I hear people say that they’re a member of Tuesdays with Dorie because it gets them baking recipes they wouldn’t normally choose for themselves. Usually, I think they’re referring to things that don’t necessarily sound good but then are surprisingly tasty, like the peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies were for me.
I would never have gotten around to making this dacquoise not because it doesn’t look good (the picture in the book is beautiful), but because it’s a pain in the butt. I believe this is the most complex recipe we have made, or will make, for Tuesdays with Dorie.
Before the meringue shells can even be made, a few preparation steps are in order – outlining the area on which to spread the meringue and grinding ingredients in the food processor. Only then can the egg whites be whipped and the ground ingredients folded in. Then the meringue needs to bake for three hours.
Meanwhile, white chocolate is melted with hot cream, then chilled. And a pineapple has to be cut and roasted, and coconut has to be toasted. Only then can all of the components be combined into a multi-layer dessert – which can’t be eaten until it’s been chilled for several hours.
It was a lot of work. But it was fun, because it was the first time I’d baked meringue shells, the first time I’d bought and cut a whole pineapple, and the first time I’ve whipped white chocolate ganache without any swearing.
I enjoyed the components together. I made enough of everything for two small cakes and layered each one on the day we were going to eat them. The first one didn’t get a chance to set as long as Dorie recommends, and it was good, but a little too sweet for me and Dave. The second one, chilled longer, seemed to mellow as it set, and it was very good. I learned a lot, I had fun, and I got to eat a new, tasty dessert – all in all, it was a good week, despite my initial reservations (i.e., whining).
Andrea chose this recipe, and she has it posted.
One year ago: Pigs in a Blanket – we just had this for dinner last week!
Kudos for persisting. It looks awesome!
I really liked this, despite the time it took. I overwhipped my white chocolate ganache, but it still worked. I don’t think I swore, but I was close!
i must admit, these don’t look or sound good…no offense! plus, i would be turned off by the amount of work as well! sheesh!
Hey, long time no see! (relatively.)
I learned my lesson! I bought a big bag of slivered almonds and ground them in an equal weight of icing sugar, then stored it in an airtight container in the fridge/freezer till the almonds’ expiration (hopefully they don’t last that long!). For recipes that require unequal weights, just add the remainder 🙂 (if the remainder are ground almonds, regrind with a bit of the already ground almond-sugar.)
Pineapple and white choc is one of those rarely-used but delicious combinations 🙂 Did you use white choc with vanilla bean in? You sophisticate! 🙂
Your dacquoise looks amazing! Just the perfect balance of ganache, and meringue, and pineapple! This is one TWD recipe that I’m going to make! SOON! 🙂
Your hardwork paid off- it looks beautiful!
Gorgeous photos. I’m with you on this one. I doubt I would have ever tackled it on my own, but I learned a lot.
Great job! I didn’t prepare it as directed but took the components and made a loose version. Yours looks absolutely fantastic and I’m sure worth the wait and effort!
Your dacquoise looks wonderful! Great job. I’m glad you liked it.
Just beautiful! Props to you 🙂
I skipped this week, mainly because I hate coconut, white chocolate (ABOMINATION!), and almonds, and I’m not overly fond of pineapple. I figured making a big dessert for myself that I wouldn’t eat wasn’t the best plan. I was going to do some subs, but since it’s been raining for a week and a half (when will it become summer? *sob*), I knew the meringue wouldn’t turn out well.
Yours looks WONDERFUL, though, and I may have to try it with peaches and whipped cream. I love meringue shells…if you liked these, try making a pavlova sometime. It has a wow effect that is totally disproportionate to how easy it is to make.
Looks fantastic! Love that last picture, too.
I’m with you – I probably wouldn’t have made this one either just because it seemed like a lot of work. I’m so glad I made it though as I really loved it! Yours looks terrific!
Your dacquoise is beautiful. It looks like a lot of work but I can see it was worth it.
Gorgeous! I agree – this was waaaay out of my comfort zone, and contained so many steps!
That looks great! Nice job!