Dessert Menu

Rose Cake

2012-01-29T21:04:00.006-06:00

Ombre and roses...does it get more girly?

This cake was made with a vanilla cake recipe (to which I added varying amounts of pink Americolor gels) and a buttercream recipe that I'm pretty sure I got from Sweetapolita's website. (Sorry, I just can't seem to find the exact link right now.) I filled it with vanilla pudding and flavoured the buttercream lightly with LorAnn's Raspberry Flavor.

The roses were far, far simpler to make than I thought they'd be. A search on Pinterest yielded iambaker's tutorial, but for some reason the website was down. (I've heard she's looking for a new host.) Luckily, I found this tutorial on YouTube.

Some notes:

the recipe makes 3-8" cakes pretty much perfectly
adding burgundy deepens the pink
adding peach makes it more 'rosy' looking
make a double recipe of buttercream (i.e. with 2 cups butter, 8 cups icing sugar, 8 tbsp whipping cream, and 3 tsp vanilla)...even then, this cake has a 3"-square bald spot! (Just don't use quite as much on the sides when doing the first coat.)

For the last day of school

2011-08-06T21:02:00.007-05:00

I baked a gazillion cookies and cupcakes. (Thanks, Lois, for helping me decorate the cupcakes!) The theme was summer, so there were watermelon and beachball cookies, and cupcakes decorated to look like the beach, or with a flag in them. The idea was to sell them to raise money for the music program. I thought to sell by donation, but I think that maybe scared people off. I'd like to try this again...baking is fun!

(Note to self: donut boxes from Village Bakery are cheap and great for transporting large numbers of undecorated cupcakes!)

CamoPlane

2011-03-27T19:28:00.016-05:00

I bought this cookie cutter many many months ago and figured, with spring break giving me the extra time and all, now was the time to break it out! I iced outlined all the cookies with a light brown royal icing using the Wilton round tip #4. My biggest challenge right now is icing consistency, and I think I either should have used a smaller tip and/or a slightly thicker icing. Something to think about for next time. I mixed two more colours, kelly green with a touch of black to dirty it up, and grey (which came out looking a little pale-purply). I tried to make sure these ones were fairly runny. I used the plastic bottles to create random shapes. The icing was runny enough that the different colours smoothed over nicely. I'm hoping these cookies will be going to Chris, and since he doesn't have a huge sweet tooth (unlike myself), I figured he might take them to SAE (I can't remember what the letters stand for, but basically, he's designing an RC plane with a bunch of aerospace engineers for competition). I'm assuming they could use a little fuel. When I took the previous picture, I noticed little bumps on the otherwise smooth icing. At first I thought I hadn't mixed it up properly, but then I remembered reading about air bubbles...sure enough, when I poked them with a toothpick, they released and the icing smoothed over. The problem is, the bubbles continued to rise even when the icing had started to crust, creating bumps in the finish. I'm not sure if this is a sign of over-mixing, making the icing too thick, or...? I guess I'll have to experiment with this one. The finished product:

Pilze!

2011-03-22T22:39:00.007-05:00

So I got into a bunch of cookie decorating blogs, and this is the result! (Sweetopia is one of them...I've got her bookmarked now.) I had a lot of fun, didn't have to buy (too many) new tools, and made a few discoveries along the way.

In case you're wondering why I chose poisonous mushrooms as a motif, they feature prominently in German kids' books' drawings, along with adorable hedgehogs and gnomes. Plus, I figured it was a simple way to start.

Notes to self:

Wilton's Christmas Red makes a sickly pink colour. (Thank goodness for Picnik's photo editing capabilities!)
I could have thinned the flow icing a wee bit more.
If you shake a cookie hard enough, icing will fly off (instead of settling in nicely)

P.S. Annelore, this one's for you! :)

Have the Cake's October Challenge: Layer Cake

2010-10-31T12:31:00.008-05:00

I'm late, but that's better than the last few challenges, which I missed altogether. Which is a pity, since they were all things I really wanted to bake!

I found the recipes here...check it out; it'll be worth your time!

Since the recipe for the layered cake, ganache, orange frosting, and marshmallow fondant are all on Bakingdom's blog, I didn't think it would be right to copy them here. I'll give you the links, though...her directions are all clear, with wonderful photography to boot!

Cake, filling, and orange buttercream

Marshmallow fondant

Chocolate ganache

I don't know if you can call this a 'version' of the original, since I did my best to imitate the whole thing! If mine tastes as good as the original looks, I'll be happy.

Added later: it tasted great! Notes: make more chocolate frosting for the layers, and add more liquid to the frostings.

Imagine...

2010-08-15T23:28:00.004-05:00

I kinda went just a little overboard at Pier I the other day...

I was thinking that cauliflower soup (with crisp bacon bits sprinkled on top) would look stunning (and hopefully taste good too) in those red bowls, so when I snapped a photo, I thought it would be fun to play around with it in Picnik.com. This is the result! An entirely imaginary menu.

In case you're interested, I purchased 4 each of

red bowls
water glasses with a beaded detail
flowered placemats
white plates

I also got 5 serviettes with a rick-rack border (in red, white, blue, green, and yellow), bird salt and pepper shakers, a green square ramekin (for butter), a white serving tray, and a glear glass water carafe with a bird embossed on it.

Can't wait to use them all!

Have the Cake: Pavlova

2010-07-12T09:41:00.024-05:00

It's my first HtC Challenge, and I'm excited! Although it's pretty hot outside, I've had the AC running full tilt for a day now, so I'm hopeful that it won't be too humid in my apartment.

My original plan was to do something fun (maybe even...creative??) with the shape of the Pavlova. My list of brilliant ideas went something like this:

Maybe a ballet tutu?
Or a ballet slipper? (both inspired by the original inspiration for the dessert)
What about a simple square? (inspired by my lack of inspiration)

and to fill it with a strawberry/rhubarb mixture. The first two ideas were nixed because a skirt or a shoe filled with a red gooey mixture screams 'murder scene' to me, and that didn't seem appropriate. And a square is, well, just plain boring. Besides, I only just finished washing and freezing the strawberries and rhubarb. It seems like such a pity to use them up right away.

So I was at a bit of a standstill...until I made Rose Levy Beranbaum's Blueberry Lemon Tart yesterday. The Lemon Curd is simplicity itself, and I have these wonderful eggs (from a real farm) that have fabulously yellow yolks...no need for dollops of food colouring!

The decision made, the die cast: the Pavlova (Pavlovas, actually) will be egg-shaped, with a lemon curd 'yolk' centre.

For all of you die-hard Pavlova-purists out there, I know a Pavlova should have fresh fruit on it. If it bothers you that much, copy the picture to your own computer and photoshop a strawberry or two onto it. I just wanted to have a little fun with it, you know?

One last challenge: now that school's out, I needed to find eaters for my dessert. Luckily, a former colleague agreed to 'take one for the team' (her words, not mine) and help out in that department. Thanks, Anny!

Therefore and heretofore, without further ado:

Mise en place for the Pavlova (recipe is found in the Have the Cake July Challenge)

Stiff. Very stiff.
Piping egg-shaped shapes

Mise en place for curd (recipe can be found in both Rose's Pie and Pastry Bible and in her new book, Heavenly Cakes)

Do you have any idea how hard it was not to slurp this stuff straight from the bowl?

The finished Pavlova egg

Recipe: Eggy Pavlova

For the Meringue (adapted from the Challenge recipe)
Ingredients

4 large egg whites
1 cup berry sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Procedure

1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees Farenheit. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Trace egg shapes onto parchment paper (approximately 3"x2").

2) Beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Add sugar in small amounts, beating each addition until dissolved. Continue beating until egg whites hold very stiff peaks.

3) Sprinkle vinegar and cornstarch onto egg mixture and fold in.

4) Using spatula, fill decorating bag with mixture. Pipe shapes onto parchment paper. Build up the edges of the shape by piping overlaying 'rims' onto your shape. Finally, smooth the edges and tops a little with the back of a wet spoon. Space yours a little farther apart than I did...they will expand a titch in the oven.

5) Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn oven off and let meringue cool completely in oven.

For the Lemon Curd (adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible)

*Because meringue is quite sweet, I've reduced the sugar in this recipe, so be extra careful when heating the egg yolk mixture! I've also eliminated the lemon zest. Normally, I adore lemon zest, but egg yolks (or representations thereof) shouldn't have little strings in them.

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp lemon juice
pinch salt

Procedure

1) In heavy saucepan, whisk yolks, sugar, and butter until well blended. Whisk in lemon juice and salt.

2) Cook over medium-low heat until thickened. Do NOT allow it to come to a boil or you'll have scrambled lemony eggs on your hands

3) Optional: strain the mixture to remove any lumpy bits.

4) Cool before using.

To assemble
Spoon dollops of lemon curd into indentations of egg-shaped meringue bases. Garnish, if desired, with sliced strawberries, fresh whole blueberries, or sprigs of mint. Enjoy!

Notes for next time:
Allow the curd to cool completely before assembly.
Shape the meringue more precisely.
It really could use a fresh strawberry or two, if only for the pop of red. Oh, and the taste.

Snickerdoodles!

2010-07-03T10:33:00.012-05:00

I've got two of MS's cookbooks; this one, and the cupcake one. For someone who finds the whole MSEmpire thing a bit disconcerting, I have to say, this lady knows her cookies. At least, her staff do. I've made several recipes from both books, and they've all been deeee-licious!

This time around, I just wanted to make a simple but tasty cookie. The plan was to take them to school for the staff, but I ended up devouring most of them myself. The texture was perfect! I've had Snickerdoodles before that tasted a bit bitter, but not these ones!

Having an oven that actually works and doesn't leak most of the heat it produces is suddenly transforming me into a marvelous baker! Plus, the light inside works, so I can check on things without opening the door. It's marvelous!

Would you believe it? I didn't get any pictures of the finished product. So here's another shot of the 'Doodles mid-sugaring:

Revivication

2010-07-01T17:27:00.007-05:00

(This picture is from the fabulous Good Mood Food Blog. Just looking at the photographs is a natural mood booster, never mind actually following the recipes and eating the results!)

I know, 'revivication' is not a word. But I teach German. And in German it's ok to create new words by combining shorter ones. That's how you get "Oberdonaudampfschifffahrtgesellschaft". That's 6 in 1, right there.

I've joined an online baking group. You can see the group blog, Have the Cake, here. Every month, a recipe or challenge is posted, and the members have one month to put their own spin on it, blog about it, and enjoy every one else's posts.

This month's challenge is Pavlova. I did some quick internet research, and learned that...

originally, there were many different desserts named Pavlova and/or created in the great Russian ballerina's honor. (Check her out on Youtube. She's stunning.)
New Zealand and Australia like to squabble about the exact origin of the dessert. Since some definitions say that it should include kiwi in the fruit topping, it seems that NZ might be gaining the upper hand.
It turns out that the base is NOT a straight meringue; there's cornstarch in there, which changes the texture.

I've got some ideas percolated in my little brain...nothing too outrageously creative, but I'm excited to try it out.

Hiatus

2010-05-25T09:37:00.001-05:00

Ok, ok, I know I haven't been posting a lot lately. BUT there will now be a legitimate hiatus...I don't have access to any of my baking stuff (oven, kitchen aid, mixing bowls, measuring cups, ingredients...) because there was a fire in my apartment building. (Don't worry, I'm ok, and my stuff is just a little smoke-damaged.)

When I come back, I've got a new cookbook: Rose's Heavenly Cakes! So expect some decent posting then...

Amazing Cake...finally done!

2009-12-21T23:34:00.010-06:00

Well, it's a Bon Appetit magazine recipe...they're usually well written and easy to follow, which results in delectable amazing-ness! Here's the run-down of cake assembly:
You start by laying down one of the meringue layers. I 'glued' it on to the cake keeper with some frosting. I guess it was necessary, but it make cutting neat slices challenging.
Meringue, frosting, cake, syrup, frosting, meringue, frosting...
I used a decorative tip to cover up the messy frosting edges; I'd like to try making this cake again, just to go for a neater, more consistent look.
And finally, the end result. Despite my qualms over the frosting, it turned out! And since this cake was meant to be a 'thank you' cake, I'm glad it did.

The original recipe calls for fresh mint leaves as garnish, but the ones at S*store were limp and nasty-looking, so I skipped them. As for the raspberries, they were organic (I'm not sure how that's possible in December, but if the label says it, it's true, right?) from the same S*store.

If you'd like to read the actual recipe, check my previous post for the link!

Amazing Cake...in Progress

2009-12-17T20:03:00.019-06:00

Well, even if it doesn't turn out to be amazing, the process is! Here are a few quick snapshots of the process, with a few notes to accompany them. My apologies for the teeny tiny captions; they looked quite sizable in Photoshop! If you desperately need to read them, just click on the picture.

Meringue: I'm not sure if it deflated or not...it was definitely a challenge to cover all 3 rectangles. I just hope they don't crumble irreparably when assembly time comes around!

Cake: This came together fairly easily. The cake shrank to just below 12" long during baking, but it's not a problem (I think) since the whole thing will be covered by buttercream.

Buttercream: Speaking of which, this is the one item I'm a wee bit concerned about. The recipe says not to use chocolate with a cocoa % higher than 60%, but I could only find 70% in the store (pre-chopped, too! Bonus!) It seems to be a little grainy and watery. We'll see what it acts like once it's cooled properly.

Syrup: This was a breeze! Syrup = sugar + water, + dash of peppermint schnapps once sugar/water combination has boiled. I have no worries about this one!

Finally, time to bake!

2009-12-14T20:12:00.005-06:00

I'm not sure if that post title means that it's finally time to bake, or that I finally have the time to bake! Either way, I plan to start the Peppermint Meringue Cake with Chocolate Buttercream (from Bon Appetit Magazine's December 2009 issue) as a thank you to all the wonderful people I work with. I've even managed not to scarf down the box of After 8s I bought to decorate the top.

The picture is from the magazine...if my version turns out even half as gorgeous, I'll be happy. I know I won't be using fresh mint; it's just too expensive and even the expensive stuff is wilted and sad-looking. If I can find fresh raspberries I'll use them, but they're not exactly cheap either.

If you'd like to visit the magazine's website (and see the recipe too) just visit their website by clicking either of the linked (underlined) words in the text. The first will take you to the general Bon Appetit website, while the second will take you to the recipe.

Wish me luck!

White Spice Pound Cake

2009-10-12T13:08:00.000-05:00

My decision to bake this cake rested solely on the fact that it uses only egg whites, and I have a healthy amount that need to be used up. (see the next post, when it appears, to find out why) But sometimes it's nice to bake something that requires absolutely no skill at all. Just dump the ingredients, mix, and plop it into the pan! If this cake tastes even half as good as the batter, it'll be a 'file-for-future-reappearances' cake, for sure. It doesn't even need any kind of ganache, icing, or topping! (I did dump some left-over maple caramel on top...I hope it's not too chewy!) Since my cake carrier is carrying someone else's cake (I borrowed her cupcake carrier the other day), I needed something that transports with relative ease.

And the finished product:

Inspired by Tartelette...

2009-10-12T10:37:00.007-05:00

which is not quite the same as copying! However, I did follow her recipe fairly closely, so I'm not going to write it out here. If you go want to check it out, visit Tartelette and look for her Vanilla Salted Butter Caramel and Chocolate Mousse recipe. All I did was exchange pumpkin puree for the chocolate and use this maple caramel recipe (half the amount) instead of the plain caramel. I omitted the pecans and made sure not to cook the caramel too long, as I wanted something that would fold into the mousse base.

As I'm taking this to work, and as it really requires individual presentation, and as all my clear ramekins are at my parents', I used cheapo plastic cups to layer the deserts. I suppose I could have used my white ramekins, but the layers are what makes this so pretty! I did, however, make just one for myself...in my super fancy Mikasa Palatial Gold Champagne Flute. (Yes, it requires Capital Letters.) Just so that the photo would look better than the real thing!

Adventures along the way:

The first layer was going to be plain vanilla custard, but wouldn't you know it: I cooked the yolks for the first batch of custard. The following process then occured:
Brain: oh no! Custard should be smooth! This has the texture of pumpkin puree! (frantically whisking and sieving)
Other brain (I carry an extra for emergencies like this one): Pumpkin...well, why don't you just make this the pumpkin layer then!
Brain: Ok, in it goes!
Other brain: Wait! Don't you need to add spices?
Brain (sheepishly): Oh yeah. (In go random amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.)
Other brain: And do you really think people will appreciate the taste of raw pumpkin? Shouldn't you have cooked that up together with the custard?
Brain (even more sheepishly): Oh yeah. (Dumps pumpkin in saucepan.) Maybe if I heat it through it will take the edge off?
Nose (sniffing): well, it smells ok so far...

And that was just the first layer!

Making the caramel, I realized that I need (yes, that's need, not want) a digital candy thermometre. Mine might as well say 'hottish' and 'kinda getting close to boiling' and 'oops, that was too much heat for too long'. The caramel, which needs to be soft enough to fold into the mousse (i.e. more liquid than solid) was, although delicious and mapley, definitely not in the mood to be folded into anything. I couldn't remake it because I have a limited supply of whipping cream on hand and it's Thanksgiving; nothing's open. So I heated it a little to soften it, and then did my best to whip some of it into the mousse. The leftovers make really yummy candies, though!

I made the mousse recipe 3 times to make the 3 layers in greater quantities. This meant increasing the amounts of pumpkin and caramel as well. I also made 1.5 times the original amount each time. Now, my math skills aren't exactly what you would call stellar, but I am aware that this probably throws the proportions all out of whack. I'm just hoping that doesn't matter too much for mousse.

The last time I made the mousse was the best yet...I think. I really wanted to make sure this one wouldn't cook up at all, so I left it fairly thin. I was also about 1/2 cup short for whipping cream. I'm hoping a night in the fridge will solve that.

Of course, after separating 16 eggs for the yolks, I now have ridiculous amounts of egg white lying around...some of them will go into a White Spice Pound Cake (see above post).

After all that chatter, here's the final product. If you want to, you can click on the picture to see a close-up, but then the smears on the wall behind the glass become painfully clear...

Copying Tartelette

2009-10-04T17:33:00.000-05:00

If you've never checked out Tartlette...do it, now! I'll wait for you...

Isn't Helen's work amazing?!?! She not only concocts the most delightful confections, she photographs said concocted confections so beautifully that even I think I can go and make what she made.

I decided to try her Vanilla, Salted Butter Caramel and Chocolate Mousse recipe. (Click on the link for her post, which contains the recipe.)

While my version was definitely edible, it left a lot to be desired in the looks department.

The things I learned:

put a heavy-bottomed pot on my Christmas wish list
be even MORE patient with custard
the chocolate could be hotter when I fold in the mousse...maybe that way it would be easier to fold in before it goes all chunky
I'm sooo glad I used my last lonely vanilla bean...the taste is completely different from using flavouring, even the the real stuff

The pictures below show, in order from left to right:

boiling sugar and water
caramel
melted chocolate
whisking egg yolks and sugar
cooking up the custard base
the finished mousse

And the finished product? Mine weren't nearly as impressive, but for a first try, I'm not too embarrassed to post it here:

Never ever ever

2009-09-07T16:26:00.000-05:00

add salt to a water/white sugar syrup. It turns into crack.

I didn't take a picture because I was too embarrassed. Just take my word for it!

*added later: I think I've figured it out. I added the salt once the sugar/water solution was boiling, AND I used fairly large-grained salt, which gave the sugar something to crystallize around. Is that a scientifically sound conclusion?

**added later still: It must have been the size of the salt crystals. Or the type of salt. Or I didn't cook the sugar/water enough. Or I boiled for too long. Because since this post, I've made caramel twice, and both involved adding fleur de sel at the end and...no crack! Just yummy, tasty caramel!

I watched the movie!

2009-08-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

A friend and I went out to see the movie 'Julia and Julia'...and we both loved it! I've read some of the reviews, but I'm no film critic, so I don't care if the segues were choppy.

Here's the rundown, the things that make this movie fantastic.

1) It celebrates marriage and portrays men as intelligent, sympathetic, supportive, and all-around nice. No Simpson-esque stereotypes here!

2) The food. The glorious food! Imagine seeing a delicious beouf bourguignon on a huge screen...of course, you have to go through the agony of the horribly destroyed, burnt-to-a-sticky-mess beouf bourguignon first, but it's worth it!

3) The humour. I don't want to give anything away, but there are a lot of good lines!

4) The actors. Or more specifically, the actor. Not to detract from any of the other performances, but it goes without saying that Meryl Streep is une actrice par excellence. She is Julia Child. But not in a creepy way.

5) The food. Have you ever seen a de-boned duck emerging from the oven all cosily wrapped up in pastry?

6) The scenery. I don't know where the film was shot, but it's set in Paris. Need I say more?

7) The food! And all the gadgets required to Master the Art of French Cooking. Those gorgeous copper pots and pans. The rolling pins. The mortar and pestle. I freely admit to being vastly envious, but it was a treat just to see all those things in one place. Stores down here don't sell tart pans with removable bottoms, never mind aspic molds.

So, as you might have discerned by now, I really enjoyed the movie! This is what I call entertainment: a subject I'm interested in, fabulous actors, a pretty set, a lovely ending...I had a smile plastered on my face almost the entire time. Totally worth the $7 or so it cost to get in!

Blueberry Tart with Lemon Curd - Final Installment

2009-07-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

Here it is, in all its glory! I'm hoping someone will offer to take it off my hands before I devour the entire thing.

The final step was making the blueberry topping. It's a rather simple process:

1) Assemble the ingredients: 1/3 c of water, 2-1/2 c blueberries (washed and drained), 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.

For the amount of glaze, I think I could easily have used 3 or even 3-1/2 cups of blueberries.

2) Combine sugar and cornstarch; add liquids. Bring to a boil, stirring almost constantly; boil for 30 seconds. Take off heat; dump in blueberries and toss to coat. (I used a gently swirling motion.)

3) Arrange gently on lemon curd tart. 2-1/2 cups of berries were enough to cover the tart completely, with a little extra.

I dropped this tart off at a friends' but she left me about 1/4...it's gone now! Evidently I need to work on my pastry skills because the crust was tough! Tasty, but tough. If any of you have tips for making pastry dough, please leave me a comment; I'd love to hear from you!

The taste of the blueberries together with the lemon curd was heavenly though!

Blueberry Tart with Lemon Curd - The Best Part

2009-07-21T15:36:00.000-05:00

Which is, naturally, the lemon curd. I snapped a few pictures to illustrate the process, so here they are:
1) Assemble your ingredients. You need 4 egg yolks, 2 tsp lemon zest, 4 tbsp butter, 3 fl. oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice, and (not pictured) 3/4 c sugar and a pinch of salt.

2) Beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Add all the other ingredients EXCEPT for the lemon zest; mix, and put on the stove on low heat. Stir constantly.

3) Have the lemon zest waiting in a bowl. Have a strainer waiting so that when the mixture has thickened, you can strain it directly into the bowl.

4) Once the mixture has cooled off a bit (give it a stir every once in a while), pour into pre-baked tart shell and bake at 300 for 7 minutes (it will still be jiggly-wiggly).

5) Here's what mine looks like! Yummo! I could eat lemon curd straight out of the bowl - yes, all of it - so I had better get going on the blueberry topping before it all disappears!

Blueberry Tart with Lemon Curd - the Flaky Crust

2009-07-20T09:59:00.000-05:00

Whenever I start a project (and there have been many starts), I get the urge to buy. Supplies, books, magazines...whatever might be applicable. Over the last ten years or so, I've begun to realize that buying stuff does not actually get the job done!

So when I decided to start this bloggety-blog, I immediately searched amazon.com and McNally Robinson for pastry and baking cookbooks. The good ones all run at $100+. I'm assuming that's because there's a limited market for these types of books, and because of the high cost of producing high-quality, informative illustrations and photographs.

Lately I've been trying to watch my spending more carefully, so after an hour or two of ogling gorgeous cookbooks, I remembered that I already have a wonderful selection. Some bought new, some bought at the Children's Hospital Used Book Sale, some received as gifts - it's quite the little library. The point being, I have more than enough to keep me occupied for several years at least! So I hauled out my Pie and Pastry Bible and looked up 'Blueberry' in the index. When I saw this recipe, I knew it was The One. Lemon is one of my all-time favourite flavours!

(By the way, don't bother trying to find a tart pan with a removable bottom in or around Winkler. I tried Superstore, Canadian Tire, Walmart, and Co-op...nothing.)

This recipe is actually a combination of 3: the pie crust, the blueberry filling, and the clincher: lemon curd. Rose Levy Beranbaum describes it like this:

"In addition to being delicious, this tart also provides several textural contrasts: a flaky, crunchy crust; creamy lemon filling; and burst-in-the-mouth berry topping. It is also beautiful to behold because though the berries do not cook or begin to break down, they turn dark blue from contact with the hot glaze."

How could I resist?

First, Basic Flaky Pie Crust

My attempts at pie crust generally come out looking ok but tough and chewy. Which is not flaky. So this time around, I'm going to try to follow the recipe to the letter. I don't have a food processor, so I'm using the 'hand method'. (I've also re-written the recipe so that it's shorter; if you want the real thing, along with variations and tips, get the book!)

1) Divide 8 tbsp butter into a 3 tbsp portion and a 5 tbsp portion. Cut each portion into small cubes. Refrigerate the larger, freeze the smaller.
2) Mix 1-1/3 cups all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp baking powder. Freeze in mixing bowl for 30 minutes. Also chill another bowl.
3) Using a pastry cutter and/or fingers, cut/rub the larger portion of butter into the flour mixture.
4) Spoon the mixture, together with the smaller portion of butter, into a large resealable bag. Use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into flakes. (Is this the equivalent of what I've seen chefs on shows do...with the heel of their hand against the counter top? Is one method preferable to the other?)
5) Transfer mixture to chilled bowl. Sprinkle with 2-1/2 tbsp ice water (can add more later if needed) and 1-1/2 tsp cider vinegar. Toss lightly with a spatula. Return mixture to bag.
6) Kneed mixture inside bag until it holds together.
7) Wrap dough with plastic wrap, flatten into a disc, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
8) To roll out and bake, remove pastry from fridge and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

9) And I quote: "Always work quickly so that the dough doesn't have a chance to soften. Use a firm steady pressure to roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch or slightly less thick. As the centre tends to be the thickest part, roll from the centre out." etc.

10) Once in the tart pan, trimmed and ready to go, make sure the oven is preheated to 425. Line the dough with parchment paper. Fill with dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes.
11) Lift out parchment with beans and prick crust all over with fork. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes until pale golden brown.
Et voila! I'm not so sure it's supposed to shrink quite so violently, but...Stay tuned for the Lemon Curd and final product!

And this is what I put up with!

2009-07-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

A cranky apartment stove. In my 4 apartments, I would rate this stove 2nd worst. It's ancient! And the thermometre is waaaay out:

As you may or may not be able to see, this dial points to approximately 350.

And, as you may or may not be able to see, the thermometre inside the oven shows approximately 400. That's a 50-degree difference! Somewhat significant, I would say.

I hereby appeal to my landlord, to whom I pay ever-increasing amounts of rent, to equip my apartment with a better oven. I'm not picky, but gas would be nice. The sooner the better, because then I won't have to clean it!

Bread, Bread, Delicious Bread!

2009-07-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

If I'm going to bake my way through this tome, I'm going to have to face making starter. That worries me. What if I just make mold instead of yummy, yeasty starter?

So I chose a bread that I knew I could make: Buttermilk Potato Bread. (Which means I now need to find more recipes that use buttermilk, since you can't buy it in less than 1L quantities.)

To make a long story short, here's the outcome:
Oops! I forgot to glaze it. My taste buds won't care though...BLTs, here I come!