Madeleines

Tuesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Flo Braker

When I made Dorie's Honey-Spiced Madeleines a few years ago I was certain that I would make madeleines often after that because I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to make, but for some reason I never got around to making them again until they appeared on this week's Tuesday with Dorie/Baking with Julia schedule. This recipe was so different from Dorie's because you use a ladyfinger génoise batter which gives them a sponge cake taste and texture.

When I made the French Strawberry Cake with the group last year it was the first time I had made génoise and I didn't have a lot of success with it, so this time I decided to use a hand mixer to whip my eggs and egg yolks so I could feel when it was at the right consistency and I can say that it made so much difference. I am going to make that cake again now that I have had success with these madeleines. The only thing I did differently from the madeleine recipe was I let the batter rest for about ten minutes before giving it a gentle stir and spooning it into the madeleine molds. Mine baked in 10 minutes.

My family gobbled these up, but I have to say I was less enamored with them because I prefer more of a buttery, tender crumb texture in a madeleine. Of the two recipes that I have made so far, I prefer Dorie's recipe over this one. I am glad that I made these, however, and now I won't be so intimidated when a recipe calls for génoise batter. 

Katie and Amy of Counter Dog are the hosts this week. You can see their pretty madeleines and the recipe over on their blog.

Mocha Chocolate Chips

Tuesday Wednesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Rick Katz

This has been one of those crazy, busy months for me and I just haven't been able to get into my baking and cooking groove, but I didn't want to miss making these cookies. Mocha Chocolate Chips?! Ooohhh, yeah! What's great about these is that they are so easy to make. I used up some of the leftover chocolate I had on hand - Valrhona white chocolate, Ghiradelli semi-sweet and Trader Joe's 72 percent Belgian dark chocolate pounder bar. I skipped the apricots (they were optional anyway). I had some on hand, but discovered that I had some left in a bag that was waaaay past its 'use by' date and instead of being a lovely apricot color they were a deep, dark brown. After mixing the dough in a stand mixer, I stirred in the chunks of chocolate and put the dough in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

There was definitely a more chocolate to dough ratio going on with these cookies. The dark brown sugar and the instant espresso powder gives the dough a lovely mocha color and flavor.

Halfway through baking, our cat was sniffing the air. It smelled like coffee was brewing. The cookies baked up nicely and had a great texture - moist on the inside and a little crispy on the outside. I loved the mocha and chocolate combination and they more than satisfied my chocolate craving, but John thought they were just 'okay'.

Peggy of Galettisa is hosting this week, so go check out her lovely cookies and  the recipe on her blog. Please visit Tuesdays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group thought about them.

Boca Negra

Tuesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Lora Brody

Boca Negra means "black mouth" and that's exactly what you are going to have when you eat this cake. It is a wonderfully rich and decadent cake - light and moist when warm from the oven and heavy and dense when chilled and then brought to room temperature. The cake consists of 12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, five eggs, two sticks of butter, a cup and a third of sugar, a half cup of bourbon (I used Kahlua instead) and only a tablespoon and a half of flour. I used the food processor to mix the cake together. I have used the food processor for cakes before and really like how easy it is just to dump everything in the bowl.

I decided that I wanted to make individual cakes, so instead of putting the batter into a 9-inch round cake pan, I used four 4-1/2 inch ramekins and baked them at exactly 30 minutes per the recipe.

The white chocolate cream that is served along with the cakes I made early in the morning so that it was nice and chilled and I also used Kahlua in it instead of the bourbon. It changed the cream from white to a light coffee color. John and I were going to share one of the cakes for a late afternoon treat, so I served it when it was still warm.

The cream started to melt before I could take the photo and when we sliced into the cake it was so moist and tender and so very delicious. The Kahlua wasn't strong in the cake, but you could taste it in the cream and it gave the cake such a lovely coffee chocolate taste.

We enjoyed the cake so much and John said it was one of my best yet. I wrapped one of the other ones and put it into the refrigerator and we had half of it the next day for lunch. We could only eat a small portion because it was so rich and the texture was more like a fudgy brownie. The Kahlua was also more pronounced in the cold cake, but still tasted good - just totally different than the night before. We both agreed that this was delicious served warm or cold, but  tasted its best when served warm with the white chocolate cream melting over it. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

To see what the other bakers thought, visit Tuesdays with Dorie. You can find the recipe over at our host's blog this week  - Cathy from A Frederick Food Garden.

Focaccia

Tuesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Craig Kominiak

It's a good thing I made this ahead of time because you can't be in a hurry to make this bread. The dough is easy to make, but you need to let it rise the first time for an hour and a half and the second time for an hour. It then goes into the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours before you bake it. That's the hardest part of this recipe - letting it rest for that long. I made half of the recipe and had two good size discs of dough to work with. 

When I took the dough out of the refrigerator, there were lots of little bubbles in the dough like the recipe said, but not very many large gas bubbles. After gently pressing the dough into a rectangular shape, I brushed the top of the dough with olive oil infused with rosemary and thyme and then topped with chopped fresh rosemary and thyme and sprinkled with fleur de sel. It baked to a nice golden color in 15 minutes. I then brushed the loaf again with the infused olive oil.

After letting it cool, I made ham, cheese and spinach sandwiches for lunch. They were the most delicious sandwiches. The taste of the rosemary, thyme and salt and the crunchy crust was perfect. There was enough focaccia left over to make a sandwich for me to take to work the next day and it was just as good as the first day. This would be perfect bread to make sandwiches for a picnic with because it holds up well and doesn't get soggy.

Visit Sharmini of Wandering Through to see her beautiful focaccia and to get the recipe. You can also check out the focaccia made by the rest of the bakers at Tuesdays with Dorie. 

French Apple Tart

Tuesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Leslie Mackie

We are back baking with Julia this week with another recipe from Leslie Mackie. This one is a little time consuming, but so worth the effort. Instead of using a fluted tart pan, I made a rustic tart using a 10-inch springform pan. I did this primarily because my dough was a little crumbly and I found it was easier to press it into a springform pan. I probably should have added a tad more ice water to the dough before shaping it into a disc and chilling it. I used both butter and shortening that the recipe called for. 

I think what I enjoyed most about making this tart was making the filling. I used Gala apples instead of Granny Smith because I had an abundance of Galas in the fridge. Since I was using Galas, I cut down on the amount of sugar since they are sweet apples. I made my bread crumbs with Oatnut bread and added extra cinnamon. When the apple mixture was baking in the oven it had such a lovely smell. Once the apple filling was baked, it was easy to mash and spread over the tart shell and it tasted wonderful. I could have eaten a whole bowl of just the filling!

Slicing the apples into even slices is always tricky for me, but it worked out okay and we just ate the pieces that didn't make it into the tart.

I really liked the glaze on this which was made with melted unsalted butter lightly spread over the apple slices with a pastry brush (I used a silicone brush) and then sprinkled with sugar. My tart took longer to bake to a nice golden color. I took it out of the oven at 40 minutes.

There was hardly any shrinking with the apples or the tart shell and it makes such a nice presentation, but most of all, it tastes wonderful. The filling is so delicious and the bread crumbs give it such a nice texture and taste with the soft apples. The crust is flaky and actually held together quite well considering it was crumbly before I baked it.

Out of all the apple tarts I have made, this is my favorite and it a keeper recipe. A special thank you goes to Gaye over at Laws of the Kitchen for hosting this week. It is summer where she lives in Australia and I really appreciate that she turned her oven on when it is so hot there. You can see her gorgeous tart and find the recipe on her blog. Also, check out what the rest of the bakers thought about this tart at Tuesdays with Dorie.

Pizza with Onion Confit

Tuesday with Dorie

Happy New Year! What a great recipe to start the new year off. Contributing baker Steve Sullivan's pizza dough begins with a sponge made with mixing the yeast in warm water until it turns creamy and then adding some olive oil and flour. This is a different technique than the pizza dough recipes I have tried. The crust browns beautifully without getting hard and makes a winning pizza.

As much as I liked the dough, I think I liked the onion confit just as much, if not more. No need for tomato sauce when you have s sauce of caramelized onions flavored with thyme, red wine vinegar and some red wine. I topped the onion confit  with California black olives and Laura Chenel's Chèvre goat cheese and sprinkled some freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top after pulling the pizza from the oven.

We really enjoyed this! It was such a nice change from our usual tomato-based sauce pizza. The onion confit, olives and both cheeses were perfect together. I will make this again and would also like to try using this dough with other sauces and toppings. 

Thank you to Paul from The Boy Can Bake for hosting this week. You can find the recipe on his blog and you can also check out the links to the rest of the bakers over at Tuesdays with Dorie.

Best-Ever Brownies

Tuesday with Dorie

Frankly, I wasn't sure I was going to make these when I saw them on the schedule. I was somewhat skeptical when I saw that Contributing Baker, Rick Katz, had called his recipe "Best-Ever Brownies." I already have a couple of recipes that are vying for this title, but was curious enough to see how his measured up.

Each brownie recipe seems to have their own unique technique and this one was adding half of the whipped sugar and eggs to the batter and then whipping the remainder sugar/egg mixture until it doubled in volume before folding into the chocolate mixture. It took awhile to incorporate the egg mixture into the chocolate and I was afraid of over mixing before I even added the dry ingredients. It seemed like I just kept folding and folding, but finally it all came together. I lined a 9-inch square metal pan with parchment paper. I checked the brownies after 23 minutes and they were pretty gooey, but when I checked again at 28 minutes they were ready.

The verdict? I really like these. At first John didn't think they were sweet enough and weren't as good as the other brownies I make, but then by the second one he decided that he liked them. I loved the crisp top and the fudgy, with just a hint of cake-like, center. I don't know if I would give them the honor of 'best-ever,' but they are right up there with my two favorite brownie recipes: Matt and Renato's The Baked Brownie and Alice Medrich's The New Classic Brownies. But, you be the judge and make them for yourself. You can find the recipe over at Monica's, A Beautiful Mess. And don't forget to check out what the rest of the bakers thought over at Tuesdays with Dorie.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

Tuesday with Dorie

Luckily, these muffins were really quick to make because I somehow thought these weren't coming up on the schedule until next Tuesday. I whipped up half a batch after I came home from work this afternoon. This recipe is from Contributing Baker, Marion Cunningham and is hosted by Alisa at easier than pie. You can also find the recipe on Alisa's blog.

I was baking these at the same time that I was cooking dinner and watching the Election early returns, so even though I had the timer on and checked them at 25 minutes, they were a little bit over baked. A tad over baked didn't hurt them though because the outsides were a little crispy, which I like, and the crumb topping was soft and crumbly while the insides were not-too-sweet, just-right.

Check out the what the rest of the group thought about their muffins over at Tuesdays with Dorie. 

Bagels

Tuesday with Dorie 

This is another first for me. Although I often get a bagel and cream cheese at work on those days that I don't have time for breakfast at home, I have never tried to make them myself. This recipe is by contributing baker, Lauren Groveman and is hosted by Heather from Heather's Bytes, where you can also find the recipe.

I had bread flour left over from the white loaves that we made for Tuesdays with Dorie earlier in the year and followed the recipe as written. I opted to use my stand mixer to mix the dough, but finished it off by hand. 

I sprinkled a few with poppy seed, a few with sesame seed (my favorite) and a few I left plain. The next time I make these, I probably won't leave them in the oven the extra 10 minutes because these were really crusty and some turned browner than others, but they were nice and soft on the inside.

I watched the Baking with Julia video of Lauren making these with Julia on PBS a few times and when Lauren pulls hers out of the oven she says that they are chubby because they are made with a lot of love. Well, I told my family that mine were made with lots of love because mine turned out really chubby. My daughter was so excited when she saw them and said that they were much prettier than store bought and tasted really good. John wasn't quite as excited, but then he is not a bagel eater. For the bagel spread, I whipped some cream cheese and added some toasted walnuts because that is my favorite bagel shmear. I am looking forward to having one toasted with my shmear for breakfast. Visit Tuesdays with Dorie to see what the rest of the bakers thought about this recipe.

Hazelnut Biscotti

Tuesday with Dorie

I haven't made biscotti since the Christmas holidays, so it was fun to have an excuse to make it again and this recipe by Contributing Baker Alice Medrich is quick and easy to mix together. Special thanks go to Jodi of Homemade and Wholesome and Katrina of Baking and Boys for hosting this week. You can find the recipe on their blogs.

Alice Medrich has a good tip for blanching the hazelnuts, but my husband found some at the grocery store that were already blanched so it saved me a step. I also liked her tip for baking the biscotti on a cooling rack in the oven so there is no need to turn them over to brown during the second baking. 

We like a little chocolate with our biscotti, so after they were cooled from the second baking, I dipped them in some tempered dark chocolate.

They were crunchy and so flavorful with the hazelnuts. Perfect for dunking into a cup of hot coffee.

I have a feeling that there will be lots of variations on this recipe with many of the BwJ bakers. To see what they thought and what other types of biscotti were made, visit the links over at Tuesdays with Dorie.

For those of you who will be celebrating, I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

French Strawberry Cake

Tuesday with Dorie

I have eaten sponge cakes over the years, but I have never eaten a French one before, so I wasn't sure what the look and texture was supposed to be like for this week's recipe. And even though I carefully followed the directions in the recipe, my cake didn't rise. I thought about trying to make it again, but it was Father's Day and I didn't want to spend all day in the kitchen. My daughter came in the kitchen and said that it looked beautiful and smelled wonderful, so I decided to go with it.

A few notes about this: it took me double the amount of time the recipe said to whip the eggs until they tripled in volume. After 7 minutes of mixing on medium and the batter looking the same as when I started, I turned the mixer up to medium-high and mixed for another 10 minutes. It got lighter in color and finally tripled in volume.

The technique for this cake was so interesting and when I added some of the batter to the melted butter as the recipe directed and then folded the mixture back into the batter my batter started bubbling. I didn't expect this reaction at all and nothing was mentioned in the recipe. It just bubbled away and I could see bits of flour still not incorporated, but I just gently folded before pouring into the prepared 8-inch cake pan.

The whipped cream was easy to make and really tasty. I loved the addition of sour cream and vanilla. I cut the vanilla to about 3/4 of a teaspoon because I didn't want an overwhelming vanilla taste. When I served the cake after our grilling on Sunday everyone thought it tasted wonderful. Some of them thought the cake was a bit odd in texture, but still tasted good. I will probably give this another try to see if I can really make a perfect génoise. Thank you to this week's hosts Sophie of Sophia's Sweets and Allison of Sleep Love Think Dine. You can see their beautiful cakes and get the recipe on their blogs.

Hungarian Shortbread

Tuesday with Dorie

I have only made shortbread a few times, but this week's Hungarian Shortbread by contributing baker, Gale Gand, is more like a bar cookie to me. A very delicious bar cookie. Thank you to Cher from the not so exciting adventures of a dabbler... and Lynette of 1smallkitchen for hosting this week's recipe. You can also find the recipe on their posts.

What makes this shortbread more like a bar cookie is that there is a layer of jam between two buttery cookie layers. Included in the recipe is a recipe for homemade rhubarb jam that was simple to make. I decided to make half the shortbread recipe, so I also made half the jam. The half vanilla bean and sugar takes away the tartness of the rhubarb. The dough was also easy to make, but what was interesting is that you separate the dough into two balls and freeze it, then grate it. My arm really got a workout grating the dough, but it was worth the extra effort. I read that some of the bakers used a food processor which I think is a great idea, but I must confess that I was too lazy to get it out and I also didn't want to wash another appliance.

I wasn't sure how you could spread the jam on the bottom layer of grated dough, so when I read the Ps and Qs for this recipe some of the other bakers pre-baked the bottom layer and I thought this would also make it easier to spread the jam. I baked the bottom layer for 15 minutes and let it cool before spreading the jam in a thin layer and then grating the second ball of dough for the top layer. I reserved some of the jam and piped it on top because I knew that my husband wouldn't care for the confectioner's sugar coating that the recipe suggests.

Since I had pre-baked the bottom layer, I put the pyrex dish on a baking sheet so that the bottom layer would not get over-baked and I baked the shortbread for another 35 minutes until the top was golden.

The end result was a delicious, buttery layered cookie with a delicate jam filling. This was a hit at our house and another keeper recipe. Follow the links over at Tuesdays with Dorie to see what the rest of the baker's thought about this shortbread.