TWD: Mocha Brownie Cake

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Marcel Desaulniers

I have to say, I was so excited when this recipe was chosen. Not only for the fact that the recipe comes from Marcel Desaulniers (of which, at last count, I have five of his books), but also, I love chocolate. I love brownies. I love ganache. Sounded like a winner to me!

 

How does one expect to cut a cake, that is not even two inches high, into three layers? I have Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake, to thank, for her clever tip of using toothpicks inserted into the sides of the cake, to use as a knife guide. Thanks Liz!!

I did not quite have enough ganache to frost the cake completely. I ended up having to add an extra three and a half ounces of chocolate, and a splash of half-and-half to the remainder ganache in order to have a sufficient amount.

This is the first time for me, making a ganache where butter is added. I have always made it with just chocolate and cream. The butter does add a bit of richness to the ganache (as if ganache isn't rich enough already).

The photo makes this cake look moist and delicious. However, I felt the cake was too dry. Apparently so did the boys at the shop. Normally sweets like this disappear in a heartbeat. There was still about half the cake left over when I went in the next day. By the end of the day, it was still there... sad to say, into the trash it went.

I felt this was too much work for the outcome. I'm sure there are better recipes out there. And interestingly enough, this recipe is not in any of Mr. Desaulniers' books that I have.

This may not have been a hit, but his other recipes have been:

One of my favorite recipes of Mr. Desaulniers' is his Ebony & Ivory Truffles, from his book Death by Chocolate - those are to die for - I'll have to remember to share those with you one day; and his Sliced Beets with Curly Endive, Red Bliss Potato Salad, Honey Mustard Roasted Walnuts and Meaux Mustard Vinaigrette from his book Salad Days, is delicious too!

It just so happened, the day I baked this cake, it was my sister's birthday. She was on her way over to pick up her camera, and I had a slice of cake, complete with candle, to send home with her.

If you would like to attempt this recipe yourself, you will find the recipe on page 282 of Baking with Julia, or the recipe can be found on the Chicago Tribune website.

Do be sure to visit my fellow bloggers sites to see their rendition of this recipe, by visiting the Tuesdays with Dorie page for their links, listed under LYL: Mocha Brownie Cake.

TWD: Gingersnaps

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: David Blom

I was excited these cookies were picked for our second recipe for December for a few reasons:

1. I love gingersnaps.
2. They are cut-out cookies - who doesn't like making cut-out cookies?!
3. Uber easy!
4. A new cookie for the Christmas cookie tin. :)

 Before baking, you brush the cookies with a molasses glaze (equal parts of molasses and water).

 If only I had these cute cookie stencils.

The description for these cookies say they are mildly spiced - this is an understatement. I wish I had gone with my instinct to add more ginger and cinnamon to these. The only discernible flavor was the molasses. I like molasses - if they were called molasses cookies, the flavor would have been spot on.

These were not anything like I was expecting them to be. They were thin, tough, and chewy. I was hoping they would be similar to the Sweetzels brand that I buy - full of ginger flavor, with a hard, yet crunchy texture, perfect for dipping in a cup of coffee or tea.

(source)

I did have high hopes for these cookies. The dough was deliciously fragrant. And it took all but maybe 5 minutes to make the dough. I'm glad I refrained from making a double batch, for the end result was a disappointment.

If you want to give this recipe a try (maybe you'll have better luck than I did), you will find the recipe by clicking here, or it can be found on page 324 of Baking with Julia.

To see how my fellow bakers fared (I know a couple of them enjoyed this recipe), visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website and look for the LYL: Gingersnaps link.

TWD: X Cookies

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Nick Malgieri 

Tic-Tac-Dough anyone?

I know it was O's turn, however I only made one O, silly me.

These were time consuming, back breaking and unfortunately a big disappointment (to me).

I was so looking forward to making these. I  l o v e  fig newton cookies, and the book states these are reminiscent of those. Though they have a lot more to them besides figs (one of my favorite fruits) - golden raisins, almonds, chocolate, dark rum, and candied orange peel. Sounds delicious doesn't it?

It's a bit early in the year to find candied orange peel - however, it's abundant during the holidays - just a couple of weeks too early. I did find a specialty store a few cities over that carries it for $12.50 for a half pound. In the end I decided to make a batch myself. It was easier than I thought it would be. There are several recipes out there - some easier than others. The easiest was a recipe by Martha Stewart (interesting, if you Google "candied citrus martha stewart" she has two or three different ways of making it- hmmm); and if you choose to make your own, the leftovers are wonderful coated in dark chocolate. 

I really wish I went with my original thought of making only half the recipe. Really, who needs five dozen cookies around? Well, I thought since we were close to the holidays, I could freeze some of them, send some into work with Andy, take some to our daughter, my sister, you know, share the love. Not to mention, if they turned out anything close to a fig newton, I would have devoured a dozen easily myself (there is a silver lining to everything!).

The cookie part was extremely dry and crumbly - not soft like fig newtons - and as is the norm with recipes in this book, with all that went into these cookies, they were not very flavorful. I did only bake half the recipe (the rest of the dough and filling went into the freezer - not sure why), which I was about to toss into the garbage, but the hubby said he would still take them into work. I hesitated at that - I have my reputation to think of after all. I did let him take them to work - I only hope I can show my face at work tomorrow.

Update: They were a little better the next day - the cookie was not as dry and crumbly, though the flavor did not improve any. I don't think these were worth the time and energy spent, not to mention the cost - dried figs, nuts, rum - not cheap.

Update 2: Hubby came home without my container. I said to him, being you did not bring the container home, it must still be full, nobody liked them. No! Everybody but one guy, loved them! Even a customer, who asked if these cookies were Italian, she herself is Italian, and enjoyed them. Go figure. Must be me.

I'm not sure why the instructions say to roll the dough into a 12-inch rope, only to roll out the dough to a 3x12 rectangle. Any rolling of the dough will stretch it beyond 12 inches. I made the ropes approximately ten inches long before rolling out.

As tedious as these were, there was a fun factor to them. If only they tasted good. I don't mind a little hard work for recipes that turn out downright delicious, such as the Hastskor (horseshoe) cookies I make at Christmas.

How cute is this tray?! I got the idea and instructions from this website, that my niece Shannon  (whom is a fabulous photographer) "liked" and it showed up in my FB newsfeed.

I wish I had taken a picture before I ate most of it! Candied orange peels also taste great covered in dark chocolate - dangerously addicting. Our daughter gifted us some one Christmas and I think of it often. Now that I know it isn't really that hard to make, I will do so again. You can also use it to top desserts, use as a garnish for drinks (spirals would be cute - they are soft to begin with, and dry hard - maybe shape them around a straw?), throw them into bread batter, top your ice cream or yogurt, even add it to your favorite granola recipe, or just eat it plain like I have been. 

To see results of this recipe, or other versions the talented bakers of our group have come up with, visit the Tuesdays with Dorie site and look for the LYL: X Cookies post for links to their sites.

TWD: Baked Yogurt Tart

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan

This cake was a breeze to put together (especially since I had pie dough in the freezer) and it's so beautiful. Too bad it was lacking flavor, as is the norm with a lot of the recipes in this book.

This tart consists of eggs, sugar, non-fat yogurt, vanilla and flour, then topped with fruit and nuts. I was thinking - there is not much going on here in the flavor arena - maybe I should add something. Granted the recipe calls for two tablespoons of vanilla, that should give it a nice nuance of sweetness, and with the tangy-ness of the yogurt, I forged on as directed.

As I was licking the bowl and spatula clean of the last remnants of the deliciously soft, sweet, tangy batter, I was sure this was going to be a fabulous dessert. Unfortunately, the sweet vanilla and tangy flavor of the yogurt is lost after baking, resulting in a bland tart. (I should have gone with my gut instinct and added some lemon zest or Frangelico to the batter.)

I don't know why, but I envisioned this as having a custard like texture, when in fact it is more cheesecake like. This could have been a really good low-fat, mock cheesecake if it just had some punch to it. Made even less fattening if baked crustless in ramekins instead of a tart shell. I think this is worth playing around with.

With some flavor enhancement to the batter this could be a winner. Maybe even coating the bottom of the tart shell with lemon curd or slices of mango before adding the filling, that would be nice too.

Success meter (1-3): 1

Don't feel you need any artistic abilities to make this. The recipe instructs you to just toss the fruit on and sprinkle the outer edge with the nuts.

My tart pan was only about one-inch deep, so I had some extra batter which I filled a ramekin, sans crust - it turned out quite cute. :)

Please do stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to get the links of all the talented bakers in the group. I can assure you, you will find all kinds of adaptations to this recipe, both beautiful, and I'm sure some will be found delicious as well.

Book Ninety-One: Graham Kerr's Best

by Graham Kerr




Graham Kerr. Yep. The Galloping Gourmet. I recall my mother watching this show when I was growing up. His TV career began back in 1959 with Eggs with Flight Lieutenant Kerr and he is still active in bringing a healthy lifestyle to people today.

Vegetable Papoose. How can one pass up a recipe with a name like that? Not only the name of the dish, but the ingredients were calling out to me as well: Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, chard, nutmeg and horseradish. Yummm!

The vegetable papoose is served alongside a wedge of steamed cabbage and tomato. I have never steamed tomatoes before. I've baked and grilled them, but never steamed one. They hold their shape, yet they are soft, juicy and warm.

The tomatoes I have to say were the best part of this dish unfortunately, that and the warm buttered bread fresh from the oven. The papoose was less than flavorful as was the cabbage. It wasn't bad - just - boring. I did pick this recipe from the 10% Calories from Fat section of the book; not intentionally, it was the name that drew me in.

If you don't have health issues where you need to watch your dietary intake I think this could be tweaked to become what I was hoping it to be - delicious.

Success meter (1-3): Unrated

amazon

I have come to the conclusion that the vegetables we get in the supermarket must be larger than the vegetables available to the professionals, or their perception of large (small or medium) is very different than mine. I purchased the amount listed in the recipe and as you can see I have two half-sheet pans (I chose to roast, rather than steam them) of chopped vegetables. This would easily make eight to ten papooses. The recipe states this will serve four. This could be why it wasn't as tasty as I had hoped. The ratios being way off. Yes I did up the flavorings - apparently not enough though.

After cutting the stalks from the chard you steam the leaves until tender. Just soft enough so that you can roll them up without breaking.

You need to remove the center vein in order to roll the leaf. The veins are minced and added to the filling.

I am not a fan of dill so I substituted thyme.

Can't get much healthier!

Minimax: Nutrition information if made according to the recipe.

(Source: The book)

TWD: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Marion Cunningham




These certainly were easy though prosaic - made for a fun photoshoot but nothing more, sorry to say.

Hopefully our next recipe of "Best-Ever Brownies" will be better. How can they not be?

Success meter (1-3): 1 (UPDATE: The boys tell me they love them - especially the blueberry!)

Warning: Went a little crazy with the pics - new camera :)

The recipe calls for vegetable shortening.

I substituted butter.

Marion instructs you to mix in the shortening [butter] with

your hands. I used a pastry blender so the warmth from

my hands would not melt the butter.

I cut the sugar by half and felt these were sweet enough.

I also used allspice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg

called for in the recipe. I was a 1/4 cup short of AP flour

so I added whole wheat flour to make up the difference.

As you can see my batter is not nearly

as liquid as in the BWJ video.

If only these turned out as tasty as

they looked like they were going to.

I added blueberries to half of the batter.

No I did not eat the whole thing...

In my opinion these are not worth

the fat and calories.

If you would like to attempt this recipe yourself you can find it on Alisa's blog Easier Than Pie.

Please don't judge this recipe on my opinion only - check out my fellow blogger's results on the TWD website. Look for the Buttermilk Crumb Muffins LYL link.