5794 replies to this topic

[Kim Shook]

Halloween Cupcakes:


These were supposed to look like mummies, but I’m not thrilled with my work:

[gini]

I have to stop making pie.

This is a simple blackberry pie.

Attached Images

• 

[gap]

Claire Fontaine from the Lenotre Pastrymaking book.

Layers of ladyfinger biscuit cake soaked in orange punch and vanilla bavarian-type cream with bits of candied orange in it. Topped with slices of candied orange and then a clear glaze on top.

Edited by gap, 02 November 2009 - 05:52 PM.

[Darcie B]

Fall-themed cake: white layer cake with classic buttercream.

[Kim Shook]

Fall-themed cake: white layer cake with classic buttercream.

Darcie, that cake is absolutely adorable! You could serve it anytime during October and November!! I really love it.

[deensiebat]

My favorite gingersnaps, as part of a "you'll get through this breakup" care package for a friend:

[rena]

Ok I uploaded a pic of truffles I made recently.
Thanks,
Rena

Edited by rena, 06 November 2009 - 05:19 PM.

[prairiegirl]

Nice job!

[Kerry Beal]

Nice looking truffles. What flavours are they?

[rena]

Sorry I was so excited that I finally downloaded a picture that I forgot to mention the flavors.
Here they are....
First row to the left is Plain ganache with Peruvian Salt sprinkled on top
Next row is Kona Coffee Truffles with a coffee bean on top
Next row is Cherry Truffle made with Washington Cherry Extract with a dried cherry on top
Last row is 2 Cream De Menth Truffles (it's the one with a gold/green razzle dazzle dust on it)
and the other one is a Sereno Chile Truffle with a pink razzle dazzle dust on it. I dusted them
so I could tell which flavor is what.

Thanks,
Rena

[Darienne]

So many wonderful looking (and tasting) sweets lately. But I have to say, I love the little Mummy cupcakes best! The child in me speaks.

[MattyC]

Little strange, I don't normally find myself kicking it here with the bakers :-p but it's 4 AM, I couldn't sleep, so a few hours ago I figured I needed some bread or something for the morning, so I made a batch of brioche - and forgot my loaf pans were elsewhere so I figured some smaller variation would work best. Plus I didn't have much else going on this early, so of course I took a picture lol



Everyone's stuff looks great. Making me a little jealous with all the cupcakes and cakes and whatnot, I just don't have the energy to do that sort of thing much, plus desserts have never really been my strong point. I think i'll stick to my breads

[Lior]

That Brioche looks devine. I want to break off a chunk! I also prefer "sweet" breads to dessert believe it or not.

[chocoera]

hmmmm....some berry scones that were great with honey butter, pierre's pave cake, and a jungle cake for my nephew :)

[deensiebat]

That jungle cake is beyond adorable.

I baked an old favorite from the Babbo Cookbook to bring to an Italian dinner party: Olive Oil Rosemary Cake.

[Aloha Steve]

New York Style Crumb Cake......lots of crummy, yummy crumbs.





First attempt.....have not tasted it yet.

[melissafitz]

today, i made a sweet yeast bread -- flavored with anise seeds and orange juice. i had it for three'sies as well as desert.

[melissafitz]

i love the rosemary bread. love it.

[Aloha Steve]

New York Style Crumb Cake......lots of crummy, yummy crumbs.





First attempt.....have not tasted it yet.

DELICIOUS.....now it won't matter that I cannot find crumb cake in NYC

[Aloha Steve]

Linser Sable Cookies..adapted from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan's in her cookbook " Baking, From My Home to Yours"
3/4 Black Raspberry Jam & 1/4 Strawberry Jam (Both jams bought from Barb Schaller-to die for)



This dessert, at present, is my most favorite which I make.

[jsmeeker]

Pecan Pie. Recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I always have "shrinkage" issues with my crusts!




Plated with Bourbon Créme Anglaise (for the curious, I used Knobb Creek)

[RichardJones]

Here's the tart I made for my parent's 35th wedding anniversary. It's a sweet pastry crust filled with an almond paste made with crème fraîche. This was scattered with white chocolate chunks (Cacao Barry) and torn raspberries. Once that had baked and cooled I added the top which is raspberries alternating with a white chocolate mousse sitting on a thin layer of raspberry jam (which holds the fruit in place). The mousse is made with the same white chocolate, whipped cream and Italian meringue. It is piped with a St. Honoré piping tip.

Edited by RichardJones, 16 November 2009 - 12:23 PM.

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Richard, that looks so very good! I know I would love it, since I am a big fan of all those elements, and the presentation is great, I haven't really seen a tart decorated like that before with big waves of mousse...

[Kim Shook]

MattyC – lovely brioche. I’m up late tonight and wish I had the energy to make those. How wonderful they would taste with some sweet butter or my Tiptree strawberry preserves!

chocoera – just utterly gorgeous!

Jeff – do you chill your crust after rolling and before filling? That’s supposed to help with shrinkage.

Just some bragging from me – daughter Jessica made her wonderful apple pie:



This one was maybe her best ever. Perfectly cooked apples, not too juicy, not too dry. She really is the pie baker in this family!

[PopsicleToze]

Fall-themed cake: white layer cake with classic buttercream.

Darcie -- that is an amazing cake!! How long did it take you to do that?

Rhonda

Edited by PopsicleToze, 17 November 2009 - 09:23 AM.

[RichardJones]

And here's a hastily prepared savoury tart from the same event as the concoction 4 posts above.

[jsmeeker]

Jeff – do you chill your crust after rolling and before filling? That’s supposed to help with shrinkage.

Yup. I sure do.

[Kim Shook]

Jeff – well, then, I have nothing further to offer .

As I mentioned in the dinner thread, I had a job catering desserts and nibbles for 100 for my daughter’s sorority. It was all delivered last night. The menu was:

Coconut Cake w/ Strawberry Filling and Fluffy White Frosting:


Detail:


Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Buttercream:


Detail:


The cake was the CI German Chocolate cake with a frosting that I concocted from combining chocolate buttercream and Abigail Johnson Dodge’s Fudgy Frosting. The buttercream was too stiff and the Fudgy Frosting too loose, but together they piped beautifully and tasted lovely. The decorations are just Snowcaps candies on top of frosting rosettes. The only problem was this:

My frosting sweated! There were these little beads all over the entire cake. I froze the frosted cake and thawed it in the morning and a couple of hours after I set it out, I discovered this. I tried to blot, but that didn’t do any good. After it set out for a few hours, they had diminished somewhat, but were still very evident. So I took some clear sprinkles that I had – very large grains – and drifted them all over the top of the cake. It camouflaged it just fine, so crisis averted, but I’d like to know what I did wrong because freezing a fully decorated cake is a wonderful timesaver and I’d like to be able to do it again.

Half of the Spicy Glazed Peanut Clusters:


Close up:


Cheddar Pecan Cheese Straws:


Half of the Bleu Cheese Shortbread with apricot preserves:


Close up:


Butter Mints in sorority colors:




It was an exhausting experience – one I don’t think I’d want to try again so close to the holidays and while working full time – but a really fun one, too. Jessica said that everyone loved all the food. She was supposed to get a picture of the cut cake, but didn’t.

After we got everything set up Mr. Kim took me to Millie's Diner - a favorite local place for a celebration dinner. With everything – this catering job, work, going to NC to visit/help sick relatives and the holidays coming up – I haven’t been cooking much. We’ve been having quick food – sandwiches, breakfast, canned soup, take out – and I was in need of something real and good and well made. This really fit the bill. On topic, our dessert was their version of a Kit Kat - incredible little sticks of a firm chocolate mousse-like cream and a crust layer of darker chocolate with tiny crunchy bits. I really would love to know how they make this! I know that Michel Ricard does this dessert at Central in Washington, but haven’t had it there and don’t know if it’s the same thing. Does anyone have a recipe for this?

[laniloa]

On topic, our dessert was their version of a Kit Kat - incredible little sticks of a firm chocolate mousse-like cream and a crust layer of darker chocolate with tiny crunchy bits. I really would love to know how they make this! I know that Michel Ricard does this dessert at Central in Washington, but haven’t had it there and don’t know if it’s the same thing. Does anyone have a recipe for this?

Wow! Great job -- looks like a lot of work and a lot of love. Richard's recipe is in Happy In The Kitchen and that page is available on Google books. I've made it before and while very good, it doesn't quite live up to the restaurant's version. It is greatly improved by the use of feuilletine instead of crushed corn flakes.

[CanadianBakin']

Jeff – well, then, I have nothing further to offer .

As I mentioned in the dinner thread, I had a job catering desserts and nibbles for 100 for my daughter’s sorority. It was all delivered last night. The menu was:



Detail:


The cake was the CI German Chocolate cake with a frosting that I concocted from combining chocolate buttercream and Abigail Johnson Dodge’s Fudgy Frosting. The buttercream was too stiff and the Fudgy Frosting too loose, but together they piped beautifully and tasted lovely. The decorations are just Snowcaps candies on top of frosting rosettes. The only problem was this:

My frosting sweated! There were these little beads all over the entire cake. I froze the frosted cake and thawed it in the morning and a couple of hours after I set it out, I discovered this. I tried to blot, but that didn’t do any good. After it set out for a few hours, they had diminished somewhat, but were still very evident. So I took some clear sprinkles that I had – very large grains – and drifted them all over the top of the cake. It camouflaged it just fine, so crisis averted, but I’d like to know what I did wrong because freezing a fully decorated cake is a wonderful timesaver and I’d like to be able to do it again.

What a lot of work! You did a great job. Did you freeze the cake unwrapped? It should be wrapped after it's frozen. Then with the cover on, placed overnight in the fridge or a cool place (right now my trunk would work :))Then let it sit at room temp for about an hour before removing the wrappings.