29 Jan
TWD: Orange Berry Muffins
Posted by Chelle as Quick Breads/Muffins/Scones, Tuesdays with Dorie | 34 Comments
I had the honor of choosing this week’s Dorie recipe, and I thought after a few weeks of decadent desserts we could use something a little lighter. These Orange Berry Muffins were just perfect! I have to say that as much as I love my KA mixer, I definitely don’t mind when a recipe comes along that’s simple and only requires a couple of mixing bowls. These muffins were quick and easy to throw together and have a perfectly light taste to them, which is a welcome change from my standard banana muffins, which are fairly heavy and sweet enough for dessert (although, they certainly have their place)! The orange flavor is nice and light and a perfect complement to the blueberries. These are going to be great for morning snacks, and it goes without saying that this was yet another Dorie recipe that hit the spot.
I believe that this recipe would adapt well to other fruit combinations. The first one that comes to mind is lemon/raspberry. I am not a huge fan of lemon, but I think that these flavors would complement each other very well in these muffins.
Our group of Dorie fanatics keeps growing! This week Nikki of Crazy Delicious and Ashley of eat me, delicious have joined us. Welcome girls! I have created a small blogroll on my right sidebar with everyone’s blog links… check out the muffins made by the rest of the gang!
Check back next Tuesday to see the Black and White Cake.
Last week: Perfection Pound Cake
27 Jan
Daring Bakers: Lemon Meringue Pie
Posted by Chelle as Daring Bakers, Pies/Tarts | 77 Comments
This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was the classic Lemon Meringue Pie, chosen by Jen at The Canadian Baker. As beloved a dessert as it is, I am not a fan of lemon unless it is squeezed into my water. I was contemplating foregoing this month, but then my sister told me that she would be stopping by for a visit, and she loves a good lemon meringue pie. Finally, a reason to make the pie!
I have never made a lemon meringue (or any type of meringue) pie before, so I had no preconceived notions about what to expect. I had, however, been hearing some rumblings of problems with this pie from other Daring Bakers who had made it early in the month. Having no experience with lemon meringue pie, I was becoming a little apprehensive. However, I forged ahead and went through with the recipe as it was written. I am happy to report that I had no problems with the pie. Aside from the crust shrinking on one side (”There was shrinkage!” - for all of you Seinfeld fans), the lemon curd came together perfectly and the meringue was beautiful. My sister and her friends all loved the pie and said it was wonderful.
To see how the rest of the Daring Bakers fared with the pie, check out the Blogroll.
I actually think this was the best job I’ve done at preparing pie crust (I can usually never get it that smooth!) and I wanted to document it, so here’s a little tooting of my own horn:
My sister, Lauren and her (our) friend, Alanna, enjoying their pie (I told you girls you would make the blog!):
24 Jan
An OREO® Knockoff
Posted by Chelle as Chocolate, Cookies | 13 Comments
I am admittedly not really wowed so much by chocolate cookies. I’m not sure why, as I love chocolate, but an actual chocolate cookie usually doesn’t do much for me. Give me an ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie any day. However, when I saw this cookie on Shawnda’s blog, I was reeled in. Yes, she had an awesome picture, but that wasn’t it. It was four little letters hidden in her description: O-R-E-O. I am a sucker for those little two-toned sandwich cookies… and my favorite cheesecake is an OREO® cheesecake. When Shawnda claimed that these tasted just like that little cookie, the deal was sealed. The post was starred, white chocolate was added to my grocery list, and off I went!
And let me tell you - these taste exactly like an OREO® cookie - a very moist, chewy OREO®. Perhaps the best part of this recipe is that there are no eggs, so go ahead and eat this dough straight from the bowl until your heart is content (I could be speaking from experience). I actually think that this dough would be wonderful frozen and incorporated into an ice cream cake or used in a million different ways. It’s just THAT good.
My cookies didn’t spread quite as much as hers did, which was a bit of a bummer because hers were so very pretty. But taste was not sacrified - these are fabulous! They take just a few minutes to mix together, so what are you waiting for? Go make them! Now!
22 Jan
TWD: Perfection Pound Cake
Posted by Chelle as Cakes, Tuesdays with Dorie | 35 Comments
When a cake is revered for containing a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour, can you really blame us Dorie groupies for wanting to jump on her version of the recipe? I have to say that, with the exception of homemade bread, I don’t think my kitchen has ever smelled better when something was in the oven. If you have seen the movie “Because I Said So” you may appreciate this… towards the end of the movie, Johnny says to Mandy Moore’s character: “I love that when I breathe you in you smell like cake batter.” In my mind, the smell of this cake baking is exactly what he is talking about. And really, for a baker, what better compliment is there??
Obviously the ingredient list for this cake is quite simple and the most important elements of the recipe lie in making sure that all ingredients are at room temperature, and that the recommended mixing times are followed. It was tempting to cut corners and move on to the next step after everything appeared to be incorporated, but I remained disciplined and I think my pound cake was all the better for it.
The recipe recommends checking the cake after 45 minutes to make sure it isn’t over-browning. When I checked mine it was pale, but I think it started to brown soon after that, so I would recommended covering with foil right at 45 minutes anyway since the browning seems to creep up on you!
Dorie also recommends wrapping the pound cake in saran wrap as soon as it has cooled to room temperature, and letting it sit on the counter overnight. She states that the taste and texture of the cake becomes even better after “ripening”.
MrsPresley at Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats has joined the Tuesdays With Dorie group (welcome! :)), so be sure to head over to her blog to check out her take on the pound cake. And don’t forget, of course, to take a look at Laurie’s and April’s buttery creations.
Check back next Tuesday to see Orange Berry Muffins.
Last week: Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte
20 Jan
Homemade Gnocchi
Posted by Chelle as Italian, Pasta, Potatoes | 28 Comments
(pardon the steam in my picture!)
I have had homemade gnocchi on my ever-growing list of things to try for quite some time now, and finally got the necessary nudge after I saw them on Joelen’s blog last week. A quick confession - I have never actually eaten non-homemade gnocchi. A spoiled little Italian girl, you may say? Well, I suppose you would be right. Many Sunday dinners at my Grandma’s have left me partial to homemade pastas of all variety. Last spring I began my homemade pasta journey with ravioli and have now added gnocchi to my list of accomplishments. I’m earning my green, white, and red stripes 
I was somewhat nervous to tackle gnocchi because I know it has the possibility of coming out too dense and tough. I followed this recipe to a “T” and I think they came out just perfect. They were plump and soft and slightly firm to the bite - perfect homemade gnocchi! I made these yesterday and froze them as directed in the recipe, then cooked them today and had no problems whatsoever. I would definitely recommend this recipe, as I didn’t need to make any modifications.
