Dienstag, 30. August 2011

TWD: Cornmeal and Fruit Loaf

 And another breakfast-recipe for the last week auf August! Caitlin of Engineer Baker chose Cornmeal and Fruit Loaf from p. 43 in Dorie's book for this week's TWD. You will find the recipe also on Caitlin'spage.

The recipe is pretty easy and quick. I made some exchanges: I used polenta instead of cornmeal, but I guess that doe almost not really count as an exchange, as it is fairly similar.
I opted for a fresh pear but dried apples.
And I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup, used nutmeg an no cinnamon - and  did include some freshly grounded pepper (I used a colour-pepper-mix). And I added a bit dried rosmeary, althoug there was no recommendation for it in the "playing around" section. But I recently developped a fond love for rosemary and think it matches very well with the pear.

I am pretty happy with the result! The cornmeal/polenta gives it a tiny crunchy side I like very much. As it is an easy-made, fast recipe, that is open for some exchanges, I guess I will do it some day again, in one version or the other.

[The pictures show the little test-piece I made, but the original-sized loaf was not standing behind in taste and looks!]

Dienstag, 23. August 2011

TWD: Golden Brioche Loaves

I love doing brioche! Generally, I am more into breakfast treats, cookies and viennoiserie than torte loaded with cream.

For doing the brioche, you need some time because it has to rest and rise over night, and you have to give the dough some "treatments" from time to time. But it's oh so worth the fuzz!

I use a hand-mixer and this recipe was almost too much for it. At the very end of the mixing I was afraid it could overheat. I guess 1 more minutes and it would have happened. But lucky me - everything went find.
The recipe itself is not difficult. Go to Margie's page "Tea and Scones", who did choose this one for this week's TWD, or have a look into Dorie's book on pp. 48-50. I made a loaf and some typical shaped brioche.

The hardest part is maybe that you have to wait for one hour until you are allowed to taste it! I went out and had a jogg, to keep me away from it! Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to resist the delicious smell...

Just a quick word on the recipe: I make brioche from time to time, and I am not always in the condition of having this much time to prepare the dough. I foudn another recipe in Ginet Mathiot's "I know how to cook" (something like the "french bible of cooking" - seriously, I gues you will find it in every home!) You need about the same ingredients in the same quantity for it, but can do it in one day.

Dienstag, 16. August 2011

TWD: Tropical Crumble

Another recipe that would have been on my top3-list for my very own, first pick, that will probably never come... the more I was pleased to see that after last week, another one of the remaining recipes that appeal most to me was chosen.
This week it was Gaye of Laws of the Kitchen who did opt for this week's TWD. Go to her page to find the recipe, or have a look in Dorie's book on pp. 418-419!

I really like crumbles a lot because I adore anything streusel! And crumbles are always a great dessert, because they have plenty of fruits. I like that they are so easily made and you have so many options to combine flavours and textures. Mangos are great, even though I dislike peeling an cutting them due to their slickiness.


However, I must have made something terribly wrong. I made it a bit in advance, because I just came back from an extended weekend trip to Hamburg and made it before I left. Still - although some days ellapsed, I have no idea what went wrong. I ended up with a whole mess of fatfatfat. The amount of butter for the filling was so much too much, you can't imagine. In Europe, we have other measures so I guess I made a wrong calculation. But something like that never ever happened to me. I am not speaking about a bit too much butter. The topping never got firm, not after 45mins, not after an hour, never. There was a soup of butter covering everything. I am baking along with the group since almost two years and I never did throw away anything. But this time I had to, because there was no way to save all the good mangos and bananas. What a pitty!

The pictures show a "test-piece" I made, where the butter-soup did not show up as much, but when I tried to taste it it was also so terribly much too much butter, you have no idea!
Sorry Gaye, I really don't know what went wrong - I tried my best. Maybe I will try this another time and just cut back the butter on my own.

Dienstag, 9. August 2011

TWD: Carrot Spice Muffins

Oh boy, Tuesday is almost over and I did not blog yet!
So, little bit late, but still on the right day - Carrot Spice Muffins, chosen by Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. You will find the recipe on her page or in Dorie's book on page 14. I was pleased when I saw in on the schedule, because my turn to come has not come yet (and may never come... long story), but these muffins would have been on my Top-3-List.

These are easy to make, but you need some preparation time - for shredding carrots and chopping and toasting nuts. But afterwards this is a quick recipe, that can be done before breakfast. (Well, before Sunday breakfast. Me - I won't ever be able to be as quick that I can do muffins before breakfast on a ordinary weekday!)

The muffins are very moisty thanks to the carrots. Generally, I really like doughs with carrots as they give it a special texture, flavour and moistiness. The coconut in them gave it an additional pretty special touch.
I think, they would also be great without the sugar. They are not too sweet, but I can imagine them without it, too. Therefore I will keep this recipe in mind for the next Lenten season (that will come faster than I can now imagine...)

Dienstag, 2. August 2011

TWD: Cocoa Almond Meringues

Meringue is something Iusually only make as a side product. I got to admit, normally they are not my favourite treat. But I like doing icecream, and I particularily like doing it French style, but this involves leftover eggwhites. In general, I guess there are more recipes calling for eggyolks than eggwhites, so from time to time I try to make some meringue or some cookies popular in Austria especially around Christmas, called "Kokusbusserl" or "Nussbussserl" which literally means "coconut / nut peck", which are similar to meringue.

This time it was the other way round - I was in need for a recipe to use up the left over eggyolks. So I made icecream. Toasted Coconut Icecream, with folded in sauted sour cherries, again a David Lebovitz recipe from "The perfect Scoop". (increadible good!!!)

But lets get back to the main topic: The meringue went all fine. Iopted for the "playing around" variation and used shredded toasted coconut instead of chocolate. It was easy done, got firm but still chwy in the middle and tastes surprisingly good. I don't know where I lost the coconut shreds. They have a slight taste of it, but not very much. But you know what? I guess I am happy with this little idea of coconut. As overall, I am happy with these. They turned out so much better than expected!

When I see a recipe on the TWD schedule I surely will like, I am eager to do it and can't wait for the week to come. But when I see a recipe that does not sound so appealing to me, I am happy someone has chosen it, because I would have never tried it on my own. And I definitely like experiences that I would not have taken if it was not for someone else.
So - this week props go out to Mike of Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude. Turn to his page for the fast and easy recipe or have a look into Dorie's book on page 155.