{TWD2} Chestnuts roasting on an open fire….

Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Okay!
First of all I bought the Chestnuts already roasted.
Jack Frost won’t be in the Deep South until about mid-January on a regular basis.
And if you dress up like an Eskimo now you will suffer from Heat Stroke.

But we are enjoying Chestnuts In Dorie’s…

Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake

This cake has been described as EPIC by some of my Twitter buddies. Luxurious! Interesting! Expensive! {Chestnuts are not cheap!!} But worth it. Here in Podunk one does not find chestnuts – of any kind – so I had to order. When I ordered, I ordered Chestnut Puree instead of Chestnut spread, but thanks to About.com French Food I was able to make my own. Whew!

The cake is a lovely triple layer cake with milk chocolate/bittersweet chocolate ganache for filling and a bittersweet chocolate glaze. Between the layers are chopped chestnuts. And many bakers followed Dorie’s suggestion and frosted the chestnuts on top with gold dust. I ended up using pecans rather than the Chestnuts I bought. They weren’t good. So I used chopped pecans between the layers.

This cake was wonderful. The chestnut flavor of the cake with the textures of the filling and ganache. The chopped pecans between the layers. KEEPER!!

This cake was chosen by Katya of Second Dinner for the bakers on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. and you can find the recipe on her blog.

NOW I am done with the TWD Catch-up!! Thanks, Dorie!!

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
Merry Christmas to you
 

{TWD2} Thanks, Dorie, for a wonderful FIVE years!!

So, here I am. The last post for TWD, the first TWD which started in January 2008. It took me a full year to catch up and complete all the recipes I missed. 67 to be exact! And six of them in December. So here we go:

2 December 2008 Hosted by Noskos of Living the Life the bakers made:

Linzer Sables

I had never made sables before. They are a lovely butter cookie that is filled with a jam or other treat. I used Cherry jam and instead of almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts, I used pecans. Lots of pecans here in the south. They were perfect with a nice subtle nutty taste. And the cherry jam fit well with the pecans. You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 134 of BFMHTY.

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December is a popular month for cookies. On December 16, 2008 we followed up with

Buttery Jam Cookies.

While the sables had the jam between the cookies these had the jam IN the cookie. And since I had the Cherry jam that is what I used in these tasty, biscuity cookies. There were little chunks of jam all through the cookie giving little surprises with every bite!

Thanks to Heather of Randomosity and the Girl for this sweet little treat. The recipe is on her blog. It’s also on page 80 of Dorie’s book.

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December also brought two tarts into the kitchen. On 6 December 2012 we made a

Honey-Almond Fig Tart It was delicious. A sweet honey-almond custard paired with ripe juicy figs. {From my friend’s tree!} I made the full recipe of custard but only two 6″ tarts. Usually I make less custard but past experience has taught me that more IS better! The tart was hosted by my friend, Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table. The recipe is on her blog, or will be because Kayte is on hiatus right now and her blog is in hibernation. You can find it on page 373 of BFMHTY.

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The other tart (12 December 2011) was the…

Puffed Double Plum Tart

And please forgive the photography. There was no way this was going to be pretty. {Or at least mine wasn’t!!} I used a regular black plum slice and prunes that had been poached in black tea with cinnamon rather than wine, orange juice, zest and anise. And while not pretty it was definitely yummy! 1/8 of a recipe gave me one small tart just for me. I knew no one else would even touch it! This was chosen by Julie of Someones in the Kitchen (or page 378 of Dorie’s book).

{Hang in there, almost done. I have to do all six today because the next available Tuesday is Christmas!}

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We eat ice cream all year round. Which is a good thing because on December 13, 2011, TWD bakers pulled out their churns and made:

Unbelievably Good Chocolate Blueberry Ice Cream

I have to admit. I was a little iffy about this one. Chocolate and BLUEBERRIES!! No way that was going to be good. I. Was. Wrong! It was delicious. I know – Trust Dorie, Trust Dorie!! Story is, she didn’t care for the combo either when she was young, but like me, she has since come to her senses!! Yay! Dorie!!

Thanks to Lauri of Slush for hosting this week’s TWD choice.>

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Last (well almost) but not least –

REAL Butterscotch Pudding

And by real I mean REAL Scotch in the pudding! Really? Yes, Really! Unfortunately, I didn’t have any scotch. Fortunately, my VGF did! A tiny bottle of Chivas Regal in her Hub’s underware drawer (Yes, Really!) which she gifted me {Prolly to her Hub’s chagrin!} and there was just enough to make 6 little pudding treats.

One word – GOOD!! Topped with a little whipped cream infused with just a tad of Scotch! BETTER!! And Donna, of Spatulas, Corkscrews and Suitcases, our host for this week, made her pudding into a PIE! What a GREAT idea! Next time!! Now that I know how easy pudding is to make from scratch. The reicpe is on Donna’s site and on page 386 of BFMHTY!

Okay. That’s it, that’s all… Okay, not quite. I still have one more cake to make. It has been the hardest to find the ingredients for. But I found what I needed and so….. but that’s another post!!

Thanks TWD for a wonderful five years of baking, learning, eating, gifting, and friend gathering. I will never forget anything!!

 

{BwJ} Gingerbread Baby Cakes

Dorie described these small gingerbread cakes, contributed by Johanne Killeen, as -

“…spicy, robust, and bursting with the heat of ginger and black pepper.”

And she was absolutely correct!

Cooled off with a small swirl of whipped cream sprinkled with ground ginger they were the perfect snack.

I found myself without any molasses so I used some lovely thick cane syrup gifted to us by a friend who makes his own. It is absolutely wonderful. I cut the espresso by 1/2, but the rest of the ingredients stayed the same. They were moist, spicy, peppery, and delicious.

The gingerbread cakes are hosted by Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories and you can find the recipe on her blog.

We are using Baking with Julia now for Tuesdays with Dorie. The recipe is on page 247. You should find a copy of the book and bake along with us. Lots of goodies in store!!!!

 

{TWD2} Down to the wire with Pudding, Pots, and Pears

Back on November 8, 2008, TWD members made Rice Pudding. I was not one of them because at the time I. Could. Not. Find. Arborio rice. What! What is that? Was the response I got here in Podunk, USA. SHEESH!!! NOW it is everywhere. And I’ve used it quite a bit since I found it, but never did get around to making the Rice Pudding. Have now!!!

And it came out perfectly (I had tried it before and it was a miserable failure.) I made 1/2 of the recipe which gave me two nice helpings. One vanilla and one chocolate. B liked the chocolate and I prefered the vanilla so we were both happy. It is not the most photogenic dessert, at least not the chocolate….

Isabelle chose the recipe that week and you can find the recipe on her blog. It is also on page 412 of BFMHTY.

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November 29, 2011 Normandy Tarts appeared in TWD kitchens.

I made about 1/3 of the filling recipe, used pears instead of apples and ended up with a 4″ mini tart. The pears were at B’s request. Good little tart chosen by my friend Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures. It was her second time to host and her Tart is Gorgeous!! You can also find the recipe in BFMHTY on page 304.

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I did skip one recipe for March back when – Chocolate Pots de Creme. {March 1, 2011}

We had made the Caramel Pots de Creme in May of 2011 and they worked out well so I wasn’t worried about the chocolate. 1/2 of recipe resulted in 4 4″ ramekins of chocolate delight. Thank you Christine of Cats in the Kitchen. LOVED these. Recipe is on her blog and on page 390 of Dorie’s book.

That’s all. I posted the Far Breton {1 November 2011} in September. I still have’t made the Chestnut Cake. Still no chestnuts to be found except in large portions and I am only making mini cakes these days since it is just the two of us. MAYBE by the end of the year I will get it made.

I missed a lot of December picks – six to be exact. I will be busy!!

 

{TWD2} Flipping over Cake

September must have been a better month for baking. Only one TWD catch-up.

Flip-Over Plum Cake

While we like plums, the Hubs is more of a fan, I found out today that we really don’t care for them cooked. For that reason alone we did not ‘flip’ over this cake. We liked the cake. Just not the plums. And since I made 1/4 recipe and used one whole plum there was more plum than cake. And that was unfortunate because we liked the cake.

Dorie had us stirring the plums with cinnamon, ginger, corriander {I left this out}, and sugar to make a nice syrup I forgot about the cinnamon so added it to the cake batter instead. THAT was a good choice.

Sorry, Dorie, we didn’t flip-over this one, but it is not your fault. Just don’t care for cooked plums.

Chosen by Becky of Project Domestication (her 2nd pick) the group baked it on September 27, 2011. Her’s was lovely. As were those from the other TWD members. You can find the recipe on Becky’s Blog or on page 42 of Dorie’s Baking From My Home to Yours.

 

{BwJ} Nectarine Upside-down Chiffon Cake

Another first. If this was BwJ/TWD SCOUTS I would be adding another badge to my sash. This is the first Chiffon Cake I have made. I didn’t know how easy it was.

Thanks to Mary Bergin who contributed this lovely cake to Baking with Julia.

I made 1/2 of the recipe in a 5″ springform. It rose beautifully and then immediately collapsed when I took it out of the oven. But once I turned it over, you couldn’t tell.

The streusel running through it was a perfect touch. A little extra crunch.

The only thing I can say is, “GOOD CAKE!”.

You cand find the recipe on Marlise’s blog The Double Trouble Kitchen and Susan’s blog The Little French Bakery. It is also on pages 241 – 243 in Baking With Julia.

And please visit the other Baking with Julia members for their deliciousness.

 

{TWD2} Cakes and Pies – Perfect Desserts

I cannot believe it is already the end of August. Where does the time go?? And so quickly!! Swoosh!! It’s gone! And somewhere in there I found a little time to bake. Cakes and Pies.

First – the cake – or cupcakes

January 5, 2010 TWD celebrated it’s second birthday with CAKE!! Not just any cake.

Cocoa-Buttermilk Birthday Cake

I made these in July for my friend’s birthday. But instead of cake, I made cupcakes. 6 Cupcakes. 6 Texas Sized cupcakes. With Splenda. They were
delicious! Honest. And with the Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting – outstanding!!

:I decided to make cupcakes so she could take the rest home with her. And they travel better than cakes. I made them with Splenda so she could share with her Hubs who is diabetic.
They were moist.
They were sweet.
They were chocolatey.
‘Nuff said!!
And when I have finished the rest of the TWD recipes I will make there again. Since I made cupcakes they only needed to bake about 25 minutes.

You can find them on page 256 of Dorie’s BFMHTY Laurie hosted that week so you can find the recipe on her page. We had a choice of two recipes that week. I made the other one – Tarte Tatin. Also delicious!!

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And this week I made the Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

I have never had a lime pie. Lemon, yes, but not lime. How did that happen? While it looks just like lemon cream pie it is tarter. Much tarter. Of course that could be me. I might not have put enough sugar in it. But it was TASTY!!
I made 1 5″ tart with 1/4 of the recipe of both the filling and the meringue. We don’t like a lot of meringue so I made just a thin layer. And then I got to use…..

which made it fun!! I really need to pull that little instrument out more often.

The group made this little treat on August 25, 2008M. You can find the recipe HERE along with one of many absolutely stunning pies on other pages.

That finishes up all the recipes prior to August 2008. Only one for September so there will be some make-aheads!!

 

{BwJ} Popovers!

I guess every cook/baker has a list of dishes or treats that they haven’t made because they are intimidated by them I know I have a list. Crème Brûlée is one, Pudding, Custard of any kind. Over time, and baking with The TWD group I have conquered all them. Some well, some not so much, but conquered none the less.

But there is One More – POPOVERS!! I have been collecting recipes for years but never had the courage, yes, courage, to try them. Thank goodness for Baking with Julia.

This weeks ‘assignment’ was…

…..POPOVERS!!

And I could not believe how EASY they were. And I cannot understand why I had put them off for so long!!! I always thought I would have to have a pop-over pan to make them. Not so, Grasshopper!! A simple regular sized muffin pan is perfect. And they came out perfectly. YAY!!

Popovers are hollow and lend themselves to being filled with honey and butter, or syrup

The American answer to the Sopapilla, the Beignet, the Pate Choux {those were also somewhat conquered!!}. They are really tasteless so they allow the flavors of the filler to come through. Knowing they are so easy I plan to make them often for Easter Dinners, Christmas Dinner. I made 1/2 of the recipe and ended up with 5 popovers.

Popovers are on page 213 of Baking with Julia and is hosted by Paula of Vintage Kitchen Notes and Amy of Bake With Amy. The recipe is on their blogs.

If popovers are on your ‘Intimidation’ List. Make them. Make them soon. EASY!!!

 

{TWD2} Oranges and Coffee

Okay, I realize I am out of sinc here with some of the treats from Tuesdays with Dorie, but my computer is vacationing and all I have is my laptop and my camera. Usually not a problem except I cleaned off the camera and downloaded my pics into the computer. So, until my errant computer returns home I am going with what I have.

On the last Tuesday of the month several of us meet up for book club. Not the usual book club where we all the read the same book and discuss it. Nope! We have a book exchange. Bring a book you really enjoyed and let someone else take it home. I have been introduced to some really great books this way from authors I did not know about: Geraldine Brooks’ A Year of Wonders about the Plague. Monica Pradhan’s The Hindi Bindi Club about a group of young women in the US struggling to fit Indian culture with American (complete with recipes). The rather whimsical Being Dead is No Excuse by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funneral. I was not surprised to see most of the funerals I grew up with in their book.

So what does all this have to do with Tuesdays with Dorie? First, it gave me a chance to make a cake I knew would probably NOT be eaten at home and, Second, I found fresh figs on my friends tree which enabled me to make another TWD cake that would NOT have been possible otherwise. It was a Win/Win/Win night!!

Most of you know I am NOT a coffee fan. I. Drink. Tea! Period!! So on May 5, 2009, when the TWD bakers were making Tiramisu I was missing out!! And I say missing out because I had always thought I would not like it because I do not like Coffee!!!

Tiramisu Cake

But I did like this cake. Kahlua and coffee are the flavorings and they are wonderful together. Really!! Two flavors I never liked before. Do Now!!

This is not your usual tiramisu which is made with lady fingers. It is a yellow cake which is soaked with a kahlua/espresso syrup and then layered with a mascarpone Kalhua frosting. Oh! My! And then add in some chopped chocolate between the cake layers. Sprinkle the top with cocoa. Oh! My! There wasn’t much left when I came home from the Book Club.

Definitely a repeat. BTW I made 1/2 of the recipe and it was enough for a nice little 6″ double layer cake in my new pans (Thanks to Nancy!) who told me where to find them.

This delightful treat was chosen by Megan of My Baking Adventures. Unfortunately, her blog is no longer up. I could not find the recipe anywhere else on line. Guess you will just have to purchase Dorie’s Baking From My H0me to Yours if you want to make this cake. Find it on page 266.

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Tarts are so incredibly easy to make. Yes, it does have a crust, but not a rolled one. A tart crust is crumbly and difficult to roll so one simply presses it into a tart pan. And this was the case when the TWD bakers made….

Fresh Orange Cream Tart

on April 8, 2008.

It was quite tasty and refreshing. I did make a couple of changes. While the recipe called for blood-orange or Valencia OJ, all I had on hand was good ol’ everyday OJ. Worked just fine. And I topped it with a few Manderine orange slices (actually satsumas in a can). 1/4 of the recipe resulted in two 6″ mini tarts. Perfect for just the two of us!! It was the choice of Mary of Starting From Scratch. {Her blog is no longer up so you can find the recipe On The Balanced Baker’s Blog}

This one is definitely on the repeat list. The recipe is on page 334 of Dorie’s BFMHTY.

 

{BwJ} Blueberry-Nectarine Pie

For some reason, I don’t make a lot of pies. It’s not because we don’t like them. I mean, what’s not to like. Flaky crust, yummy filling of fruit or custard or nuts. I can make a pie crust. And I dont’ mind if they don’t look like the pictures. I just don’t make pie. My Nana made Pies all the time. And cookies. My Mom was more of a cake and brownie lady. I don’t know! Really!!

Fortunately for The Hubs, who actually loves pie, the TWD group made pie this week. Blueberry and Nectarine Pie.

A double crusted Blueberry and Nectarine Pie to be exact.

Okay, I have to admit mine isn’t ALL Nectarine. Seems like someone ATE my Nectarines and all I had left was a salvaged 1/2. Not to worry. Nectarines and Peaches are very very much alike so I used the Nectarine to cook down with the Blueberries and then used sliced peaches on the bottom. Leslie Mackie, who contributed this recipe to Baking with Julia had us taking 1/2 of the fruit and cooking it down for juice, adding in the remainder of the fruit after cooking the other and then putting into the pie. I cooked down the Nectarine and Blueberries and then placed a layer of thin peach slices on the bottom and poured the cooked fruit and juice over it. Came out just fine. I actually liked the layer of peaches on the bottom rather than mixing it in. But that’s just me!!

Besides using part peaches I also made the pie sugar free. I used Splenda instead of sugar and while I probably didn’t get as much juice it still was good eating. And I could have some since I am trying NOT to eat sugar. (Try that and baking!!!)

I made one little 4′ mini pie (using about 1/4 of the recipe). One night’s dessert and gone. With Vanilla (sugar free) Ice Cream. PERFECT!!!

Thanks to Hilary of Manchego’s Kitchen and Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake for Co-hosing the last selection for July. You can find he recipe on their blogs.

Or…on page 384 of Baking with Julia

I definitely see more pies in our future.