TWD Rewind: Cheese and Tomato Galette

 For a while now, I've been trying to get back into Tuesdays with Dorie. It can be annoying at times, often having other people choose what I should bake this week, but ultimately I find that it makes me try new techniques and recipes that I wouldn't have attempted otherwise. So, while I try to catch up, here's an old recipe I missed a few months back!

 Sometimes, the group's chosen recipes can even turn out to be unexpected favorites. Like this galette.

 I made it expecting something kind of boring - like a classed-up pizza. It turned out to be absolutely delicious - I made the crust with white whole-wheat flour, which made it a little more substantial, and it has a lovely crunch from the cornmeal in it. The cheeses mix together really well, and pair perfectly with ripe summer tomatoes.

 It's perfect for a summery lunch or a light dinner alongside a salad, and it will definitely be made all the time!

As always, the recipe can be found in Baking with Julia, or here.
Enjoy!

TWD Rewind: {Salted} Best Ever Brownies

     I love all of the variations on brownies bakers come up with every day. They're indulgent, delicious, and totally new - I even have a batch of chunky s'more brownies cooling on my counter right now. But sometimes you just need a classic brownie.
     This might be my new go-to recipe. While they do take longer to make than my old recipe, they are so, so worth it.

     I know brownie texture is a controversial topic with many people - some like them like cake, some like them as dense as fudge. I think this is the perfect balance between the two. The mixture of chocolates gives them a great flavor, too. I sprinkled quite a bit of fleur de sel on top of the pan of batter before baking, which enhances the deep chocolatey flavor. You can expect to see my own variations on this recipe coming up!

   The recipe can be found on the host's blog from a Tuesdays with Dorie I missed back in November.
   Enjoy!!

TWD Rewind: Finnish Pulla

   Hello from finals week! I have seven (!!!) finals coming up this week, so I have been super busy studying and trying to distract myself from just about everything else I would rather be doing! I decided to take a few hours off today, and I wanted to leave you with this quick post.

 I made this over Christmas break, and it was the perfect holiday treat - it is like a challah, but a bit sweeter and with a distinct note of cardamom (which actually comes from whole cardamom pods!) This recipe was actually pretty easy to make - the only issue I had was when it came to the baking time. The pictures above are from the first baking time the recipe gives, but when I cut into it, I realized that it actually needed about 20 minutes more. After that extra baking time, it was perfect!

  The recipe can be found on Erin's blog, The Daily Morsel.
  Enjoy!

TWD Rewind: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

   The few weeks before winter break are always crazy busy, and amidst all the Christmas cookie baking, I didn't have a chance to get to several of the latest Tuesdays with Dorie recipes. Here's one of the ones I missed: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins.
  These were chosen a few weeks ago. The ingredient list is simple, and so are these muffins; they have a classic, comfort-food flavor, which can be really nice sometimes. They have a great, tender crumb, and are perfect alongside a big cup of creamy coffee or tea.
 The recipe was hosted by Alisa at Easier than Pie - the recipe can be found on her blog. Enjoy!

TWD: Bagels! (and Veggie Cream Cheese)

 I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been gone for a week and a half. I'm sorry I haven't posted a new recipe in nearly three weeks. The kitchen being painted, our house's lack of heat due to a boiler switch, schoolwork, pottery classes, and various other shenanigans got in the way of baking these past couple of weeks. I actually made an okay gluten-free carrot cake last week, but it was kind of crumbly, and let's just say that the chocolate "glaze" resulted in a cracked, hard-as-rock layer of yuck. Overall, not a great culinary period of time...

 ...but. Last weekend, these bagels. Bagels have been on my to-bake list for years, and I never got around to making them. I was so excited when I saw that they had been chosen as last week's Tuesdays with Dorie! This week was actually a fifth Tuesday of the month, so we had a make-up week in case we wanted to go back and make something we missed. Perfect!

um, YUM!

 The dough was kneaded, left to rise, deflated, left to rise, shaped into doughnut shapes, boiled, baked, and left to cool. I made the quick Vegetable Cream Cheese from the book, using red bell peppers instead of radishes. The cream cheese was light and refreshing, as opposed to the heavy, buttery spreads that can sometimes be piled onto deli bagels.

Listen, dears. (I feel that as I'm writing about a recipe made on Julia Child's show, calling you dears is appropriate. 'Kay?) The thing is, I live in New York City. My hometown basically is the bagel capital of the world (Montreal, I don't even want to talk about this with you). I was skeptical that these could live up to the chewy perfection two dollars can get you on my corner.
I was wrong to doubt this recipe. These bagels are tender, golden-brown bites of delicious. They are like a very, very good New York deli bagel (although not quite so huge, which is a good thing). I am so glad I got to try out making this usually-store-bought staple at home, and I know I will be making bagels again in the future; that said, I'm not promising to never buy one again.
If you live near a great bagel place, give this recipe a try and compare the two results. Let me know what you find? If you don't live near a great bagel place, you must give this recipe a try, if only to understand what all the fuss is about. ;) The recipe, as always, can be found in Baking with Julia or on the host's blog, Heather's Bytes. Thanks for hosting, Heather!
    Enjoy!

TWD: Pumpkin Raisin Loaves

 You might be thinking that the slabs of bread above don't look like the picture-perfect loaves so many bakers are turning out this week. What can I say- some recipes just get mixed up. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was one time-consuming recipe, and it left me thoroughly confused by the time I finished my first slice, over 24 hours after starting the dough. This was due to two things:
1. I made a couple of changes. I'm not a huge fan of fresh cranberries, plus I couldn't find them, so I figured I would use dried instead. When I was making the bread, I wasn't feeling the whole walnuts thing (ugh, chopping was involved, plus I'd rather not have crunchy bits in my bread), but I wanted to keep it very fall-spirited, so I decided to leave out the walnuts and raisins and go with just the cranberries. Oh, and then I dumped in a bag of what I thought was dried cranberries but turned out to be raisins. And they were hard to mix in. Whoops... and with that, Pumpkin Raisin Bread was born.

 2. I kind of misread the recipe. I didn't realize just how small the three loaves were supposed to be- I thought they were just slightly smaller than the 9x5" loaf pans I have- so I decided to bake the dough in two big loaf pans. I thought they would come out big and perfect for sandwiches, like last month's whole wheat bread, so imagine my surprise when my bread didn't rise to fill the large pans. The loaves baked up nicely, though, despite the shape.

This bread isn't light and fluffy, nor is it savory enough to be paired with meat and cheeses. It is sweet and ever-so-slightly dense, which makes it perfect for a cool fall morning. My dad ate lots of it plain, but I enjoyed it slightly toasted with jam or butter and cinnamon sugar. So maybe it's not exactly the way it was meant to be, but hey, it's a winner in my book.
The recipe can be found in Baking with Julia or on the host's blog, Rebecca of This Bountiful Backyard.
   Enjoy!

TWD: Whole Wheat Loaves

So sorry for the absence- I've been busy with other life-related things, like the start of school and Sweet 16 planning.  All good things, but they take up time! I've also been stuck in a bit of a baking rut... I'm sick of making breads and savory things, and I don't know what else to do. This week I had a free afternoon and promised myself that I would make something sweet, and I did, but it was an old favorite- this cherry pie- which, don't get me wrong, is wonderful, but I need something new.

cheesy rolls

Anyone want to send me your favorite sweet fall recipes? I'm looking for a great pumpkin bread...

 But back to today. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums and Teresa of The Family That Bakes Together. Thanks for hosting! I decided to fancy it up a bit by baking half of the dough into little rolls, which I tucked some shredded mozzarella and a little butter into when I folded them into thirds. I baked them in my muffin top pan, and got 8 large rolls from half the dough. This was a fairly quick recipe (I did use maple syrup instead of malt extract, which can be hard to find) - I had a little trouble with the initial kneading of the dough, but it eventually all came together. This bread is tender and has a great flavor- not overwhelmingly "healthy-tasting," as some whole wheat breads can be.

I have been enjoying this bread as toast with nutella in the mornings and peanut butter and jelly. Yum! The recipe can be found on the hosts' blogs or in Baking with Julia, as always. Enjoy!

PB&J with homemade bread!

TWD: Peach Upside-Down Chiffon Cake

 

    If all I showed you was the picture above, you would think my cake came out just like all the others. That it was light and fluffy and perfectly cooked. I've said before on this blog that when I really don't like how a recipe came out, I don't post it - unless it's worth my making again, I don't want you thinking you should be making it. However, the point of Tuesdays with Dorie is to try out new recipes. To learn techniques and flavor combinations I've never tried. So, I think  I should tell you the truth about this one. I didn't quite beat the egg whites enough, I think. I'm pretty sure the cake should have been baked for more time, but the recipe says 45-50 minutes, so I figured that after 60, it had to be done. I took it out, it was browned and yummy-looking. Twenty minutes later, there was a ditch in the center, and when I flipped it over, I saw this:

 

But that's really okay. The center was uncooked, so I cut it out and threw it away. But the rest of it - the outer circle of peaches (I was in the mood for peaches instead of nectarines), was so light, so fluffy, so delicious. I have never made a cake this fluffy, at least not that I can remember. I left the oats out of the streusel, but it baked up crunchy and delicious (even though I skipped the food processor and did it by hand!). Obviously, this cake wasn't a huge success. But it's a great recipe if you bake it for longer than the recipe states, and we found a way to still enjoy it. I know I'll be trying another chiffon cake in the future. Thanks to Marlise of The Double Trouble Kitchen and Susan of The Little French Bakery for hosting this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. The recipe can be found on their blogs or, as always, in Baking with Julia.
Enjoy!

TWD: Popovers

Today's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe made me very very happy. It wasn't because popovers are delicious- although they are. It wasn't even because they went perfectly with the big salad lunch we had before leaving for the airport to come to Brazil- although they did. It was because as I woke up the morning of our trip and realized I still had to make this recipe to post while I was away, they took me about five minutes to throw together, enough time to get dressed and ready to go while they baked, and could (and should) be eaten hot out of the oven. How delicious they are was just the cherry on top ;)

This recipe is definitely one that I'll be making plenty of times in the future for a quick side dish or breakfast. I loved eating them with this honey butter, or with some sort of jelly. Thanks to the great hosts this week: Paula of Vintage Kitchen Notes and Amy of Bake with Amy. As always, the recipe can be found on their blogs or in Baking with Julia.
Enjoy! <3

TWD: Mixed Berry Galette

Although people keep talking about the beginning of fall, I am a firm believer that we are still in the warm happiness that is summer. I am leaving for the airport in an hour to go to Brazil to see family, and I am beyond exited that I get to spend an entire month there. I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to get some recipes baked up, so expect less posting than usual but still a few treats while I'm away.
This galette is the perfect summer dessert. The crumbly, sweet crust (I made mine gluten-free with gluten-free all-purpose flour and xanthan gum), the fresh berries bursting with juice, and a little drizzle of sugar and honey. That's it- no complicated custard or pastry cream, no cooking of any fruit, no overnight rests or days of preparation. Great for when you just want something that will get you in and out of the kitchen quickly, but still impress.

I served this at room temperature with some vanilla ice cream, sitting in our friends' backyard. It was just the thing for a warm summer evening, and was light and fresh. My crust crumbled as I was putting the galette together, which is why mine isn't as pretty as many of them, but once it was dark out, nobody noticed ;)

Thanks to Lisa of Tomato Thymes in the Kitchen and Andrea of The Kitchen Lioness for hosting this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. The recipe can be found on their blogs or in Baking with Julia.
Enjoy! <3

TWD: Blueberry Nectarine Pie

Sorry for the 2-day delay on this TWD post; I went away for a few days and completely forgot to post this! Well, the delay is definitely worth it for this pie.

I had a couple of issues with this pie. The first was that I made the crust gluten-free (by using gluten-free all-purpose flour and a little xanthan gum) for my mom, but it just didn't hold together like it should have. I had to piece together the bottom crust, so I decided to not try and roll out the top crust - I cut out little butterflies instead! I think it ended up looking cute.
The other problem I had was with the fruit filling. Instead of flour I used cornstarch, but I must not have put in quite enough, because the filling was pretty runny. Once we kept in the fridge overnight it was fine, but when we ate it warm it was more like a cobbler. Hey, nobody ever complained about a tasty cobbler, did they?

This is one great summery fruit pie. The blueberries and nectarines go together really well, and the slightly tart filling pairs perfectly with the sweet crust. The recipe can be found on the hosts' blogs: Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake and Hilary of Manchego's Kitchen, or in the book. Enjoy! <3

TWD Rewind: Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

The picture above is bad. I know. It's actually from about four years ago, when I first decided to join Tuesdays with Dorie. I believe they were about halfway through the book, and I was so excited that before even making the first chosen recipe, I decided to do some rewinds. This was one of those, and it was so good that even years later, I still remember it.
This cake is so fluffy, filled with moist raisins and chunks of pear. It falls apart if you try to eat it 10 minutes out of the oven, like we did, but is so worth it. The recipe can be found here or in the book.

For the past couple of years, I've been trying to finish every. last. recipe. in the book. I recently realized just how many are left, and that it's become more of a chore than a fun way to entertain myself and create yummy treats. I've had so much fun in the past few months picking recipes from wherever I want to (and still doing the current TWD), that I've decided to give up on my original goal of finishing every recipe in BFMHTY. It will take me years to finish at this point, and it's not worth it - I might to back to it at some point, though. For now, I'm just enjoying having "recipe freedom" and the current TWD.
<3

TWD: Semolina Bread

I am so excited about this recipe. The warm, crusty bread served hot at nearly every Italian restaurant in NYC? The one I've been wishing I knew how to make? I found it.
This bread is not exactly like the ones I get served at restaurants. It's not as flimsy, not as full of holes. It's so much better. It has a soft center but very crisp edges, and a great, slightly salty taste that makes it perfect for spreading with butter (but not so much so with fruit spreads).

This recipe is so easy to make. If you've never touched a packet of yeast before in your life, you can still make this bread. The dough is super quick to put together (especially if you use a stand mixer, like I did). I completely messed up the two rises - for the first, the loaf rose for about four hours instead of two, and for the second, the loaf was out in the open for about 8 hours before staying in the fridge overnight. Neither of these extremely long rises was intentional (I just wasn't home at the right times), but they ended up working out well, especially since my house was air-conditioned, which makes for longer rises. Some bakers in the group complained about an overly salty loaf; I put in the two teaspoons of salt the recipe calls for and thought that it was salty, but not more than it should be.
Thanks to Anna of Keep it Luce and Renee of The Way to My Family's Heart for being wonderful hosts for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe!

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TWD Rewind: Granola Grabbers

Looks can be deceiving. Sometimes. If this had been true for these cookies, the ugly lumps would be delicious. Sadly, I disagree.
I basically stuck to the recipe for this one. The only changes I made were using unsweetened coconut flakes instead of sweetened and putting in 1/2 instead of 1/3 cup of wheat germ (which was actually a mistake). The dough was crumbly and hard to shape into mounds, even with my cookie scoop.

I thought these were just okay. They were yummy enough to eat for dessert, despite the breakfast-like name, but I've had much better from the book. However, other people seemed to disagree - they were consumed pretty quickly! Oh well, differences in opinion...
<3

TWD: Hazelnut Biscotti

Biscotti are one of those things that I've never been particularly interested in knowing how to make. I don't really love the ones you can usually buy in bakeries or coffee shops, but I had never had a homemade one. When I saw that these were this week's pick for Tuesdays with Dorie, I was excited to see if they would be as tooth-breaking as the store-bought ones. I'm glad to say that they are not!
These are delicious and so easy. I made sure to do the boiling of the nuts in a black pot, as I heard it could stain pans. All these stained were my fingers! These have a lovely flavor and are the perfect gift to ship, because they will keep for up to a month.
Give these a try! As always, the recipe can be found on the hosts' blogs. Thanks to the lovely hosts, Jodi of Homemade and Wholesome and Katrina of Baking and Boys. Enjoy! <3

TWD Rewind: Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines

Sometimes you just need junk food. It's delicious, it's familiar, and sometimes you just want some. I'm past the days of wishing for a hostess cupcake in my lunch box, but I do like my own versions of things I loved as a little kid.
These madeleines are everything good about those familiar lunch treats, but with a grown-up twist of delicious homemade components. They start off with a madeleine with a deep chocolate flavor. I had a little trouble with the madeleines, because they did not form the characteristic hump on the back - they were soft and tasty nonetheless. The baked madeleines are filled with a ten-year-old's dream: a jar of marshmallow fluff. The actual filling of the cakes was a little tricky - I wasn't able to get very much filling in. According to other blogs, the best way to do this is to hollow out part of the madeleine before filling. However you do it, the filled madeleines are then dipped into a bowl of dark ganache, and topped off with a squiggle of fluff. Indulgent much?

These are a perfect for anything from a birthday party to an after-school treat. They don't take very long to make, if you don't count the chilling time, and are so rich you are happy with just one. The recipe, as always, can be found in Baking from My Home to Yours.
Enjoy! <3

TWD Rewind: Flip-Over Plum Cake

I'm having a dilemma. Inside my head (very intense). Help me out here.
I can't decide what season is better for baking. Oh I know, this is extremely intense. On the one hand, I love fall. Pumpkin, cranberries, and apples are amazing in cakes and pies. But on the other hand, look at all the summer treats being posted all over the internet - peach cobblers, raspberry bars, and strawberry cakes are all light and delicious. I think as long as I have this plum cake around, the dilemma will have to be solved in the fall...
This cake is great. It is buttery and crumbly, with a nice contrast between sweet cake and tart fruit. I couldn't find plums on the day I made it, so I used pluots, a cross between a plum and an apricot. It worked out well, but they are more sour than plums and I think the original recipe would be even more delicious. I guess I'll just have to try it again, no? ;)

The recipe, as always, can be found in Baking from My Home to Yours. Enjoy! <3

TWD: French Strawberry Cake

Hi! If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome! I'm Sophia, a fifteen-year-old baker in New York City. I am beyond excited to be hosting Tuesdays with Dorie this week! Actually, I'm not sure what to be more excited about - that I'm hosting, or that I made a genoise. Considering that three days ago, I had no idea what a genoise even was.

When I volunteered to host, I hadn't actually seen the recipe. After I was chosen, I read it and started to get nervous - I had no idea what this cake was supposed to be. How was I supposed to post about a complete failure when it's my turn to host??
I made the recipe exactly as stated, sifting and measuring every little detail. I swear I over-folded the genoise batter, and there were still some lumps of flour after it baked because I was so scared to mix it too much. I don't know what I managed to do, but it worked! The bottom layer was a little tough, and I had some trouble with slicing into 3 layers, but it was delicious nonetheless. I was so happy with how this cake turned out, and am grateful to TWD for opportunities like this one. Without the group, I would never had made a recipe like this and discovered how much I loved it.

When I was thinking about what to write for this post, I realized that there are some things words just can't describe. The feeling of folding and pouring the batter; the curiosity over whether the first bite would be delicious; the look on my dad's face when he walked into the kitchen and saw his father's day cake. As food bloggers, all we can do is describe these as best as we can.

Go make this cake for yourself to find out what I'm talking about; the recipe is right below, or on my fellow host's beautiful blog, Sleep Love Think Dine! Be sure to stop by the TWD website and see everybody's lovely cakes.

French Strawberry Cake
from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

1 recipe Perfect Genoise Batter (recipe below)
2 pints ripe fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar,(depending on the sweetness of the fruit)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with solid shortening, dust with flour, and tap out the excess. Fit the bottom with a parchment or waxed paper circle.
Baking the cake:
Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula, working from the center outward and creating a slightly raised ridge around the sides. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly prodded and the cake starts to come away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
To remove the cake from the pan, first test its readiness: Tilt and rotate the pan, then gently tap it on the counter. If it doesn't seem as if the cake is releasing from the pan, or you are the cautious type, run a thin blade between the cake and the sides of the pan, freeing the sides and letting a little air get under the cake. Invert the cake onto a rack and remove the pan. Slowly peel off the paper liner, turn it over, and put it back on the cake. Cover the cake with another rack and invert again. Remove the top rack and let the cake cool completely right side up. The cake can remain uncovered at room temperature for a day, but it should be wrapped in plastic if you won't be using it within 2 days. For longer storage, wrap it well and freeze it for up to 10 days. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Preparing the Berries:
Toss the sliced berries with the sugar in a large bowl and leave them, uncovered, at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
Coarsely mash the berries with the tines of a fork and toss them again; let them stand for 1 hour longer. You can do this the day before, but the berries should be refrigerated after they are mashed.

The Cream
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large strawberries (with hulls)

Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand-held mixer, whip the heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together until the mixture forms soft peaks. The cream is the proper consistency when the tracks made by the whisk close slowly and almost disappear. Cover and refrigerate the cream until you're ready to frost the cake. Just before using the cream, give it a turn or two by hand with a whisk to bring the mixture together again.
Finishing the cake:
Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place the bottom layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or the removable bottom of a tart pan. Lifting the berries from the bowl with a slotted spoon so that most of the liquid drains off, spoon half of the mashed strawberries over the cake layer, then spread a thin layer of the whipped cream over the berries. Top with the middle cake layer, spoon on the rest of the strawberries, and spread another thin layer of cream over the berries. Center the top layer over the filling.
Working with a flexible metal icing spatula, frost the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream, leaving about 1/2 cup of the cream for decoration. Spoon the remaining whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip and pipe 10 rosettes around the top of the cake, positioning the rosettes about an inch in from the edge and leaving an inch between each rosette.
Slice each berry in half from blossom to stem, leaving some of the hull on each half. Prop a berry half, cut side down, on top of each rosette and refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before serving.
Storing:
The cake can be refrigerated for several hours before serving. Keep it away from any foods in the refrigerator with strong odors, as cream picks up odors quickly. It would be ideal if you could store the cake in a box.
Contributing Baker Flo Braker

Perfect Genoise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pour the melted butter into a 1-quart bowl; reserve.
Return the sifted flour to the sifter or sieve and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the salt; sift onto a piece of waxed paper and set aside.
Put the eggs and the remaining sugar into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer (or work with a hand-held mixer). Holding the whisk attachment from the mixer in your hand, beat the mixture to blend the ingredients. With the bowl and whisk attachment in place, whip the mixture on medium speed until it is airy, pale, and tripled in volume, like softly whipped cream, 4 to 5 minutes. You'll know that the eggs are properly whipped when you lift the whisk and the mixture falls back into the bowl in a ribbon that rests on the surface for about 10 seconds. If the ribbon immediately sinks into the mixture, continue whipping for a few more minutes. Pour in the vanilla extract during the last moments of whipping.
Detach the bowl from the mixer. Sprinkle about one third of the sifted flour mixture over the batter. Fold in the flour with a rubber spatula, stopping as soon as the flour is incorporated. Fold in the rest of the flour in 2 more additions.
Gently spoon about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the bmelted butter and fold the butter in with the rubber spatula. Fold this mixture into the batter in the mixer bowl. (This is the point at which the batter is at its most fragile, so fold gingerly.) The batter should be poured into a prepared pan and baked immediately.

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