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Frozen pecan pie (not tart): a delicious not-quite success

12/28/2014

Back in early November, I froze several batches of pie crust from the Pie and Pastry Bible. I decided to skip the Sweet Cookie Tart Crust in this week's assignment to streamline the process, so I used one of Rose's Deluxe Flaky Pastry crusts instead. This is one of our family favorite crusts.

I measured the nuts and sugar in advance, weighed the butter and the syrup and had everything ready to make the pie on Christmas day.

While pre-baking, the crust did shrink a bit in the pan. By this time, I had been on my feet for many hours, so perhaps I didn't handle it as carefully as I should have.

I did try for a pretty arrangement of nuts, but that only lasted for a while....

The extra pieces of pecans didn't fit into my tidy arrangement, but oh well! Here the syrup gets carefully poured on top of the nuts. Note my beautiful new apron, a handmade gift by my daughter, Jessica!

You can see that the filling seeped under that shrunken edge of the crust, gluing it to the pan (in the most delicious manner possible, of course!).

Now for the not-quite success part: it was difficult to cut when frozen, because I hadn't factored in the effect of using a standard pie crust instead of the prescribed tart crust. The filling, as Rose noted in the book, was delicious and easy to cut when frozen. We did let it defrost to eat the second half and it lost absolutely nothing in translation to room temperature. We simply love the flaky pastry, which is so crisp on the bottom, and so even though it turned out to be incompatible with the frozen filling, nobody complained. The pie didn't last long! The addition of cream in the filling is heavenly! Here in the south, pecan pie is a proud tradition, but far too sweet for my taste. Rose's versions--both this one and the one in the Pie and Pastry Bible--overcome that one objection to this holiday treat. Thanks, Rose!

A Christmas photo--on the left, our luscious pie On the right, the secondhand Kitchenaid mixer that we refurbished for our daughter, Jessica. In the center, my new cookbook stand! My son Dustin designed this new stand with the name of my blog and printed it on a 3-D printer at his office.

Happy new year, everyone!

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"Talking" to Rose and re-learning lessons in the kitchen

12/21/2014

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No sense in hiding it--I am an impatient person. I have finally become disciplined enough to stop looking for shortcuts and just do things right the first time....except that once in a while I slide back into my poor habits.

While baking this week's assignment, the Almond Coffee Crisps, I had one of those lazy moments (hours). I often carry on little conversations in my head as I putter around the kitchen. Today I found myself carrying on little dialogues with Rose. My fellow Alpha Bakers--take note! She "answered" me! (in a manner of speaking)

Follow along through this process:

First, I thanked Rose for creating cookie recipes that are made in the food processor! I love the easy preparation.

Sugar and butter are combined in the food processor. This looks suspiciously like "creaming" them together....but I just watched Rose's video where she specifically says that she doesn't cream butter and sugar together...so it can't be! (See her blog post dated 12/17/2014) Hmm...

Although I really hate coffee (gasp!) I made a double batch of these cookies for my coffee-loving friends and family. Here is the dough portioned out for the fridge. Who was it that asked last week if Rose has stock in a plastic wrap company? "Do you, Rose? I think I need to buy stock in a paper plate company!"

She begins to "answer me." Notice the little round impressions on the cookies? This is halfway through the baking time, by the way, just before I turned the cookie sheet. The directions say to press down the balls. "I know! I could use that cute little wooden tart tamper thing that's been collecting cobwebs in the cupboard! That would be perfect, wouldn't it, Rose?" I thought I was so clever. "No, it wouldn't, Michele," was the answer. The cute little thing stuck and tore the dough, despite flour and shortening and nonstick spray. Fingers were much more efficient. Oh well. But there's more.

"Let's see, these are far enough apart, aren't they, Rose? I can squeeze more than just 12 on this pan, can't I?" And the answer came, "No they aren't, Michele!" The cookies spread much more than I thought they would! Note the cute (worthless) little wooden tamper in this picture, and the TAPE MEASURE to make sure I placed this batch far enough part on the cookie sheet!!

And STILL I hadn't learned! I covered the whole table with craft paper, and thought I would make short work out of the espresso powder sprinkling step with a mesh strainer. "This will work, won't it Rose?" Need I say it--"NO, it won't work, Michele!" The powder pours right through. Use fingers like the directions call for or go buy a cosmetic brush and stop looking for shortcuts on an already easy recipe!

The cookies aren't cute. But my taste testers are coffee-lovers, so these are packaged up ready for delivery. My friends and family are very happy with the Alpha Bakers project!

They are very light, and I am surprised at the subtlety of the coffee flavor. They aren't my favorite, because I really, really don't like coffee, but they are a real hit with my husband--the only taster so far! I hope my other tasters will comment and let me know how they like them!

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The Ischler: Almonds, and apricots and chocolate—oh my!

12/15/2014

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Almonds, and apricots and chocolate—oh my! After rolling and cutting Christmas sugar cookies and gingerbread this week, the Ischler strikes me as a very sophisticated and upscale cookie, a “step into my parlor,” sort of cookie, not the kind of thing I would include in a lunch pail for a lumberjack (if I were ever to meet a lumberjack, that is).

A deceptively simple recipe, the Austrian Ischler combines ground almonds in the dough with apricots and chocolate filling. The combination makes for an outstanding cookie, first nutty and crumbly, then that fruity and chocolate finish.

The chilled dough ready to be rolled flat. I love my flour wand! Rose recommends rolling the dough with a sheet of plastic wrap on top to help prevent sticking and I heartily concur.

When rolling, approach the dough kindly, but with authority. Use short strokes from the center and be sure to turn the dough frequently on the board. It is an established fact that pastry and cookie dough has a natural affinity for kitchen counter tops. If not handled carefully, the dough will fuse with the counter top. Temperature is a large part of this molecular equation. Once this immutable bond has formed, no amount of wheedling will coax your carefully cut shapes off the board. Your only choice will be to scrape it all off and re-roll it. Therefore, wield your rolling pin attentively on a lightly floured board and turn the dough often!

The cookies are cooling, with golden edges and flecks of almond visible on the wafers.

I made the chocolate ganache with two parts bittersweet to one part milk chocolate to accommodate my husband's preference for sweet chocolate.

Spreading the wafers with strained apricot preserves...

...and then topping them with a second cookie spread with the chocolate ganache.

I ran out of the apricot preserves and used my homemade peach melba jam for the last six cookies. That peach and raspberry flavor combination, while not traditional for the Ischler, proved to be delicious!

The Ischler--so elegant, so delicious!

Several weeks ago, Rose posted a recipe on her blog for Glocker Marzipan Bâtards, another almond cookie, that one chewy, glazed with strained apricot preserves and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt. (http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2014/11/an_amazing_new_cookie_for_the.html#more).

They are divine! The Ischler and the Glocker Bâtards are close cousins in flavor, with the Ischler striking the additional chocolate note. If I had to choose between the two of them, I prefer the Glocker Bâtards.

GIVEAWAY THIS WEEK!!

Rose’s fans probably remember her post about the Crack ‘Em, a little spoon rest with a built in ridge to make cracking eggs quick, clean and completely foolproof. I really like this little gadget, and thought it would be fun to share one with a fellow baking enthusiast! So, everyone who leaves me a comment anywhere on my blog until Saturday, December 20 will be entered to win a Crack ‘Em. Thanks for visiting and good luck!

www.crackemeggs.com

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Apples and rum and pecans and cinnamon...the English Dried Fruit Cake

12/8/2014

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The words "fruit" and "cake" in close proximity elicit groans and eye rolling among my family members. Fruitcake is a punchline in our house. (Except with me--I love fruitcake!) My husband and children are hopelessly prejudiced, although I can't remember them even taking so much as one bite of a fruitcake, good or bad. Therefore I described this week's baking assignment as an apple spice cake with pecans and rum...and some dried fruits.

Incidentally, I continue to note that my cakes, breads and pies test done much earlier than the recommended baking times in the book. Both of my ovens have been recently tested for accuracy, so I can't explain it. But word to the wise--use baking times as guidelines and keep a close eye on the oven.

I used Golden Delicious apples, and for dried fruits I chose cherries, apricots, peaches and dates.

This is the beach stage! Rose likens the melted butter, white and brown sugars to the consistency of wet sand.

After the dried fruits are plumped up in boiling water, they are tossed with the dry ingredients before being folded into the butter and sugar mixture.

Folding the apples and butter mixture into the dry ingredients. This recipe is requires no technology! Wooden spoons and silicone spatulas only, no mixer or food processor required.

Scraping the batter into the pan. Note my 20 year-old Wilton Bake Even Strips. They are practically antiques! I do also have one of Rose's silicone strips.

After 28 minutes in the oven and 10 minutes cooling in the pan, I brushed the cake with dark rum. It smelled so delicious in the oven, even my fruitcake-loathing husband asked when he could have a piece.

The next day, the cake was moist and the flavor was terrific with just the right touch of rum. The toasted pecans really shine in this cake.

A buttery rum sauce proved to be a perfect complement to the cake. It's an adaptation of my friend Barbie's famous whiskey sauce. Here's the recipe for a very generous batch:

Melt two sticks of unsalted butter over low heat in a small nonstick saucepan. Do not let it brown or even simmer. Remove the pan from the heat.
Lightly blend one egg plus one egg yolk with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Off the heat, whisk the eggs into the butter.
Stir 1 1/2 cups of white sugar into the butter and egg mixture and blend well. Return the pan to the stove and cook on medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and the sugar is dissolved, 6-8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in one half cup of dark rum.
Serve the sauce alongside the cake.

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Kickoff to the Alpha Bakers' project: Kouigns Amann

12/1/2014

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I'm not sure I would have tackled this recipe without the Alpha Bakers to spur me on! Was it difficult? Not at all! The directions are clearly written and the photos remove any doubt about the techniques. Be prepared to be in and out of the kitchen for about six hours with a timer in your pocket. The pleasure of baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipes is that there is virtually no guesswork.

Here the butter is shown still encased in plastic wrap, but it's ready to be wrapped in the pastry dough. The smooth dough is a dream to work with!

Simple ingredients yield extraordinary results!

Don't resist--just take a ruler and measure!

Ready for the oven. Note my custom-made baking rings! My brilliant and resourceful husband found a heavy aluminum pipe at a scrap yard and cut them for me.

My kouigns amann baked to an internal temperature of 213 degrees in a total of 11 minutes. I removed them from the oven at that point and they were perfect. Do keep a close eye on them and keep your digital thermometer handy. I can't describe the sizzling butter, the burnt sugar on the bottom of the foil, the crispy edges, the soft pockets of sugary joy.... my test tasters were unanimous in their enthusiasm for this delicious new favorite. Bottom line-- just TRY THE RECIPE! It's wonderful!

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Frozen pecan pie (not tart): a delicious not-quite success

"Talking" to Rose and re-learning lessons in the kitchen

The Ischler: Almonds, and apricots and chocolate—oh my!

Apples and rum and pecans and cinnamon...the English Dried Fruit Cake

Kickoff to the Alpha Bakers' project: Kouigns Amann

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