TWD: Irish Soda Bread

On the one hand, I really like the new TWD-rules: Baking every other week sounds much more do-able than every week. On the other hand, I get a bit out of the routine and forget - is it baking week, or not?

Well, this week it is baking week and I am glad  I did remember, because I love bread baking.

As with so many american recipes I never heard of "soda bread" before, and have no idea if what I made is near anything it should be. But I followed the recipe as written so I hope I made it right.

However, I liked the bread I got out of the oven. I am especially a fan because it is easy, easy, easy in the making, doesn't involve any waiting time for rising, and I like the taste because I like "sour" breads. When I made some google-search what a soda bread might be, I saw that many are made with more ingredients to fold in and I can imagine doing some of these variatons very soon.

TWD: Rugelachs

This is Rugelachs, part II. I made the Rugelachs from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking" not too long ago as one of the rewinds end of 2011.

Rugelachs are not all that common where I live. But ever since I held "Baking" in my hands for the first time, I was very muched appealled by their looks. I really like them but had always been  a bit timid. They are not really hard in the making and even if you are no heroine in food presentation, they always look good anyways - but: it involves many steps and a lot of waiting time in between. Nevertehless, it is for sure worth the fuzz and if you have the time you should try them!

I made mine with orange marmelade and cranberries and loved them! If you are interested in the recipe, head over to Margarets page "The Urban Hiker" or Jessicas page "My baking heart" - or have a look at pp. 325-327 Dorie Greenspan's/Julia Childs Baking with Julia.

TWD: Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

I started the new generation of "Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia" with a  shortfall. I was on the road and didn't plan ahead, so I missed the first recipe of a long, long list of recipes to come. But I love bread baking, therefore I will for sure catch up with the White Loafs!

But let's talk about this week. The new rules for TWD include we only do two recipes a month, an easier one and one that is more difficult. The Chocolate Truffle Tartlets are for sure on the more difficult, at least more time-consuming, side.

I am not a huge fan of tarte-baking - not that I don't like them, au contraire! But I am the biggest looser in tart shell baking. This dough recipe took me a long, long time do do (I did freeze it a bit longer, shaved it and pressed the curls in the form. Time consuming, but easy!) And in the end it is the first tarte dough I managed not to burn or ruin in another way.  - I like!

The filling sounds more than decadent - and meets the expectations also in taste!

I had to do some changes: Instead of Cantuccini I used milk-nut chocolate and sesame brittle because that was what I had at hand. I made one big tarte instead of 6 tartlets, because I don't posess 6 tartlet forms. I don't think it made a big difference. I increased baking time to about 20 mins. Maybe I should have added  a bit more, because the filling was very, very moisty, almost liquid. But oh so good!! Think Mousse au chocolat made of theree different chocolates with crunchy pieces in tarte. Mhhhh!
I chilled it and brought it to my office the next day. The texture was different, more chewy, but again more than yummi!

It was really worth all the fuzz I had with the tart shell!

You may find the recipe on pages 382-383 in "Baking with Julia" or on the pages of this weeks hostesses:   Steph, Spike, Jaime and Jessica.

TWD: Kids' Thumbprints

So here we are, at the very end of the book. There was obviously not much left to decide, but Dorie herself will be our host for this week - quel honneur!

She was also the person who made me start baking. I met her at a discussion at the American Library in Paris. To be honest, I was there because of David Lebovitz, in the first place. I was exhausting his blog (and his book on Paris that came out just when I was working in Paris for some month) and already a huge fan of his tips&hints, but also his recipes. I never really did bake or prepare sweets before but with David I started icecream-making (today, one of the few things I dare to say I master really well, even though I still have no ice-making machine). But when I heard Dorie at this event I was amazed by her and had to ask her for an autograph later on. And I asked her about this strange group I somewhere did read about, maybe on David's blog. She encouraged me to try baking and join the group as a good start. How could I not? She was so kind and endearing - everybody would have immediately bought the book and started baking right away!

I met her once again, because when I did visit a friend over in the States, almost two years ago, I just arrived the last day the pop-up cookie-store in NYC sold the fabulous Greenspan&Greenspan-cookies. What a treat! I came to the store, straight from the airport. Must have looked more than curious, some tired looking woman in jeans, hoodie sweater, sneakers and a huge suitcase, running down 5th avenue just do get some cookies...

I tried my best to get this recipe right, as it is "Dorie's" recipe. Unfortunately, my dough was either too crumbly or too sticky, can't decide. It was to sticky to form balls, and too crumbly to keep the balls together. However, I liked the procedure because it was very much like schnitzel-making. Germans make them a bit different, but we Viennese people take the cutlet, put it in eggwhites, and afterwards in a deep dish filled with very fine crumbs. Very similar, isn't it? It was fun doing, and the results were excellent in taste - but as so often with me, not looking the way they should. The molds didn't keep their shape, so I had barely no cookies with molds big enough to fill.
So, what I can give you are some cookies with a bit of orange marmelade and some with a bit of macadamia-cream and a lot of plain cookies. "Plain" is a slight understatement, because these fabulous cookies are made with peanutbutter - one of my all-time favourite ingredients.
Therefore, I was not dissappointed at all, although I wish I had managed to get just this last one recipe as perfect as Dorie would deserve it.

This, for sure, is the place to send out big thanks to all the people who initiated TWD, kept it alive and managed everything - a lot of work, done while having jobs, having children, having families. It is also the place to send out a lot of greetings and regards to all fellow bakers, who made such great treats week after week. And it is the place to send thanks to Dorie who gave us this amazing book, the first one with recipse I can handle! You can find the recipe for the "Kids' Thumbprints" on p. 163, or, I guess, on Dorie's page.

Hope to see you all for the new book!

TWD-rewind: Rugelach (and Chipster-Topped Brownies)

We're on the finishing-line with the book and as there is only one recipe left (which Dorie herself did chose), we had a rewind-week. Rewind weeks are nice - on the one hand side. They give me the opportunity to catch up with one of the many, many recipe that were on the schedule long before I joined the group back in autumn 2009. But on the other side they leave you with at least one week of questions, doubt and indecisiveness. Which one is the one I really, REALLY want to try? Which one sounds the most appealing to me, is storable overnight and will please the colleagues at work?

One recipe that fulfills all the conditions are the Rugelachs, originally picked by Piggy of Piggy’s Cooking Journal for November 4, 2008. Find the recipe on her blog or in Dorie's book on p. 150-151.
I was tempted to bake them ever since I held the book in my hands for the very first time. What kept me away was the double chilling time in-between. I don't mind if recipe involve a lot of steps and need some time - as long as everything happens in one time-period. I am just too impatient to wait - even though some of my favourites are shortbread and brioche recipes.
But this time, the last rewind-week, I had to do them.

I made mine with orange marmelade, the one with large pieces of candied oranges in it. I used very finely chopped walnuts (and added some shredded nuts as well), swapped the raisins for dried cranberries and used much less chocolate (I took shaved bittersweet chocolate, the one you use for torte decooration). I had some problems rolling the dough into the right, kipferl-like shape. (Kipferl are sort of croissant in Austria. Maybe "crescents" are the most appropriate translation)
The turned out as one of the best recipes I ever made. They fulfilled every expectation and I am glad I made them "my" last pick. My colleagues were delighted, too. "One of your top-three. Ever" was one of the comments. And three people asked for the recipe. Asking for the recipe doesn't happen very often at my office and only for recipes that really, really did score well.

I also made a batch of Chipster-Topped Brownies, because I was just in the mood for. They, too, were a big hit and I am also very much in love with them. My brownies mostly turn out well, but I am unable to picture them adequately, so I spare you from ugly picture - just imagine a wonderful, soft and moisty chocolate bottom topped with a cookie dough layer with mixed in mini-chocolate- and mini-peanutbutter chips and some Reeses peanut-butter pieces. Sounds decadent? Then it sounds rigth! It was Beth of "Supplicious" who did choose this great recipe for TWD- if you are interested in the recipe, have a look at her blog or go to Dorie's book, pp 94/95.

What a great week, what great recipes!

TWD: Honey Almond Fig Tart

I can't believe the Honey Almond Fig Tart took so long to be chosen. If I wouldn't be so timid when it comes to tart-shell-baking, I sure would have picked this recipe when it was my turn some weeks ago! Finally, Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table opted for it. You can find the recipe on her blog or in Dorie's book on page 373.

Last week I made some more tart dough and put it in the freezer. Therefore I only had to make the cream this week, which comes together very quick and easy.
Figs and almonds are a wonderful combo, I think, and honey makes a perfect third part in this.

And I was not dissapointed. This is for sure one of the greatest tasting tarts I ever made. And whenever I am brave enough to try masterin tart dough, I will re-bake it!

I couldn't find any fresh figs but the florida-version presented in the "playing around"-option was not that appealing for me. So I used dried (but soft) figs and it worked out fine (even though I can imagine that fresh figs would be even more intriguing).

(Don't be misled by the pictures - the top was very dark brown, indeed, but not burnt at all!)

TWD: Sour Cream Pumpkin Tart

This week was the end of my attempts to avoid baking a tarte by choosing the other recipe on the schedule. As Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats opted for the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie/Tart (to be found on p.324 in Dorie's book or on Judy's blog) and Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures picked the Normandy Apple Tart (pp 304-305) - I had no choice but to opt for a tart :o]

I took the pumpkin tarte because up to now I only had good experiences with pumkin desserts. Not that I made so many - only the two that were on the TWD-list since I joined. But these, the Caramel Pumpkin Pie and the Butternut Squash Pie were just great.

Baking tartes and pies horrifies me, because the tart dough never works out for me. It takes me two days for making them. I am never able to fit them in the form, it always breaks. And it always always gets too dark before the tart is halfway baked. Even if I put a foil tent over it.

This time I reduced pre-baking so much, that at least the tart shell didn't get burnt. But it took me still two days for preparing with all the chilling needed. But this time I erred with the quantity. I made a double crust and did wonder, where I should spread all this dough in my form... Tart dough and me - we will never be a good pairing. But at least I tried.

The tart filling is more than easy. I made the pumpkin purree myself, and despite of that you only need some dairies and spices.

The tart is interesting, because it is not at all sweet and therefore more like a snack than a dessert. I wish I would have used more spices because I thought the tart is a bit boring in taste. But my colleagues just loved it! And that's (almost) all that matters!

TWD: Snickery Squares (rewind)

This is one of the recipes I always wanted to try since I opened the book. I love peanuts, and from all chocolate bars you can buy in the store, Snickers are for sure my favourite. I can't imagine that I had my first when I was already 23 years old! We didn't have them in Vienna before Austria joined the European Union. No, Austria never belonged to the Eastern block. But we just did not put so much emphasize on consumption when I was a kid. I definitely neither belong to the "small is beautiful" nor to the "simple things are best"-section. More is more. Period. But food and edibles are maybe the exception to the rule.

Anyways, I had my first Snickers when a german friend I met during my exchange year in France gave me hers, because she couldn't believe I never had one. As I love peanuts and also caramel, and the chocolate is not too dominant in it, and shortbread, sigh - shortbread.... it easily became my favourite disobeyance by the very first bite.

To me it doesn't come as a surprise that Snickery Squares was chosen as one of the first recipes back in March 2008. You can find the recipe on pages 120-122 in Dorie's book or here on Judy's blog "Judy's gross eats". (Funnily, she will also be our host next week, again.)

The Squares are easy to make but hard to cut. You either chill them, so the Dulche de Leche in the middle has the right consistency - but then the chocolate-peanut layer on top is very hard, and so is the shortbread-bottom. Or, you let it come to room temperature, but risk the caramel getting very, very soft and almost liquid.

And these were extremely sweet. Next time, I would definitely not caramelize the peanuts (toasting should be fine) and use unsweetened chocolate. I also would do a bigger cookie-layer and use much less Dulche de Leche. Like that, they should be perfection!

Despite the sweetness I liked the taste a lot, but judging by how much there was left when I left the office, my colleagues felt not quite the same - too sweet, and only eatable in small pieces.

But in the end: Now I can do marshmallows, every kind of icecream, shortbread and Snickers by myself. Wow. Seems I will never have to buy sweets again!

TWD: Bittersweet Brownies

The very last Brownies - and maybe the best (at least of the brownie recipes since I joined TWD)
They are fudgy, but not too much, and pure chocolat delight.

I followed the recipe exactly as written in Dorie's book on p.90. If you don't have the book (you should!!) got to Leslie's blog Lethally Delicious. She picked the Bittersweet Brownies for this week's TWD.

As we have double-hostings in this in the following month, Jessica of Cookbook Habit chose Alsatian Apple Tart (page 314 in the book). As I am horrified by tarte-doughs I didn't dare to do it. But I am a bit sorry for it, because I spent my exchange semester in Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace. And as much as I am afraid of doing tartes, I like eating them equivalently. Have a look here how it did turn out for all the other bakers!

PS.: Sorry, I have absolutely not a single good picture of them. Just imagine wonderful, soft, chocolate-ey brownies and you got a picture :o]

TWD: Depths-of-Fall Butternut Squash Pie

This week we had the option between two of my biggest challenges: Madeleines, which are hard to handle for me, as I have no Madeleine-mold, and they just do not turn out as they should in Callisson-molds or anything else. And - when I made them for the first and only time in my life they didn't get fluffy and soft as they should. I am no Madeleine-Master....
The second option was a challenge as well, as I am physically not able to do a decent pie/tarte crust. No idea why. I just always always always have troubles with them.

Nevertheless, I choose the Pie. I love pumpkins. And when we first made a pumpkin pie for the TWD-group I was more than thrilled by the result. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving round here, therefore it never came to my mind to make something sweet with pumpkins - although now it seems so evident, because they naturally bring a sweet taste with them.

Besides the crust, which was an, uhm, let's say adventure, as always - the filling and baking was very easy. I had to cover the pie with foil very soon (after about 15/20mins) and did bake it slightly longer. For the optional dried fruits I voted for cranberries because it seemes more interesting than rasins and more thanks-giving-ish. Instead of the nuts I used pumpkin kernels and it worked out perfectly.

I can only say that I love this pie! The pumpkin and pears and cranberries match perfectly. If you haven't already - go and try it! It's just what I imagine Thanksgiving should taste like in my humble european view!

For the recipe you can go to Valerie's blog "Une Gamine dans la Cuisine". She did pick this Fall Butternut Squash Pie for us this week. Or have a look in Dorie's book on pages 328-329.

For the Mini-Madeleines, look here how they turned out for my fellow bakers. The recipe can be found on Di's blog "Kitchen Notebook" or on page 172 in "Baking".