What are you baking these days? November 2011, part 1 [old]

[buttertart]

Hi there everybody, hope you had a nice Halloween! Left with candy to use up? Thinkinkg about what to make for Thanksgiving dessert? More Fall fruit adventures? Looking forward to hearing about all of it.

[bushwickgirl]

Alice Medrich's brownies. Brown butter and cocoa based. Killer rich and pudgy, I mean fudgy.

[kattyeyes]

Yeah, baby!

[sunflwrsdh]

Laurie Colwin's gingerbread.

[chef chicklet]

Today it's Martha Stewart's Blueberry Muffins. I've made these several times and they are wonderful. The thing I'm always baffled about and something she also mentions is to "flour the blueberries" to keep them from sinking. I always do, but the batter is so nice they don't sink, so wonder if I can leave this step out. Anyway, the house smells great once again.

[buttertart]

There's a Part 2 started - on mobile and can't figure out how to link them but will do so later. C'mon let's get that party started!

[kattyeyes]

Here you go--pathway to part 2:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/817849

[buttertart]

Thank you, m'dear!

[THewat]

Loaf of bread, itty-bitty chocolate-amaretti torte. I used the Souschef method of not removing the amaretti & almonds before adding the other ingredients. I am cooling completely on the rack before attempting to de-pan, per Caitlin. Happy, happy.

[roxlet]

I made a white cake using Nick Malgieri's recipe from Bake!, and frosted it using RLB's recipe from Heavenly cake. The frosting is a chocolate mocha whipped ganache, and I hope it's not too bitter for the birthday boy! I don't think I have ever whipped a ganache before, and I was amazed by how soupy it was before the whipping and how fluffy it was after. I think that there was a higher percentage of cream to chocolate in this ganache recipe.

[buttertart]

That's one of my fallback frostings when I'm stumped for one.

[roxlet]

Do you use RLB's from Heavenly cakes?

[buttertart]

Nope, I wing it. Half as much chocolate as cream, chill until firmish, beat the bejeebers out of it.

[souschef]

How do you measure half as much chocolate as cream?

[roxlet]

A cup of cream to a half cup of melted chocolate?

[buttertart]

Weight, believe it or not.

[souschef]

You actually weigh the cream? I'm impressed.....and I approve :)

[buttertart]

See, you have had some effect on my slovenly ways.

[souschef]

Me influence you ? I doubt it. I think the only reason you go by weight is to avoid having to warm the cream in a separate pan; we all know how much you hate cleanup. Imagine combining melted chocolate with cold cream. BTW I just remembered that we have an outstanding challenge where you have to do just that - the Tour D'Argent mousse cake.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I've never melted chocolate to make ganache. I just heat the cream and whisk it with the chopped chocolate to melt it all together. Only one pan involved, and heating cream is far less exacting than melting chocolate without burning.

[souschef]

That's the way I do it too, but if you wanted to measure chocolate and cream by volume, you would have to melt the chocolate first.

[buttertart]

Same here, heat the cream.

[souschef]

That's the way I do it too.

[karykat]

I'm curious to know if the fluff stays fluffy. Can you give us a report later?

[roxlet]

Sure thing.

[soccermom13]

Hi Roxlet,
Do you love NM's Bake! cookbook? I just got a copy but I am feeling very, very guilty about buying yet another book when I have no place to put all the ckbks I already have...... I'm thinking about returning it.
Thanks.

[roxlet]

This is the first recipe I made from it. I hope you got a very good price on it since it's on sale everywhere. I think mine was about $8 from thegoodcook.com, so I certainly wouldn't return it! Bushwickgirl said the mini coconut cakes are wonderful.

[soccermom13]

I got it for $5 at a Half Price Book sale, so I can't complain about price. I have so many baking books. Wonder if that because I have an insatiable sweet tooth?

Thanks, Roxlet.

[roxlet]

Do you have other Malgieri books? buttertart turned me on to him, and he is now my go-to guy for many recipes.

[soccermom13]

Modern Baker and Cookie Unlimited. I have identified recipes in each bk I'd like to make, but not yet made them. It pains me to admit that ;0(

Any favorite Nick M recipes I should make, Roxlet?

[buttertart]

You must get A Baker's Tour - I love that book. Recipes from his travels and all over the world. Super stuff. And you must make his Supernatural Brownies. :)

[soccermom13]

Humm.... IIRC, I have read very good things about NM's Supernatural Brownies. Thanks for the tip.

[roxlet]

I have his coconut cake layers in the oven now. I think they are the best coconut cake layers I've made, and I have been making coconut cake for a long time since it's just about the only cake my husband truly loves, so I make it for his birthday every year. The one issue for me is that he says to bake the layers in 8" pans. I find the layers too thin, so I do mine in 9" pans.

[buttertart]

Vice versa, no? 8 in i/o 9 in?

[BabsW]

I made a batch of peanut butter & chocolate chip blondies last night. A nice change from my usual brownies.

[kattyeyes]

AHM NOM NOM NOM!

[BabsW]

Funny, that was almost word for word my kids' reactions. heh

[kattyeyes]

I am a big kid in an adult suit--we speak the same language. Sometimes. :) Did you tweak a favorite recipe, or try something new?

[BabsW]

I tweaked my usual butterscotch blondie recipe and just swapped out the butterscotch chips for pb chips and chocolate chips. :D

These are great the next day but absolutely INSANE still warm out of the oven.

[cstout]

BabsW....did I miss out on the recipe???? I was just craving something like that....makes me want to lick the picture....oh no, that won't work. Please direct me to that luscious treat. Num Yummy.

[BabsW]

Sure thing!

Ingredients:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, whisking well to break up any clumps and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, cream together the butter with sugar and brown sugar until fluffy.

4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating on low speed until thoroughly combined.

5. Fold in the chips and make sure they're all well incorporated into the dough.

6. Spread the dough in prepared baking pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until set.

7. Cool on wire rack and then cut into bars.

[THewat]

Souschef - I'm thinking I'll make the chocolate-amaretti torte tomorrow for the first time. I've read your posts with interest & have two questions for you. 1) I seem to remember that you found it too sweet with commercial amaretti & cut back the sugar - if so, to what? and 2) I really want to make it in a 6" pan. (It's going to a very small dinner, and I don't want wild amounts left over.) If I've done the math right, that's .56 in area... what's your guess - can I just half it?

[souschef]

I don't remember cutting back on the sugar, so I went back to my posts and saw no such mention. It should be okay to go with the full amount of sugar.

0.56 is correct, so theoretically you can just half it. However, I'm always concerned with working with miniscule amounts, the same as sometimes doubling a recipe does not give you double the volume. To be safe I would go with 2/3 as the full recipe uses 3 eggs. The leftover batter can be saved as a special treat for the chef, to be baked the next day.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I used commercial amaretti. but made the torte with 70% cocoa-content chocolate, and did not find it too sweet that way. I served it the 8-inch torte to 4 people, and there was less than a quarter left, by the way. We did all have seconds, however both first and second servings were small pieces. It is barely an inch high.

[souschef]

IIRC, you did not glaze it, right? I found that the glaze in the recipe does not work; it's too watery.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Which glaze are you referring to, souschef? The amaretti torte recipe itself has no glaze, and if memory serves you decided to add one because you don't like to serve an ungilded lily.

[souschef]

The recipe does have a glaze:

"For the glaze:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water "

But you are right - I do like to gild a lily :)

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

[Caitlin McGrath]

Interesting. I used the recipe from this link, and there is no glaze: http://www.post-gazette.com/food/2000...

That article is from 2000, and the Serious Eats one is from 2010, so it appears that she added a glaze in the interim!

[THewat]

Souschef & Caitlin, you are my heroes. I so appreciate the instant response. Your notes on fragility and mixing show up as quotes at the bottom of my printed recipe. :-)

[souschef]

So did you go with 1/2 or 2/3, and how did it turn out.

[THewat]

2/3 - it was the obvious solution & I felt a little silly that it didn't occur to me before you said it. I didn't go on to weigh it & make sure I was actually baking the right amount of that 2/3rds, but I must have been pretty close. I thought it might cook faster because it was smaller, but at 25 it wasn't dry in the center yet. I took it out at 30, and it sank a little bit as it cooled. It came out to about an inch high, as Caitlin's did. I cooled in the pan & the edges were solid; it was very easy to take off the bottom of the springform & I had no worries about transporting it. Because I didn't take the nuts & amaretti out of the food processor before adding the other ingredients, it had a little texture to it, but only a little. I served it with lightly whipped cream & some crumbled amaretti on top. Two of us ate 2/3 of it, and I thought it was good. The second day I served the last 1/3 without cream & next to - oddly - a little bowl of applesauce. I liked it better the second time around. I tasted it more & there was less riding on it. I make two similar tortes, that do not require amaretti, that I also think are good. One is the Chocolate Almond Torte from Bon Appétit, May 2002, the other is the Italian Chocolate-almond Torte from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I'm also a fan of Medrich's Italian Chocolate-almond Torte, though of course it's a different sort of cake, with egg whites only. It's so easy to make, with a very sophisticated flavor. And thanks for the BA recommendation, looks good: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[buttertart]

Was going to make some cookies this weekend but ended up just making bread - winging it, with leftover pizza dough, some "Greek" yogurt that got frozen and broke (Cabot should stick to their sharp cheddar cheese and butter, this was lousy), about a half cup of fine bulgur, soaked, same of wheat germ, cup of whole wheat flour and white flour enough to make a softish dough. Mixed it up at 12 noon, have it rising for the second time right now, will put it to its final rise shortly.

[chef chicklet]

French Banquettes
I found a recipe on the internet today. Although I thought I was getting a quick version, seems just the same as the usual. It's still rising, hope it turns out.

[souschef]

Hey CeeCee, I'm rolling on the floor here....a banquette is something on which you sit!

[chef chicklet]

Ha Ha yourself! that's a good one though, and I wasn't even drinking!
Actually get off the floor and sit down on the banquette that I just baked! It's still warm!

[souschef]

Oooooh! Warm buns !

[cstout]

Chef Chicklet & souschef are a funny pair, thanks for the chuckle...love those little "off the walll jokes"....makes life a bit more interesting.

[chef chicklet]

ps/ the dough rose and maybe I didn't get the breads into the oven quick enough? I slashed the loaves down the center before the second rise (as instructed), then right before baking I painted the loaves with egg and water. They kinda spread out, and were flatter than normal. Do you think that was because of the egg wash?

[souschef]

I don't think it was because of the egg wash, but I'm no expert. The bread expert here is buttertart.

[buttertart]

Not really an expert, but either the dough was too slack or it rose too much before gettting it in the oven.

[BabsW]

I've had that problem with baguettes and been told its because I need something a bit more supportive, like a brotform , a perforated baguette pan with curved sides or a canvas baker's couche, to keep the dough rigid during the second rise.

Here is the baker's couche from King Arthur Flour: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/i...

I have a whole roll of artist-grade, unprimed canvas that I was thinking about using, but I'm not sure if it's food-safe.

[chef chicklet]

oh, well that makes sense and that's isn't too expensive. You see them on baker trays sometimes, just a flat tray. But I'll bet the oven is so hot and dry, they don't have time to flatten out. If it's just 100% cotton, why not? Unless it's treated with a flame retardant or bug spray....yeah check that out, wouldn't want it to catch fire or make you sick. Hope it works.

[BabsW]

Oh, you don't bake them on the canvas, you let them rise there after you've shaped them and then quickly transfer them to the hot oven to bake on a pan or a stone. :)

[chef chicklet]

ooooooooooh!

[chef chicklet]

I think you hit it. It rose pretty good the second rise, and seemed to deflate after I painted them with the wash...still tasted good.. I noticed in the Bread Apprentice, they don't paint them with any wash at all.

[chef chicklet]

aw. thanks!

[roxlet]

I just pulled a pumpkin ginger breakfast bread out of the oven. I threw in some mini chocolate chips as well, and as soon as it cools a bit, I will drizzle a glaze over the top.

[rstuart]

Yum... I love pumpkin and ginger together. Where is the recipe from?

[roxlet]

It was from an old issue of Everyday Cooking that I pulled out and filed.

[souschef]

For breakfast this morning I made Chef Chicklet's scones.
- I used 10 oz flour, for 2 cups
- I felt that 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar was too much, so used 1/4 cup only
- I used walnuts instead of pecans, and raisins instead of cranberries
- The dough was too dry, so I had to add 2 Tbsp more cream
- I rolled out the dough to 3/4 inch thick and used a 2" cookie cutter; got a baker's dozen. I skipped the sugar in the topping

They were done in 20 minutes.

The verdict: they were nice and light, but a bit too sweet. I enjoyed the nuts in them. Definitely worth repeating. 

[chef chicklet]

I use bakers sugar, would that matter in sweetness do you think? Also what about confectioner's sugar, I've wanted to try that but I forget to, wonder if that might change sweetness level?
Probably what I call scones since I was modeling after Starbucks, isn't what a scone aficionado would recognize.

[souschef]

I use superfine sugar; I have never seen baker's sugar around here. I doubt it would make a difference. Confectioner's sugar (which I call icing sugar) has an anti-caking agent added. I only ever use that when I make icing. Of course, different people like different sweetness levels, and I don't like sweet for breakfast; my best breakfast is bread and paté.

Call it what you want, but it's good !:) Madame Souschef's first comment was that it was light.

[chef chicklet]

oh we don't eat those just for breakfast, we eat them all day! lol!
Pate? Sound great to me, I prefer savory breakfast, it would be rare that I'd ever anything sweet at breakfast.

oh and superfine is baker's sugar (that's what on the container I buy....)

[mamachef]

For a minor act of bribery, a large batch of those peanut butter cookies, and for fun and experimentation and sheer deliciousness (I hope), I'm trying my hand at some sourdough/artichoke/sharp cheddar rolls, topped at the end with shredded parmesan. I want to see if I can make them as well as, or better than, The Cheeseboard's. (I'm a little scared of sourdough, though, so wish me well.)

[roxlet]

Let us know how that goes! Sounds awesome!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Had a big group over for dinner tonight, so I made Dorie's all-in-one Thanksgiving cake. We all loved the combination of flavors - pumpkin, apple, cranberries, and pecans - and that it wasn't too sweet. I skipped the maple glaze and just used a dusting of conf. sugar.

[roxlet]

That looks beautiful. Love the pan!

[Caitlin McGrath]

That is beautiful, and when I saw that recipe this week, I thought it sounded good!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/din...

[Chocolatechipkt]

Thanks! I couldn't resist using the new pan. :)

[roxlet]

Monday is my son's 16th birthday (is it possible time has gone by so fast?), and despite being in High School, he has decided that he wants to take cookies to all of his classes. Roughly, that is about 100 cookies, so two large batches. Today I made the King Arthur Flour recipe for the chocolate peanut butter cookies made with miniature peanut butter cups. I didn't have enough of the cups for the double recipe, so I used some of the ones I got at Trader Joe's. However, I do think that they are different -- the KA ones are made for baking and don't melt into the cookie. So I used about 8 oz. of the KA and 4 of the TJs. I hope that they are apparent. BTW, these are wonderful cookies, very peanut butter cup-ish, and the last batch I made was devoured. There's about 60 of these cookies, and I am trying to decide what to do for the second one. Chocolate chip cookies are the default, and the kids all adore them, so I should probably stop obsessing and just do those. At any rate, I will likely do those tomorrow since I like to put them individually into little cello bags, and I don't have enough of those.

[mamachef]

'Member how everyone would tell you "you won't believe how fast the time will fly; treasure every possible moment?" Congrats. on #16 to your kiddo - that's a really significant one. The cookies sound so delicious - did you decide on the chocolate chips, or something else?

[roxlet]

Yup. Chocolate chippers. First batch in the oven now. I find that anything off the beaten path doesn't sell. for example, for a bake sale (the have a ton to raise money for events and charities), I made donut muffins. Did you ever have those? They're amazing. Nobody bought 'em. Everyone went for chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes. That's all I make now.

[buttertart]

My mom used to make donut muffins. They are very good.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I made donut muffins last week. I was aiming for apple cider donut muffins, but the apple cider flavor didn't really come through -- they were still tasty as regular donut muffins, though.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I adore anything coffee-flavored, so I couldn't resist trying out a coffee coffee cake recipe. The marble part is coffee-flavored and so is the glaze. It is delicious.

[roxlet]

It looks excellent. Where did you find the recipe?

[Caitlin McGrath]

It's in the Gourmet Cookbook, though I switched it up a bit in making it a marble cake. I explained that more thoroughly in the COTM thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8151...

[souschef]

Caitlin, does the coffee in the cake mean you can skip the accompanying cup of coffee when you eat this cake ? :)

[Redstickchef]

I am trying to incorporate chocolate into my thanksgiving day menu so I thought I'd give the Chocolate Caramel Slice bars on epicurious a try. Overall the recipe was fairly easy but I think I might have "overcooked" the caramel if that is possible, but I think this will be making an appearance at our table this thanksgiving. I also made the Pioneer woman's "Rum Cake" at the request of my mom, and it is amazing! Since I had a little bit of extra time on my hands I also, made Martha's choc-chip cookie recipe and froze the dough so that I can just whip 'em out for the holidays.

[shaebones]

Granola bars. Right now. Recipe from Wednesdays Boston Globe. Hope they come out good. They smell heavenly.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Cornbread today ... Dorie's recipe. So good.

[sunflwrsdh]

Deciding about Thanksgiving desserts. Definitely apple pie with cheddar crust and crumb topping, thinking pumpkin cheesecake, but flexible about what recipe,,,probably with gingersnap crust....and, since my niece will be home and this is her favorite dessert ever, grasshopper pie, from Betty Crocker.

[jlhinwa]

I am - once again - making potato lefse dough this evening. I am sooo over this particular treat but it is a family favorite and a labor of love for my 90-year-old daddy who doesn't have many pleasures that he looks forward to any more. I am actually hosting a "cousin's lefse-making party" at my home on Saturday so our generation can share tips, recipes, techniques, etc. so the lefse-making tradition doesn't die out with our folks.

I am sure it will be a lot of fun and a great day, but I'd rather be making cookies, or pies, or any one of a number of decadent sounding desserts described on this thread!

[emily]

Ah, I have always wanted to try lefse since I saw Beatrice Ojakangas demonstrate them on Martha Stewart's show.

[buttertart]

I just saw this, hope it was fun. I think it's just wonderful you can do this. Would I could do the same for mom or dad.

[Cherylptw]

Key lime pound cake and a sweet potato layer cake with cream cheese buttercream frosting

[bushwickgirl]

Cheryl, haven't seen you for awhile!! The sweet potato layer cake, sounds very good, would you share the recipe??

[FoodPopulist]

I have little baking experience, but I decided to try a recipe that calls for making meringue. I don't have a mixer, so I whipped the egg whites by hand for almost an hour. It seems to have turned out okay despite giving up before I had stiff peaks. I have a suspicion that thirty minutes was not enough time to let the whites warm to room temperature and that my bowl may have been contaminated with egg yolk.

[souschef]

One hour is way too long. I do it by hand in about 10 minutes, I think (I've never actually timed it).

I run warm water over the eggs to warm them up. You could also start the beating over a bowl of hot water.

Supposedly glass bowls are the wrong thing to use for egg whites; you are supposed to use a metal bowl. I use a copper one.

[FoodPopulist]

I did know that bit about bowls. I don't own a copper bowl. I don't even own any metal bowls. In fact, I don't even have any glass bowls of an appropriate size.

I could also try adding salt as some recipes suggest, or adding cream of tartar earlier. And I will probably use a finer sugar next time.

This was all part of an experiment to see if I could make a more involved dessert that I would consider making for Thanksgiving, with the intention of buying the necessary cookware if I liked the results.

[souschef]

A good test of whether you have whipped the egg white enough is to hold it upside-down over your head. If you're not covered in egg, you're good to go. I'm not kidding !!!

That's the way I test it, usually over the head of an onlooker.

[cakebakerlady1]

Last week it was a police car and a teddy bear. This week, three dozen 1980ish neon cupcakes. (I work part time at a local cake shop btw).

[burgeoningfoodie]

Can you all supply me with some good chocolate and PB recipes?

[Chocolatechipkt]

I have LOTS ... anything in particular you're looking for?

[burgeoningfoodie]

Well I mean I could the simple route of doing a chocolate cupcake with pb filling. This is a request from a lady who is turning 30 in two weeks and since I bake and she requested no gifts.. my gift is baking something great for her party. Nothing extravagant necessarily. It could be as simple as a chocolate covered peanut butter cheesecake or buckeyes but I think those are a bit too simple.

[kattyeyes]

One of my best and most memorable birthday presents ever received was an entire shirt box, multiple layers, of homemade peanut butter kiss cookies. I know they're simple, but I am a huge peanut butter chocolate kinda person and to think someone made one of my favorite cookies just for me still makes me smile many years later. I am 43 now; I was 20-something then.

[pikawicca]

I love these cookies, too. Surprisingly, never had one until a neighbor gave me a bunch when I was about 40.

[kattyeyes]

:) Need to make some soon--I read somewhere it's peanut butter lovers month! I think from Cooking Light, maybe? But see here!
http://peanutbutterlovers.com/2011/11...

Definitely an occasion to be celebrated with these cookies!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Who knew? And just yesterday I made triple pb chip cookies and also Dorie's pb cookies, which are pretty amazing.

[Chocolatechipkt]

A batch of Snickerfudge. I came up with a good recipe, if I do say so. There's a pic and recipe here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8102...

chocolate-pb sandwich cookies

pb truffles dipped in chocolate (or chocolate truffles rolled in peanuts ... or both) -- easy to make and look so impressive

[burgeoningfoodie]

Thanks for the feedback :-)

[pikawicca]

Crack Pie from "Milk." Whoa, Nellie, we really like this: the consistency is kind of the ultimate in gooey-ness. (PITA, though, especially slicing and serving.)

[roxlet]

So, do you think that book is worth owning?

[sibaik]

I bought the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook and can't put it down. Made Chocolate Chip/Candy Corn/ Cornflake cookies from October Food and Wine issue to use up candy corn, her recipe, (though not in book) and they were delicious. Tomorrow making her Compost Cookies and Chocolate Chocolate Cookies. Able to find glucose syrup at the local cake/candy making store. She has a lot of good techniques in that book which are great for a novice like myself. I've made her Crack Pie 3 times and every single time it's addictive.

[rstuart]

I just had my first visit there, and loved everything I tried. Book is now on hold at the library. I considered making the recipe for chocolate chip and candy corn cookies, but wasn't sure I wanted to invest in a box of cornflakes for it...

[pikawicca]

Yes! Great recipes, interesting techniques.

[roxlet]

She is an original.

[souschef]

Yesterday I made two batches of RLB's Golden Grand Marnier Cake in cakelette form. Each batch fills 2 fluted muffin pans that I got from WS, and each pan makes 12.

The first batch proceeded with no hitch. When I got to the second batch (after cleaning those damn pans with all their nooks and crannies), the batter left me with 3 unfilled molds, which had never happened before. I could not figure out if I had done anything wrong, so I put them into the oven. 30 seconds later I realized that I had forgotten the sugar, so I quickly pulled out the pans and scraped the batter into the mixing bowl.

By this time some of the chocolate had melted, so when I whisked in the sugar I had brown batter instead of white. Of course (grrr!) I had to once again clean, dry, and respray those *&%$ pans. This time I had 6 molds empty.

I'm pleased to say that while they tasted different from the first batch, they were nevertheless just as nice. I enjoyed the chocolatey taste. So, the next time I make them I will add some melted chocolate.

[roxlet]

Good recovery!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Baking mode this week apparently ...

Today I made:
two loaves of English muffin bread (one for me, one for relatives)
one batch of apple cider doughnut muffins (the cider flavor was lost, but they're still tasty)

[kattyeyes]

Ooh, English muffin texture in a loaf? Fairly easy to do? That sounds so good! Please tell me more.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Yep, just like that! Super easy recipe from KAF. It's good fresh out of the oven, but even better toasted--and it has nooks and crannies.

I've also made this with Guinness instead of the water, and called it Irish muffin bread--not a overly strong, hoppy flavor, but a nice change. :)

English Muffin Toasting Bread

3 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs instant yeast
1 c milk
1/4 c water
2 Tbs veg. oil
cornmeal for the pan

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer)
2. Mix together the milk, water, and oil and heat to 120-130 degrees (warm, but not too hot.)
3. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and beat on high for 1 min.
4. The mixture will be very soft and sticky. Scoop the dough into a greased loaf pan that's been sprinkled with cornmeal (sides and bottom), and even it out as best possible.
5. Let it rise, covered, for 45 min-1 hour, til the dough reaches the top of the pan.
6. Towards the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 400, and then bake the bread for 22-27 min., til golden brown.
7. Remove the bread from the oven, let cool for 5 min., and then remove from the pan and let cool on a rack.

[kattyeyes]

I had a feeling this was a KAF goodie--thank you for sharing. It's on its way to my "to try" file!

[roxlet]

That sounds fantastic. I'll have to try this!

[buttertart]

Everything old is new again - Beard has a recipe for this in "Beard on Bread".

[roxlet]

I have that book! Have you made it?

[buttertart]

Ages and ages ago.

[THewat]

I made the KA version for the first time a couple of weeks ago & wasn't crazy about it. I did let it over rise some, so it may be my fault... I'll root around for the Beard on Bread version; I'm a Beard fan & the idea of the bread makes my mouth water.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Biscotti two ways (with and w/o chips, using Dorie's recipe)

cheese souffle

[kattyeyes]

Italian Boston Cream Cakes - recipe from Scialo Brothers Bakery via Lidia Bastianich. This is easily one of the best cakes I have ever had the pleasure of baking (and licking the beaters!!!).

[roxlet]

Where is this recipe? It sounds incredible!

[kattyeyes]

Happy to share--it really is!
http://www.tlntv.com/food/recipearchi...

[auburnselkie]

Ooh! Really want to try these. Yum!

[chef chicklet]

Wow are you making my diet hard! These looks delicious, and I know someone who'd love me if made these- difficult level?

[kattyeyes]

Really not hard at all. I offer these small tips:
- The silicone baking cups I used have "fill lines" inside to make sure you don't overfill. Respect them! :)
- I thought the pastry cream recipe looked plain (what, no vanilla?) so I made my pastry cream from Joy of Baking with a scant tablespoon of Courvoisier in it. I'd recommend Grand Marnier if you feel like boozing up the pastry cream--it's a natural with the orange flavor in the cakes. But truly, I think the cakes themselves are so flavorful, you couldn't even taste that I had used a vanilla bean and the liquor when it was all put together.
- If you need to prep these over a few days, as I did, know that you can reheat the chocolate glaze using your microwave's defrost setting...no more than 5 - 10 seconds at a clip. It reheats beautifully that way. Add a little more rum as you reheat if you wish.

[chef chicklet]

goodness wow, they sound like trouble. I mean trouble in a good way, that we'd eat them like crazy. I don't have silicone baking cups but I get the don't over-fill and don't be tempted to add "just one more teaspoon" and to think it won't hurt. Thank you for the link and additional tips.

[roxlet]

It's funny -- I just got the new Lidia Bastianich book, and there is a recipe for these in there.

[kattyeyes]

Yes, precisely--she was on the Today show promoting her new book, I think!

[buttertart]

I made a Japanese cheesecake with 3 oz of bittersweet chocolate added to the cream cheese batter, and a 6-oz packet of raspberries folded in to take to friends- very nice.
Also made the "luscious lemon olive oil cake" from Dolci (p. 45) - realized when it was in the oven I had forgotten the leavener (2 tsp bp and 1/2 tsp bs) - there are 5 eggs in it, whipped to 3x volume, so I figured it'd be OK. Rose somewhat, need to try it to report further.

[chef chicklet]

how was that Japanese cheesecake buttertart, that one I've been thinking about doing. So many recipes. no photo today?

[buttertart]

Sorry, I got a new phone and I'm feeling my way around it. Let me just say if you're a BlackBerry person you should stay with one.
The cheesecake was very good, but a bit tart from the berries (not a bad thing). The other one is a bit dense but scrummy.

[chef chicklet]

have you ever made a plain Japanese cheesecake? I have not, I'd love to make one of them for holidays, and not sure if other people will enjoy it. I am a less sweet is more where others in the fam like sweet all the way. Hope you get that camera thing down, love your photos!

[buttertart]

I've made a bunch of the plain ones - big favorites here and with family in Iowa. Definitely not too sweet and the best texture. Thank you re the photos!

[chef chicklet]

Would you share your recipe?

[buttertart]

It's on the recent thread on Japanese cheesecakes on Home Cooking. Do try it, itMs great.

[Redstickchef]

Since thanksgiving is right around the corner, I am testing out dessert recipes for the big day. I made the Cranberry Ribbon Apple pie recipe on Epicurious to rave reviews. There was almost a bit too much liquid on the bottom so next time I will have to reduce the cranberry mixture more, but I think that I will definitely be making this as one of my desserts for turkey day. The Pumpkin Spice bread recipe on Epicurious was also on my to do list as something to have around the house for guests to munch on during the holidays and I must say that it is fantastic, especially with the addition of dried cranberries and walnuts. I love making chocolate chip cookies and my go to recipe is usually Martha Stewart's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookie recipe but I thought I'd try a new one and therefore I made Alton Brown's Chocolate chip cookies over the weekend. Unfortunately, they spread and were too crunchy for my taste. I will try them again just to see if I maybe measured the ingredients wrong or didn't let the dough set long enough.

[jlhinwa]

The Cranberry Apple pie sounds perfect for Thanksgiving--definitely fits the occasion to a "t" but is a nice change over the usual pumpkin. How difficult was it? Would you recommend a practice run before trying it out on guests?

[Redstickchef]

Jlhinwa it was a fairly easy recipe, and I personally like to do a trial run of recipes before the big day so that I know timewise how long it will take to make and then also if I need to make any substitutions. Oh and I did not use the crust recipe but instead used Martha Stewart's Pate brisee recipe.

[rstuart]

Inspired by Buttertart's post on using up Hallowe'en candy, I collected a friend's leftover candy and made blondies with them... mostly Mr. Big, Wunderbar, Reese's Pieces, and Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. They're going fast at work, so they seem to ahve been a hit.
Also made some "Apple Cider" muffins from eating well.. very yummy.

[buttertart]

Wunderbar! Another one we don't have down here. :(

[Caitlin McGrath]

Are these the muffins? http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/spi...
Because those look good, and I have some home-canned (by my mother) apple butter around.

[rstuart]

It is indeed.. Enjoy!

[jlhinwa]

What a great idea! My daughter still has gobs of candy she hasn't even thought about for the past week (oh, the timing of getting braces installed just before Halloween, poor kid!). I'll get there is some good stuff in there.

[rstuart]

It's great... I've used lots of different chocolates up this way. better than just eating them by the handful myself!

[Caitlin McGrath]

For a Halloween party, I riffed on these pecan pie bars (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pecan-Pie-Bars-101164 ), using what I had on hand and sounded good together. For the syrup topping, I used 3/4 c. brown sugar, and 1/4 c. maple syrup, and added vanilla. Instead of the pecans, I used 1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, and before I poured the topping on the shortbread crust, I spread over it about 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped (fresh) cranberries and 4 oz 72% bittersweet chocolate, pulsed to pebble size in the food processor. (I discovered I still had some cranberries in the freezer from last year, and this year's are in stores.) The bars were a bit fragile, quite rich, and very delicious, almost more a confection than a cookie.

Last night, to go with soup, I made these cheddar scallion drop biscuits with a sage cheddar: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo... Contrary to some of the reviews, I did not find them bland; perhaps it was the cheese I used. They were easy to put together, and excellent eaten warm from the oven.

[roxlet]

November is the month where I have the most birthdays to celebrate with friends and families. Yesterday, I make the devils food cake from Malgieri's Perfect Cakes. As I noted above, many of Malgieri's cakes call for 9" pans, but I find the resulting cakes to be too thin. I baked this cake in an 8" pan, which resulted in a small cake of the perfect height. It would have looked weird in a 9" pan. Anyway, I frosted it with the flour frosting, and piped some random chocolate lines across the top. The birthday boy asked for seconds. Today, I am making a coconut cake, also from Malgieri, and also with the flour frosting. What I plan to do to get that "Mounds" vibe is to mix the flour frosting for the filling with coconut and to melt some dark chocolate with a little butter and make that the first layer in the filling. The exterior of the cake will be frosted as usual and covered with coconut curls.

[soccermom13]

Hi Roxlet,
How is NM's coconut cake?
Thanks,
s-mom

p.s. I love the look of two or three layer 8 inch cakes. IIRC, most of the Baked and Baked Explorations cakes are 3 layer 8 inch cakes.

[roxlet]

NM's coconut cake is fabulous. It uses coconut milk and chopped coconut in the cake itself. I bake it in two 8" pans. I made my usual flour frosting, but I subbed coconut milk for the milk and coconut extract for the vanilla. I look forward to serving it to my guests tonight.

I have Baked but not Baked Explorations. I have to check -- I understand they feature a lot of flour frosting recipes.

[soccermom13]

Is this it, Roxlet? I found it in another thread..... I have two bks by NM, but neither contains a coconut cake with coconut milk in it.

Looks like one difference is that you use coconut extract instead of vanilla in the frosting.

Question for you--are you able to pipe the flour frosting, or is it too soft?

Thank you.

Coconut Cake Layers
From Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri

1 ¾ cups bleached all-purpose flour (spoon into dry measure cup and level)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 eggs at room temperature
2 egg yolks
½ cup Thai coconut milk
1 cup (about ½ a 7 ounce bag) sweetened shredded coconut, finely chopped

2 8” cake pans, buttered, floured, and with parchment on the bottom (the Wilton release works well here – that was all I used)

1. Set rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350.
2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
3. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until soft and light. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest, then beat in the eggs an yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Reduce the speed to low and add one third of the flour mixture, and then half of the coconut milk. Scrape down the bowl and repeat with another third of the flour, the rest of the coconut milk, and the final third of the flour. Scrape down the bowl and beater again.
5. Use a rubber spatula to give the batter a final mixing, and then mix in the chopped coconut. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.
6. Bake the layers for 30-35 minutes until they are well-risen and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on racks for 5 minutes, then unmold onto racks to finish cooling.

And this frosting:
Flour Frosting

1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup butter cut in cubes (My butter was cool and firm, but I could still leave an indent when I pressed my finger into it)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar, flour, salt together. Add the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally (I had to whisk constantly or else it started to stick and clump at the bottom) until the mixture has thickened into a paste and slightly bubbly at edges (You probably don't want it boiling because we all know how boiled milk tastes..)

2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; beat until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. If the frosting is too soft, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill slightly: then beat again until it is the proper consistency.

3. Add the vanilla and continue mixing until combined.

By roxlet on Jun 24, 2011 02:21 PM

[roxlet]

Yes, this is the cake. For the flour frosting this time, I think that I mentioned that I used all coconut milk instead of the regular milk. I used a little vanilla AND coconut extract. Maybe because the coconut milk starts out thicker than milk, this frosting would certainly be able to be piped, though since I coved it in coconut flakes, I probably wouldn't ever pipe it, although thee is no reason that you couldn't use this version of the flour frosting on say, a chocolate cake...

[soccermom13]

Thanks, Roxlet. I just printed it off with your notes. It looks terrific.

[soccermom13]

Ellie Krieger's Apple Muffins and that great recipe from Epicurious for Dried Cranberry and White Chocolate Biscotti---only I chop up the white chocolate and put it into the biscotti rather than coating the biscotti with it.

[roxlet]

How were the muffins? I'm curious about her recipes.

[soccermom13]

Excellent, Roxlet, excellent. I like them better than Smitten Kitchen's Apple Muffins. Ellie Krieger--in my humble estimation-knows how to cook.

[soccermom13]

Sorry---I thought I posted a reply to your question, Roxlet, but I do not see it. So here goes: I think EK's Apple Muffins are outstanding. I like them better than Smitten Kitchen's Apple Muffins. I think EK really understands how to cook and bake well, with the added bonus that she's trimmed excess fat but not obsessively so.

[rstuart]

I love Ellie Krieger's pumpkin pie muffins.. will have to try the apple muffins..

[Berheenia]

Last Sunday I mixed up the no knead refrigerator bread another chowhound had kindly posted and last night was the dry run- the recipe makes 4 loaves and the dough is good for up to two weeks in the fridge. It was a success- nice crust and texture but the instruction to make a gluten cap was a first for us so after the loaf was in the oven my husband found a youtube video showing the technique. We plan to bake again on Sunday. We kept an eye on the loaf while it was baking (glass window and light in oven)and it didn't seem to be rising until about twenty minutes or half way done then it puffed up a bit. This technique is really cool. for a novice bread baker.

[mnosyne]

What is a gluten cap???

[karykat]

When you're shaping the dough, you take a blob of dough in your hands and stretch the dough tucking it under the bottom while you're rotating the ball in your hands a little bit at a time. Just keep pulling the dough over the ball and tucking it under. It takes only a few seconds. And it makes kind of a smooth surface over the dough. I suppose it is gluten strands that are stretched.

Once you've done it once it makes sense and is easy.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Had too much on my mind to go to bed at the normal time tonight, so I baked a cranberry-apple tarte tatin instead.

Didn't have enough butter for both crust and filling, so I used an oil-based pastry recipe I found online. In spite of my skepticism, it looks like it turned out okay (although trying to lay it across the top of the hot filling was torturous). It was also difficult to judge the caramelization, because everything turned red as soon as the cranberries started cooking, but it looks fairly golden now that it's out of the oven. I guess I'll know for sure tomorrow.

[Berheenia]

Hi BBL- you were the chowhounder who kindly gave me the bread recipe I just posted about - thanks!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

No problem!

Just don't ask for my oil-based pastry recipe -- it was too crumbly and tasted fairly disgusting!

[rstuart]

Am trying to figure out if I want to make my reliable oatmeal, coconut and dried cherry cookie recipe, or risk adding dried cherries to smitten kitchen's salted oatmeal white chocolate cookie recipe, which has long been on my "to try" recipe..

[soccermom13]

Hi rstuart,
Would you be willing to post the recipe for your reliable oatmeal, coconut, and dried cherry cookies?
Thanks.

[rstuart]

Here it is Soccermom..
http://annamagazine.ca/recipes/2010/0...

From a magazine from my hometown of Winnipeg. I've found the cookies very popular..

[soccermom13]

Thank you so much!

What do you think about toasting the coconut? I love toasted coconut in cookies.

[rstuart]

Bet it would be awesome! I also considered adding white chocolate...

[sandiasingh]

Ooh, great ideas, guys. Thanks for the recipe rstuart and the link to Anna.

[rstuart]

Enjoy!

[iL Divo]

just took last batch of peppery ginger cookies or gingery pepper cookies from the oven.

[JEN10]

iL Divo, would you mind sharing your recipe? That sounds divine!

[jlhinwa]

Yes, please, the recipe would be wonderful as I am quite intrigued at the sound of a pepper-ginger combination! Sounds heavenly!

[paprkutr]

Did you ever perfect your lemon cookies? Would love to have the recipe. TIA

[sunflwrsdh]

This coming weekend.....thinking about apple cider doughnut bread pudding, and my great grandmother's applesauce cake, since I live 1 minute from an orchard that makes their own cider doughnuts:)

[buttertart]

Nice! Grandmother's apple cake recipe is intriguing, care to share the recipe?

[sunflwrsdh]

I actually didn't make either of those, did" a Southern lady cooks " pumpkin spice cake with bourbon icing instead, and highly recommend it. Yes, I will share Nanny's applesauce cake recipe soon, not where I can get to it right now. I have made it, but not for many years, but as I recall, it was very good.

[souschef]

I'm planning to make a Rigo Jancsi next weekend, and was just looking at the recipe. The cake is made with chocolate (not cocoa), and calls for 6 oz bittersweet chocolate and 1/2 oz unsweetened, plus some sugar. I wonder why they would not just use all bittersweet and reduce the sugar.

To make the glaze you have to pour boiling water into milk chocolate in a food processor. I've naver made a glaze with water before. Has anyone here done so before ? I once tried to make a glaze (following a recipe) that requires you to actually boil a mixture of bittersweet chocolate and water; it failed miserably.

[buttertart]

That's something I've always intended to make. I bet the unsweetened is there to beef up the chocolatiness, since if it's like the recipes I have for it it's pre-high cocoa percentage chocolates. Re water, hmm, don't know, sounds a bit tricky. Milk choc always is. Someone here posted about a water chocolate mousse - intriguing but sounds awfully difficult to bring off.

[souschef]

The only problem with using unsweetened is that the only one I've seen here is Baker's, which I don't care for (to put it mildly). I think I'll just use something else that's high in cocoa.

[buttertart]

That's what I'd do.

[souschef]

The Rigo Jancsi was a bust. The recipe did not look right, but I followed it anyway in case I was missing something - 4 eggs, and you're supposed to bake it in two 9" pans. The batter was thin on the bottom of the pan, and baked into two anorexic cakes, which, had I continued, would have given me a cake sandwich.

The cakes did, however, taste good. so when I make it again I will probably double the quantities and bake the stuff in two 8" pans.

I did not have the time to redo it, so I offered our dinner guest a choice between Grand Marnier soufflé and chocolate soufflé for dessert. He chose Grand Marnier, so that's what I made.

[roxlet]

I find the pan size problem in so many recipes, souschef, and it is really annoying. My baking god, Malgieri, is always asking you to bake cakes in a 9" pan, and I'm not sure why he does that. Now I have a baseline cake that I always compare a new recipe to. It's a recipe that calls for a 9" pan and that I always bake in an 8" to have something that looks more like a cake than a pancake.

[souschef]

Yup, it IS a problem. Our gods must talk to each other as MY baking god (RLB, who else) also uses 9" pans. Medrich, on the other hand, seems to favour 8" pans, though she does use 9" ones sometimes.

My general rule of thumb is that anything that uses 4 or less eggs goes into an 8" pan.

[buttertart]

That's a good rule. With the Rigo Jansci, isn't the cake just supposed to corral the mousse, and not supposed to be that exciting on its own?

[souschef]

The cake is just sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate, so it's supposed to stand on its own. I wouldn't want a cake that was not exciting on its own.

[BabsW]

I just tried baking my version of a maple-walnut butter tart. Delicious.

[bushwickgirl]

That looks beyond delicious. Recipe?? TY.

No candy left from Halloween, and after last weekend's baking marathon, I'm going to slow it down to a crawl this week, just chocolate bread pudding and Nick Malgieri's Lemon-Ginger Bars.

I'm also looking for persimmons for a pudding cake, never made one.

[BabsW]

Sure thing! I made this recipe as small as I could, since this was a tester, so I'd say double or quadruple this recipe for larger amounts. Also this made 2 tarts measuring just shy of 5 inches in diameter.

I used a press in, butter-rich crust. This made enough dough for 3 tarts, but the filling recipe makes enough for 2, so you're going to have some leftover.

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk

Mix together the flour and sugar and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then add the yolk and mix well and press into a ball. Rip off a portion of the dough and press it into your tart pans, lay down a piece of parchment and baking weights or dried beans and and blind bake them at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. remove and let cool.

Filling:

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons packed granulated maple sugar
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted and then cooled
1 egg
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
golden raisins
chopped walnuts, almost to the point of being pulverized
granulated maple sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together the maple syrup, 2 T of brown sugar and 2 T of maple sugar. Add the melted butter and stir to combine well. Add the egg, stir. Add the salt and vanilla and mix until it is nicely smooth.

Place a few golden raisins and some of the chopped walnut in the bottom of the tart shells. Sprinkle some granulated maple sugar over it and pour in the sugar mixture. Top with a bit more of the chopped walnut and sprinkle some granulated maple sugar on top and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until just set.

[buttertart]

That looks wicked delicious.

[BabsW]

Thanks, it was. :) I am very pleased with how it turned out. I had been thinking about making an Indian pudding for Thanksgiving, but I might might make a larger one of these instead.

[bushwickgirl]

It does indeed, thanks for posting it. I may have to rethink my Thanksgiving dessert menu.

[BabsW]

:) I won't even be the primary cook at T-giving since we're going to my folks' but I may have to make one of these.

Did you make NM's Lemon-Ginger bars? I love lemon bars to an obscene degree, and I do like the lemon and ginger combo.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, I made them a few weeks ago,and highly, highly recommend them. Easy and delicious, definitely worth an encore. I bought fresh ground ginger just for these bars. They're not your usually shortbread crusted lemon bar with a creamy filling, more cake like with candied ginger bits and a lemon glaze.

Do you have the book? If not, www.seriouseats.com featured the recipe a few weeks ago. I had just gotten Bake! and hadn't had a chance to read through it; then I noticed the recipe @ seriouseats.

Ah, here's the link:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

[jlhinwa]

Oh my, that looks amazing! Thank you for posting the recipe!

I would like to do something new for Thanksgiving this year beyond the must-have pumpkin pie. I've come to the right place for inspiration.

[BabsW]

Thank you. :)

I know what you mean - this place inspires me every day.

[ChiliDude]

Pizza with a little quinoa flour in the dough. The quinoa flour plus a quinoa cookbook was a recent gift from our oldest daughter. The wheat flour used is half unbleached all-purpose and half bread flour. The yeast, which I buy in bulk, is 5 years past stated expiration date. It works well because it is stored in glass jar that is kept in the back of the fridge. I never throw yeast away without trying to proof it first.