Tuesdays With Dorie: Bittersweet Brownies and Alsatian Apple Tart November 16, 2011

Wow, we are entering the finally stretch of Tuesdays with Dorie.  It is getting kind of bittersweet.  I am sad that it is ending and they I have been neglecting my blog, but I am also looking forward to the new chapter and what is going to come next.

This weeks recipes were chosen by Leslie of Lethally Delicious chose AND Jessica of Cookbook Habit.  They picked Dorie’s  Bittersweet Brownies on page 90  and the  Alsatian Apple Tart on page 314 (respectively) in Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I think Mike was a little excited when he heard about brownies because he has been wanting some straight up fudge style brownies for awhile, and these fit the bill to the T 🙂  I baked the brownies Monday night and they came together quickly and cleanly in the one bowl or should I say pot method.

YAY!! no crazy amount of dishes to clean up.  I baked these in a 10 x 10 x 3 inch pan.  Since the recipe called for a larger pan these brownies took about 5-10 minutes more to bake.  Once they came to room temperature, I did my freezer trick.  I place the brownies in the freezer until they are almost firm, approximately 30 minutes.  I then use a hot knife to cut clean slices.  The recipes says this makes 32 brownies, which it probably does since the brownies are SO rich.  But I ended up cutting them a little larger so I only ended up with 16…opps 🙂

For the Alsatian Apple Tart, I took my sweet time making it today.  I usually don’t have much time during the day to bake anything too extensive since I am taking care of the baby.  So I did this in a few stages while she took naps and played on her play mat.  By 630pm the tart was completed and cool.  Too bad we were too full from dinner, and a couple of brownies to try the tart.  I know Dorie recommends eating the tart the day it is made because it gets soggy.  Since it is just for Mike and I, I am not going to worry about it too much 🙂 It turned out very pretty, and made the house smell fantastic.  So I am looking forward to digging into it later.  This really isn’t going to help the weight loss, but I might have to make Mike make it disappear 🙂

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Tuesdays with Dorie: A Fig Cake For Fall November 1, 2011

For the week of October 25th, Ursula of Cookie Rookie chose A Fig Cake for Fall, which is located on page 198 in Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I actually did this recipe on time for once but because it wasn’t Vegan I did not want to post it during Vegan MoFo.  I was trying to follow the rules and be respectful.  I was initially going to try to make this vegan, but the more I looked at the recipe…and the screw up with the brownies, I wanted to make sure it was right the first time.  So I opted to make it the omni way and forgo posting until October was over.

Funny thing is, when I decided I wanted to make this I had just been to Trader Joe’s and noticed that they had fresh figs…score.  Too bad I didn’t buy them at the time.  I went in a couple of days later and they didn’t have any.  Come to think of it, I was in there two days ago and they didn’t have any either.

After Mike heard me complaining about the lack of Fresh Figs, he ended up coming home one day with some.  I asked him where he got them and he said one of his co-workers actually has a fig tree and brought some to work.  Miracle thy name is Lisa.  I guess all the stars aligned and I got my figs 🙂  I decided to bake this cake in a pan that I wouldn’t have to turn it out of, and that was pretty.  Cut to the pie plate my mom brought me back from Poland….love it.  The Fig Cake actually fit perfectly into.  The cake came out nice and lovely, with a nice lemon and cornmeal notes in the cake.  This is a recipe that I would specifically buy figs just to make.  It showcases the fig on the top of the cake and then gives you a nice dense light lemon flavor in the cake.  Next time, I will get Mike to eat more of it, or just take it into work 🙂

Tuesdays With Dorie: Maple Nut Scones and Far Breton

During the month of November there is going to be two recipes for each week for Tuesdays with Dorie.  I have decided that I am going to bake each option because Mike needs to gain weight 🙂  This will probably hurt me since I am trying to lose weight.  I am almost back to my  pre-baby weight, and then I have chosen to try to lose a couple more pounds 🙂  I am looking forward to the day when I can put back on my jeans and feel comfortable 🙂

So the two recipes chosen for this week were Honey Nut Scones, which I changed to Maple Hazelnut Scones, chosen by Jeannette of Whimsical Cupcake; and Far Breton chosen by Nicole of Cookies on Friday.  Both of these recipes can be found in Baking: From My Home to Yours on pages 31 and 202, respectively.

You ask why did I change the scone recipe, 1) I was being lazy and didn’t want to get the honey out, and 2) I was being lazy and I already had hazelnuts that were toasted (peels removed) and chopped.  It just made life so much easier.  The scones came together quite nicely, and baked up in no time.  I need to learn to not pat the dough out so thin.  I decided to dress them up a bit with some decorating sugar, which helped in the sweetness department.  Most scones that you come across today at coffee shops are doctored up to the nines in sugar, so it takes a little getting use to when there isn’t that much sweetness to a scone.  But I guess that is what toppings are for 🙂

I sat down this morning with some Irish Breakfast Tea and a Maple Nut Scone, and I was perfectly content with my choice.  I couldn’t really taste the maple, but the hazelnut flavor was very nice and the tea balanced everything out.  I had just enough time to eat my scone and drink half of my tea before Emma woke up and wanted feed.  I have to say, that it was very good timing.

The Far Breton, made my life so simple.  Especially since I was trying to make it the night before.  After I made the batter and placed it in the fridge, I decided that soaking the prunes and having them ready for today would make life easier.  So I walked over to the pantry, checked my bag of dried fruit, only to discover that I was mistaken and didn’t have any prunes…I had dates, CRAP!

I guess I will just have to drink the Earl Grey tea that I just made and wait until tomorrow since I really couldn’t/didn’t want  to do anything about it on HALLOWEEN.

Cut to this evening when my wonderful husband shows up with prunes for my recipe.  I promptly fix the tea, soak the prunes, and wait for them to come to room temperature.  The Far Breton just came out of the oven and smells FANTASTIC.  Now, it is time for the waiting game.  It must be the worst game ever when it comes to baked goods that have to cool before you can eat them.  The anticipation is excruciating, so I am trying to distract myself by writing this entry 🙂