Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
TWD: Flip-Over Plum Cake & Cocoa Almond Meringues
Becky of Project Domestication chose Flip-Over Plum Cake for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.
Yah, I know, those don't look much like Plum Cake, do they? That's cause they're not. After baking the cake, sharing it with friends and family and enjoying it very much, I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of it!! Duh. Anyway, the cake was fanTAStic. It almost seemed to be more of a crumble than a cake, but whatever, it was GOOD.
Just so I would have a picture to post, I made the Cocoa Almond Meringues, chosen by Mike of Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude back in August.
YUM! they were light and crumbly and melt in your mouth good. Not to mention a little chewy inside.
Thanks to Becky and Mike for two very good picks. If you'd like to see the recipes you can visit the links above or check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Daring Bakers: (Chocolate) Croissants
If you saw the movie, "It's Complicated", then you might remember the scene that inspired my friend Monica to ask our little baking club to try Chocolate Croissants. (Coincidentally, Croissants just happen to be this month's Daring Bakers challenge.)
If you didn't see the movie, it goes something like this: the owner of a gorgeous bakery pops into the silent bakery late at night after shmoozing with her handsome new (boy)friend over dinner and drinks. They casually decide to make croissants. It is simple and sexy, and apparently done sans mess. Apparently, it only takes about 10 minutes.
Ha! I don't think so. Maybe in the movies it's short and sweet, but in real life, it is just a tiny bit more complicated (harhar). You might even say a labor of love (again with the harhar).
But the results are just as decadent (and sexy) as in the movies.
They are fantastic, which they well should be because it's a major effort. Although, to be fair, they're not hard, just time consuming.
We decided to make ours chocolate, in keeping with the movie theme. We tried rolling rectangle as well as triangle shaped pieces of dough. Even though the triangles looked prettier when baked, the chocolate to croissant ratio was better with the rectangles... the pointy little ends were skimpy on chocolate.
Thanks so much to Sarah for a great pick this month. (And now for the required blurb----> The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!)
For the recipe, I'm going to pass you along you mamaliga, who's got the recipe and some really fantastic how-to pictures as well. Here you go ---> click here for the recipe.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
TWD: Salt and Pepper Cocoa Shortbreads
Wow, has it really been three months since I've blogged? Chalk it up to a long and busy summer. Thanks to an extra goofy school year schedule, the kids got out of school in late May and didn't go back until Sept. 6. (Pretty sure someone was conspiring against us stay home moms, but I have yet to prove it.)
I barely baked at all this summer, aside from the occasionally requested batch of chocolate chip cookies. Good thing too, because I would have probably been hitting the baked goods hard come August.
Blah, blah, blah... anyway, back to baking. This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Salt and Pepper Cocoa Shortbreads, was chosen by Tianne of Buttercream Barbie.
Salt definitely has it's place in baking, but pepper? Weirdly enough, you couldn't really taste the pepper even though there seemed to be quite a lot (especially when any-at-all seems like a lot... for cookies!) It was more of a warm mouth-sensation punctuated by a little kick in the back of your throat. They were very good, with the crumbly, dry texture you expect with good shortbread, and just the right amount of chocolate.
I say, bring on the pepper! Thanks for a great pick, Buttercream Barbie. If you'd like to see the recipe, please check out Tianne's blog (link in first paragraph) or Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
I barely baked at all this summer, aside from the occasionally requested batch of chocolate chip cookies. Good thing too, because I would have probably been hitting the baked goods hard come August.
Blah, blah, blah... anyway, back to baking. This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Salt and Pepper Cocoa Shortbreads, was chosen by Tianne of Buttercream Barbie.
Salt definitely has it's place in baking, but pepper? Weirdly enough, you couldn't really taste the pepper even though there seemed to be quite a lot (especially when any-at-all seems like a lot... for cookies!) It was more of a warm mouth-sensation punctuated by a little kick in the back of your throat. They were very good, with the crumbly, dry texture you expect with good shortbread, and just the right amount of chocolate.
I say, bring on the pepper! Thanks for a great pick, Buttercream Barbie. If you'd like to see the recipe, please check out Tianne's blog (link in first paragraph) or Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
TWD: Chocolate Biscotti
I feel like I won the lottery this week! and I kind of did. Believe it or not, after three years of baking, chopping, caramelizing, and mixing, all of the Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) bakers have had a turn picking the weekly recipe and we're (kind of) starting over. Instead of going back to the beginning of the list, however, Laurie, founder of TWD, has opted for a "pick a name out of the hat" approach and so I get to pick this week. YEAH!!
I have to take a moment to applaud Dorie for a really fabulous baking book. After making 150 or so of the recipes from this book, I feel qualified to say that this is one of the best baking books EVER. The recipes are consistently good, the directions clear and precise, and there's so much variety. Bravo to Dorie!
There were still plenty of tempting recipes to choose from and I went with the Chocolate Biscotti.
Dorie's directions first call for mixing the ingredients and rolling halves of the dough into 12" logs, then flattening them out. I opted for a lazier approach and dropped hunks of the batter into loose rows.
I dipped my fingers in some cocoa powder and nudged, prodded, and coaxed the cookie dough into flattish logs. Then I sprinkled on some sugar, as directed.
Next came the first round of baking, about 25 minutes.
The baked logs were allowed to cool slightly and then sliced.
Next, the slices are placed cut-side-up back on the baking sheet and then into the oven they go for their second round of baking. Here's my secret, though, I only bake about half of them the second time. I leave some on the racks to cool because I think they're just perfect at this point.
Then all that's left to to kick back and enjoy! These biscotti were perfectly chocolate and just plain delish. If you noticed, I left half of them plain and half of them had chopped pistachios and dried cherries added. Either way, they were awesome!
Chocolate Biscotti
Reproduced with permission from "Baking, From my home to yours", by Dorie Greenspan.
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped almonds, blanched or unblanched
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
sugar, for dusting
Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes; the mixture may be crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes; don't worry if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead in any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 12 inch long logs. Flatten both logs with the palm of your hand so that they are 1/2 to 1 inch high, about 2 inches across and sort of rectangular, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle each log with a little sugar.
Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. The logs will spread and crack - and that's just fine. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, put it on a cooling rack and cool the logs for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet - you'll have an army of biscotti - and bake the cookies again, this time for just 10 minutes.
Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
TWD: Basic Marbled Loaf Cake & Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake
It was a double-loafer weekend. Loaf cake, that is.
Carol from The Bake More chose Basic Marbled Loaf Cake for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.
Amy of Amy Ruth Bakes decided on Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake last June but I didn't get to it then.
I used my handy-dandy home-made loaf cake splitter-in-halfer thingamajiggy* and made half a recipe of both cakes in one pop.
* the thingamajiggy is a piece of cardboard cut to fit the pan, then covered well in aluminum foil. I use a couple of pieces of parchment paper lining the bottom and middle side for a little extra insurance to keep the batters safely on their own sides.
As long as the baking times are similar, this method works well for halving loaf cakes. (I included a show and tell on how to make the divider in this post).
As you can see, I opted not to make the standard vanilla - chocolate marble cake. Instead I went with straight vanilla and colored half the batter pink. My son begged me not to add raspberries like I was planning to, or any other flavors, so my marbling is cosmetic only.
Both cakes were moist and dense and tasted delish with no frosting or glaze. I would have a hard time picking a favorite.
If you'd like to see the recipe, stop by Carol and Amy's sites (links in the first paragraph), or find yourself a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
TWD: Honey Nut Brownies & Citrus Currant Sunshine Muffins
Ruh roh! Somehow two Tuesdays have gone by without me posting my Tuesdays with Dorie treats. I baked them... just didn't post them!
Anyway, this week, Suzy of Suzy Homemaker chose Honey Nut Brownies and last week, Lauryn of Bella Baker chose Citrus Currant Sunshine Muffins.
First up, the brownies... from the discussion forum I heard that these "brownies" tasted more of honey than chocolate. Those that baked early advised using a honey you really like because the honey flavor was front and center. Sadly, I'm not in love with the honey I have on hand, so I used Lyle's Golden Syrup instead. Lyle's is, I believe, a British product and tastes of caramel and has a consistency much like honey. I figured it would be a perfect match. I also increased the chocolate by half again, and used cashews to add another level of tastiness.
I must say... boy, were these ever good! Wow! I couldn't stop myself from cutting off a hunk every time I walked by. I'm glad I only made 1/2 batch! Now I need to find a good honey and try them as intended.
Moving on to the Citrus Currant Sunshine Muffins, they were aptly named because the day I made them the sun came out after what has seemed like forever! I get so tired of these grey, gloomy, Ohio winter skies, I just crave sunshine so badly this time of year.
Enter the muffins...
I even took them outside, risking a too-bright picture because it was so nice to see some sun.
These tasted lightly of orange and lemon and were nice and soft.
Next time I let the clouds get to me, I'm going to bake another batch of these and see if they will work their magic again on those nasty clouds.
OK, that's all folks. If you'd like to see the recipes, please check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, from My Home to Yours", or click on the links in the second paragraph for Suzy and Lauryn's web sites.
Anyway, this week, Suzy of Suzy Homemaker chose Honey Nut Brownies and last week, Lauryn of Bella Baker chose Citrus Currant Sunshine Muffins.
First up, the brownies... from the discussion forum I heard that these "brownies" tasted more of honey than chocolate. Those that baked early advised using a honey you really like because the honey flavor was front and center. Sadly, I'm not in love with the honey I have on hand, so I used Lyle's Golden Syrup instead. Lyle's is, I believe, a British product and tastes of caramel and has a consistency much like honey. I figured it would be a perfect match. I also increased the chocolate by half again, and used cashews to add another level of tastiness.
I must say... boy, were these ever good! Wow! I couldn't stop myself from cutting off a hunk every time I walked by. I'm glad I only made 1/2 batch! Now I need to find a good honey and try them as intended.
Moving on to the Citrus Currant Sunshine Muffins, they were aptly named because the day I made them the sun came out after what has seemed like forever! I get so tired of these grey, gloomy, Ohio winter skies, I just crave sunshine so badly this time of year.
Enter the muffins...
I even took them outside, risking a too-bright picture because it was so nice to see some sun.
These tasted lightly of orange and lemon and were nice and soft.
Next time I let the clouds get to me, I'm going to bake another batch of these and see if they will work their magic again on those nasty clouds.
OK, that's all folks. If you'd like to see the recipes, please check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, from My Home to Yours", or click on the links in the second paragraph for Suzy and Lauryn's web sites.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
TWD: Chocolate Pots de Creme
Christine of BlackCatCooking chose Chocolate Pots de Creme for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.
This dish is much like pudding in taste and texture, but unlike pudding, it is baked in the oven rather than on the stove top. That's OK with me, I'm not a big fan of standing by the stove and stirring, stirring, stirring...
Something strange happened to my pots de creme. For some reason they separated into three layers after setting up in the fridge. The bottom layer was smooth and silky, the darker, thin, middle layer was almost fudgey, and the top layer was... just weird. It was thick and greasy. It almost seemed like the fat from the cream and milk separated out in this layer.
I'm sure it's my fault. When I added all of the ingredients together before putting them in pots and baking, I whisked the mixture really well because the chocolate was not mixed in well. I guess I whisked too much, like when you over-whip whipping cream, you know, it starts to get clumpy.
Oh well, live and learn. The bottom two layers were tasty. And I kind of figure I made this into a low fat dessert by not eating the top layer, LOL.
If you'd like to check out the recipe, visit Christine's blog (see link in first paragraph), or Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking, "From my Home to Yours.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal Drops
Caroline and Claire of Bake With Us chose Chocolate Oatmeal Drops for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.
As you can see, I decided against making these in their intended form... drops, or cookies. After hearing about spreading, thin, greasy cookies, I thought "uh, no, not on my watch".
Since I've cut way back on sweets, I definitely don't want to waste my sweet tooth on thin cookies. Ewww!
Anyway, this is what I did: I made 1/2 batch and baked them as you would with bars or brownies, in a round 8″ pan (ungreased). I added about 2 tablespoons extra flour. I also used a hand mixer to mix in the eggs and the flour somewhat. And as usual, I left out the cinnamon since I'm not a fan of the cinnamon-chocolate combo.
And were they as good as they look? Oh yea, even better. They were AWESOME! I could have easily eaten the whole pan (had to quickly push them on the kids and their friends instead). I didn't know what to expect from the oatmeal, but it wasn't really noticeable. It made for just a slight crunch, though.
Thanks so much, Caroline and Claire! Great pick! If you'd like to see the recipe, visit Caroline and Claire's blog (link above) or check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
TWD: Muffins and Cookies and Cake, Oh my!
Whew! January is almost over, which brings me back to the world of blogging.
Hi. Hello. I've missed seeing all the lovely blogs and even lovlier baked treats. I needed a break from blogging, but I kept up with the baking. It's been a fantastic month of Tuesdays with Dorie recipes, too. There hasn't been one stinker in the bunch.
Here we go in reverse order... first up, or I guess that would be last up, Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort chose Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake.
I wasn't expecting to like this, what with the dreaded cinnamon-chocolate combination in the swirl. But guess, what? I loved it, it was SO fantastic. The cake was nice and moist and the swirl was sweet and tasty. I made a few modifications, namely, leaving out the orange zest from the batter and the nuts and raisins from the swirl. Care was also taken to make sure the swirl was well hidden beneath layers of batter. I also used my 1/2 sized bundt pan for the first time... the cake was so adorable to boot!
Before that, Betsy of A Cup of Sweetness chose Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.
I made these as directed and they were just perfect. Lemony and crunchy from the poppy seeds, moist and tender from the sour cream in the batter. They weren't terribly sweet but that's OK because they were muffins, not cake. No complaints at all with these little yummies.
Next, Margo of Effort to Deliciousness chose Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines.
My madeleines, without their fluff filling, or chocolate glaze were the poor cousins of those lucky madeleines that were made like they were supposed to be. (I soooooo did not need an almost-full jar of marshmallow fluff in my pantry, so I skipped the filling. Plain old laziness dictated that mine would not get a dip in the chocolate pool.) But you know what? They still tasted awesome, like bite-size chocolate cakes.
Of course, they didn't have the much-coveted hump on the back. But, really, who cares? Not me and not my taste buds.
And finally, that brings us to the first recipe of 2011, Midnight Crackles, which were chosen by Laurie of Slush (and founder of TWD) and Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen for the third anniversary of TWD.
It's been a while, but I seem to remember these might have had some spices in them... whatever it was, I left them out. I wanted pure, unadulterated chocolate.
And this cookie delivered just that. They were seriously good. If they would have had some chocoalte chips in them, they would have been the best ever Chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Underbaking them a little was key, by the way.
OK, folks, that's January! In a nutshell. If you'd like to see the recipes, check out the lovely ladies' blogs, or get ahold of a Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking, From my Home to Yours.
Hi. Hello. I've missed seeing all the lovely blogs and even lovlier baked treats. I needed a break from blogging, but I kept up with the baking. It's been a fantastic month of Tuesdays with Dorie recipes, too. There hasn't been one stinker in the bunch.
Here we go in reverse order... first up, or I guess that would be last up, Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort chose Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake.
I wasn't expecting to like this, what with the dreaded cinnamon-chocolate combination in the swirl. But guess, what? I loved it, it was SO fantastic. The cake was nice and moist and the swirl was sweet and tasty. I made a few modifications, namely, leaving out the orange zest from the batter and the nuts and raisins from the swirl. Care was also taken to make sure the swirl was well hidden beneath layers of batter. I also used my 1/2 sized bundt pan for the first time... the cake was so adorable to boot!
Before that, Betsy of A Cup of Sweetness chose Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.
I made these as directed and they were just perfect. Lemony and crunchy from the poppy seeds, moist and tender from the sour cream in the batter. They weren't terribly sweet but that's OK because they were muffins, not cake. No complaints at all with these little yummies.
Next, Margo of Effort to Deliciousness chose Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines.
My madeleines, without their fluff filling, or chocolate glaze were the poor cousins of those lucky madeleines that were made like they were supposed to be. (I soooooo did not need an almost-full jar of marshmallow fluff in my pantry, so I skipped the filling. Plain old laziness dictated that mine would not get a dip in the chocolate pool.) But you know what? They still tasted awesome, like bite-size chocolate cakes.
Of course, they didn't have the much-coveted hump on the back. But, really, who cares? Not me and not my taste buds.
And finally, that brings us to the first recipe of 2011, Midnight Crackles, which were chosen by Laurie of Slush (and founder of TWD) and Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen for the third anniversary of TWD.
It's been a while, but I seem to remember these might have had some spices in them... whatever it was, I left them out. I wanted pure, unadulterated chocolate.
And this cookie delivered just that. They were seriously good. If they would have had some chocoalte chips in them, they would have been the best ever Chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Underbaking them a little was key, by the way.
OK, folks, that's January! In a nutshell. If you'd like to see the recipes, check out the lovely ladies' blogs, or get ahold of a Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking, From my Home to Yours.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
TWD: Maple Tuiles & Devilish Shortcakes
Hindy of Bubie’s Little Baker chose Translucent Maple Tuiles for this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe.
(I also made the chocolate shortcakes from last week. You can see those a little further down. )
The tuiles bake up super thin and lacy.
It takes a quick hand and just the right amount of cooling to get the tuiles off of the pan in one piece, without scrunching them up.
They're super crunchy, almost on the verge of being candy-like. The taste is mapley and caramelly and reminds me of the candy portion of pralines. My son and I made quick work of getting rid of the one tray I made.
Meanwhile, Tania of Love Big, Bake Often chose the Devilish Shortcakes last week.
These were a light and biscuity, chocolatey, not-too-sweet shortcake that was perfect with fruit and whipped cream, or all by itself.
These were a fun change of pace and fantastic warm out of the oven.
OK, I'm all caught up! Thanks so much to Hindy and Tania for choosing these great picks. If you'd like to see the recipes, please visit either baker's blog or find yourself a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Friday, September 3, 2010
TWD: Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Donna of Life’s Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First picked Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. (Or my version.... "Fridays with Dorie".)
I love Dorie's method of rolling out the cookie dough in a large Ziploc bag. I sometimes wonder how much time was spent in recipe development, making sure the quantity was just right to make the perfect thickness of dough.
No matter, these were super easy to throw together.
As for the taste... now, my hatred of coffee and coffee-flavored desserts is usually never wavering. But these cookies were a complete surprise, because I liked them. Go figure!
I did cheat a little by using coffee powder rather than espresso powder. But still, the coffee flavor was definitely there.
Thanks so much for this pleasingly surprising pick, Donna! If you'd like to see the recipe, please visit Donna's site, or check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Friday, August 20, 2010
TWD: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread and Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream
Oh holy cow! Am I a slacker or what? Please bear with me, it's getting to the make-or-break part of summer... the part where I question whether I am truly cut out for motherhood. Or at least summer break.
Yea, yea, enough whining, you say. We're all in the same boat here, right? So let's get on with it... last week for Tuesdays with Dorie, Natalie of Oven Love selected Oatmeal Breakfast Bread.
The week before, Katrina of Baking and Boys picked Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream.
Both recipes were fantastic! Thanks so much to Natalie and Katrina for the excellent picks.
You want to hear what a knucklehead I am? I actually left the oatmeal out of the the Oatmeal Breakfast Bread. Derrrrrr! Totally spaced it out... as in, I didn't even measure it out and forget it on the counter this time... I totally missed it as a component of this recipe.
Somehow it still came out awesome... moist and spicy and totally addictive.
And the chocolate ice cream... so tasty! The caramel and mini M&M's made for a serious sugar rush.
OK, that's it for now. I'm going to try to get some pics posted next week of our vacation to Northern Ohio and (according to my kids) the most awesome amusement park EVER!
Please visit the awesome ladies' websites for the recipes, or find yourself a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Labels:
chocolate,
ice cream,
quick bread,
Tuesday's w/ Dorie
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
TWD: Brrrr-ownies
Hey folks! More chocolate on the menu this week... Karen of Welcome to Our Crazy Blessed Life chose Brrrr-ownies for this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe.
Brrrr-ownies are a moist, fudgey, peppermint patty filled brownie, named after Dorie's son's affinity for frozen peppermint patties.
I know, I know, you can't see any peppermint patties, can you? Well, they're there, I promise! You can't see them, but you can sure taste them. Mmmm, nice minty chocolate... these would be perfect at Christmas time.
The only downside? They majorly stuck to the buttered foil. I had to patiently scrape each and every brownie off the foil using my trusty plastic knife. I'm not sure if there's a fix for the sticking or not. If so, this recipe is definitely a keeper.
OK, signing off for now! If you'd like to find the recipe, please check out Karen's blog or find a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
TWD: Tart Noire
For this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Dharmagirl of bliss: towards a delicious life chose Tarte Noire. Which is to say, a tart filled with silky chocolate ganache.
It doesn't get much easier than pouring ganache into a prebaked tart shell. Ganache, just three ingredients... chocolate, cream, and butter.
It's too darn bad I'm not a big fan of ganache, LOL. I don't know what it is... maybe because it leans a little too far into the dark chocolate realm for my tastes. (Milk chocolate wimp here, waving hand, fessing up.)
Oh well, my son didn't mind eating most of the four-inch tart I made. (1/8 of the ganache recipe makes the perfect amount.)
And it gets points for being so smooth and fantastic looking.
If you'd like to try one yourself, please stop by dharmagirl's blog, or check out Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
TWD: Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart
For this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Rachelle of Mommy? I’m Hungry! chose Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart.
I made a few modifications to this yummy tart. First off, I halved the recipe, which was perfect for two 4-inch tarts. Since we're not real hip with the trend toward darker chocolate flavor, I used a little extra sugar and I subbed semisweet chocolate for bittersweet. I didn't measure the raspberries, I just added a light layer. I'm guessing the recipe as-written would have given more.
I'm happy to report that this was a hit with the hubby. He's a picky when it comes to sweets and if it's not chocolate chip cookies or chocolate cake he doesn't usually get too excited. He's not a big fan of fruit either, but come to find out... he likes chocolate and raspberries! Yea me! (See, you can still learn something new about a person you've spent the last 6,025 days with).
OK, that's that! If you'd like to find the recipe, please check out Rachelle's blog or find a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking, From my Home to Yours".
Saturday, February 13, 2010
TWD: Almost Fudge Gateau, Day 5 of "8 Days with Dorie"
This is the last chocolate recipe in my Tuesday's with Dorie marathon. Almost Fudge Gateau was chosen by Nikki of Crazy Delicious Food back in February, 2008.
I only got one bite of this little chocolate cake. Wanna know why?
OK, I'll tell you. Picture this... I cut a slice, taste it, share the rest with the kids, and then take the cake out to the front porch for some natural light, since chocolate desserts are notoriously hard for me to get decent photos of. I snap a picture, but decide it's too bright and I'll wait until later. I bring the cake in and set it on my desk.
Later, I walk by the office and notice the cake is GONE. Not a single crumb left. In shock, I call out... "who ate the cake!?". "Not me!" and "not me!" were the responses. That leaves only one suspect.
Astro.
Little stinker hopped onto the chair and had himself a chocolatey feast. Yea, I know, dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate. Fortunately I made a tiny little cake... maybe that's why he's still scouting around, dreaming of his next great chocolate cake caper.
So, I think this was good, at least the ONE bite I had was good. Almost brownie-like.
If you'd like to find out, Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours", or visit Nikki's blog. Or, you could always ask my DOG.
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