Tuesdays With Dorie.

I made this tart a while back upon discovering its reputation on SmittenKitchen.  I have to say as I read the varying comments I wasn’t sure how things would go.  I used Meyer lemons before and also this time.  This was my first experience with them.  A much softer, less intense  and not so tart lemon.   Pretty little things, they are.  I have to say it was really a nice and similar to an old southern lemon chess pie recipe I make all the time for my Mom.  I love the translation of desserts from Dorie’s home to ours and the connections they often times have to our families.  

My crisper drawer had  Meyer lemons and regular lemons.  They definitely called out so I made two tart shells and set about making Tartest Lemon Tarts.  I love lemons.  I know everyone asks “Did I say I love lemons?”  But really…. I do!  So, don’t worry even though I love them, well, Corbin had an Orthodontist appointment on Monday morning.  I’m not the patient so its easy for me to say, “It’s fun” however Corbin might not agree.  He’s always grumpy for a few days after.  They don’t mind if I bring my baking to them and they actually seem to enjoy ????  They’re nice.  The Meyer lemons are very small with thin skin.  I used two, skin and all, minus the seeds.  There is very very little pith in Meyer lemons.    Aside from that everything else was according to the written recipe in Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.  

There were good suggestions about handling the pith from the regular lemons in the P & Q section of the TWD site.  I considered my options,and decided I didn’t want to risk all my ingredients and time to a possible bitter aftertaste.  I used my micro plane to zest my lemons, peeled away the pith, removed the seeds and cut up the 1 1/2 lemons.  The unbaked tart filling tasted quite nice so I can’t wait to taste the cooled version.  Mmmmm.

Thank you so much for your patience today because my post was an evening edition not an early morning one  and for stopping by for a visit.   I can’t wait to see all the beautiful Tartest Lemon Tarts out there in the Tuesdays With Dorie baking group.  Take a look for yourself.  You’ll definitely want to snag a copy of Baking From My Home to Yours for yourself.  In the mean time take yourself back to Babette Feasts where you can get the recipe.

Google and I decided to join forces and just find out a few, mind you of the trillion (yep, thats right Washington D.C.) of different variations of creme anglaise. There are approximately 387,000 listings for some creme anglaise topic. So, that just gives you an idea of the possibilities one has with this Classic Creme Anglasie. Like ice cream, which it can become if churned and frozen. What? You learned something new? (he he) It can be infused, or flavored with liqueurs, chocolates, coffees and tea, spices, citrus zest….. it is limitless. So, there you go Raskin Bobbins of 31 flavors. ( no, didn’t misspell it…..just a family joke)

I stayed with Dorie’s classic recipe, however I did use Madeleine Kamman’s technique. Call me lucky, because its been a while since I have made Creme Anglaise, but mine came together flawlessly. It was magical to watch the chemistry. Did you enjoy how the bubbles were absorbed as the scalding milk was slowly stirred together with the egg and sugar mixture? One of my “go to” books is The New  Making of a Cook, by Madeleine Kamman (don’t laugh, I’m listening). I’ve included a link where you can read about her technique for Creme Anglaise.  In the pages of her book, Madame Kamman displays more than just a recipe (as on the link).   She writes with detailed information,  and explains the chemistry as well as history.   She really connects you with the food and imparts her passion for food and cooking.  

You know Mary the FoodLibrarian, would love it if you went to your local library and checked out cookbooks for reference. BTW, its a really good way to decide if you want to invest in a particular title before you buy. That was just a tip.

My multi-sport husband, who is training for a half-iron man tasted our Tuesdays With Dorie, Floating Islands tonight.  You probably can guess that this is not in the food group of which he ordinarily partakes.  Please don’t tell on him.  Also, he will be the first to tell you he doesn’t have a sophisticated palate.  He loved it.  He just wanted all the Creme Anglaise as well.  he he  My remarks:  How can anyone not like the classic vanilla of the luscious Creme Anglaise?   I’ve enjoyed it before as an accompaniment to another dessert.  However,  I have never had Floating Islands before, along with the caramelized  sugar on top for contrast both in texture and flavor.   I am speechless.  Lovely, soft clouds, silkie and vanilla with a little crunch of the caramelized sugar.  I love that I learned something new today and tasted (okay, really… I ate some, not telling how much) a dessert I would never have ordered in a restaurant or chosen from a cookbook.

Thanks a million  for choosing Floating Islands for this week’s recipe  Shari, of Whisk a food blog,   where you will find the recipe posted.   Shari, is cooking through the Cordon Bleu at home cooking school curriculum.  She is quite busy in her kitchen making up all kinds of cooking group recipes.    I really enjoyed making this because it was new.  Its fun to learn a new trick or two.  Can you just imagine all the variations and  wizardry you’ll see here on the blogroll at Tuesdays With Dorie?  This baking group is baking from Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking From My Home to Yours.

Corbin says “Its like eating a marshmallow,” he likes it!  He’s my 15 year old baby.  Ya know, near and dear.  He  takes my photos too.  Clap Clap Clap Clap!!

 Back to the ice cream:  As I recall, when I was a little girl, in that little town, I thought ice cream was soft serve…

In my holiday routine I usually bake according to the crowd. Pecan, Pumpkin and Lemon Chess Pies are among the selections. This year I baked lots of extra pies “for friends” and family. I chose to make the pecan and lemon chess along with the Thanksgiving Twofer Pie. Sorry pumpkin, maybe next time. I really enjoyed the Twofer Pie. Funny thing, my daughter wanted to know where was the pumpkin pie, “Its my favorite, Mom.” Smiling Mom said “I’m sorry sweetums,” Ooops. Guess, I’ll have to make up for that one. Its nice to be loved.  If you don’t have Dorie’s book, Baking from My Home to Yours,  let me explain a little bit about this wonderful pie.  It reminds me of the layering effect of a pecan pie.  You know when you slice it and you can see the top being the pecan yum and the bottom being the sweetness.  There is a resemblance with the difference being a layer of chewy  pecan yum and pumpkin on the bottom.  Its  a delicious pairing.  I liked it a lot.[SinglePic not found]

  Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with their families both near and far, with safetravel as well. Thank you Dorie for the fun holiday pie concoction. A good marriage of traditional American favorites. It was delicious! You can add Dorie Greenspans Baking from My Home to Yours to your holiday wish list or just click on the title and click away for your online order. Vibi from La Casserolee Carree chose this timely selection for the holiday week of Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. If you would like the recipe, her site is in French, however, in the upper right corner you can choose the proper translation and there you will be able to read the recipe for your own baking pleasure.

The Chocolate Chunk Muffins were pretty darn good, to quantify though, how could you not like them?  They have wonderful chocolate chunks in them.   Shhhh, don’t tell anyone that I made a mistake and made them anyway.  Just a note to self to enjoy them sometime too. Dorie’s muffins are simple and go together quickly.  The warm chocolatey muffins were enjoyed this morning by a couple of friends who dropped by with a Boo Wish.  Its the season, you know!  They liked them and said they would be good as mini’s for a brunch or anytime of day.  Nice to have tasters magically appear, huh?  I like that too.  Even better the next day.

Tuesdays with Dorie’s  site has a forum for comments on recipes in progress.  Members of TWD have the opportunity to share their opinions and questions.  That being said, this particular recipe was quite provoking.  There was much discussion, lots of ideas about how to improve the finished cupcake to suit the individual.  I don’t know about you, call me silly, but I just needed to see for myself.  One needs a basis for comparison and of course there is always a personal preference.  I followed the recipe.  Even though I was informed of varying ingredients thought to change the outcome.    I know,  why you ask?   I don’t know, maybe because I was always the member of the family who actually read the instructions for the toys the children received at Christmas time.  Go figure.  Being a girl, I also learned that asking for directions proved to be a more efficient use of time.

The Chocolate – Chocolate Cupcakes from Dorie Greenspan’s, Baking From My Home to Yours, was selected by Clara from I Heart Food 4 Thought. Thank you so much for selecting a timely and fun chocolate recipe.  Stop by her place and take a peek at her Boo-Cakes.  They are adorable.  You can tell she had a blast being creative.    I love chocolate and  the recipes I have baked so far all allow for the chocolate of your choice.  Neat huh?  I like dark chocolate.  I think these would go very well with icecream or with filling.  For those of us who are accustomed to lots of sugary icing either on our cupcakes or on our layered cakes, these may be a little anti-climatic.  I missed the icing, honestly.   What I learned?  Maybe to bake them just a little between  making sure they are done enough not to sink and not too done so that they are dry.  Where is that you say?  Well….maybe with a few crumbs on that toothpick you poked in the middle.  Then, I think I would follow the lead of the other wonderful bakers at TWD who adorned their cupcakes with real cream cheese or buttercream icing. [SinglePic not found][singlepic id="72" w="320" h="240" mode="" float="center" ]

If you would like to see the recipe for this weeks Chocolate – Chocolate Cupcakes click on here 

Remember just a few days away from the end of your opportunity to join in the fun at TWD.  Sign up now… don’t wait!  Next week we are having more fun baking so come back by for a visit and don’t forget to leave me a comment.  I love to talk to new friends. [SinglePic not found] 

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These were pretty good fall muffins.  I varied each row in the pan.  Mixing up the recipe as written, short of the nuts and dried fruit.  This is the point where I scooped enough batter for three muffins into a cereal bowl.  The first three muffins were  plain, for my only remaining child at home.  The second row of batter, I added a handful of chocolate chips, for me.  I’m not on a diet today!   The third row of batter, toasted pecans and dried cranberries were added.  The last and final row dried apple and toasted pecans were added.  The remaining batter went to the mini muffin pan.  My family loves to pop those little guys into their mouths for snacks.[SinglePic not found]

The muffins are good I thought, however, as I’ve read amongst other TWD bakers who share an affinity for pumpkin, we all seem to like a little “More” pumpkin flavor.  Therefore, one might be able to conclude that Dorie provided us the Pumpkin Muffin recipe for all mankind.  Do you think?   Those who may not be pumpkin eaters and those who are.  I like pumpkin and  I like goodies in my muffins and so any additions are interesting to me.   Whether its chocolate, not the non-chocolate variety  (or white), which was delicious by the way, or dried fruits and nuts they all add to the flavor and interest to the muffin.[SinglePic not found]

I didn’t have on hand, nor did I find sunflower seeds on recent trips to the store so they were never topped with a crown of seeds.  Maybe I’ll try that sometime when baking some Pumpkin Muffins with Dorie.  Thank you,   Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp for selecting this recipe from Dorie Greenspans, Baking From My Home to Yours.  You’ll find the recipe for the pumpkin muffins here or here.  Either way, Enjoy!  As it is a nice time of year to bake pumpkin muffins.  A tip from this baking project I learned and will share with you is freezing the remaining pumpkin from your opened can.  I haven’t tried freezing mine yet, however I read about it and then googled and found many others who have as well.  You’ll find some really interesting suggestions for your remaining pumpkin at ChowHound.

 My hubs told his brother tonight on the phone that its hard to loose weight around here no matter how hard you work out, because there is all this good cooking going on around the house.  To that I added, Oh My Goodness, Honey, you should see all the cooking groups out there in the blogosphere.  I just belong to ONE of them. Many foodie bloggers belong to multiple groups.   The blogosphere only knows about my baking, so far.  He just smiled.  Life is good.

Gretchen of Canela & Comino selected Lenox Almond Biscotti as this weeks recipe.  You can make friends with Lenox Biscotti, really… here.  Thank you so much for introducing us.  Its a pleasure knowing Biscotti.  If you are tempted by all the wonderful recipes included in Baking From My Home to Yours, you can run down to your local book store and have Dorie’s book for your very own or just click and shop.  [SinglePic not found]

A trip down Google Lane, provided me historical information about Biscotti.  Interesting thing, turns out many European countries have their own version and name for biscuits, twice baked.  I learned about the traditional flavors of anise and almonds.  Of course, since then they have evolved into a many splendored thing.

This time, I adhered to Dorie’s version with only a single addition and variation.  I had some dried cranberries in the pantry that were begging to be included.  Since they needed a little fluffing up I took Dorie’s advice on page 92 to steep and flame the fruit.  I did so and used some Amaretto for the “flaming.” Also, I used slivered almonds rather than sliced because thats what I had on hand.    

Again, following Dorie’s suggestion for the “controversial baking time” was really pretty much on target for me and my oven.  Because I was dealing with a completely different concept I realized I needed a baseline experience and so I only added 5 minutes to the second baking time.  I think they became a little more golden than was ideal.  So next time I will adjust for that.   After they cooled they firmed up nicely and they tasted delicious.  I had a cup of chai tea with mine.  Scrumptous!!!  Tomorrow, Sumatra coffee. (then the gym)  Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit.  I read all comments  and make friends easily. [SinglePic not found]

Please join in the fun before the cutoff date of October 31.  Tuesdays with Dorie baking group to view the blogroll of all the baking maniacs.  We have fun baking desserts together.

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  While mixing the cake I thought perhaps if I didn’t mix too much air into the ingredients it would help prevent the sinking middle syndrome.  So I stirred gently as directed by Dorie in the recipe.  Low and behold, don’t know if I was lucky, but I had minimal “sinking in the middle”, just a note to self.  I set the timers  (actually two timers) one for a minute or two less and one for 5 minutes less than the prescribed amount.  I tend to like things not dried out from overbaking.  As I recall I was typing something on the ‘puter when the chocolate aroma hit my nose.  You know that lovely warm chocolate “hey, I am almost finished baking smell”  (not the burned smell).  Anyway, after checking the timer with 9 or 10 minutes to go I was standing at attention waiting to make sure it was perfectly baked.  I waited for a few more minutes before performing  the knife test and it was perfectly baked so I removed it from the oven and left it to cool on a rack.  This is when I ran back for a quick shower to prepare for my time at the salon.  Fast Forward 15 minutes to come back and remove the ring for quicker cooling, as instructed by Dorie.  Done!  Back to finish making ready for Salon time.  Upon returning to the kitchen I reviewed instructions for the caramel.  I have made caramel before, but days have passed and I have slept since then so just wanted to make sure I had all ingredients at the ready.  There is an overwhelming urge to just watch the pot boil.  Actually you really have time to take your eyes off and multi-task at the beginning of the boiling process.  Setting timers really keeps me on task and helps me account for time.  The caramel came together beautifully.   I learned that selecting the right pot for the job really makes a difference in the amount of time required.  I have a heavy 2 1/2 quart saucepan with a wide bottom providing good surface area contact with the burner.  Followed the instructions, plus a couple of minutes and the caramel worked nicely, added the peanuts, stirred and enjoyed the aroma.  It surprised me how beautiful it was atop the chocolate brownie cake.  Look!

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I didn’t get to taste the finished product, just the batter of course,  but the reviews from patrons and employees at the salon were great.  Dorie did it again.  Great elements combined into a really pretty dessert.  Simple as well.  Thank you Tammy from Wee Treats for selecting a tasty and simple dessert.  A combination of all American flavors from Dorie Greenspan’s  Baking from My Home to Yours.  All the of members of the blogroll can be found at Tuesdays with Dorie for a different prospective and lots of fun.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit.

PS  One more thing…. that remaining caramel sauce, excluding the peanuts, went well with the apple pots de caramel the next night  ymmmm.  I used  fresh apples, (from a friend Molly’s tree) spiced with cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a little butter.  A good healthy drizzle of caramel sauce, pecans, and the whole wheat biscuit  topping from the Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler recipe, page 415.    It was delicious with vanilla bean ice cream.  Maybe a little more caramel sauce on top, too!

Its time for the next Tuesdays with Dorie baking post for the Dimple Plum Cake.  However, here I am a day late (1 week) and a dollar short.  While I am collecting all the different chocolates and other various ingredients, my husband passes by with an inquisitive look and says, “they have all this chocolate in them?”

Thanks to Claudia from a Fool for Food for this awesome, so I hear or read as the case may be, selection.  If you “Go There” her site is in German.  However, a note, a link in oh so tiny print (for these over 50 eyes) if clicked upon will provide the English version.  There you will find the recipe or a trip to your local book store will provide you the opportunity to procure, for your very own self a copy of Dorie’s Baking from My Home to Yours.  Go ahead,  you’re worth it!  So is the book.

Since I have the added benefit of some of these wonderfully talented baker friends to forge a path in the chocolate wilderness ahead of me like Nancy at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs, thank you for your amazing post.  Take a side trip to her site if you like….go ahead.  It too, is worth it.  I know, I know  its easy to get distracted.  You can come back for a visit.  Okay, now that you’re back, didn’t you love all her variations.  I did, so I am going to adopt some of her tips, factoring in  the ingredients I currently have in my pantry to work with and stir up some Chocolate Madness.  Nancy, you are a chocolate wizardress…

Oh MY Goodness,  I just tasted the dough, with a spoon, Mom.  Wow,  delicious!  Dorie references Maida Heatters’ Mulattoes which I have made numerous times for friends.  They are chocolatey, delicious and worthy of repeating.   I’ve learned  much from her experiences in the kitchen.  Maida is an amazing author and as a beginning baker I was both thrilled and reassured to have her in the kitchen with me to guide me step by step as I went along my baking journey.  I am definitely a fan.

Back to the Chunkers.  In my arsenal of chocolate I pulled Scharffenberger Unsweetened Chocolate, Nestle’s semi-sweet, Callebaut bittersweet and Valrhona unsweetened cocoa powder.  Again, using ingredients from my current supply I pulled Macadamia nuts as well.  No white chocolate, raisins, or other fruits were incorporated.  I just couldn’t bring myself to add white chocolate to otherwise totally chocolate cookies.   Since white chocolate really isn’t chocolate at all.   I love raisins and apricots but my raisins  were a little less than optimum.  Those sad little dudes stayed in their container for some other such baking function, or not.   I didn’t find it bothersome that the cookies didn’t spread.  I think that adds to the overall texture, flavor and sort of “brownie-ness” of the cookies.  I didn’t chop my Macadamia nuts small enough and so the next time I think I will chop the designated nut a little smaller so that the flavor of the nut doesn’t distract from my beloved chocolate.  These cookies are sort of a free for all, chocolate extravaganza, expression of Chocolate Love.  

When making these or Maida’s Mullattoes in the future, I plan to use small pieces of chopped apricot  and a nicely chopped nut.  I like the pairing of apricots and chocolate.  A fruit that is not used every day paired with a lovely creamy, melt in your mouth,  favorite chocolate of your choice.  I think a very important lesson taken away from this weeks cookie choice is the emphasis of good quality chocolate.  The idea comes to mind that like fine wine and coffee beans, chocolate can possess its own nuances, owned by the origination of the cocoa bean and the chocolate’s maker.

Is there anyone else out there whose heart pittie pats just a little to think of the adventures she will translate, of once in a lifetime experiences?  Another acquisition I will look forward to adding to my collection.  Even more revealing is the idea that as with this blog experience I may even cook my way through  France with Dorie.  Fun Fun….Anybody?  Anybody?

As I was flipping through the magazine to find Dorie’s article I was transported in my mind back to candy store trips as a kid and then to present day baking Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops.  Low and behold, do you know what I saw?  Yes, of course you do.  Whoppers!  Beside each childhood favorite was the grown up chocolatier translation.  I thought someone out there in the blogosphere might want the “grown up” version of Whoppers made by Jacque Torres.  I could actually be sold on the dark chocolate version, maybe…  How about you?  It would be worthy of note if anyone chose to experiment with the big kid version.  Check it out.  I wonder if Dorie tried them in her baking trials??

So for all of us with lofty ideas of a baking extravaganza each year this is a yummy cookie, I think, for gift giving. I learned to exchange a little of the dairy butter for nut butters in making cookies. On this one I did trade some of the butter for peanut butter. I like peanut butter anyway, so it goes minus a couple of ounces here and add a couple of ounces there. I didn’t have the crunchy type but I did have peanuts so I added 1/4C chopped peanuts to the mix. My chipsters were Chunksters because I used my Callebaut and hand chopped chocolate into chunks. I think the cinnamon was a nice addition for a holiday cookie as well. As many of you indicated the chilling was tricky…did the chilling and whipped out the ice cream scoop after I let the dough warm a bit. Worked like a charm. Thank you. My cookies were large though on the first half so as I baked along I split the dough balls in half for the cute smaller ones. Hubs asked me to give them away ASAP. We both are teetering on the scales. he he

Not being the one to wait for the cookies to cool out of the oven, I had to taste right away. It is like Christmas to experience the surprise of a new cookie in your mouth. Chewy and tasty, but I do think I will try the dried fruit idea from Nancy at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs and make it with dried fruits so that truly it mimics and PBJ… wouldn’t that be just right? Thank you Nancy.

If you would like to preview the wonderful cookies for your Christmas baking projects, check out the rest of the baking maniacs at TWD and see what all the sweet energy is about. Thank you Stephany at Proceed with Caution for choosing a cookie with a combination of All American favorite flavors.