tuesdays with dorie

allspice crumb muffins

10/13/2009 By bridget

Dave wants just one thing to make his workday more enjoyable, just one simple thing, and that’s biscotti. Although what he really wants is almond biscotti, and not any almond biscotti, it has to be this recipe.

Sadly for Dave, biscotti aren’t one of my favorite things to bake, and I certainly have no interest in making the same recipe over and over again. No no, I have much more fun making muffins, so usually he brings muffins to work instead of biscotti. Poor, poor Dave.

Muffins are just so easy. Mix up some dry ingredients, mix up some wet ingredients, stir them together. Lately I’ve been adding the sugar and salt with the wet ingredients instead of the dry. They both dissolve easily, and if it’s brown sugar, I don’t have to worry about it clumping.

I wish I had taken the time to grind my own allspice – I have whole berries, plus a spice-dedicated coffee grinder, but I got lazy and stuck to the powder and my allspice flavor didn’t seem very distinct. But that’s okay, because these still make an excellent muffin – light, tender, tasty. I would certainly rather eat one of these with my morning tea instead of biscotti, biscotti, and more biscotti.

Kayte chose these muffins for Tuesdays with Dorie and she has posted the recipe. Next time, I’ll reduce the butter in the crumb topping by a tablespoon or two. Not only did I have more topping than I needed, but it didn’t seem quite solid enough and flowed off the muffin a bit.

One year ago: I swear this is a coincidence, but one year ago was the Lenox Almond Biscotti. Which are good, but do not pass Dave’s Biscotti Approval Test.

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, fall, quick bread, tuesdays with dorie

split-level pudding

10/06/2009 By bridget

Have you ever had a recipe go haywire and just not be able to figure out for the life of you what went wrong? You review the recipe again and again, thinking, “well, it certainly looks like I did exactly what I was supposed to…”

One of the best parts of Tuesdays with Dorie is the discussion of the weekly recipe, where people can voice concerns, provide tips, and compare results. If a bunch of us have the same issue, I feel pretty safe saying that the recipe has a finicky step. We didn’t all follow the directions incorrectly, after all. (But usually only a portion of us have problems, and I swear, I am always in that portion.)

My pudding didn’t set up quite right. It seemed perfect right off the stove, but then Dorie likes to give pudding a whirl in a food processor or blender before she chills it, just to make sure it’s lump free. My smooth, thickened pudding turned right back to liquid after its time in the blender. After it set up in the fridge, it was kind of…weird and lumpy. And I wasn’t the only one with this problem. No more blender/food processor step for me! A fine-mesh strainer will do from here on out.

Other that a slightly odd texture, what’s not to like about this? Soothing, fresh vanilla paired with rich, comforting chocolate. It’s a classic flavor combination for a reason. Remind me in the future how good vanilla pudding is when a simple ganache is added. That’s probably true for most things, though, right?

Garrett should have the recipe posted. As I said, in the future I’ll skip the food processor steps in favor of using a whisk and a fine-mesh strainer. I might also add a little more cream (or less chocolate) to the ganache, because it was quite a bit more solid than the pudding.

One year ago: Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

Filed Under: chocolate, custard, dessert, gluten free, tuesdays with dorie

chocolate-crunched caramel tart

09/29/2009 By bridget

My favorite way to spend my oh-so-generous three-dollar allowance as a kid, was, surprise!, candy. Well, that and cheap stationary from Walgreens (which I still have, because, I don’t know why). Once a week, my friend Katie and I would walk to Walgreens and wander up and down the candy aisle, picking out favorites. I remember one road trip, sitting in the backseat, each digging through the boxes of candy we’d brought, trading Now and Later flavors (mm, sugary colorful wax) and rationing Sixlets.

I guess this explains all the cavities, huh?

But these days, candy isn’t really my thing, in nearly any form. Oh, I’ll eat it; I don’t hate it. But when it comes to almost any confection, the truth is that I’d rather mix it up with flour and butter and bake something. Give me good brownies over the best truffle any day.

Which gives me a bit of a problem with this tart, which is filled with caramel, nuts, and ganache. It’s basically a piece of candy in a tart crust, and, eh. I ate it, it was fairly enjoyable, it just wasn’t really my thing. I demand more refined flour!

I hate saying anything negative about recipes. I really want to clarify that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this recipe, and I did not dislike it. It just isn’t my favorite. If you think you’ll feel differently, check out the recipe at Carla’s site. She chose this recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie this week.

One year ago: A comparison between two crème brûlée recipes

Filed Under: chocolate, dessert, nuts, tuesdays with dorie

cottage cheese pufflets

09/22/2009 By bridget

I often write blog entries in my head while I cook. While I was rolling out the dough and forming these pufflets, I was planning to tell you that I do not recommend this recipe. That it was my least favorite Dorie Greenspan recipe so far. That the dough was impossible to work with. (I was also thinking: God [bleep] damn it, this stuff [bleep] sucks, give me a [bleep] break.)

In other words, the dough was really sticky. It’s a mixture of pureed cottage cheese, butter, flour, and just a bit of sugar. It wasn’t very sweet, and honestly, just didn’t taste all that great as dough.

After the dough is chilled, it’s rolled out, cut into squares, filled with jam, folded to enclose the jam, and baked. And this is where I was getting so frustrated, because the dough was so. darn. sticky. The whole thing was turning into a mess, so I baked the few I’d formed and threw the rest back in the fridge to worry about later.

But then when I ate one, I changed my tune entirely! They’re so good! The crust does puff up and get really light, and it’s a good thing it isn’t too sweet, because of course the jam provides plenty of sweetness.

The resulting treats are just too good to give up on this recipe because of the sticky dough. I think the best advice is just to leave yourself plenty of time while working with the dough to refrigerate it as soon as it gets sticky. Dorie doesn’t recommend a chilling time between rolling the dough flat and forming the pastries, but I really think it’s best to add one, probably about an hour long. With that in mind, I think these will be a lot easier to work with.

Jacque has the recipe posted for Tuesdays with Dorie. I didn’t make any changes, but I did find that marmalade (the same ginger zucchini marmalade I used on the brioche tart) didn’t leak nearly as much as the raspberry jam I also used.

One year ago: Pan-Seared Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, freezer friendly, fruit, tuesdays with dorie

flaky apple turnovers

09/15/2009 By bridget

I have officially relinquished my annual Fight Against Fall. Usually I’m very stubborn about waiting until October before I want to think about apples, pumpkin, or candy corn. But, eh. It got cold early this year, and we’re going to be really busy in October, so I figured I’d better soak up this time while I can.

So bring on the apples! These turnovers are interesting because the dough has a bit of puff pastry-ness to it. It’s made kind of like pie crust, with butter cut into flour, but then instead of stirring in ice water, it’s hydrated with sweetened sour cream. Yum! If I wasn’t severely trying to curb my dough-eating, there might have been a problem. A there’s-not-enough-pastry-left-for-the-apples problem.

The dough only has one turn (roll it out and fold into thirds like a piece of paper going into an envelope), but it has to be chilled before and after. Then it’s rolled out again and filled with a simple mixture of apples, cinnamon, sugar, and flour.

I will admit that I was starving when I ate this, but oooh, so delicious. The filling is a no-brainer; it’s just apple pie filling. But you know how sometimes you’ll be eating a turnover, and the corner bites are disappointing because there’s no fruit there? That isn’t an issue with these, because the crust is so darn good! And, as an added bonus, I got the best whiff of apples and spices while these were baking, and we had football on, and I don’t care how green the trees still are, it’s definitely fall for me.

Julie chose this recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie, and she has it posted. I skipped the butter in the filling. I baked some of the turnovers immediately, and froze the rest and baked them a few days later, with absolutely no negative effects. The second time, I brushed the turnovers with milk instead of egg, which worked very well.

One year ago: Chocolate Chunkers

Filed Under: dessert, fall, freezer friendly, fruit, pie, tuesdays with dorie

chocolate souffle

09/08/2009 By bridget

Copy of IMG_8302

I’ve noticed lately that some of the fanciest desserts are actually the easiest to make. Crème brulée? Mousse? Molten chocolate cake? There’s nothing difficult about any of them, and the same can be said of chocolate soufflé.

Copy of IMG_8292

You really just melt chocolate with sugar, then stir in milk and egg yolks. Whip some egg whites and fold them into the chocolate mixture. Bake. That’s all there is to it.

Copy of IMG_8297

Maybe the trickiest part is knowing when they’re done. I’ve underbaked, overbaked and perfectly baked soufflés, and I recommend erring on the side of less baked. I think I overbaked these, because they seemed too dry.

Copy of IMG_8298

They were also really really sweet, and I’m not sure if that was related to overbaking them, or the type of chocolate I used (Ghirardelli bittersweet), or something else. But even too sweet and too dry, it’s still chocolate soufflé, so no complaints. Especially considering how easy it was to make!

Copy of IMG_8309

Susan chose this for Tuesdays with Dorie, and she has the recipe posted.

One year ago: Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops

Copy of IMG_8303

Filed Under: chocolate, custard, dessert, french, gluten free, tuesdays with dorie

espresso cheesecake brownies

09/01/2009 By bridget

Copy of IMG_8405

One of the things I like about summer is wearing sundresses. For the bulk of the summer, that’s all I wear. They’re cute and comfortable and I love them.

But last week, it suddenly became a bit chillier. I put on a pair of jeans.

And I couldn’t button them. And the same thing happened the next day, with a different pair of pants.

Not good.

Copy of IMG_8342

Dave suggested I give up dessert, or at least limit it to weekends. And I was like “Wow?! Really?! It totally didn’t occur to me to consider the most indulgent part of my lifestyle as contributing to my recent weight gain! Thanks so much!” Also: <glare>

Copy of IMG_8344

At this point, I have no plans to give up dessert, even on weekdays. I will try not to go overboard. I will reduce my dinner portions. I will be extra careful with my daily snacks. But I’m not ready to give up dessert.

I can perhaps be convinced to leave the sour cream topping off of my cheesecake brownies though. Sacrifices!

Copy of IMG_8345

The base of these is a standard brownie. (Oh! I also left out one of the five tablespoons of butter from the brownies! Because of the pants and the not fitting! Also, I had four tablespoons easily available.) The next layer is a fairly standard cheesecake batter, although with a high ratio of eggs. Espresso is added to the cream cheese mixture.

Copy of IMG_8348

After most of the brownie batter is spread in a pan, the cheesecake portion is poured over it, and then the remaining brownie batter is dotted over the top. The two are swirled together before baking. This was a little iffy for me, because the brownie batter was a lot thicker than the cheesecake batter. But it basically worked.

Copy of IMG_8354

Overall, these were pretty good. No one component was overpowering. And, swirling issues aside, I thought they turned out quite attractive. And it took me five whole days to eat the entire pan, with almost no help from Dave!

Yeesh. Good thing I left the topping off, right?

Melissa chose this for Tuesdays with Dorie and has the recipe posted.

One year ago: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Copy of IMG_8395

Filed Under: cheese, chocolate, cookies, dessert, tuesdays with dorie

lime cream meringue pie

08/25/2009 By bridget

Copy of IMG_8317

Oh, how times change. I had kind of thought that last year’s lemon cream tart would be my first and last citrus cream experience. Seriously, that is a lot of butter. But apparently, my attitude toward rich foods has slowly evolved from ‘this is way too fattening for me to indulge in more than a few bites at a time’ to ‘well…it’s not like I eat like this all the time…’ except that, these days, I kinda do.

Copy of IMG_8202

The lime cream is made almost exactly the same as last year’s lemon cream – heat sugar, eggs, zest, and juice, then blend in softened butter – with the only difference a couple teaspoons of cornstarch that is added to the lime version, along with grated fresh ginger. Don’t take me lightly when I say there’s a lot of butter involved – the full pie calls for 2½ sticks (20 tablespoons), and that doesn’t even include the portion in the crust.

Copy of IMG_8204

Fortunately, I was hearing that some Tuesdays with Dorie members were decreasing the butter, sometimes by as much as half. I didn’t make quite such a dramatic change, using 4 tablespoons for the quarter of the recipe I made – so the equivalent of 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) for a whole recipe. It worked really well.

Copy of IMG_8207

I do like these citrus creams. I’m a big fan of citrus desserts, and of smooth, rich custards, so the combination is wonderful. I also really like meringue and, you know, torching food. So there really wasn’t much not to like for me this week! Except for the tiny portions I forced upon myself. Ah, compromise…

Copy of IMG_8312

Linda has the recipe posted. I decreased the meringue by half, because I happened to have that amount of egg whites leftover from something else. Also, I didn’t strain out the zest.

One year ago: Black (and Pink) and White Chocolate Cake

Copy of IMG_8326

Filed Under: citrus, custard, dessert, fruit, pie, tuesdays with dorie

applesauce spice bars

08/18/2009 By bridget

Copy of IMG_8183

My sister’s kids are very early risers. There are times when they get up so early that their parents have to creep into their room and tell them “It’s still night! Go back to sleep!”

I feel that way in August with food bloggers: It’s still summer! Put away the pumpkin!

Copy of IMG_8172

In revolt against making a dessert in August that Dorie recommends serving with mulled cider, I tried my darndest to screw it up. Most of my problems came down to dividing ½ cup by 8, because I made one-eighth of the recipe (again, in revolt). Guess what? It isn’t two tablespoons. It’s one tablespoon. So I added twice as many nuts and raisins, plus twice as much applesauce, which I then tried to scoop out before I mixed it in all the way. I’m a genius. Oh, I also heated the butter and sugar too much before adding the eggs, so the first bit of egg that I added to the mixture cooked immediately, and I had to pick out bits of cooked egg.

Copy of IMG_8178

Despite my reluctance to make what’s clearly a fall treat in the middle of August and then my efforts to make it all wrong, the applesauce bars were pretty good. Really soft and tender, not too sweet, with a bit of tartness from (twice the amount of) the raisins. Dave said they made him want turkey and crackling leaves and hikes through crisp fall air. Maybe in a couple months.

Copy of IMG_8180

Karen chose this for Tuesdays with Dorie, and she has the recipe posted.

One year ago: Country Egg Scramble

Copy of IMG_8179

Filed Under: cake, cookies, dessert, fall, fruit, nuts, tuesdays with dorie

brownie buttons

08/11/2009 By bridget

Copy of IMG_7912

It took me a long time to understand edge people. In fact, my family is so squarely middle piece people that I didn’t even know brownie edge lovers existed until college. When my roommate and I would go out for dessert, I’d order a big piece of chocolate torte (with a side of mini cream puff), and she’d get a brownie (with a side of mini cream puff); but not just any brownie – a corner piece. What what what?

Copy of IMG_7829

Eventually, I realized it’s the chewiness that entices edge people. I think. I can somewhat see what edge people like about edge pieces, but I still am all about the middle. Soft and gooey all the way through.

Copy of IMG_7831

I was concerned that brownies baked in a mini muffin pan would be pretty much all edge. They weren’t. They were evenly textured, soft, and not chewy or dry. I did bake them for a lot less time than Dorie recommended, but they seemed cooked through. They certainly weren’t overcooked, which was my first priority.

Copy of IMG_7915

Overall, these were pretty much what you’d expect – brownies, but small and round. I like brownies. I like small things. (I can take or leave roundness.) I liked them.

Jayma chose this recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie, and she has it posted. I made 12 instead of 16 mini brownies, and baked them for 10 minutes instead of 14.

One year ago: Black and White Banana Loaf

Copy of IMG_7911

Filed Under: chocolate, cookies, dessert, tuesdays with dorie