   If you are a member of the baking group Tuesdays with Dorie, than this is your impression as well.  If you haven’t acquired the book just yet, a treat is in store for you.

 Just as the French Yogurt Cake  is a beloved little cake that is often lovingly made in the homes of french families, over and over again with an array of variations as limitless as your palate will allow.  This recipe collection is from various families and friends both on the American side of “the Pond” as well as Dorie’s beloved Parisian side of “the Pond.”    I love the opportunity to expand my horizons and experience something different.  

My Mom always had little  loaf  style pound cakes around as I was growing up.  I couldn’t resist baking this recipe in a loaf pan.  I made Dorie’s lemon curd to go with it.  See!  I also used the ground almonds in mind for added texture and richness.  We enjoyed this homey little cake.  It was super simple to put together and took no time.  So dressed up or simply sliced with fruit or a sauce.  Its a winner in my home!

Thank you Lilana of My Cookbook Addiction  for choosing such a lovingly shared French cake for us on this side of the pond.  Stop by her site for the recipe and take a trip to the other side of the pond here.

Insomnia and I were conversing last night.  So I began to do a little thinking about today and that imaginary list.  The question of the Tuesdays With Dorie post came to the forefront along with my middle child’s 19th Birthday.  It was a busy night (in my mind ).    

Reflecting on the many comments among the members of the baking group stirred up some thoughts on the humble little Lemon Cup Custard. I would like to thank Bridgett of The Way the Cookie Crumbles for choosing this recipe.  My memories of custard are that of a comforting little treat meant to soothe and strengthen whatever might ail you.  One of those simple offerings.  There was a sort of theory from our ancestors that custard was a sort of “health food” inferring that it would strengthen and help recovery.  Imagine that!  All this time I thought it to be a dessert, a sort of indulgence.  Ah ha!

 A sort of blank canvass, accepting of most any flavoring or interpretation.  Taken a step further, it would be a vehicle for many elements of a dessert such as a bread pudding or even ice cream.  A variation of a custard can become a creme anglaise, creme brulee.  Just a simple little building block in the grand scheme of dessert construction.  Simply done.  Many varieties of custard come from all over the world and are offered in a combination of forms.  We all know flan with its coating of caramel sauce.  Its like velvet.  Other times a sort of custard with a crunchy burnt sugar hat on top.  I just like the simplicity of a gentle hint of lemon in this light and creamy custard.  Delightful.  With a few berries on top and maybe even some chocolate to dress it, it could even become a pretentious little dessert.  Fit for a night out at the dining table.  he he

I love custard and loved the simplicity of the recipe with the gentle hint of lemon.  Maybe custard is a little misunderstood but I hope you found its redeeming qualities and enjoyed its simple, understated presence. 

Thanks again Dorie for including the recipe in Baking From My Home to Yours.    Check out the other members of the baking group at Tuesdays With Dorie and see how they prepared this Lemon Cup Custard.