TWD | Baking with Julia | Amaretti

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

The book states that amaretti means "little bitter things", due to the use of sweet and bitter almonds in the dough; and that bitter almonds cannot be imported into the United States*. 

These not so little cookies of mine, are made from only a few ingredients; four to be exact, and one of them being optional: almond paste, sugar, egg whites, and pine nuts (I used sliced almonds).

The almond paste is mixed with the sugar in two increments until the paste turns into very fine crumbs; next, the egg whites are mixed in. Bam! Done. How easy is that?!! So easy, it felt as though something was missing.

The dough is transferred to a pastry bag and small mounds are placed on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment, about one and a half inches apart. I obviously made mine too large, for I only yielded a baker's dozen, as where the recipe states it makes about three dozen! Oops.

Before baking, the cookies are dabbed with a wet towel to remove the points and ridges made from the pipping tip; this also helps produce the crinkly top. If using the optional nuts, they are applied at this time. I topped a third of my cookies with almonds, another third with powdered sugar, and left the last plain.

They are baked in a 325° oven for about twenty minutes.

The cookies did stick to the parchment, as noted in the book that this could happen. I have a very thin metal spatula that I used to remove them - it worked OK. It is recommended to wet the underside of the parchment, using a pastry brush with hot water, and allowed to sit for a few seconds, until the cookies can be released. I started with this method, but when I lifted the parchment paper, the powdered sugar started falling off my cookies.

The cookies were wonderful the day they were made, but I liked them even more a day or two later. They became a little more crisp on the outside, with a wonderfully chewy center. They do become rather dry and too crispy, after day two. 

Though I enjoyed them all, the powdered sugar ones were my favorite.

These were so easy, so sweet, and so dangerously good (not knowing just how dangerous they could be!)
 
*Of course I had to find out why bitter almonds were not allowed to be imported into the US as mentioned in the book. Did you know, that bitter almonds contain a naturally occurring toxic chemical, hydrogen cyanide? This chemical has serious side effects such as slowing of the nervous system, breathing problems, and death. According to WebMD, they advise not using bitter almond. Ah yeah...

In my research, I ran across this current recall from Whole Foods for said almonds, imported from Italy and Spain??? Hmmm - maybe import restrictions have eased since 1996 - when this book was printed.

Do head over to the TWD website by clicking here to see the results of my fellow bakers.

TWD: Alsatian Onion Tart

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Michel Richard

Well, this has the appearance more like a pizza than a tart - at least in my mind. When I think of a tart, I conjure up images of dough that has been pressed into a tart pan, and after baking, it comes out with beautiful ruffled edges.

OK. So looks aren't everything.

Taste. This does have taste going for it. It was quite delicious. 

This was very easy to make. You start with preparing the base (I did this while my onions were cooking) by rolling out puff pastry dough (yes - puff pastry - no tart or pizza dough here) until it is very thin, about an eighth of an inch, but no more than a quarter of an inch, and using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into a circle (I'm sure any shape you choose would work), about twelve inches in diameter.

The dough is pricked all over with a fork, this will keep the puff pastry from, well, puffing... it's all about the flavor. The dough is then refrigerated until you are ready to top it with the onion mixture.

The onion mixture is made from four very large onions that have been diced. I only used three, and was in a hurry, so I sliced the onions instead of dicing, and had more than enough. The onions are cooked in chicken broth until very soft, and then cooled, at which time you add a few tablespoons of heavy cream (I used half and half) and salt and pepper.

The recipe calls for slab bacon to be diced and par-boiled. The store I went to does not have slab bacon, so I purchased thick-cut bacon slices - which worked just fine. I skipped the par-boiling of the bacon, and cooked it up normally (undercooked it a bit), then diced it. 

The tart was now ready for assembly! The pastry is first topped with the onion mixture, then the bacon is scattered over the top and pressed into the onions a bit, to help keep them from burning too much while baking. I had some diced jalapeño left over from the chili I made the night before, so I tossed those on as well - a good call if I do say so myself - it provided a nice spicy kick that I love. The tart is baked in a three-hundred and fifty degree oven until golden brown.

This was delicious, and would make for a lovely appetizer; though it can't really be made ahead of time for the bottom crust gets a bit soggy after sitting. It is easy enough to throw together at the last minute if you make the onions, cook the bacon, and prep the dough ahead of time - then assemble and toss it in the oven just before serving.

I was thinking a rectangular shaped tart would be pretty...

Don't forget to check out the results of my fellow bakers also! You will find their links by clicking here, or by going to the Tuesdays with Dorie website and looking for the BWJ LYL: Alsatian Onion Tart link. 

TWD: Puff Pastry Pizzettes

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Michel Richard


Have you ever had bits of puff pastry dough left over from a recipe and did not know what to do with the scraps? So you either tossed it (gasp!), or thrown it in the freezer, where it ends up banished to the back not to be found for months, or maybe even years later? Well, we have a solution for you.

October was "puff month" for us TWD bakers - and this week's recipe uses those scraps that we had left over from the sunny-side-up pastries we made two weeks ago.

These are so uber easy to make, you may not want to wait till you have scraps. You may just want to go out and get yourself a fresh box right away!

There's really no "recipe" to make these. You just take your leftover scraps, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch and cut out circles to the size of your liking. Add your favorite topping and bake in a 350° oven for about fifteen minutes, until puffed and golden. You do want to make sure to press the toppings into the dough a bit, so they do not slide off when the dough puffs up. 

I topped a few with tomato and blue cheese, some with sautéed mushrooms, and the others with tomato, and just a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Out of the three, the tomato with just a dash of salt and pepper was my favorite. I took some to my sister, and she enjoyed the other two flavors (I ate all of the tomato with s&p).

You can also go with a sweet version if you like - like a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, jam, or berries, the options are limited only to your imagination.

As usual, do check out what my fellow bakers have come up with. You will find their links on the TWD website, under the LYL: Puff Pastry Pizzettes link.

TWD: Oven-Roasted Plum Cakes

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

These little cakes could not be any simpler to prepare, and what a great presentation they make too!

Two of my plums were a little riper than I would have liked them to be for this recipe - they tasted fine, I just preferred the texture of the firmer plum after baking.

The batter for this cake is pretty straight forward - butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, and vanilla, with the addition of buttermilk and orange zest.

Oh my! The aroma of the batter was amazing. The scent of the vanilla and orange was intoxicating - a little aromatherapy was going on here.

After buttering the ramekins, I took the extra precaution of lining them with a circle of parchment paper - I have this fear of baked goods sticking profusely. Not sure it was really necessary - I had buttered the dishes pretty well - they released quite easily, edges and all. 

Each ramekin is filled with two tablespoons of batter, then a half plum is placed on top (cut side up) and lightly pressed into the batter - not too deep, for you want the plum to show after baking; each plum is sprinkled with about a tablespoon of light brown sugar before baking.

It was a little tricky getting the cakes out of the ramekins while warm, the edges of the cake will crack. I even let one cool completely, still it cracked, though not as bad. I just pressed them back to gether ever so gently. That is where some whipped cream comes in handy - to hide any imperfections that may occur - as Mr. Desaulniers himself does, as shown in this video.

These little cakes are a deliciously sweet treat - the cake part was soft and moist, with a crunchy exterior, a nice contrast to the soft warm plum in the center.

Surprisingly to me, my husband even liked them! He has never really been a dessert person. Maybe it helped that he had this at breakfast with his coffee.

These really are best served warm, as recommended in the recipe; though they can be stored at room temperature for a day, wrapped airtight. We had these two days later (I refrigerated them after the first day), and they reheated nicely in a 350° oven for about ten to fifteen minutes.

These little jewels are on the sweet side - a little unsweetened whipped cream would help curb the sweetness. You could also probably cut back on the amount of sprinkled brown sugar atop the plums. I did not have any whipped cream on hand, so we ate them plain - good thing I do like sweet treats.


The recipe can be found on page 255 of Baking with Julia, or by clicking here.

You will want to visit my fellow baker's sites as well, I'm sure there will be some wonderful variations to the recipe, for there usually are, due to ingredient availability or dietary restrictions.

TWD: Baking Powder Biscuits

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

Marion Cunningham - need I say more? I have her book, The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, from over thirty years ago - it was my first cookbook. The recipes are basic, no-frills, flawless, easy peasy, always turn out, kinda recipes. 

So, how can one one mess up such an easy recipe? Well, let me tell you:

1. Subbing butter for shortening - and we all know that shortening makes for flakier biscuits.
2. Subbing half & half for milk (either that, or non-fat milk)  - not detrimental, I'm sure.
3. Using expired baking powder - detrimental, if you want a little height to your biscuits.

I cut the recipe in half, and using a three-inch biscuit cutter, I came out with four biscuits, plenty for the two of us.

My biscuits were not as flaky as I had expected, and only rose to about an inch in height. They tasted OK. They are biscuits after all - not a whole lot going for them, other than what you top them with - gravy, jam, butter, honey - whatever floats your boat.

If I were to make these again, one, I would brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter, and give them a sprinkle of salt, before baking.

The biscuit with a bit of butter and honey. It was tasty this way.

The recipe can be found on page 211 - 212 of Baking with Julia, or by clicking here. Do visit my fellow baker's sites to see how they fared with this recipe.

TWD: Vanilla Pound Cake

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Flo Braker 

Need to make a dessert at the last minute? I bet you have everything you need on hand to make this cake - it's a simple and straightforward recipe.

This cake is made up of standard ingredients of flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla.

When recipes call for milk, I'm assuming they mean full-fat milk. I only have non-fat milk, so I used a mixture of non-fat and half and half; other than that, I followed the recipe as directed. 

The cake has a wonderful sweet vanilla flavor, and is lighter and not as dense as your typical pound cake. My cake was a tad on the dry side, so I served this topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt and berries. Unfortunately the yogurt was a bit overpowering - it masked the lovely vanilla flavor this cake has. I think whipped cream would be a better option.

I read that this is also tasty toasted; this I did not get a chance to try, for I had already sent the cake off with my sister for her to take to work.

Hop over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website and check out the LYL: Vanilla Pound Cake link to see what my fellow bakers thought of this recipe. 

TWD: Phylloccine Ice Cream Sandwiches

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Gale Gand

Phylloccine [fee-loh-chee-ne]. No, it's not an actual word - and before I read the recipe, I was pronouncing it with a long I and soft C - sounded to me like some kind of additive or something - doesn't it?

It's actually a combination of the words phyllo and fettuccine. You know, like "Brangelina" for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The phyllo dough is cut into fettuccine size ribbons to be made into "nests".

This recipe was super easy! After the phyllo is formed into the nests, they are sprinkled with butter and sugar. Once the nests are baked, you top them with ice cream, brown sugar whipped cream (which I omitted), a "salad" made up of raspberry purée, mint and whole raspberries (I went with just a purée), and more fresh fruit, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if you wish. 

I sprinkled the nests with demerara sugar. I think I would have liked regular sugar better.

With strawberries being super sweet and delicious, I had to make my favorite ice cream - Strawberry-Basil Ice Cream, by David Lebovitz. You can not go wrong with his ice cream recipes.

Originally I was going to go with a mixture of berries for this dessert. In the end, I decided on only strawberries and blueberries.

Looking at this photo, fanned strawberries on the plate would have been prettier..

That said, this would make a beautiful dessert for the Fourth of July, don't you think?

If you are thinking it's too much work, really, it's not. The nests can be made a day ahead, as well as the purée, use your favorite store bought ice cream, and you can always put out the components, and let your guests build their own. :)

This is such a versatile dessert - how about coconut ice cream?!! adorned with tropical fruits like mango, kiwi, papaya, and pineapple!

The options are endless, use whatever floats your boat. 

Surprise your family and friends with this elegant and easy dessert. You can find the recipe on page 405 of Baking with Julia, or by clicking here.  

For other inspiring ideas, check out my fellow baker's rendition of this recipe!

TWD: Scallop & Pesto Purses (sans the scallops & pesto..)

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan

Scallop and Pesto Purses were chosen for this weeks recipe.

My husband loves scallops, I have been wanting to make these for him for the longest time. I had nominated this recipe several times in the past, and it was finally chosen!

Unfortunately, the scallop version would not fit into my schedule. Every time I was ready to make these, he was either at class, a meeting, or out of town.  So as not to be any later in posting this recipe (again, out of town..), I changed the filling to something more of my liking (scallops - meh) - since it would only be me eating them.

I filled my purses with goat cheese, onion confit, and dried figs - the same ingredients I used to top this pizza - which I loved, and thought it would make a great filling for these cute little purses.

Today, phyllo was not my friend. You need to work quickly with phyllo so it does not dry out and tear. Well, mine was tearing the minute I unrolled it from the package; frustrating to say the least. I was supposed to get six squares from the sheets of phyllo. A good portion had torn, so I was only able to get four squares per sheet. This was not a big deal, being it was only me that would be enjoying these little tidbits.

Make sure your phyllo is well buttered or oiled, it makes for easier handling. The recipe instructs you to to tie the bundles with buttered string to hold the tops closed. I skipped this - the oiled phyllo held together quite well on its own.

I began wondering why my phyllo was tearing so easy when I unrolled it. I had just purchased it two weeks ago, and the package had not been opened yet (kept in the freezer till the day before). I had never thought to check for an expiration date. It reads, best used by May 2, 2014. Today is the 9th.  Hmmm.. maybe that was the problem?

I'll find out, for I have another recipe I will be making this month that calls for phyllo (which I was hoping to use up the rest from this box). You can be sure I will be checking the date before I purchase my next box.

If my next try with phyllo turns out well, I'll revisit this recipe using the original ingredients called for in the recipe. They were fun to make, frustrations aside, and are impressive looking.

To see other takes on this recipe, as well as the original version, check out my fellow bakers' links over on the Tuesdays with Dorie site.

TWD: Cantuccini

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

Cantuccini, cantucci, biscotti - whatever you want to call them, they are basically the same; a twice baked (almost rock-hard) cookie/biscuit. These are meant to be dipped in vin santo, coffee, or tea. I'm sure milk or hot chocolate would be just as good to dip into as well. At the risk of possibly cracking a tooth, you will want to dip...

This was one easy peasy recipe! And to think I almost passed on this one. No long chilling times or rest periods, or fancy equipment needed - just a bowl or two, a cookie sheet, and a serrated knife; and clean-up was almost non-existent!

My original plan was to halve the recipe. I did not want to have a hundred cookies (the recipe makes eight dozen!) laying around that I may be disappointed with; we made hazelnut biscotti in July 2012, and I was not all that impressed with them.

I ended up making only a third of the recipe, which yielded 18 cookies (I cut mine closer to a 1/2-inch thick, rather than the 1/4-inch thick as instructed); for when I went to the refrigerator to grab the eggs, I discovered I had only one egg. How could that be?

I guess it was meant to be - who needs that many cookies in the house, when you end up liking them.

Do make sure to visit the blogs of my fellow bakers to see their results with this recipe. I'm sure there will be a few different variations, as there usually is. You can click here to be directed to the list of their links on the TWD LYL: Cantuccini post.

Should you like to try your hand at making these, you will find the recipe on page 313 of Baking with Julia, or on Nick Malgieri's (the contributor of this recipe) website. (I did notice that the recipe on Nick's website uses a half teaspoon less of baking powder, than is called for in the book.)

TWD: Potato Lefse

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Beatrice Ojakangas

This week's recipe, potato lefse (pronounced lef-suh) is a Norwegian flatbread made with potatoes, butter, heavy cream, sugar, salt, and flour. You may think they look like a tortilla, but that is where the similarities end - these are softer and sweeter, and when made correctly, thinner. (I started out using a French rolling  pin which left the edges thicker than the center. A traditional rolling pin works much better.)

These where extremely easy and fun to make. They do take a little advance planning, for the dough needs to chill overnight (at least eight hours) in the fridge - other than that, these were made in no time at all.

 

After the overnight rest in the fridge, flour is added to the rest of the ingredients to form a nice soft dough, which is then divided into twelve pieces and formed into balls. The dough balls are rolled out till they are tissue paper thin - you want to be able to see through it. Then they are cooked on a griddle until bubbly and browned.

Don't shy away from making these because you don't have the special equipment traditional lefse is made with -  a ricer, grooved or cloth-covered rolling pin, round griddle, and a lefse stick. I have none of these items (and no dear, please don't go out and buy them - thank you anyway), nor did my fellow bakers, and we all made these successfully. 

Here is what I used to make my lefse:

A food mill in place of the ricer - if you don't have either, maybe try pushing the potatoes through a strainer - the object is not to have any lumps in your potatoes. 

A traditional rolling pin - keeping it well floured ( as well as your work surface. Be forewarned - flour will get everywhere!)

A griddle that fits over the gas burners on my cooktop. An electric griddle or nonstick fry pan would work too.

As for the lefse stick, I was able to lift the dough off the work surface with my hands and place it on the griddle, and used my trusty fish spatula to turn it over. An offset spatula, dowel, or new paint stirrer can be used as well.

Traditionally, lefse is served warm, spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon sugar and rolled up.

I chose to use the lefses for one of our favorite dinners - smoked turkey wraps with mango and curried mayonnaise. The hubs said the wraps were even better, and want them to always be made with lefse. Not sure that will happen... being I very rarely know what I am making for dinner, just hours beforehand.

The next day I tried the lefse with some butter and cinnamon sugar as suggested in the book -  s o   g o o d!

These are definitely worth a repeat performance..

To see all the fabulous results with this recipe, without any special equipment, check out the links of my fellow bakers. Their links are listed under the LYL: Potato Lefse link, on the TWD website.

If you would like to see lefse being made, here is a video one of our bakers posted, of Beatrice and Martha Stewart making the these. It's always nice to have a visual.

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.