tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10797816710223095072024-02-06T23:42:08.167-05:00The Lovin' Oven BakeryA blog about baking, writing, and lifeAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-40026525499049106602012-07-01T19:09:00.001-04:002012-07-01T19:09:23.017-04:00Baking for the Bug Man book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My book club is coming over tomorrow night to discuss Tim Downs' book, FIRST THE DEAD, a book featuring "the bug man," or a forensic entomologist. If you're not familiar with the term, it's a man who specializes in determining how long people have been dead by the bugs found, er, on and in the body.<br />
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Enough of that. Anyway, I always try to bake something that ties in with the book either directly or indirectly. And, because I spent part of the afternoon at the SPCA, I didn't have a lot of time to come up with something.<br />
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So I looked in one of my cupcake books (HELLO, CUPCAKE) and found a picture of some ants, And since to my way of thinking ants = bugs, that's what I decided to do. Easy and cute. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3chyphenhyphenzZCE-f0QCeYlgAy83BJ0n1rFusS_bljf-pN5MvOiXWW1Us-06-1QTGcm14_ReEbKD_G9DYWZd2A1ohED9XGQSAUIwKyVgCyrGt34SFrXchl47audYiBGGACMKKcH7vrqMGjhYnxX/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3chyphenhyphenzZCE-f0QCeYlgAy83BJ0n1rFusS_bljf-pN5MvOiXWW1Us-06-1QTGcm14_ReEbKD_G9DYWZd2A1ohED9XGQSAUIwKyVgCyrGt34SFrXchl47audYiBGGACMKKcH7vrqMGjhYnxX/s320/IMG_1213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost the cupcakes with green frosting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What I needed:<br />
cake mix<br />
chocolate covered almonds<br />
vanilla frosting<br />
food coloring<br />
dark chocolate frosting<br />
baking tools (piping bags and tips)<br />
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First thing: bake some cupcakes in green cupcake liners. Because time was of the essence, I used a mix. <br />
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Second, mix some green and yellow food coloring into canned vanilla frosting. I also bought a can of dark chocolate frosting for decoration. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMKwoz67UT2uoh6kODJy9m6HFfxUjKZzoUaZ4lv_kyVROrVc-Frz2keWOBXk_ciTbj_oaC2P1Ka8XClObfu29LFNlwBQ62fjJvxRpJ5Ou4Cq7xTqtQmIPW7OcwZqIhOWUi-SDFQFQaffT/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMKwoz67UT2uoh6kODJy9m6HFfxUjKZzoUaZ4lv_kyVROrVc-Frz2keWOBXk_ciTbj_oaC2P1Ka8XClObfu29LFNlwBQ62fjJvxRpJ5Ou4Cq7xTqtQmIPW7OcwZqIhOWUi-SDFQFQaffT/s320/IMG_1214.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">closeup of the "grass" tip</td></tr>
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When the cupcakes had cooled, I frosted them with the green color, then used the "grass tip" to put a little "grass" around the edges. The frosting wasn't stiff enough to really hold the points, but from a distance it looks okay. <br />
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Then I simply placed three chocolate-covered almonds on each cupcake, then I used the dark chocolate to pipe legs and eyes on each ant. The entire effect, I think, is cute, and it wasn't difficult at all. <br />
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You could, of course, line them up on your table if you wanted to cover it in a red and white checked table cloth, but our book didn't deal with a picnic theme . . . and rather than follow our book's theme exactly, I think I'll simply present the ants on a platter. <br />
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Enjoy your baking!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbc7ZB3hXZx9eak1_IABcerpuzRR2uxv2ChaZ1inSKrjJx6rsPs6b7aVcIOzUwCrHZrY9VBnw2vpMe9aL9nRUFSlg9GFuhdPwTkeR5AU7KEXEkv1wrYGqsVLnsfTexGhkJu_KAiIMEVY9/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbc7ZB3hXZx9eak1_IABcerpuzRR2uxv2ChaZ1inSKrjJx6rsPs6b7aVcIOzUwCrHZrY9VBnw2vpMe9aL9nRUFSlg9GFuhdPwTkeR5AU7KEXEkv1wrYGqsVLnsfTexGhkJu_KAiIMEVY9/s320/IMG_1215.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three almonds on each</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JB20noDBdF_Qhm_xFw2cbP67f-8u0GbhCeOxJblovDXYajo9-OJIAACAYcNL6NEXf9euj9hOyKoIfnzwk_AHMbm4VslHmRQn8ZwkJsornYwQbwechtRLMfZnMQcGOGxsDJF0152-KXT4/s1600/IMG_1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JB20noDBdF_Qhm_xFw2cbP67f-8u0GbhCeOxJblovDXYajo9-OJIAACAYcNL6NEXf9euj9hOyKoIfnzwk_AHMbm4VslHmRQn8ZwkJsornYwQbwechtRLMfZnMQcGOGxsDJF0152-KXT4/s320/IMG_1216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipe a little grass around the edges </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7Kd_FLLioBuHcZ4xFUm5f5kT3vnmrEDlDBxJgWcscLyTNSM0TccKDArYqwDs3eM2-4RQz85D13zHih3mwq-Mv2zFjk1SBeMRW8P98TE3yiJN4p5i1dYSr3O0SceTKk4nn1lVPiPWXy1D/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7Kd_FLLioBuHcZ4xFUm5f5kT3vnmrEDlDBxJgWcscLyTNSM0TccKDArYqwDs3eM2-4RQz85D13zHih3mwq-Mv2zFjk1SBeMRW8P98TE3yiJN4p5i1dYSr3O0SceTKk4nn1lVPiPWXy1D/s320/IMG_1217.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipe on the legs with chocolate frosting. Don't forget the little eyes. Done! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
~~Angie<br />
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<br /></div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-71745023022127354012012-03-06T09:27:00.001-05:002012-03-06T09:29:07.809-05:00The Trifle... for A CHANGE IN ALTITUDE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last night was book club night, and I spent several days thinking about what kind of dessert would echo the theme of the book. Since the book was about the decline of a marriage after a mountain-climbing incident, the task wasn't easy. <br />
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BUT--at one point in the story, a character mentioned that another character always served trifles. Ta da! Easy.<br />
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Now--I don't know about you, but a trifle has always seemed insultingly easy. Don't you just throw some store-bought sponge cake, vanilla pudding, and strawberries into a bowl? <br />
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So I decided to use my new cookbook--BAKING AND PASTRY, the textbook from the Culinary Institute of America, and I found that making a trifle wasn't so simple. But oh, it was delicious.<br />
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(BTW, if you have to feed an army or a large group, this is the cookbook for you!)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DodbIQc4LTF_sxzfuVlxsJLPTe_-wX1C_q_bRGSWNk-C2RPhcqZDVbw1i-v4Vpdj-aaJinjFLJ_dxH9i4KHziIJazD1aWDt6xblWMBiPP-iX2GirZqzMrdqEMsHlkfN-kEuvGmhcWgvw/s1600/IMG_0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DodbIQc4LTF_sxzfuVlxsJLPTe_-wX1C_q_bRGSWNk-C2RPhcqZDVbw1i-v4Vpdj-aaJinjFLJ_dxH9i4KHziIJazD1aWDt6xblWMBiPP-iX2GirZqzMrdqEMsHlkfN-kEuvGmhcWgvw/s320/IMG_0846.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step one: red currant jelly into bowl</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
First, I had to make the spongecake, so I made that on Saturday night. Actually, I made FOUR huge spongecakes, because these recipes don't come in small batches. :-) But I didn't mind, because I knew I could freeze the cakes for later.<br />
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Sunday night I had to make the pastry cream, and since that recipe would only keep for three days, I did make a a small, one-pound batch.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRvTkoG58fGG55E_qcybZRckW6_SW815V9LjXCfh1V8tLDBxy5bRXteOjfHaUILjlDWfPXD1c5gFirRb09163pihu2rEChXVwjUwIfxNs-yAkOzYD0XR9G7Bv7e3ROjshTB3A9Z43Tbq2/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRvTkoG58fGG55E_qcybZRckW6_SW815V9LjXCfh1V8tLDBxy5bRXteOjfHaUILjlDWfPXD1c5gFirRb09163pihu2rEChXVwjUwIfxNs-yAkOzYD0XR9G7Bv7e3ROjshTB3A9Z43Tbq2/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2: Bake a lovely sponge cake. (or buy one.) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>And finally, last night I had to assemble the trifle. I began by coating the bottom of the trifle bowl with currant jam. Yum. Then I blended sherry with simple syrup, reserved that in a bowl. Cubed the spongecake, then poured the sherry/syrup mixture over the cake to moisten the lot. <br />
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Then I had to whip 16 oz. of heavy cream; easy enough, and into that I blended the pound of pastry cream from the fridge. <br />
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Finally, I cut up some lovely strawberries and mixed with a package of fresh raspberries. Then into the bowl they went--jam, cake, fruit, cream, more cake, more fruit, more cream. Finally, I piped rosettes around the top, and made a mini-mountain in the center, to honor our book. :-)<br />
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And then--ooo la la. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. I have a feeling I'm going to like this new cookbook. :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNfRurFPP-fVUXk7nVes3ia1vhFRnrTFNkG73uz5rBMnuLMzjjQviukHLA6bapBhq320xIHxFT0-ZhYvZDCVeE4DvHXtg79eB5KjzT_aw7ra6Jn4uLARC8PcFlEQwgghY0M_7xwfOAdu4/s1600/IMG_0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNfRurFPP-fVUXk7nVes3ia1vhFRnrTFNkG73uz5rBMnuLMzjjQviukHLA6bapBhq320xIHxFT0-ZhYvZDCVeE4DvHXtg79eB5KjzT_aw7ra6Jn4uLARC8PcFlEQwgghY0M_7xwfOAdu4/s320/IMG_0848.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut said cake into cubes, then cover with syrup mixture. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Hope your baking adventures are delightful!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszD56GoJGz0D6O_A17ATvZw7CbsTHNHtE0HJ0orofbVHoEJN6qyTD7-utghWSgCsIxrgzqiAzmQh7a8DCzyTViZIHn1FdszjwIm8E3pf2wqWEsXFVJW8XvncUWsIlMkr__uUJ6qMoBz3G/s1600/IMG_0849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszD56GoJGz0D6O_A17ATvZw7CbsTHNHtE0HJ0orofbVHoEJN6qyTD7-utghWSgCsIxrgzqiAzmQh7a8DCzyTViZIHn1FdszjwIm8E3pf2wqWEsXFVJW8XvncUWsIlMkr__uUJ6qMoBz3G/s320/IMG_0849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover with fresh fruit of your choosing. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QWLw3HofkolYWq95YGG6WYfOLE3i3JHDe3XJFvtcH2xQ0kcUWbk0b3qAj62ng_X320Glhe8tedN0Fbyk1FRNmR0TT9AnUggCEnZ_70tss4Lfq-_ykKnHFa7q5QEiBpw3jE0siVD4FZLE/s1600/IMG_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QWLw3HofkolYWq95YGG6WYfOLE3i3JHDe3XJFvtcH2xQ0kcUWbk0b3qAj62ng_X320Glhe8tedN0Fbyk1FRNmR0TT9AnUggCEnZ_70tss4Lfq-_ykKnHFa7q5QEiBpw3jE0siVD4FZLE/s320/IMG_0850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover with cream, then repeat. Smooth top, pipe on decorations. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-60679792464142385752012-03-03T22:18:00.000-05:002012-03-03T22:18:39.060-05:00Baking and Pastry--the textbook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_fYmJSemi3Es1nKn-IHLOJvtUnYvHImGl2OgmIAo3_6XyR2GiqwGcih9cbCbn5Qlyqnl_dQsCdkmAEArjNTrddfRsEnItU5_pW0vGFO5LKeHLJsdjyenA-mtkH4lMcd7GdXdmFFpF17E/s1600/416FecfAdKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_fYmJSemi3Es1nKn-IHLOJvtUnYvHImGl2OgmIAo3_6XyR2GiqwGcih9cbCbn5Qlyqnl_dQsCdkmAEArjNTrddfRsEnItU5_pW0vGFO5LKeHLJsdjyenA-mtkH4lMcd7GdXdmFFpF17E/s1600/416FecfAdKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a>Somehow I stumbled across a literal textbook last week called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Pastry-Mastering-Art-Craft/dp/047005591X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1330830552&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft. </a> Yes, I know it's expensive, but they had a used copy available that was reasonable, so I ordered it.<br />
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And all I can say is--wow. This HUGE book is a text for the Culinary Institute of America, and it's very thorough not only in baking techniques and equipment, but also in recipes (or "formulas.") And you know all those elegant plated deserts you can find in upscale recipes? Yep, they're in here. You can now make them yourself, if you've a mind to impress someone. :- )<br />
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Tonight I made their formula for madeleines, a small batch that came out very well. But I decided to bake a trifle for my book club Monday night (because a lady in the book made trifles), so I used their recipe, which begins with sponge cake.<br />
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Well, the problem with using a restaurant type cookbook is that you have restaurant type sizes. The recipe made FOUR sponge cakes (I didn't mind, since I knew I could freeze them) but called for something like 755 grams of eggs and then 9 ounces of egg yolks. I cracked over two dozen eggs and STILL didn't have enough, so I hope the cakes taste okay.<br />
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I have to say that they came out looking beautiful--tall, elegant, and golden in their eight inch pans. So step one of my trifle was a breeze, and I can't wait to begin the rest, in which I'll have to make pastry cream, whipped cream, and some simple syrup (but I think I might have some already made in my pantry . . . will have to check.) <br />
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I've been hard at work on my next book and often work into the night, but on those days when I finish early, I love going into the kitchen and baking something. Even if it ends up with the neighbors or in the freezer. (I've had to get strict about calorie counting again. Oh, well. Such is life.)<br />
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I hope you are doing well. What have you been baking lately?<br />
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~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-64831446506134302372012-02-14T13:24:00.000-05:002012-02-14T13:24:38.763-05:00Lessons in Royal Icing . . . by Crystal Thieringer, guest blogger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Lessons in Royal Icing</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimO9IAiueck1y01N4sc1yIVJhVwpnz_L-_mOtziIaj0-w_2Aqxr-n4bYcZrBzknXcl-OPTMUD8hNdY2hrpUwQUguq9UTdJ-246YqF5VbYoHzp5tHMjH8xDvbiNGZSpH3oKaDPYwiwgCNY/s1600/P1060739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimO9IAiueck1y01N4sc1yIVJhVwpnz_L-_mOtziIaj0-w_2Aqxr-n4bYcZrBzknXcl-OPTMUD8hNdY2hrpUwQUguq9UTdJ-246YqF5VbYoHzp5tHMjH8xDvbiNGZSpH3oKaDPYwiwgCNY/s320/P1060739.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">I'm not sure when I decided that I needed to learn how to decorate cookies. It may have been when I made gingerbread moose for my husband at Christmas and thought they should have eyes. Perhaps it was when I made the sugar cookie snowflakes that my mother-in-law enjoys. It may even have been because my friend Kay introduced me to <a href="http://www.foodgawkers.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.foodgawkers.com</a> because she thought I had nothing else to do with my time. Based on the number of hours I have spent gawking there, perhaps I didn't! </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">In any case, I bought a simple heart cookie cutter and yesterday I made <a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/painted-sour-cream-sugar-cookies/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Sour Cream Sugar Cookies</a> using a recipe I have in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine from 2004. The only change I made to the recipe was to substitute Greek-style yogurt for the sour cream. When it came to the <a href="http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2010/01/royal-icing-102-or-201-or-whatever.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Royal Icing</a>, I followed a tutorial that I found while blog surfing; I used it because it had a lot of how-to pictures and some good advice. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">The cookies turned out great! The decorating was a bit more of a challenge even though the icing was a lovely texture. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">Here are the things that I learned: </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl-HwVERfNqCsTiN9PAr-g332dESNPQ_PsIMzSURC_kiVEvpLOjkAUFLyomXdmFzFJRdHzg_V4MOaMmMm9Z5C_QJHDsJFx4D6KpqQccFrCJ6EiJ9EZyFe1bqOfJJiIG8FdVhZg25Y8O02/s1600/P1060740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl-HwVERfNqCsTiN9PAr-g332dESNPQ_PsIMzSURC_kiVEvpLOjkAUFLyomXdmFzFJRdHzg_V4MOaMmMm9Z5C_QJHDsJFx4D6KpqQccFrCJ6EiJ9EZyFe1bqOfJJiIG8FdVhZg25Y8O02/s320/P1060740.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">Royal Icing is used for cookie decorating because it (eventually) dries into a nice hard shell. Another name for Royal Icing is Cement That Won't Come Off Your KitchenAid. </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">The process is simple. Pipe the border with a fairly stiff icing. Thin the icing and use it to "flood" the cookie. The border will stop the icing from overflowing, and the thin icing will go into all the nice scalloped edges you decided to pipe. Of course, this is all a myth. Flood icing can take a lot of coaxing to go into the corners. Adding more icing will render the border completely useless, but will adhere the cookie to the countertop with no problem. </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">There is barely enough red paste food colouring in a container to make a true 'red' icing. This is why pink is a Valentine's Day colour. </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">Getting Royal Icing out of your hair isn't as easy as you might think. </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">Taking pictures of your cookies is a great idea, especially if someone that you truly love invites you to add them to her blog. Of course, you might wish to wait until they are dry first. The zoom mechanism on your camera will cease to work if you get Royal Icing on it. Don't ask me how I know. </span></li>
</ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zFiwe1hQYgK0NKeH3mUSo8gd5kSHfqWmfRyaZkiCzMmhdOR_hCeK1lteWUG4uRtcWwgJdQncVGKzX7ARv2ApXp2jsK1msKPs53OFMHdzqYaYLscvpowhOAkUPpiG3UT8eptFNfF9G5ZO/s1600/P1060741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zFiwe1hQYgK0NKeH3mUSo8gd5kSHfqWmfRyaZkiCzMmhdOR_hCeK1lteWUG4uRtcWwgJdQncVGKzX7ARv2ApXp2jsK1msKPs53OFMHdzqYaYLscvpowhOAkUPpiG3UT8eptFNfF9G5ZO/s320/P1060741.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">Here is the thing that matters: </span></div><div><ul style="font-family: Georgia;"><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;">My husband, who will be surprised by the cookies, will love them in spite of their failings. Well, he might not be crazy about pink, but the rest will delight him. He loves me in exactly the same way. All is right with the world. </span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Crystal</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div><br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Note from Angie: Thank you, Crystal, for this wonderful adventure . . . and lesson. The Lovin' Oven would love to hear from more of you! </span></span></div></div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-52143631136886568162012-02-06T21:58:00.000-05:002012-02-06T21:58:59.552-05:00The Croquembouche<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxVBCoEEazUzCocyaSg-BvVlckTrAVNzR4BgJgfoSumXn1nU60QjdGyHxpmbSdi5iyfvhEA6WFTJydIGR3p7PYrHjOZLr9Umi9OGW290WrAO658OjyeBIzU0v5cpjnh6gVm4WTTFUVtQu/s1600/IMG_0746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxVBCoEEazUzCocyaSg-BvVlckTrAVNzR4BgJgfoSumXn1nU60QjdGyHxpmbSdi5iyfvhEA6WFTJydIGR3p7PYrHjOZLr9Umi9OGW290WrAO658OjyeBIzU0v5cpjnh6gVm4WTTFUVtQu/s320/IMG_0746.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Begin with filled cream puffs (make puffs the day before; fill the hour before assembling croquembouche.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvKnnHoXLEIW9M6loHBqBJ1ZNBm9JU1zI6LR22NemV-tqbKu4p8GQ76WztAUtSmBq4x2NNjUA6qr0fwEglGPNPhtMXeIZPq7H2zONi_9bKEpvSp_isfsFWt2zPjjsBihAcEGcspDc_w8q/s1600/IMG_0744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvKnnHoXLEIW9M6loHBqBJ1ZNBm9JU1zI6LR22NemV-tqbKu4p8GQ76WztAUtSmBq4x2NNjUA6qr0fwEglGPNPhtMXeIZPq7H2zONi_9bKEpvSp_isfsFWt2zPjjsBihAcEGcspDc_w8q/s320/IMG_0744.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melt and boil sugar until it turns the color of caramel, remove from heat. Using tongs, dip cream puffs into caramel, then position inside oiled angel food cake pan or any pan with a sloped side. When you've filled the pan, invert onto a serving plate. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss9GcTENSPIdkwzIZkDhhD0oNokLPdjEMyRSQPXbXD2vQffWCf0tWfCvRgV5joinNe19EjjNuj7j3Z1TKp9ds4wjOiVcHQ6kS2WH_Ib6TD3hyfwj9S-vpyh8UiyZVrS9MDGsTvYFll3DX/s1600/IMG_0747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss9GcTENSPIdkwzIZkDhhD0oNokLPdjEMyRSQPXbXD2vQffWCf0tWfCvRgV5joinNe19EjjNuj7j3Z1TKp9ds4wjOiVcHQ6kS2WH_Ib6TD3hyfwj9S-vpyh8UiyZVrS9MDGsTvYFll3DX/s320/IMG_0747.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the foundation firmly in place, continue building cream puff layers, sliding them toward the center to make a cone shape. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72xwETWbtLHv9YBlvSweKOPfpuQvoNr087u4BJjzaIhYzRJL5qEPlKztKJO9ybO9IPHx9lH85m3GX6irq-3EQ4s25BpVhmWm8M_z3qrzsv_RP30kVafJLo6_ttOqqb-YojaWpM8D1WhRD/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72xwETWbtLHv9YBlvSweKOPfpuQvoNr087u4BJjzaIhYzRJL5qEPlKztKJO9ybO9IPHx9lH85m3GX6irq-3EQ4s25BpVhmWm8M_z3qrzsv_RP30kVafJLo6_ttOqqb-YojaWpM8D1WhRD/s320/IMG_0749.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Built as tall as you like. Now decorate--I chose to drape my cone with spun sugar, but you could dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGURtQIQNHgcUncMDV7hs4izp6WTW_NXCN6MgJE1l6fJr9CsoMirT2TvvL3DWRGPQg6q6H2kduVzTpX2EPFBDCt8q-EckVpp0nYtNX7gOfJBkZgknBayfhOw5QwKfwd57YvbK9JM9NxyeD/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGURtQIQNHgcUncMDV7hs4izp6WTW_NXCN6MgJE1l6fJr9CsoMirT2TvvL3DWRGPQg6q6H2kduVzTpX2EPFBDCt8q-EckVpp0nYtNX7gOfJBkZgknBayfhOw5QwKfwd57YvbK9JM9NxyeD/s320/IMG_0751.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of my spun sugar. Next time, I'll formulate a plan. I like things a little neater. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUolmImCk4dwpbNOYJbDDYy6RAsdzKtXrylXUGrVdwZBEUZIdbbL2DKYsvAb3Aq5QPY3DaFIT9452e8M68YCAQoIHbEpehvkMM7B0DVA3Q5_io3KyxqXBG5sH1nI8zZ3c90tP7QkHa-Pz/s1600/IMG_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUolmImCk4dwpbNOYJbDDYy6RAsdzKtXrylXUGrVdwZBEUZIdbbL2DKYsvAb3Aq5QPY3DaFIT9452e8M68YCAQoIHbEpehvkMM7B0DVA3Q5_io3KyxqXBG5sH1nI8zZ3c90tP7QkHa-Pz/s320/IMG_0752.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for eating. How to serve? Hand your guests a cake knife and just let them go at it. :-) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehZeguZOmi1RVJmYVvBZ-w4bnSuV6p2ea0GPGRTmfrWe9LCmWhNOu64onju96Vqb7Zw1Gbjop7YH7JOmtNlEGVUlaTqZwQ-2IGibJDrrOo1cgTnXP4P8HHO4nAgyBPBo-WBpCDxN-9RTi/s1600/IMG_0753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehZeguZOmi1RVJmYVvBZ-w4bnSuV6p2ea0GPGRTmfrWe9LCmWhNOu64onju96Vqb7Zw1Gbjop7YH7JOmtNlEGVUlaTqZwQ-2IGibJDrrOo1cgTnXP4P8HHO4nAgyBPBo-WBpCDxN-9RTi/s320/IMG_0753.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The croquembouche . . . being devoured. Yes, it is hollow in the middle. </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Croquembouche (pronounced croak-em-boosh. I think.) </div><br />
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</div>Well, it's done. I put the croquembouche together and served it to my book club. To rave reviews. <br />
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You always learn things when you attempt something, of course. Next time I'll not have any squat cream puffs (though not many of those went into the croquembouche--I made about three times too many, so ended up delivering them to my neighbor across the street. God bless them for eating all my experiments!) <br />
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Why did some of them come out squat? Because one batch of my pate e choux (pronounced pat-a-shoo) had too many eggs in it. Plus, I didn't let it cool enough before adding the eggs. Like I said, we live and learn.<br />
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I filled the cream puffs with a chocolate filling and a kirsch-flavored vanilla pastry cream. I used that long Wilton nozzle and a pastry bag.<br />
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I took a cue from Julia Child and started my croquembouche in an angel food cake pan, well oiled with a tasteless salad oil. Once I had built the base structure to the top of the pan, I simply turned it onto the serving plate and kept building from there. I did run out of sugar and have to melt a new batch (caramel--boiled sugar--serves as the "glue" to hold the puffs together, so you need quite a bit of it. But you can use any left over as spun sugar decoration.)<br />
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I went a little crazy covering the finished croquembouche with spun sugar. Next time I'll make a plan for all that sparkly golden goodness. <br />
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But it was fun, simple, and not too difficult. <br />
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So here are my pictures--and it served over a dozen, with plenty for the ladies to take home, too.<br />
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Very easy to make, especially if you spread the work over a few days. Make the puffs one day and freeze. Make the filling another day and refrigerate. Finally, a couple of hours before serving, fill the puffs and assemble the croquembouche. You're done!<br />
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~~Angie<br />
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</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-39864403736097164502012-02-06T09:29:00.000-05:002012-02-06T09:29:39.622-05:00what I am making for book club tonight!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hcsTdDtk1gU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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My book club read THE WEDNESDAY WARS this month, and the book features cream puffs in a starring role. So what better to make than this delectable confection? <br />
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I'll report back later . . . I've already baked the puffs and prepared two fillings, but have yet to put it together or to spin the sugar. We'll see how that goes today! <br />
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~~AngieAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-45902814125829265452012-02-03T13:23:00.000-05:002012-02-03T13:23:22.171-05:00Baking with Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnGFOAm27Wf1P9dzX2rluLW2wmOt83hMR6YWEyNqmn0asa7a-QNlgNDTeITfTSKK9S3cAJ9GfBOcBmt_W61tcZRF0lwfm2valMuPGAH-vcEQKCBqr8awE7AZF5MRxhKv4BpRREvCZmU4G/s1600/Boy+with+Cake+&+Gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnGFOAm27Wf1P9dzX2rluLW2wmOt83hMR6YWEyNqmn0asa7a-QNlgNDTeITfTSKK9S3cAJ9GfBOcBmt_W61tcZRF0lwfm2valMuPGAH-vcEQKCBqr8awE7AZF5MRxhKv4BpRREvCZmU4G/s320/Boy+with+Cake+&+Gift.jpg" width="226" /></a>The other day I bought a young baker's set . . . and even though my granddaughter is only nine months old, I'm already dreaming of the time when I can tie an apron around her, stand her on a stool, and watch her mix batter and lick the spoon. <br />
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Do you bake with your kids? Have they discovered the joy of turning out some lovely, delicious, preservative-free something? <br />
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King Arthur Flour is featuring <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2012/02/03/get-the-kids-in-the-kitchen-its-bake-for-family-fun-month/" target="_blank">a blog about baking with kid</a>s, so I thought I'd pass it on. Enjoy!<br />
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Note: my book club read THE WEDNESDAY WARS, a story that features . . . cream puffs. So I've been baking them every night, because on book club night I intend to build a croque em bouche. :-) Photos to come!<br />
<br />
~~Angie</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-81128013420992275042012-01-25T20:51:00.000-05:002012-01-25T20:51:25.603-05:00The Nordic Ware Egg Waffle Pan--wow!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23DOj3lA-XrecIuu26opE5EltIlT1fwgydwAp0zhu1vuBgEijEq8bWicZh_PgyWa2lIjsjojkJegPzIXDP1buf2KfT4hWXh1bdxr8IzWX9lY0cDfH04qSHKa1_lRpn5M5bj6iXfAzTi5H/s1600/img77o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23DOj3lA-XrecIuu26opE5EltIlT1fwgydwAp0zhu1vuBgEijEq8bWicZh_PgyWa2lIjsjojkJegPzIXDP1buf2KfT4hWXh1bdxr8IzWX9lY0cDfH04qSHKa1_lRpn5M5bj6iXfAzTi5H/s320/img77o.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Williams Sonoma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The minute I saw this in the <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/nordic-ware-egg-waffle-pan/?pkey=e%7Cwaffle%2Begg%7C1%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-" target="_blank">Williams-Sonoma catalog</a>, I knew I had to try it. I like waffles, but find that they're usually heavy, and this "egg waffle" didn't look heavy at all. So I ordered it, it arrived today, and I whipped up the recipe that comes with the pan. It contains SIX whipped egg whites, so it IS light--though not necessarily light in calories (I figure that each large waffle is about 300 calories, so it's not terrible, either. Depends on what you put on it afterward.)<br />
<br />
So--the pan is only available at Williams-Sonoma right now (unfortunately), and no, it's not inexpensive. One day it will probably be more available and more inexpensive, but I've noticed that W-S often holds exclusives on items for a while before releasing them to other vendors.<br />
<br />
I've heard that egg waffles are huge in Hong Kong--sort of like carnival fare for urban dwellers. They roll up easily, and, if tossed with powdered sugar, would be a wonderful walk-and-eat snack. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPEZjSZGwOii5LZNU7BJaHdupXM2GZu-zTeYomxIvoxcRAYqxBqph5CfwbZ-ABl1K8d-iRpQwNCn_aHmxxg9_JYJDFYm8CnQg3PyJThBw0bi3guVC32vxHihGk8gGldsy8VFGHJ5dfhGn/s1600/img95o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPEZjSZGwOii5LZNU7BJaHdupXM2GZu-zTeYomxIvoxcRAYqxBqph5CfwbZ-ABl1K8d-iRpQwNCn_aHmxxg9_JYJDFYm8CnQg3PyJThBw0bi3guVC32vxHihGk8gGldsy8VFGHJ5dfhGn/s320/img95o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Williams Sonoma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The pan comes in two parts and you make the waffles on the stove. The two parts link together through a tab on the top of one pan, so making waffles is simply a matter of pouring the mix onto one pan, inserting the other into the opening, closing the pans, flipping the pans, and then flipping them back so you've allowed each side to be on the stove heat for about two-three minutes. Then you simply open the pan, unhook them, and flip the finished waffle onto a cooling rack. <br />
<br />
The recipe says it makes five waffles, but I got seven out of the recipe. Maybe my egg whites beat higher than the test kitchen's did. (After making all those macarons, I ought to be an expert at whipping egg whites.)<br />
<br />
My verdict? Pricy gadget, but truly wonderful waffles. I was so delighted I almost went out on the street and called all the neighborhood kids in for a snack. :-) In any case, my hubby has a plate of them waiting for him tonight. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWC6myQ9ogqWOx04uQn8hJ3DMDdLbJFTIVgxnYdKu-l5_rBpKZ659cBoVDgtHOgkk_N9Ld6Zi-2osRKNTx4jpncknhFlSTrwIg973A8asYgG1R4Uwb1ZYWYQUbTUmNJA4WeXMfgwh1OzvT/s1600/IMG_0725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWC6myQ9ogqWOx04uQn8hJ3DMDdLbJFTIVgxnYdKu-l5_rBpKZ659cBoVDgtHOgkk_N9Ld6Zi-2osRKNTx4jpncknhFlSTrwIg973A8asYgG1R4Uwb1ZYWYQUbTUmNJA4WeXMfgwh1OzvT/s320/IMG_0725.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: my pan </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Happy baking!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0fFZYXlJvPMgGTA1_QDiByOWDDd6Pirc1tNP3V5ODHAvReTMf1-sz6YHrZipA0L3ZXqdV2X-IB5XpOnG-sIOUmrZzWuoMcGtkNtxFK9X4xEUnbB0SxobT3yjiERPKpNvWPQq_gErejrE/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0fFZYXlJvPMgGTA1_QDiByOWDDd6Pirc1tNP3V5ODHAvReTMf1-sz6YHrZipA0L3ZXqdV2X-IB5XpOnG-sIOUmrZzWuoMcGtkNtxFK9X4xEUnbB0SxobT3yjiERPKpNvWPQq_gErejrE/s320/IMG_0724.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My plate of waffles--waiting for hubby. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-26715185130842421932012-01-21T17:01:00.000-05:002012-01-21T17:01:14.486-05:00I made a Dutch baby! (This is not an alien brain).<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhwzArQHj-5qJcZ15YffD1DdyezUH_1-HEa1fb8Z_PCQ7YncdcZzWv0xxAQdUVtqKcMABkW-LGQSorkjuZKXpI4yjSFf-l-klQ6HCgdZOXNsZJBavhVQD5CsFB4TptGGINMGP9ihiYC-U/s1600/IMG_0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhwzArQHj-5qJcZ15YffD1DdyezUH_1-HEa1fb8Z_PCQ7YncdcZzWv0xxAQdUVtqKcMABkW-LGQSorkjuZKXpI4yjSFf-l-klQ6HCgdZOXNsZJBavhVQD5CsFB4TptGGINMGP9ihiYC-U/s320/IMG_0720.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dutch baby comes out of the oven all puffy. :-) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-hCrxDPfDdUDvEZtgQpWIeFQ_t928w4dSBxmlXPi7qs-WAiiAq3Uctsg0w8LiK3HhAsWk4WgLCJbzCU3QMCDveNm4KFCukYT4oIIery46qIguGXRYxujj0NKnsz8iyDZ_n88i29H4W_j/s1600/IMG_0721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-hCrxDPfDdUDvEZtgQpWIeFQ_t928w4dSBxmlXPi7qs-WAiiAq3Uctsg0w8LiK3HhAsWk4WgLCJbzCU3QMCDveNm4KFCukYT4oIIery46qIguGXRYxujj0NKnsz8iyDZ_n88i29H4W_j/s320/IMG_0721.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So then you dust it with powdered sugar. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-DvBIR0Po5DwUuSx0zV756miyiqwKJgBne7Xn9VCOiJBClgnNDWNIjwhyphenhyphengX6G86W9TJAINjoc5TFXPzze-sAE_mY5xkYXl-QScsJy1pjcq7X0Kwx8baXa3Ph1l-Wb-Qugk-dm2DwR6g-/s1600/IMG_0722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-DvBIR0Po5DwUuSx0zV756miyiqwKJgBne7Xn9VCOiJBClgnNDWNIjwhyphenhyphengX6G86W9TJAINjoc5TFXPzze-sAE_mY5xkYXl-QScsJy1pjcq7X0Kwx8baXa3Ph1l-Wb-Qugk-dm2DwR6g-/s320/IMG_0722.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then you pour on warmed maple syrup with bits of fried bacon in it. Um . . . delicious! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had never even heard of a Dutch baby until I stumbled across <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/coles-dutch-baby.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH" target="_blank">this recipe</a> in William-Sonoma's catalog. Because it uses everyday pantry staples, I had to give it a try--plus, I've been looking for recipes for which I could use my cast iron skillet. This one was perfect!<br />
<br />
So I whipped it up and found it delicious! Very light and fluffy--honestly, I think I could have eaten the entire skillet, but I had to share some with my hubby. <br />
<br />
BTW, ignore the bit in the recipe about "charging" the cream to whip it. (They were obviously trying to sell a whipped cream whipper). Just use your handy hand-held mixer and beat the stuff until it's soft peaks. You'll be fine. It's just whipped cream, after all.<br />
<br />
So the next time you're looking for a quick and easy breakfast or supper, have a go at a Dutch baby! I think you'll like it and it sure beats pancakes!<br />
<br />
~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-87924151332895081012012-01-11T11:27:00.000-05:002012-01-11T11:27:57.592-05:00No time to bake . . . wah!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyo2W1J0EhbI4lD1qz3b_BB8LrKk3Om2Wz-OAKI1TFV-LnWokgV-s54t_QKCUk4hdvVKd_1CqtID0NEm2135uaRWYwKMWqJ50xRcIWv-EawLP8JbmYXHDvy10xTh6tH4vNSnJMeYrU433/s1600/Bear+%2526+Cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyo2W1J0EhbI4lD1qz3b_BB8LrKk3Om2Wz-OAKI1TFV-LnWokgV-s54t_QKCUk4hdvVKd_1CqtID0NEm2135uaRWYwKMWqJ50xRcIWv-EawLP8JbmYXHDvy10xTh6tH4vNSnJMeYrU433/s320/Bear+%2526+Cake+2.jpg" width="219" /></a>Alas, the holidays are over and I am back at work. And I usually work until way past dark, so I'm not sure I'll have much time for baking . . . but that's okay. It makes the time I DO find all the more special.<br />
<br />
What are you baking? How do you find time for it? Do you find yourself baking only for special occasions, or you do just find yourself drawn to the kitchen? I'd love to hear some of your baking stores to inspire me as I try to get another book out of my head and into the computer.<br />
<br />
I do have one small consolation -- I'm having my protagonist work in a bakery, so I can live vicariously through her, at least! LOL!<br />
<br />
~~Angie</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-85867084331512477382012-01-09T16:08:00.000-05:002012-01-09T16:08:51.157-05:00Pecan Cheesecake recipe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Since Pamela asked for my pecan cheesecake recipe, here it is! (And I'm trying not to be jealous of her bountiful crop of pecans!) <br />
<br />
1. Make your favorite crust in a springform pan. Last weekend I used leftover crunches from my sugar baskets, and those proved unworthy of the cheesecake--too tough and too sticky. I'd go with graham cracker crumbs or some other kind of English cracker/biscuit mixed with six tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. After spreading the mixture in your springform pan, either bake at 350 for 10 minutes OR put it in the fridge to solidify.<br />
<br />
2. Cheesecake ingredients:<br />
1 1/2 pound of softened cream cheese<br />
1 cup dark brown sugar<br />
2 tablespoons all-purp flour<br />
3 large eggs at room temperature<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oz-kBszBdmTM9ekFz3wQBM9VFMjupPygm6Tu1L-RovMBSWzevVbb4DL5m-okjn982L6OqZnabG4Hqtvb63i9ploK77QxgBw9lCfmwOIAuuFjK5VmTErUisHKKEzx1rG0p16q-DIDYL2-/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oz-kBszBdmTM9ekFz3wQBM9VFMjupPygm6Tu1L-RovMBSWzevVbb4DL5m-okjn982L6OqZnabG4Hqtvb63i9ploK77QxgBw9lCfmwOIAuuFjK5VmTErUisHKKEzx1rG0p16q-DIDYL2-/s320/IMG_0689.JPG" width="320" /></a>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/2 teaspoon <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/pralines-and-cream-flavor-1-oz" target="_blank">pralines and cream flavoring</a>, if you have it<br />
1/3 cup chopped pecans<br />
about 3/4 cup pecan halves for decorating the top<br />
about 1/4 cup maple syrup<br />
<br />
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Then add the vanilla, the praline flavoring, and finally the 1/3 cup chopped pecans. <br />
<br />
4. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for about 50 minutes, or until edges puff up and brown slightly. Do not open oven door during baking. After 50 minutes, turn oven off and use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door ajar until the cake has completely cooled.<br />
<br />
5. Remove the cake and "paint" the top with a coating of maple syrup (use a pastry brush). Then set pecan halves on the cake in a pretty design of your own choosing. If you like, paint another coat of syrup over the pecans to help them shine. Finally, if desired, drizzle melted chocolate over the top of your creation.<br />
<br />
I actually had a bit of a baking accident after I reached this point in my cheesecake. I had some left over cream Chantilly (whipped cream) from an earlier project, so I pulled it out of the freezer and put it in my pastry bag. I worked the bag between my hands to defrost it, thinking that I would pipe a few whipped cream "puffs" around the edge of the pie. <br />
<br />
Trouble was, the stuff wasn't thawing fast enough, particularly the cream that had lodged in the tip of my pastry bag. I ran warm water over the bag, hoping to loosen it, and then I piped a beautiful rosette in the center of my cheesecake. I gave the bag one more squeeze, then gasped as the bag pretty much vomited over my entire cheesecake . . . at least that's what it sounded like. Melted, runny whipped cream everywhere!<br />
<br />
Well, what can you do but keep calm and carry on? I smoothed the whipped cream out as best I could and put the pie in the fridge so at least it would have a firm whipped cream surface. And when I served it to my friends, I told my little story and they laughed. <br />
<br />
You gotta love friends who love you no matter how your cheesecake turns out. :-)<br />
<br />
Happy Baking!<br />
<br />
Angie<br />
<br />
P.S. I have officially opened a little online bakery. I'm starting with items I know I can mail safely, so if you're ever in the mood for some treats, visit me at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/thelovinovenbakery">etsy.com</a>. <br />
<br />
</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-80731752549352169622012-01-07T21:23:00.000-05:002012-01-07T21:23:05.903-05:00Pecan Cheesecake with drizzled chocolate . . . yum.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCmE4YpB4JPUqthM5z2-DDfhZm5hE4SQXL0HCo41b2puRV_vHN5jYx5mvhqCp7fEo-8hlJLQzuBje40i3Azqo0lMbuve6L6UsTLNVwe8P1kP2QbhTwhwk92iYbyaX3pPcqoYJ1kw1oS0X/s1600/IMG_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCmE4YpB4JPUqthM5z2-DDfhZm5hE4SQXL0HCo41b2puRV_vHN5jYx5mvhqCp7fEo-8hlJLQzuBje40i3Azqo0lMbuve6L6UsTLNVwe8P1kP2QbhTwhwk92iYbyaX3pPcqoYJ1kw1oS0X/s320/IMG_0688.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesecake with pecans BEFORE special topping. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We have some dear friends from our Lynchburg days coming to visit tomorrow. I wrote my friend and said that I was "into" baking now, and was there some dessert they absolutely loved? She wrote back and mentioned cheese cake and pecans and chocolate and key lime pie . . .<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure how to incorporate the key lime into the mix, but I knew how to make a chocolate/pecan cheesecake! So I got up this morning and set straight to work--made a typical cheesecake, tossed some chopped pecans into the mix, and then arranged pecans on the top and coated them with maple syrup. And then, just for fun, I drizzled some circles of chocolate on top of that. Looks heavenly, doesn't it? (I do hope I get to bake in eternity! I'm sure all of those desserts will be non-caloric!)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcMkI37LIHx0yAjt1MtBN3xjyHATEiSSlAuSQi4G0rtLMvYetOZhecEVQBywBCV2kX94AWZG2eBh9U_d0WCU7lt7lDxupJhWXsOngGMs2r4943P2kMdeZBL3Z5m2HioH3P34vHjz8FRle/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcMkI37LIHx0yAjt1MtBN3xjyHATEiSSlAuSQi4G0rtLMvYetOZhecEVQBywBCV2kX94AWZG2eBh9U_d0WCU7lt7lDxupJhWXsOngGMs2r4943P2kMdeZBL3Z5m2HioH3P34vHjz8FRle/s320/IMG_0689.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesecake AFTER painting with maple syrup and drizzling chocolate. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anyway, can't wait to set this cake on the table tomorrow. Who care what the entree is when you have such a divine cheesecake for afterward? (Actually, I'm going to serve a frozen lasagna. Quick and easy; it can bake while we're at church.) ;-) <br />
<br />
Happy baking!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-88666901753816092792012-01-03T19:09:00.001-05:002012-01-03T19:11:54.667-05:00Financiers--oh, my!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FGc2g2Rqd0I/TwOXZyRnq4I/AAAAAAAAEjU/tprs322Ba6M/s1600/IMG_0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FGc2g2Rqd0I/TwOXZyRnq4I/AAAAAAAAEjU/tprs322Ba6M/s320/IMG_0662.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fiancier pan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Before I jump into the baking project for the day, let me tell you about the project that failed. We had friends over for dinner on New Year's Eve, and I wanted to make Julia Child's Gateau in a Cage. (Say it with a French accent and it's more fun). :-)<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's the gist: you take a small cake layer, then you build a "cage: of spun sugar around it by buttering the bottom of the cake pan, plus a bowl that fits on top of the cake pan. Once the sugar hardens, you pop off the golden "domes" and set the cake in the base, decorate it, then cover it with the golden dome.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVgIRC17A7Y/TwOXL7TYZ_I/AAAAAAAAEi8/F1kJFPYfARo/s1600/IMG_0665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVgIRC17A7Y/TwOXL7TYZ_I/AAAAAAAAEi8/F1kJFPYfARo/s320/IMG_0665.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring the batter into the pan. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had fun following all the directions until it came time to remove the spun sugar from the cake pan and bowl. Here in Florida, we enjoy about 90 percent humidity nearly all the time . . . and I forgot about that. It was a warm day, and I had a window open, so it was humid in my house. So humid, in fact, that my sugar never hardened. I managed to pry it off the bowl and pan, but it had no shape. The bottom part simply sagged on the cake plate, and the top part simply disintegrated when I tried to remove it.<br />
<br />
So no cage for this gateau. But I cut the cake in two, filled it with cream Chantilly, strawberries, raspberry jam, and kirsch syrup, then smothered the top in more whipped cream, strawberries, jam, and kirsch. The cake was delicious, cage or no cage.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ymnx8ksmyo/TwOXHHHACkI/AAAAAAAAEi0/-LlhptUClME/s1600/IMG_0666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ymnx8ksmyo/TwOXHHHACkI/AAAAAAAAEi0/-LlhptUClME/s320/IMG_0666.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the oven. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Tonight I wanted to make something simple, so I dug out the silicone financier (fin-NAHN-see-ay) pan that I bought some time ago. I opened ROSE'S HEAVENLY CAKES and found a recipe inside, then set to work.<br />
<br />
The recipe uses browned butter, and fortunately, I'd seen Julia make it. You brown butter (carefully--because one moment it's brown, the next moment it's burnt), then pour the brown butter into the mix without any of the black bits that are left. The recipe called for egg whites and ground almonds, and I had plenty of both because I've been making so many macarons.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D0nhE-sp7fo/TwOXCQgLURI/AAAAAAAAEis/DxzEICQllP8/s1600/IMG_0667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D0nhE-sp7fo/TwOXCQgLURI/AAAAAAAAEis/DxzEICQllP8/s320/IMG_0667.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the oven. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I poured the dough into the special financier pan, baked for about 18 minutes, and out came these adorable little cakes (188 calories each). They were delicious! Very light--I could see them served as a dessert powdered with sugar and maybe topped with some strawberries. But they are a fine snack cake just as they are. <br />
<br />
ROSE'S HEAVENLY CAKES has several financier recipes, as does David Lebowitz's READY FOR DESSERT. I can't wait to make another batch.<br />
<br />
Happy baking to you! What are you baking these days?<br />
<br />
~~Angie<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rP19lnd7c8w/TwOW9d6Xp8I/AAAAAAAAEik/Vx4KKKY0C-U/s1600/IMG_0668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rP19lnd7c8w/TwOW9d6Xp8I/AAAAAAAAEik/Vx4KKKY0C-U/s320/IMG_0668.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished snack cakes. Delicious! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-2644888523875385772012-01-01T09:38:00.000-05:002012-01-01T09:38:36.810-05:00Happy Baking in the New Year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tcCjXS1EBe0/TwBvrau-AeI/AAAAAAAAEiY/f00FqyP7y4Y/s1600/BABY_NEW.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tcCjXS1EBe0/TwBvrau-AeI/AAAAAAAAEiY/f00FqyP7y4Y/s1600/BABY_NEW.GIF" /></a>Happy New Year! I've been intending to post something, but we had folks over for New Year's Eve, so I got busy with a grand baking project (that failed) and so I </span><span class="Apple-style-span"> had a minute. Even now, I have to hurry and get this out so I can get to church! </span><br />
<br />
Anyway--<br />
<br />
About macarons: there is an "expert" on macarons, French chef Pierre Herme. He has a fancy book out that details his methods, but it has only recently been made available in English (and all the measurements are in the metric system. Not so bad if you have a digital scale that can measure in grams, but it's a pain to have to transpose all the Centigrade temperatures into Farenheit.) Anyway--I ordered this book from a third-party Amazon dealer, and it arrived all WET. By the time I carefully pulled the wet pages apart, quite a few of the recipes were unreadable, so I knew I was going to send the book back. But before I did, I wanted to try Herme's method to see if the book was worth buying again.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KXEQj4Y9pFw/TwBut9bIdfI/AAAAAAAAEh8/DS2CBZB3hp4/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KXEQj4Y9pFw/TwBut9bIdfI/AAAAAAAAEh8/DS2CBZB3hp4/s320/IMG_0646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a beautiful lemon macaron. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Well--his method is very different. He wants us to begin with 220 grams of egg whites, which is about six eggs' worth (when most recipes call for three or four). He then instructs the baker to divide those egg whites, half of which will be whipped into a meringue as usual, but the other half will be tossed onto the pile of almond flour and powdered sugar. RAW. What? When I first read that, I was convinced I had misunderstood him. I came *this close* to whipping all the whites like I usually do, then finally decided to trust the book. But just barely. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ASgX0F8Cx5c/TwBu3TbHCFI/AAAAAAAAEiM/U5QBcSqfcAA/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ASgX0F8Cx5c/TwBu3TbHCFI/AAAAAAAAEiM/U5QBcSqfcAA/s320/IMG_0644.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My neighbors really like this one--"light and refreshing"<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Herme uses the Italian method for making meringue, which means you have to melt sugar to the liquid state and then pour it into the mixing bowl as the meringue is whipping. This resulted in a shiny yet sort of flat meringue . . . I was dubious. But I followed the directions and continued, folding the italian meringue into the almond flour, powdered sugar, and RAW egg whites, then piping that mixture onto the baking sheets. I let the sheets sit for 30 minutes as instructed, then popped the first sheet into the oven.<br />
<br />
All I can say is WOW. Those macarons puffed up with the most beautiful feet I have ever seen--huge! In fact, I was afraid I'd done something wrong because the caps looked as though they were going to slide right off, but they didn't. They resulted in absolutely gorgeous macarons.<br />
<br />
A couple of things I did change: Herme doesn't believe in flavoring the shells; he wants all the flavor to be in the filling. But I like flavored shells, so I added yellow food coloring and lemon emulsion to my almond flour mixture. End result: deliciousness. I also sprinkled half of the yellow shells with sanding sugar before baking, so the "tops" sparkled. :-) <br />
<br />
And if my calculations are correct, Herme wanted me to bake them in a 350 degree oven, which experience has taught me results in browned macarons. I didn't want my yellow shells to be brown, so I baked them at 315 for a little longer--about 14 minutes. They were still a wee bit browned, but not too much.<br />
<br />
So--yes, this method works very well, though it is more involved, makes a bigger batch, and feels very strange at first. But I'll definitely be trying it again.<br />
<br />
But I'm still not sure I'll buy that book again. It's pricey, hard to find, and I still have to convert all those centigrades to Fahrenheit . . . maybe I'll just tweak the recipes I already have.<br />
<br />
Oh--what was the baking project that royally flopped? Tee hee. That's a story for another day!<br />
<br />
<br />
~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-50412969570226377292011-12-28T17:30:00.000-05:002011-12-28T17:30:17.214-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O8elGvI1R_c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
This was a cute video of funny guys making macarons. (I only wish they'd pronounce macaron correctly--it's like macaroni without the "i" at the end.) <br />
<br />
Anyway, notice that they didn't use AGED egg whites. I do think it's important to use eggs at room temperature, but I've set egg whites on the counter at bedtime and used them the next afternoon with perfect success. I'm pretty sure I've set them on the counter for a few hours and had perfect success, so I'm beginning to think this idea of aged egg whites is not such a big deal. (Just to be fair, last week I made macarons from egg whites that had been separated for four days, but saw no difference in egg whites that had set out for a few hours.) <br />
<br />
I have been incorporating the best things from several different recipes. I like to whisk one tablespoon of dried egg white with the granulated sugar in a bowl, then pour in the egg whites, then put under a stand mixer for eleven minutes. Add any food coloring and/or flavor at this point if you intend for this batch to be all one color/flavor. <br />
<br />
When the egg whites are stiff, then I add the stiff mixture to the almond flour and powdered sugar--carefully folding it in until it begins to "run" off the spatula. Then I quit immediately and put the mixture into a piping bag. Pipe onto baking trays, sprinkle with any nutty bits, glitter, or other adornment, then thump the trays to help the macarons settle and burst any air bubbles. Then bake at 315 degrees (any higher and they browned, ruining my pretty colors) for about 14 minutes. (But this will depend, of course, on how big your macarons are.) Then pull off onto cooling racks and slip the next tray into the oven. <br />
<br />
I made a tiramasu batch the other day that was wonderful. Now I just need to find a place to serve them. :-)<br />
<br />
Happy baking! <br />
<br />
AngieAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-3080703538465705412011-12-25T17:04:00.000-05:002011-12-25T17:04:57.766-05:00Baking thru the Holidays . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d9O-j8C-Ngs/TvedKKobJII/AAAAAAAAEhU/tDTt6lOteRU/s1600/IMG_0627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d9O-j8C-Ngs/TvedKKobJII/AAAAAAAAEhU/tDTt6lOteRU/s320/IMG_0627.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To make PB&J, first bake PB cupcakes, then carve out a little hole. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDn08XYZ2ik/TvedAEWRV2I/AAAAAAAAEhE/tXsBHeMAZxE/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDn08XYZ2ik/TvedAEWRV2I/AAAAAAAAEhE/tXsBHeMAZxE/s320/IMG_0628.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipe a little jam into the hole. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igRtgZAHYIM/TvedFUWbCtI/AAAAAAAAEhM/53Di4MZtySI/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igRtgZAHYIM/TvedFUWbCtI/AAAAAAAAEhM/53Di4MZtySI/s320/IMG_0629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plug the jam-filled hole back up. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWphFtPjP90/Tvec5WjAraI/AAAAAAAAEg8/x3kYFcrDOp8/s1600/IMG_0630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWphFtPjP90/Tvec5WjAraI/AAAAAAAAEg8/x3kYFcrDOp8/s320/IMG_0630.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And top with a chocolate buttercream rosette! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wmQXYqQajpE/TvecF-1We6I/AAAAAAAAEgg/KwqxTiAoFIY/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wmQXYqQajpE/TvecF-1We6I/AAAAAAAAEgg/KwqxTiAoFIY/s320/IMG_0623.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mint chocolate cupcakes. :-) Yum! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OhxFIrIjUI0/TvecKgHKuoI/AAAAAAAAEgo/auBgycABHRU/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OhxFIrIjUI0/TvecKgHKuoI/AAAAAAAAEgo/auBgycABHRU/s320/IMG_0622.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The book that started the latest baking binge . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I've spent the last couple of days baking! (Surprise!) My friend Terri Blackstock sent me a book called "500 Cupcakes" for my birthday, so of course I've been busy making cupcakes! I made delicious chocolate mint cupcakes the first day, peanut-butter-and-jelly cupcakes last night, and banana chocolate this morning! Plus, I think I made my best batch of macarons ever--Tiramasu! :-) <br />
<br />
I really love the 500 cupcakes cookbook because not only are their great (from scratch, of course) recipes, but the author gives you practical variations of each recipe, in case you want to try something different or if you don't happen to have a certain exotic ingredient on hand. <br />
<br />
Last night the peanut butter cupcakes were supposed to stand alone, but I got the idea to scoop out a plug at the top of the cupcake, fill it with about a teaspoon of raspberry preserves, plug it back up, and then frost with chocolate buttercream. It's almost like a gigantic Reese's cup! I took some across the street to my neighbors, then today I sent the hubby out with little gift boxes to several other family friends. I figured it was after lunch so they were bound to be ready for some homemade Christmas cupcakes. :-)<br />
<br />
So all is well here in the Hunt kitchen. I did some re-organizing over the holiday--marked some dishes and things for the Daughter, some to sell on eBay, and some to use more often. Picked up a few kitchen gadgets and exotic ingredients at a Sur La Table store in Miami--fun! Spent way too much time trying to track down kirsch--apparently it's a cherry brandy that you cook with. My grocery didn't have it, and neither did the nearby liquor store, so I had to order it online. It had better make my desserts heavenly! <br />
<br />
I spent most of today baking while watching "The Greatest Story Ever Told." Love that old film. And last night I saw a new British movie called "Nativity!" Simple and sweet and quite different.<br />
<br />
And it's back to work soon, so I'm trying to get a lot of my baking out of my system. Though I don't think that will every be completely possible, hmmm? Plus, there are those extra pounds I packed on over the holiday. Time to start counting the calories and putting in time on the treadmill . . .<br />
<br />
Hope your holiday was heavenly!<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
Angie</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-17272322585264242852011-12-18T09:53:00.000-05:002011-12-18T09:53:23.227-05:00Holiday Open House!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3il-QDEBdebrmIMqvUkP4CHwibgg7Cain2ZAh4I9LW6d2E25-VNPvhO2DDet7busvlszCIreh4IffIqYVxOMCILB9O4EWnVn-Za1Fz91c-BHVxZbOA3eAZVNh0WcEv53YOPot4i7aPsg/s1600/Lola+with+santa.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3il-QDEBdebrmIMqvUkP4CHwibgg7Cain2ZAh4I9LW6d2E25-VNPvhO2DDet7busvlszCIreh4IffIqYVxOMCILB9O4EWnVn-Za1Fz91c-BHVxZbOA3eAZVNh0WcEv53YOPot4i7aPsg/s320/Lola+with+santa.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since when does Santa wear glasses? With the Grand Baby. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yesterday the hubby and I threw open our doors and invited in a lot of friends--a steady stream of them, and we had a ball. So nice to spend a little time with folks we see throughout the year but don't always have time to visit. So I spread out the fruits of more than three days of baking, people came, and they ate--but not nearly enough. :-) I'm boxing up the leftovers and taking many of them to my daughter, as we're leaving to go see the Grand Baby this afternoon.<br />
<br />
But I wanted to share one baking experience with you. I hope you realize that in writing this blog, I'm not attempting to be an expert on anything--far from it. But if my experiments, successes, and failures can spur your enjoyment of baking, so much the better. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuXvac0i38L6FxPBxGRFRHTyYepCrtJVEzOubHYXdR492iJ9Io00eRWEResNGytECIhtKEquBSKZJDN-yXPqLwuL-cNepSqhUq2ePiZM4qkgxPKmKmXaExNBSarcq-1lwepDKyEiu87-u/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuXvac0i38L6FxPBxGRFRHTyYepCrtJVEzOubHYXdR492iJ9Io00eRWEResNGytECIhtKEquBSKZJDN-yXPqLwuL-cNepSqhUq2ePiZM4qkgxPKmKmXaExNBSarcq-1lwepDKyEiu87-u/s320/IMG_0536.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unfortunate cake. Ugh. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Because it occurs to me that we bake because we love. And nothing pleases us better than to see the recipients of our endeavors take a bit, close their eyes, and sigh happily. I tell you, that just lights the burners of my heart. ;-) <br />
<br />
Anyway--I sent aside most of Friday afternoon to bake a three layer sweet 'n salty cake. I'd made one before, for my book club, and it came off without a hitch. In fact, it was absolutely delicious, attractive, and not too hard to make, so I thought I'd replicate the effort for the open house. <br />
<br />
LOL! All went well until I began to assemble the cooled cake layers. Layer one went on the platter without mishap, but layer two cracked right down the middle. Uh oh. I tried to "glue" it together with the caramel that goes on top of each layer, but when layer three cracked as well, I knew I was in trouble. I glued and stuck it in the fridge, hoping the glue would harden, but when I pulled it out the the fridge, I found that the broken layer had spilled into the platter. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6YvkwZWUBBAJ4EGZcLwm6kLiW755yZRI88szzxVxPoIIdBd-mu85Kh7KZqt1rgrnYFlZfue8SkjYBI4USaqIlGPP8sCpyHtY_xaYAdjLcdpoVGdtmVbowDSvEpri4YNcas9mE5RhnWu4/s1600/IMG_0537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6YvkwZWUBBAJ4EGZcLwm6kLiW755yZRI88szzxVxPoIIdBd-mu85Kh7KZqt1rgrnYFlZfue8SkjYBI4USaqIlGPP8sCpyHtY_xaYAdjLcdpoVGdtmVbowDSvEpri4YNcas9mE5RhnWu4/s320/IMG_0537.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into a pretty Christmas bowl, sprinkled with chips. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Oh, dear. The more I tried to glue and frost with caramel and the chocolate ganache frosting, the bigger my mess became. My cake finally looked like the photo, and of course, I couldn't serve that. (Thought for a moment about cutting it in half and serving HALF a cake, but not even my halves looked good). So finally I scooped up layers of the cake, tossed them into a big bowl (too bad I don't have a trifle bowl), sprinkled the chocolate with chocolate chips, covered with whipped cream, then piped big chocolate rosettes atop the entire thing. The cling wrap sort of squashed the rosettes, but no one minded after the first spoonful.<br />
<br />
Toward the end of the party, my across the street neighbor mentioned that the "sweet and salty trifle" was her favorite thing, so I promptly handed her the bowl and told her to enjoy the rest of it. :-0 <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUpaEwNDhqmTJKzKCFxURcNJK8SHcE7Kmhk-blOWX4dYJppT43HtKP56C0-qW4XAlFM8pDov77AFALXJKIFazvBrE3SRp1x2zj5LE-kuC8LI0U9YwvIFoRuROtvk5DdTb4QjUtXp2QQg0/s1600/IMG_0538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUpaEwNDhqmTJKzKCFxURcNJK8SHcE7Kmhk-blOWX4dYJppT43HtKP56C0-qW4XAlFM8pDov77AFALXJKIFazvBrE3SRp1x2zj5LE-kuC8LI0U9YwvIFoRuROtvk5DdTb4QjUtXp2QQg0/s320/IMG_0538.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add a topping of cool whip. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>And so . . . part of the art of baking, me thinks, is being creative enough to come up with an alternative when everything goes wrong. <br />
<br />
Happy baking at your house!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD1FBkEUOmqc9jLLYBsasasDeDZ7S8LgNmAasTmFt7MOdFG8nR_AsmxQwVzX-RVjFBvEsnoOsZ1Ulk_KYbn74V1csoivotXAoFYnZ7Ig2xcBJM0yRHLHGARJBCqiG8bHPxSq0ahgEUILD/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD1FBkEUOmqc9jLLYBsasasDeDZ7S8LgNmAasTmFt7MOdFG8nR_AsmxQwVzX-RVjFBvEsnoOsZ1Ulk_KYbn74V1csoivotXAoFYnZ7Ig2xcBJM0yRHLHGARJBCqiG8bHPxSq0ahgEUILD/s320/IMG_0539.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And voila! A sweet and salty trifle. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>~~Angie</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-3641402716107879432011-12-16T09:34:00.000-05:002011-12-16T09:34:37.696-05:00Holiday Baking . . . whew!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
The hubby and I are having some friends over on Saturday, so I have been baking and baking and baking--something besides macarons! (Though I'm still baking those, too! And I tried a new technique--piping on a squiggle of different-colored batter . . . but my squiggles aren't exactly artistic.) <br />
<br />
This year my grand ambition was to bake a Yule Log, and so I pulled out a couple of recipes last night and gave it a go. The first recipe fell flat . . . the sponge cake bubbled up out of the pan and ended up being a bit leathery and thin. It's still edible, though, and after rolling it up and chopping off the end, I ate the end pieces and found that it tastes a bit like flour less cake . . . not exactly terrible.<br />
<br />
But the second recipe, which called the separate beating of egg whites and egg yolks, worked like a charm. The cake was fluffy, spongy, and didn't spread out at all. Furthermore, it rolled beautifully and came with a buttercream frosting recipe that was generous enough to coat both logs.<br />
<br />
So, remembering what I learned from watching Julia Child on The French Chef, I made meringue mushrooms, coated the log, then sprinkled the log with cocoa (for color on the mushrooms) and powdered sugar (to give the effect of a light snow). <br />
<br />
And so--ta da! I know how to make a Yule Log. :-) My baking repertoire is growing steadily larger. How about yours?<br />
<br />
Happy holiday baking!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-picasa-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o_OihYdwlh9mR78bfEDo1HHMXOeUFEm5Al7QJYO7yWIwL_3BRdj2fe2hHiDSJmGhFdacYBbPZTDjqSbOb6i_oAgtgPF_SF0GD7buhZl01JEDTfbVXE8sS30koN6oRGMPYoD3L_6S66AK/s1600/IMG_0532.MOV"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv11.nonxt7.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Dfb8595502c83a110%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1324067473%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3D9029D3AE92418F36A89EDA9947133E1E38F92F9E.12E5BE1B68F3D68AB8F392DAF6419DCDBA407919%26key%3Dlh1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv11.nonxt7.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Dfb8595502c83a110%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1324067473%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3D9029D3AE92418F36A89EDA9947133E1E38F92F9E.12E5BE1B68F3D68AB8F392DAF6419DCDBA407919%26key%3Dlh1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5KMgY_X9Ztof3_aiW-G5Amw-g4rf5aaCKY6zUqBnQLsqSTnx45qzyIYFGb5wkT_xuFyZzZ72cvb74S_K5lnq9lYfIiZ3sLAvKYG_kWxqCROsjykb7Ht_357XdXY1cft2oY6D11rRD4Ac/s1600/IMG_0533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5KMgY_X9Ztof3_aiW-G5Amw-g4rf5aaCKY6zUqBnQLsqSTnx45qzyIYFGb5wkT_xuFyZzZ72cvb74S_K5lnq9lYfIiZ3sLAvKYG_kWxqCROsjykb7Ht_357XdXY1cft2oY6D11rRD4Ac/s320/IMG_0533.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9oxTP72Urvolfhysyc88mkWVB3wrH42K1CI8GkOeCQZcSbhPq8v9KWX0k2JWbDefKNSrQ-ZhDUrxT0D4aF9DPqB8IffCC6pR-KbB9AUC1QPWsvzNkoVq0n-7l5hmn2M-VW-T8FanLAOb/s1600/IMG_0534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9oxTP72Urvolfhysyc88mkWVB3wrH42K1CI8GkOeCQZcSbhPq8v9KWX0k2JWbDefKNSrQ-ZhDUrxT0D4aF9DPqB8IffCC6pR-KbB9AUC1QPWsvzNkoVq0n-7l5hmn2M-VW-T8FanLAOb/s320/IMG_0534.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6HNNqVrI9bHX3OdF3lbAsM1aBba9w8yYXEZKGizEySVQRHl_dMIRYsAXQCWvUBGYdJIM4QBxZ2DybUPYvfhyphenhyphen9yUV4FVphZrGfVry-dzq6Ju_91RD0wtFhmYUrxYgtA7nb2bmHEQM2xwk/s1600/IMG_0535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6HNNqVrI9bHX3OdF3lbAsM1aBba9w8yYXEZKGizEySVQRHl_dMIRYsAXQCWvUBGYdJIM4QBxZ2DybUPYvfhyphenhyphen9yUV4FVphZrGfVry-dzq6Ju_91RD0wtFhmYUrxYgtA7nb2bmHEQM2xwk/s320/IMG_0535.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-16941051829299757382011-12-14T09:05:00.000-05:002011-12-14T09:05:25.893-05:00Macaron Magic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hZDw1kxSjDI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
I bought this book, MACARON MAGIC, and was truly excited about trying the author's method for making macarons--always in search of the perfect method. :-) So I made these exactly according to her recipe, and they were absolutely the worst macarons I've ever made. No feet at all. No shiny surface. And they cracked easily. <br />
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They're edible, of course (they even taste good), but they are more like meringues, and not at all what a macaron should be. Of course the fault could be entirely mine--I either over stirred or under stirred the macaron mixture, but in all the other methods I've used, this has never been a problem. <br />
<br />
This book does have some DARLING and unique ideas for decorating macarons--and it was worth getting the book just to see this technique. I haven't tried the filling recipes yet, but they look delicious as well, though some are a little exotic for my tastes. <br />
<br />
I will give this master recipe one more try . . . maybe I didn't stir it long enough. Watching the video is helpful, because I can see that my "ribbons" weren't nearly as fluid as hers. <br />
<br />
Ah, macarons. The quest for the perfect method is more complicated than it appears. But it is so worth it! Everyone loves these little cookies. <br />
<br />
~~AngieAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-65692511849059660222011-12-12T12:46:00.001-05:002011-12-12T12:47:11.512-05:00'Tis the Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBUaN0dFVgbx19bbtHh-2BbGjhS5PVfMEQ8cJUg0rtUAvqH_a5uGEw2kszrw2l_rGzUV49yTKL9PpuOQeOoI0KobZcr_JB106hqYamH_pe_e8-kXsYsPqylLKIu2qENshiLpXxYIvfbBY/s1600/baking+girls1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBUaN0dFVgbx19bbtHh-2BbGjhS5PVfMEQ8cJUg0rtUAvqH_a5uGEw2kszrw2l_rGzUV49yTKL9PpuOQeOoI0KobZcr_JB106hqYamH_pe_e8-kXsYsPqylLKIu2qENshiLpXxYIvfbBY/s320/baking+girls1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please overlook the messy kitchen. :-) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtijrQsUJMpPV-xMncbIJHvsL9RqJZkTxDAP6yt7ETdAxpN5IzhUnE38XwJ_uqcz04m5OMYuCcssgUp86m2Om8oP3UJQyPdIdP0-Yy0aEvRB_jiaTVaBDY2s20tYE2ITPyYdQ3xHwe_aK/s1600/baking+girls2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBUaN0dFVgbx19bbtHh-2BbGjhS5PVfMEQ8cJUg0rtUAvqH_a5uGEw2kszrw2l_rGzUV49yTKL9PpuOQeOoI0KobZcr_JB106hqYamH_pe_e8-kXsYsPqylLKIu2qENshiLpXxYIvfbBY/s1600/baking+girls1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">I don't know about you, but these days I find myself humming Christmas songs and doing almost anything but sitting at my desk and working. Christmas has filled the air--and the house--and I love living in the season.</span></a><br />
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Last night our neighborhood had its annual progressive dinner, and hubby and I were the "dessert house." I know you've probably been wondering what in the world I was going to do with all those macaroons, and I'm happy to say that I've found mouths for almost all of them. I made dessert plates for my family, I made the same plates for the volunteers who work in my husband's ministry, and I gave gift bags of macarons to the ladies in my book club. Last night I made a small tray of them as part of the dessert at the progressive dinner, but because most people looked at this with a raised brow ("what are those, funky little hamburgers?"), I made gift bags for my neighbors to take home. And on each little bag I attached a little note printed on cardstock--a lovely snippet of a Madeline L'Engle poem immortalized in song by Carolyn Arends. (Unfortunately, I couldn't get Carolyn's voice on the card, but I hope the poem sufficed.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmaVq54x8CdLrVS7_hp6OOJSien8BuNPFSECSEoKg8PPlwUvpbJh8aNjkCLmkMfQIYfu0hCx_We4qZal8y1Mn201hzLRZ3sh9IWVOOg3VEKqIveWJkkEX9I7Ov657lcS7mO_UkRYEATNM/s1600/Christmas+tag+for+neighbors+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmaVq54x8CdLrVS7_hp6OOJSien8BuNPFSECSEoKg8PPlwUvpbJh8aNjkCLmkMfQIYfu0hCx_We4qZal8y1Mn201hzLRZ3sh9IWVOOg3VEKqIveWJkkEX9I7Ov657lcS7mO_UkRYEATNM/s320/Christmas+tag+for+neighbors+copy.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtijrQsUJMpPV-xMncbIJHvsL9RqJZkTxDAP6yt7ETdAxpN5IzhUnE38XwJ_uqcz04m5OMYuCcssgUp86m2Om8oP3UJQyPdIdP0-Yy0aEvRB_jiaTVaBDY2s20tYE2ITPyYdQ3xHwe_aK/s1600/baking+girls2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtijrQsUJMpPV-xMncbIJHvsL9RqJZkTxDAP6yt7ETdAxpN5IzhUnE38XwJ_uqcz04m5OMYuCcssgUp86m2Om8oP3UJQyPdIdP0-Yy0aEvRB_jiaTVaBDY2s20tYE2ITPyYdQ3xHwe_aK/s320/baking+girls2.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aren't they adorable? So much fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My neighborhood is filled with all kinds of people, and hubby and I have simply made it a practice to love each of them where they are. So our home is open to all, and I was happy to give them little bags of macarons, joking that my new goal was to one day be able to make them all the same size. :-)<br />
<br />
On Saturday--backtracking a day--two of my young friends (Christal and I study the Bible together) came to the house for baking. I thought it'd be fun for them, and I was eager to share some of the recipes I'd gathered from my cookie class. We had a great time, but we baked all afternoon. I can't speak for them, but I was pretty well worn out by the time they carried their portion of the haul out the door. Lots of delicious treats--I don't think I'll have to make another cookie during this entire Christmas season!<br />
<br />
But we are planning an open house for next Saturday . . . and my ambition is to create a <i>Buche de Noel, </i>or a Yule log. I watched Julia Child do it on <i>The French Chef </i>(those old videos are available to watch via Amazon.com), and she made it look so easy I think I might be able to pull it off. I've never made a sponge cake in a jelly roll pan, though, and since she started with the rolled cake, I'm pretty much on my own.<br />
<br />
How about you? Have you ever made a Yule log? Any tricks I should know? And what is the one thing you're eager to bake this holiday season?<br />
<br />
~~Angie<br />
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P.S. A whoop and a holler of thanks to SANDY in Navasota, TX who sent me PECANS just when I'd run out after my baking session with the girls. My favorite nut! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-) <br />
(And <i>pecans</i> are my favorite nut. Sandy is no more nutty than I am.) :-)<br />
<br />
</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-16984911089021613462011-12-08T09:06:00.000-05:002011-12-08T09:06:07.329-05:00Oh.My.Macarons. Visit Kevin and Amanda today.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGwgiznaai3oNudBGlJXNPE7ZxRjL7hltf-fFSD6TFmp42G2SrFxssP_wHQgVgKNUeFnejhnoNOdgMopXH4PBAOg4yBEQOkzSoGPTCFDWRqXuwMsrv8wSSyxjoe6lYZIbmhX4OeP9KFJW/s1600/IMG_0492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGwgiznaai3oNudBGlJXNPE7ZxRjL7hltf-fFSD6TFmp42G2SrFxssP_wHQgVgKNUeFnejhnoNOdgMopXH4PBAOg4yBEQOkzSoGPTCFDWRqXuwMsrv8wSSyxjoe6lYZIbmhX4OeP9KFJW/s320/IMG_0492.JPG" width="320" /></a>If you think I'm nuts for going so crazy over macarons, consider this:<br />
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I served them at my neighborhood Christmas party and everyone loved them.<br />
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A friend of ours who often comes for dinner ate some and said they were the best thing I've ever made.<br />
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The middle school volunteers who got them last night loved them.<br />
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My neighbors across the street love them.<br />
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So I'm going to keep on making them. <br />
<br />
And just to prove I'm not the only one bitten by the macaroon bug, you have to <a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/travel/nyc-macarons.html" target="_blank">visit Kevin and Amanda's website-</a>-and a big thank you to Tamera Alexander for passing it on to me! Ooo la la! <br />
<br />
Happy baking! (I actually have to make sugar cookies today for my son--he's a purist. No ornamentation, no frosting, no fillings--just simple sugar cookie.) :-)<br />
<br />
~~Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-18772043142930203612011-11-30T08:57:00.003-05:002011-12-01T19:08:19.405-05:00More Macarons and a few tips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm still baking macarons--at least a couple of batches a day. Trying new things with each batch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And while it's not easy to work on macarons AND hold a phone video camera, I attempted to grab a few seconds during the process to illustrate a couple of techniques. Enjoy! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjQ-b41z_EoxLW_EcEuol3l2hqdR7aVdfIkNSf6vc1f-DFqEO6myRChNN2B8bfsbb5_FAXi8JnJfQC7OlUE4WwBNuuM9sRzgFTZ1VYv7ywTcXVD565NaIoxU8ixJh4R_S4aClOSrGnnXD/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjQ-b41z_EoxLW_EcEuol3l2hqdR7aVdfIkNSf6vc1f-DFqEO6myRChNN2B8bfsbb5_FAXi8JnJfQC7OlUE4WwBNuuM9sRzgFTZ1VYv7ywTcXVD565NaIoxU8ixJh4R_S4aClOSrGnnXD/s320/IMG_0501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A macaron gift mug I put together for a friend. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21H2TZL2zdN4tJSngLhwaRvG7Dnud9gY-DugaqzXpZ7tV7ZoeZfLw2vKkg3BAY2b9r8-PVb1no56LVBZIqTizj-v7tiNwhqowj-FG0t8Knv4dcVnqlVkzOaUT23toZ2KSld9whRZJXaqy/s1600/IMG_0493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21H2TZL2zdN4tJSngLhwaRvG7Dnud9gY-DugaqzXpZ7tV7ZoeZfLw2vKkg3BAY2b9r8-PVb1no56LVBZIqTizj-v7tiNwhqowj-FG0t8Knv4dcVnqlVkzOaUT23toZ2KSld9whRZJXaqy/s320/IMG_0493.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple macarons sprinkled with pulverized white chocolate chips. Pretty! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAks0uuCyVBOZOQuKy4eT1mj1S5uMyAkaJM3bFJygTXtmIy1NTXP17ih8M2SYJCZKrLrGco7s9SSpscQI9dPXG6xRwqu93JH4CMPWfv8BhQl6len1fPhtZLxWeTx54_RqOpfpEF-kM9UHM/s1600/IMG_0492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAks0uuCyVBOZOQuKy4eT1mj1S5uMyAkaJM3bFJygTXtmIy1NTXP17ih8M2SYJCZKrLrGco7s9SSpscQI9dPXG6xRwqu93JH4CMPWfv8BhQl6len1fPhtZLxWeTx54_RqOpfpEF-kM9UHM/s320/IMG_0492.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "bottoms" for the white chocolate chip macarons, fresh out of the oven. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~~Angie </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzCTcVzh_VIRBNTGWBB_Azn8BHgmZArr-SLiO9gVuUMiZwZEGdANZcfTTxxLmP6WSEt7aujeEA7nFDPTG0k6Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-85904949470191584092011-11-27T16:53:00.001-05:002011-11-27T19:43:10.296-05:00Still Not Bored with Macarons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGkGF7WP-L5CD3zSy76DnK-rPfNTH7WqMZeMWxwba2qvb3r85j49BFOG7SR0ajfokvGfxKvpd73GiYFReY9R0lxfeJuRu4xmq2UlGVbqjkjkWcpK1oYLD6jWhJGAWXYqglOhCRolejoj3/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGkGF7WP-L5CD3zSy76DnK-rPfNTH7WqMZeMWxwba2qvb3r85j49BFOG7SR0ajfokvGfxKvpd73GiYFReY9R0lxfeJuRu4xmq2UlGVbqjkjkWcpK1oYLD6jWhJGAWXYqglOhCRolejoj3/s320/IMG_0490.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcaj7umccSCC-Jj4dpuqTQijlmxqD2Qzau6_GIwLe8swLVJsrhQVs9kegtVGdJdpDou1p9wyIdUN2BMd4vRk9mgidFN-DmDgWc3s86H8-i7G7he3PhJ5KSfI5IImNdbrcnbE-2iyXVSF-/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcaj7umccSCC-Jj4dpuqTQijlmxqD2Qzau6_GIwLe8swLVJsrhQVs9kegtVGdJdpDou1p9wyIdUN2BMd4vRk9mgidFN-DmDgWc3s86H8-i7G7he3PhJ5KSfI5IImNdbrcnbE-2iyXVSF-/s320/IMG_0489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top: a row of chocolate-loaded "bottoms" waiting for their "tops.<br />
Bottom: The finished macarons. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>This is why I love macarons--because they are never the same twice! I've had several brilliant (to me, anyway) insights over the last few days.<br />
<br />
1. Don't bake them on a silicone sheet. Those tend to buckle and result in lop-sided macarons.<br />
2. When you remove them from the parchment paper and they're still warm, press in the center of the bottom of the cookie, creating a little "well" for the filling to nestle in. :-)<br />
3. Chocolate-based fillings won't spoil if you leave them out. This makes it possible to MAIL MACARONS TO FRIENDS! :-) Yea!<br />
4. Gel and powder food colors work best, as the liquid ones can water things down. But I've been using liquid flavorings, and they're not too watery.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv5lht7E0WU_MgPdxxOezVoQb1PEeu1uBbGTm9eUjcaefvuslULdE0CG8EKbUjh1dxBp0S0edh0X0mfxnsrBF6bB6R89qShsSX8VEYzXUsJhSfWRVBNbzgj3lhZJ6YACQaBtkZHFEQe-s/s1600/IMG_0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv5lht7E0WU_MgPdxxOezVoQb1PEeu1uBbGTm9eUjcaefvuslULdE0CG8EKbUjh1dxBp0S0edh0X0mfxnsrBF6bB6R89qShsSX8VEYzXUsJhSfWRVBNbzgj3lhZJ6YACQaBtkZHFEQe-s/s320/IMG_0486.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before baking. Aren't they pretty? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>5. You can make two-toned macarons by putting two piping bags (one color per bag) into a large bag with a tip. See today's photos to see what I mean. (Divide batter in half; use 2 colors).<br />
6. I don't like licorice, but anise tastes slightly like licorice (but better), and was really great in today's offering. :-)<br />
<br />
These photos are of anise-flavored, black and white, chocolate filled macarons. :-) <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vwfwyeHJc-8iGnv6nJHSY7Z_sySnIdU6Ab1Z_ucWixMtazIMI287T92Y4bNnYyd0LrYZn9sWzJZB7IM0YPGdR5_yXPyr8xFN2GhyphenhyphendFto0M7_Lz-9LqmFveDwU1SsWrK49PDQysBrRYlp/s1600/IMG_0487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vwfwyeHJc-8iGnv6nJHSY7Z_sySnIdU6Ab1Z_ucWixMtazIMI287T92Y4bNnYyd0LrYZn9sWzJZB7IM0YPGdR5_yXPyr8xFN2GhyphenhyphendFto0M7_Lz-9LqmFveDwU1SsWrK49PDQysBrRYlp/s320/IMG_0487.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh out of the oven. See those pretty feet? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY4dUX4WvgLDsMREdeVuhZ2qOdxSwXiljAm18r6C8pOf0VjjtL5II312i3jxKqgKW7yhY8nSha1e6c7aeBSAGufvm_dNcGSW2MRpOGuvKhABEA89h1RgVrp6wvHwBS1WFZGdAO5OEJUka/s1600/IMG_0485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY4dUX4WvgLDsMREdeVuhZ2qOdxSwXiljAm18r6C8pOf0VjjtL5II312i3jxKqgKW7yhY8nSha1e6c7aeBSAGufvm_dNcGSW2MRpOGuvKhABEA89h1RgVrp6wvHwBS1WFZGdAO5OEJUka/s320/IMG_0485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three trays ready to be baked. They should sit for at least 30 minutes. </td></tr>
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</div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-48272800470662521372011-11-26T17:00:00.000-05:002011-11-26T17:00:11.913-05:00A new method!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dt9LKD7S7CY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Yesterday my friend and I made a batch of macarons each, then after she left, I decided to try another batch using another method. I had been using the two-temperature method (put shells in oven at 200, then after 15 minutes, increase temp to 350), but I thought I'd try the one temp method (leave shells out on the counter for at least 20 minutes, then bake about 12 minutes at 320). <br />
<br />
Ooo la la! The second method made such better cookies! The feet were more pronounced, and the batter was more pliable, meaning that I didn't have as many "points" as I had before. So I am hereby going with the new method, demonstrated in this video and fully explained in the book MAD ABOUT MACARONS. <br />
<br />
My husband has decided to give his lay leaders plates of macarons for Christmas, so guess who'll be busy baking? :-) Actually, I'm grateful to have someone to give my macarons to. I've filled two five gallon buckets, a tupperware container, and a plastic shoe box with my little creations, and they keep getting prettier and--hopefully--better tasting. <br />
<br />
Oh! And I've also been experimenting with flours. Almond flour is the standard, but I've made two batches with pecan flour (yummy!) and today I made a batch using coconut flour. I was supposed to use UNsweetened coconut, but since I couldn't find any, I used sweetened. To compensate for the extra sweetness, I filled the macaron shells with popcorn buttercream--delicious and not too sweet. :-) That recipe is in the book LES PETITES MACARONS. <br />
<br />
I hope you are having fun in your home and in your kitchen! Please chime in and tell us what you're baking, or share photos on the Lovin' Oven Facebook page! <br />
<br />
PS--I also bought several flavor oils made by LorAnn--blueberry, pralines and cream, walnut, vanilla, etc., and they really do a great job of adding flavor to a macaron. For instance, yesterday I used blueberry flavoring and colored the macarons blue--what fun! Then I did banana. :-) Those oils are wonderful, and a little dab works just great!<br />
<br />
Always, <br />
<br />
Angie </div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079781671022309507.post-75995165742315686042011-11-25T11:07:00.002-05:002011-11-25T11:07:35.132-05:00Macaron Tower? Who's up for it?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O9LZdAyStns" width="420"></iframe></div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15745389922246602752noreply@blogger.com0