08 Apr
TWD: Fresh Orange Cream Tart
Posted by Chelle as Custard Desserts, Pies/Tarts, Tuesdays with Dorie | 35 Comments
My first tart, hooray! I am in awe of the beauty of the fluted buttery crust!
This week’s Tuesday With Dorie recipe was chosen by Mary of Starting From Scratch. Her choice was The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart; however, with so many people not necessarily having a taste for lemons, we were given an alternate choice - the Fresh Orange Cream Tart. Since I am not a huge fan of lemon, I went for the Fresh Orange Cream Tart.
This tart can easily be described as a creamsicle wrapped up in a buttery shortbread crust. The first part of this tart involved making the cream. A number of people had noted problems with getting the cream up to 180 degrees, but I used a metal bowl and hit 180 degrees in just about 10 minutes, as the recipe indicated. After heating the cream, the butter is whirred in, in more of an emulsion type of procedure. A quick taste confirmed that this was a silky smooth and perfectly orange mixture.
The dough for this tart was nothing short of amazing. Using a food processor to combine it the key was to have patience. Some said that their dough turned out crumbly and dry. After adding the egg it did appear to be dry and course, but after about five of the 10 second pulses, the sound changed (as Dorie indicated it would) and the dough clumped up. It didn’t form a cohesive ball, but clumped together enough to be able to be rolled out very nicely.
The tart had a nice, light flavor to it, was nice and creamy, and I just can’t say enough about that crust! I typically prefer richer desserts over citrus ones, but this was a nice change of pace and I’d love to fill that tart crust with some luscious chocolate! 
I did try to brush the tart with the boiled down apple jelly, but it was just too much for my delicate cream. You can see some imperfections on the surface, and that’s where I tried to lightly brush it on, but I chose to just skip it as it seemed to be too much for the surface.
The Tuesdays With Dorie group is nearing 125 members, so be sure to head on over to the blog and check out everyone’s lemon and orange tarts!
Next week: Marshmallows
Last week: Gooey Chocolate Cakes
01 Apr
TWD: Gooey Chocolate Cakes
Posted by Chelle as Cakes, Chocolate, Tuesdays with Dorie | 36 Comments
Wow, another successful Dorie recipe (not that I am the least bit surprised). I was treated to two in one week, with the Daring Baker’s Perfect Party Cake earlier in the week, and these Gooey Chocolate Cakes for dessert on Sunday. Thanks to Leigh of Lemon Tartlet for choosing such a fabulous recipe!
I scaled this recipe into one-third of the original and made them in two individual 6-oz. ramekins (the smallest size I have). I have a “standard” molten lava cake recipe that I have been using for years, but I have to say, I think these have it beat. I am not as big of a fan of the runny middle that is characteristic of the classic lava cake, and as a result usually end up overbaking mine so as to firm it up a little. Dorie’s recipe is absolutely perfect because the middle is just as the name implies - Gooey! It’s very soft and, well, gooey, yet not runny. I am in love!
You really have to be a chocolate lover to appreciate these cakes (no problem with that in this house!). There is just a smidge of flour and sugar in the recipe, so be prepared for the total onslaught of bittersweet chocolate flavor. These pair perfectly with ice cream and some fresh berries.
Next week: Fresh Orange Cream Tart
Last week: Caramel-Topped Flan
31 Mar
Tuesdays With Dorie: A Quarterly Review
Posted by Chelle as Favorites, Tuesdays with Dorie | 0 Comments
I can’t believe that it has been three months already since I told Laurie that I would bake from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours” with her each week, and hurriedly whipped up the Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies. In these past three months I have somehow managed to only miss one week (the Snickery Squares), and have been churning out Dorie recipes each week like a champ.
While every single thing that I have made has proven to be fantastic, I do of course have my favorites. Out of the recipes we have made so far, the following are the ones I am dying to make again (and likely will in the near future). Since we make so many things, I thought I would take a moment to share my favorites (so far) with you! Enjoy
Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte
Russian Grandmothers’ Apple Pie-Cake
25 Mar
TWD: Caramel-Topped Flan
Posted by Chelle as Custard Desserts, Tuesdays with Dorie | 52 Comments
Confession #1: Before this week’s recipe, I had never had flan.
Confession #2: After this week’s recipe, I officially do not like flan.
Perhaps it is an acquired taste? I had heard rumors that there existed a love/hate relationship between most people and flan. I thought for sure I would love it. I love pudding, custard, creme brulee, etc. In the end, I had a real problem with the texture and the fact that it was cold. It also tasted a little eggy to me, which may not have come across so much if it wasn’t cold (I’m only guessing). I really didn’t care for it, which was a shame, because it’s such a pretty and elegant-looking dessert!
Thank you to Steph from A Whisk and a Spoon for choosing this week’s recipe because even if I did not necessarily find myself head over heels with the flan, I have conquered yet another first in my kitchen and can now say that I have successfully made flan. I just personally didn’t care for it, but it’s hard to believe that we’ll love every single thing that we ever make! I’m just happy for the opportunity to try out new flavors and techniques.
Next week: Gooey Chocolate Cakes
Last week: Brioche Raisin Snails
18 Mar
TWD: Brioche Raisin Snails
Posted by Chelle as Rolls/Biscuits, Tuesdays with Dorie, Yeast Breads & Baked Goods | 59 Comments
This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Brioche Raisin Snails, was chosen by Peabody over at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. At first I was a little intimidated by this recipe since it combined three different elements: brioche dough, pastry cream, and then the assembly of the actual snails. Sneaky, that Peabody is… she squeezed in three recipes 
I am actually thrilled that she chose this recipe, as brioche has been something on my “must attempt” list and I had never made pastry cream before, so this gave me a perfect reason to try two new things!
I’ll start out with the basis for this recipe - the brioche dough. I am in love. Seriously. So in love that I am going to dedicate an entire blog post just to my brioche (stay tuned). I have been wanting to try brioche for some time and am glad that I finally got the opportunity. I have to say that I give total kudos to the TWD-ers that made this recipe by hand. My KA sounded as though it was on its last leg and got so hot that I couldn’t even touch the top without burning my hand. I didn’t have any trouble with the rising, however both rises took longer in my kitchen than Dorie estimated (about an hour and 10 minutes for the first rise, and about 2.5 hours after it came out of the fridge). I made a loaf of brioche with the other half of the dough recipe that wasn’t being used for the snails and oh the buttery goodness! This is some seriously good bread. I can’t say enough about it…. but I will try, in another blog post
On to the pastry cream. As I said, I had never made pastry cream before, so this was another first for me. I watched a couple of videos online to make sure that I knew what it should look like at the different stages. While mine looked like the videos, it seemed thick to me. But, it tasted divine and it didn’t cause me any problems, so I assume I did everything just right
And now the raisin snails themselves. I have a confession. I did not flambe the raisins with the rum. I have an enormous, unfounded, and quite ridiculous fear of fire. I can’t explain it. So I merely soaked my raisins in water and let them plump up. Terribly boring, I know. I also took the advice of some others and cut my rolls using dental floss. Genius! I didn’t have to squish them!
The finished product… the Brioche Raisin Snails themselves… were absolutely delicious. They were flaky and tasted like a light, buttery pastry. This may seem like a complicated and time consuming recipe, but each element can be broken down and done easily and fairly quickly. Of course there is the waiting time for the dough to rise, but these rolls are definitely worth it. These would be a wonderful show stopping pastry to set out for breakfast or brunch guests. Trust me, everyone will think you are a domestic goddess!!
EDIT: I just ate another one after dinner tonight and I have to say - these are insanely better the second day! They were incredible when they were freshly made, but after sitting for a day tightly wrapped (as Dorie suggested) the flavors really came together and the dough was remarkably like a danish. YUM!
Our group is still growing, so head on over to the Tuesdays With Dorie blog and scroll through the blogroll to see the snail creations that the rest of the group came up with!
Last week: Russian Grandmothers’ Apple Pie-Cake
Next week: Caramel-Topped Flan
