Archive for the ‘Tuesdays with Dorie’ Category
20
Nov
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Best-Ever Brownies, Dark Chocolate Brownies, Rick Katz, Tuesday with Dorie. 8 comments
Sometimes, it takes chocolate to turn things around. A brownie recipe labeled as the ‘Best-Ever’ should have that game-changing power. And I needed these brownies, the subject of today’s Tuesdays with Dorie challenge to lift me out of a black mood.
The day started at 5 a.m. when I managed to break a spindle on the stairway. Later, I realized, at the half-way point, that I lacked the most important ingredient in an expensive recipe- an ingredient that can only be ordered online. Then I walked to the ATM machine to find it out of order, locked myself out of the house, and burnt my arm reaching in the oven. And I lost one of my favorite earrings.
It’s fair to say I was skeptical that these brownies would be the best ever. But I had enough faith in Dorie to give them a try.
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6
Nov
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Nostalgia, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Baking with Julia, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins, Marion Cunningham, Tuesdays with Dorie. 6 comments
I almost skipped today’s Tuesdays with Dorie challenge. Buttermilk crumb muffins just don’t sound that enticing to me – especially since I still have a half dozen pumpkin muffins stored in the freezer.
Also, a plain muffin, with a trace of cinnamon and nutmeg for flavor, made from vegetable shorting and buttermilk? Not so much. But I really want to get back on the Tuesday with Dorie bandwagon, so when I saw the first harvest of cranberries at the market last week, inspiration finally took hold.
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31
Jul
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Narrative, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Leslie Mackie, Macrina Bakery, Tuesday with Dorie. 5 comments
I should be packing. We’re a few days away from moving home. In spite of boxes and painting projects, all the endless detail arrangements, I still don’t really believe. But every so often, I get close. Like the day I took the dogs over to play in the backyard and saw sheer joy in their body language.
Or when I realized that this week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe, for Blueberry Nectarine pie, was contributed to the book and TV show by Leslie Mackie. It’s not only that Mackie is based here in Seattle, but her bakery is four blocks from my house. Macrina’s second location opened on McGraw Street in 2001. K.M. and I moved into the neighborhood in 2003.
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3
Jul
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Biscotti, Hazelnut Biscotti, Skinning Hazelnuts, Tuesday with Dorie. 8 comments
When did biscotti become invisible? All the rage in the early ’90s, there is still a jar of these twice-baked Italian delights in nearly every coffee shop —some good, some bad, but nearly all just fine after a few seconds in a shot of espresso. But until this week’s Tuesday with Dorie challenge, Hazelnut Biscotti, I hadn’t tasted one in years.
I’m never going to let that happen again. If you leave the hazelnuts out of the equation, biscotti are easy to make. Make the dough – shape it into logs, bake it, cool it (I refrigerated mine overnight), slice it and bake again. The hands-on-time is way less than the average chocolate chip cookie, I promise.
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19
Jun
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Strawberries, Whole Wheat Génoise. 12 comments
This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie challenge was a close call. Who wouldn’t want to make a French strawberry cake: strawberries, cream and a chance to make a génoise? But what about the berries? French rhubarb cake doesn’t have the same glamor. At least not in June.
Strawberries are delicate –the best ones really can’t travel very far, or wait very long. And I’m stubborn. I’d rather wait for a local berry – one that is red all the way through, tender and truly sweet – than make do with an imitation – something that exhibits all the mechanical characteristics of a strawberry without actually being one.*
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5
Jun
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Books, Indian Food, Recipes, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Flatbread, Naan, Oasis Naan, Tuesday with Dorie. 10 comments
I love flatbread. I adore the taste, the crispness with just the right amount of give – but really, flatbreads; naan, parathas, pooris, even pita bread – are a means to an end. They give me the freedom to eat with my fingers. The smallest bit of bread makes any dish manageable with just a thumb and two fingers.
For some Westerners it’s a skill that has to be acquired. Not for me. I jumped right in on my first trip to India – to the astonishment of my Indian family. Eating with your hands gives you a new way to appreciate the texture of food and for me, turns every bite into a conscious act. If I could get away with it, I’d ditch the silverware at every meal.
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15
May
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Books, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Baking with Julia, Nancy Silverton, Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, Pecan Rolls, Sticky Buns, Tuesdays with Dorie. 39 comments
Recipes: Brioche and Pecan Sticky Buns
Sticky buns epitomize all that’s wonderful about weekend breakfast; indulgence, leisure, hanging out with people who are happy to see you in your pajamas, and of course, an excess of butter. They go perfectly with strong coffee too. And because I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the hosts for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie, I get to share the sticky bun recipe from Baking with Julia with you.
I’ve eaten and baked many a sticky bun. I’ve even written about them before. But this sticky bun recipe – made from brioche dough, is a keeper. Watch (part 1 and part 2) Nancy Silverton – the contributing baker and driving force behind the La Brea Bakery – make these sticky buns for Julia Child. See if you don’t end up wanting to run into the kitchen and bake.
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17
Apr
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Lemon, Mango, Mango Lemon Cake. 18 comments
It’s Tuesday – and that means a new challenge from the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. I almost skipped this one. The last two weeks have gotten away from me – mostly in a good way: dog classes, a photography workshop, social events, and even some gainful employment.
But really, my reluctance was mostly about the 1 ¾ cups of cake flour called for in this week’s recipe for Lemon Loaf cake. As I move more and more towards whole grains (if I can make bread without white flour, surely I can make anything without it!) I’m more and more reluctant to let more processed flours creep back into my diet. But cakes without white flour are a big challenge. And I signed up for Tuesday’s with Dorie to become a better baker, so I don’t think it’s a great idea to pick and choose the challenges. If I’m in, I’m all in.
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3
Apr
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Baking with Julia, Filled Pizza, Italian Easter Pie, Pizza Rustica, Rustic Pizza, Tuesdays with Dorie. 7 comments
I’m always excited when I come across a dish I’ve never heard of – like the Pizza Rustica I made for today’s Tuesdays with Dorie challenge. This dish is a savory pie – closer to a quiche than to what most of us think of as pizza. Rustic Pizza is a traditional Easter dish in parts of Italy and well known to many Italian Americans as cold cut pie. In Naples, they call it Pizza Chiena, or full pie.
Whatever you call it, the fillings often contain ricotta and pork, and the crust is always made with sugar.
This posed a couple problems for me. First the pork – I went a whole year of Charcutepalooza only eating pork a few times and I didn’t want to make an Easter pastry K.M. wouldn’t eat. But luckily, Charcutepalooza solved that problem – I already had home-cured duck prosciutto and duck salami on hand.
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20
Mar
Posted by Lynn in Baking, Books, Tuesdays with Dorie. Tagged: Baking with Julia, Irish Soda Bread, Marion Cunningham, Tuesdays with Dorie. 14 comments
I’ve made a lot of bread in the last month. I am, again, working on my sourdough bread baking skills. Every few years I seem to give it another try. Right now, I’ve got a great starter going, and the crumb isn’t bad. But I’m still challenged by many of the frustrations that William Alexander describes in 52 Loaves – not yet able to produce those wonderful, irregular holes that make good bread something great.
I’m working with three different flours, weighing the ingredients (most of the time), and struggling to master Baker’s Math.
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