Michael M

OK, you're all great, because this is what I was looking for. First, I was using a wide metal bowl, which I'm sure changed temperature far too often. I narrow, shallow glass container like Pyrex measuring cup seems perfect, Kerry, thanks. And Robert, I'll bookmark those temps you recommended because I want to do this again. They were coming out some at correct temper, and some streaky, to answer the question. I did make some in a mold, but only purchased 2 molds as an experiment. I think I'll go with those in the future, but I had a problem getting the bottom on (dripping, spreading the chocolate on what would end up being the bottom of the candy). As the chocolate dripped on, it would sometimes squish out the liquid fondant inside, thus making a hole and not creating a complete seal. Is it better to pipe it on or spread it on?

Brought about 3/4 of the 2 lbs. of chocolate to 112 (or something thereabouts), added the remaining 1/4, stirred until it was 80 or so (exact temps I can't recall just now), then back up to 90 for dipping. That's the temp I remember - 88-90.

I know how to temper chocolate, but when I have to dip something, I lose temper. I think it's because the temperature lowers as I dip things into it (before I realize it), or perhaps what I'm dipping is too wet? For the last two years, I've dipped brandied cherries (air dried a bit) wrapped in fondant the consistency of sticky, mold-able dough. Perhaps even that is too moist? Every couple of dips, I check the temp, stir, reheat, stir. I guess I'm looking for one of three things. 1) The obvious thing I'm doing wrong that I'm missing. 2) A great guide (book, URL...) for dipping chocolates 3) The best, inexpensive tempering machine you know of. They taste good, but half of them look...well...

My partner and I met in 1991, and have since grown to love wine, so much so that we're often arranging our meals, evenings out and vacations around it. So I'd love to get him a special bottle for the holidays from the year we met. I've done a little research, but figured I'd get some good, if not better, advice here. We lean toward food-friendly wines, and gravitate toward French, Italian, Spanish and Portugese before American and Australian, in general. A 1991 port recommendation would be nice, but so would any wine. I'm not looking to store it necessarily, either, but would like to drink it within a few weeks. Any suggestions?

Adam, this is my mistake, which I corrected on Recipe Gullet, but can't find a way to correct here. It should be 4 CUPS of flour, not 4 oz. Sorry about the error. 1 cup flour = about 5 oz thus the recipe should call for 4 cups, or 20 oz thus your dough is at a 16 oz deficit, or a heaping 3 Cup deficit. Blend this in, let it rest, and the dough should be fine.

You know, I just made up the filling so it can chill, and by the time all the ingredients combine, the smell is heavenly: spicy, alcohol-tinged and with an almost vanilla/tabacco overtone (in a good way).

I just mean until the wet ingredients blend together into a sticky mass. Then I add the pre-ground nuts. Thanks for the recipe.

I've added them to Recipe Gullet.

Gianduja Sandwich Cookies Gianduia Sandwich Cookies DOUGH 1/2 C. hazelnuts, roasted, deskinned 1/2 C. sugar 1.5 C. AP flour 1.5 sticks butter 1/4 tsp salt In f.p., pulse nuts and sugar until fine, then cut in butter. Divide dough into 2 parts, roll out into logs about 12" long, chill until firm. Slice 1/8" thin, cook on parchment at 350 for about 13 minutes. FILLING 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate 2 oz. milk chocolate 2 TB hazelnut butter 1/3 C. cream Make like a ganache, then chill 15 or so minutes until semi firm. Fill cookies. Nut Cookies, Mexican Tea Cakes, etc. 2 C. walnuts or pecans, roasted 2 C. AP flour 3/4 tsp salt 2 sticks butter, softened 1/3 superfine sugar (or whiz some in f.p. then measure) 1.5 tsp vanilla 1.5 C. 10x sugar Chop 1/2 the nuts medium coarse. Set aside. Process remaining nuts with salt and flour (to catch the resulting oils) until very fine. In mixer, beat butter and sugar until light, then vanilla. Scrape frequently. Add remaining ingredients and mix only a few seconds until dough comes together. Scrape, mix gently a few more seconds; don't overwork. Form balls or crescents fairly small, cook on silpat/parchment 17-19 minutes in 325 oven until golden brown; don't overcook or you lose butter flavor. Cool 2 minutes, remove to rack, cool to room temp. Roll in 10x sugar. You can re-roll in sugar just before serving. ( RG1885 )

Brown Butter Cookies Brown Butter Cookies from Gourmet, Dec. 2005 2 sticks butter 3/4 C. sugar 2 tsp vanilla 2 C. AP flour 1 tsp. b. soda 1/8 tsp salt Brown butter moderately dark, shock pan to stop process. Cool in ice water about 4 minutes; add sugar and vanilla. Whisk dry ingredients together in bowl, add butter mixture gently. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic, let stand at room temp 1-2 hours to develop flavor. Form cookies by shaping them in a teaspoon; mixture will be crumbly. Flatten top while it's in the spoon, then slide out, flat side down. Bake until just pale golden, 8-15 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Transfer after 5 minutes, cool completely. Can be filled with preserves, chocolate. Keywords: Dessert, Christmas, Cookie ( RG1884 )

Cuccidati Cuccidati FILLING 8 oz. black figs 3.75 oz. raisins scant 2/3 C. honey 1/4 C. brandy 1.5 tsp orange zest 1 tsp lemon zest 1/4 tsp ground cloves, nutmeg 1 TB cinnamon 4 oz. almonds, roasted 3 oz. walnuts, roasted Coarsely chop nuts, remove from food processor. Combine the rest; when homogenous, add nuts. Let chill at least 8 hours. DOUGH 4 C. AP flour 1 C. + 2 TB sugar 1 TB baking pwdr. 1 tsp salt 8 oz. butter, cut into small cubes 2 large eggs 1/2 C. whole milk 1.5 tsp vanilla 1.5 tsp lemon/orange zest Pulse to mix dry ingredients in f.p., then cut in butter until fine crumbles. Dump into bowl and stir in wet ingredients. Form dough into 2 rectangles; chill at least 8 hours. Roll one rectangle 13" x 10" and cut into 4 strips parallel to the 10" sides. Fill the center of each resulting 10" x 3/25" rectangle with a "worm" of filling, then flatten this somewhat. Wrap dough around filling a la Fig Newtons, flip so that seam side is down, cut into 1/2" slices. Cook 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven until golden brown; remove from sheets after 3 minutes to rack. Overcooked yields a less buttery flavor. Glaze with 1 cup 10x, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 1.5-2 TB brandy. In Italy these are often finished with colored sprinkles. Keywords: Christmas, Dessert, Cookie ( RG1883 )

Oops, didn't think. Should I move them there?

I'll certainly share! Cuccidati FILLING 8 oz. black figs 3.75 oz. raisins scant 2/3 C. honey 1/4 C. brandy 1.5 tsp orange zest 1 tsp lemon zest 1/4 tsp ground cloves, nutmeg 1 TB cinnamon 4 oz. almonds, roasted 3 oz. walnuts, roasted Coarsely chop nuts, remove from food processor. Combine the rest; when homogenous, add nuts. Let chill at least 8 hours. DOUGH 4 oz. AP flour 1 C. + 2 TB sugar 1 TB baking pwdr. 1 tsp salt 8 oz. butter, cut into small cubes 2 large eggs 1/2 C. whole milk 1.5 tsp vanilla 1.5 tsp lemon/orange zest Pulse to mix dry ingredients in f.p., then cut in butter until fine crumbles. Dump into bowl and stir in wet ingredients. Form dough into 2 rectangles; chill at least 8 hours. Roll one rectangle 13" x 10" and cut into 4 strips parallel to the 10" sides. Fill the center of each resulting 10" x 3/25" rectangle with a "worm" of filling, then flatten this somewhat. Wrap dough around filling a la Fig Newtons, flip so that seam side is down, cut into 1/2" slices. Cook 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven until golden brown; remove from sheets after 3 minutes to rack. Overcooked yields a less buttery flavor. Glaze with 1 cup 10x, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 1.5-2 TB brandy. In Italy these are often finished with colored sprinkles. Brown Butter Cookies from Gourmet, Dec. 2005 2 sticks butter 3/4 C. sugar 2 tsp vanilla 2 C. AP flour 1 tsp. b. soda 1/8 tsp salt Brown butter moderately dark, shock pan to stop process. Cool in ice water about 4 minutes; add sugar and vanilla. Whisk dry ingredients together in bowl, add butter mixture gently. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic, let stand at room temp 1-2 hours to develop flavor. Form cookies by shaping them in a teaspoon; mixture will be crumbly. Flatten top while it's in the spoon, then slide out, flat side down. Bake until just pale golden, 8-15 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Transfer after 5 minutes, cool completely. Can be filled with preserves, chocolate. Gianduia Sandwich Cookies DOUGH 1/2 C. hazelnuts, roasted, deskinned 1/2 C. sugar 1.5 C. AP flour 1.5 sticks butter 1/4 tsp salt In f.p., pulse nuts and sugar until fine, then cut in butter. Divide dough into 2 parts, roll out into logs about 12" long, chill until firm. Slice 1/8" thin, cook on parchment at 350 for about 13 minutes. FILLING 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate 2 oz. milk chocolate 2 TB hazelnut butter 1/3 C. cream Make like a ganache, then chill 15 or so minutes until semi firm. Fill cookies. Nut Cookies, Mexican Tea Cakes, etc. 2 C. walnuts or pecans, roasted 2 C. AP flour 3/4 tsp salt 2 sticks butter, softened 1/3 superfine sugar (or whiz some in f.p. then measure) 1.5 tsp vanilla 1.5 C. 10x sugar Chop 1/2 the nuts medium coarse. Set aside. Process remaining nuts with salt and flour (to catch the resulting oils) until very fine. In mixer, beat butter and sugar until light, then vanilla. Scrape frequently. Add remaining ingredients and mix only a few seconds until dough comes together. Scrape, mix gently a few more seconds; don't overwork. Form balls or crescents fairly small, cook on silpat/parchment 17-19 minutes in 325 oven until golden brown; don't overcook or you lose butter flavor. Cool 2 minutes, remove to rack, cool to room temp. Roll in 10x sugar. You can re-roll in sugar just before serving. -------------------- I avoided obvious baking things, and needless to say, use the best butter you can find. Enjoy!

Kourambiedes...hmm; what's this one?

Even though it's been a mysterious 60+ degrees here in Chicago for the past week, I, too, am ready to jump back into the seasonal cookie-making mode. So good to see this thread again. I have a small repertoire that I've honed over the years, and only ones truly worthy stay. I think our favorite, though, are the Cuccidati, which are a soft, buttery cookie filled a la Fig Newtons with a mixture of raisins, figs, walnuts, almonds, spices and brandy. I'd be happy to share the recipe if anyone wishes. Other annual favorites: A moist, fudgy brownie recipe from Cooking Illustrated Brown Butter Cookies from last year's NYT (really interesting and really good) Alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookie) Gianduja sandwich cookies Candied citrus peel A superior nut cookie that goes by many names, Mexican Tea Cakes, Russian Tea Cookies, etc., made with a mixture of flour, nuts and constarch, dusted with powedered sugar. I like this recipe because it combines finely ground nuts with coarsely ground for better flavor. ...Perhaps I'll post pix once the baking commences!

I'm gearing up to make some chocolate covered brandied cherries again this holiday season, and would like to try using molds instead of just dipping them. How do I go about getting the thinnest coating on these? Thanks!

I started the thread originally, and ended up with one of the higher end Kitchen Aids. It's one step up from the highest, looking like Phlawless described it. It's incredibly quiet. It has a third rack at the top for silverware, making unnecesary the silverware basket, so the first rack can hold a huge amount. I love this thing. Grinder included, so no emptying of filters. The noisiest sound is when the soap dispenser opens and the soap tablet falls.

My sister does not believe that lowering yields would result in more intense fruit on what was remaining. I thought it would be easy to google a few key terms and come up with tons of quotes, but I can't find them. Am I wrong? Or just searching under the wrong terms?

Thanks!

Makes sense. I'll try it.

I think the title says it all. I have the devil of a time getting short crusts, especially p. sable, to come out cleanly from corrugated metal tart rings. Sometimes I butter them first, but recipes don't usually dictate this. What's the secret to a clean edge?!

Thanks for everyone's help. I went with a peach frangipane tart with sour cream-vanilla bean ice cream. It's rare that I'll serve a dessert to guests I've never made before, but this one was great. Since it was served at room temp, the ice cream was rather beside the point, I think, but homemade ice cream always goes over well. I've made frangipane tarts with quince and apple, and haven't been happy with the frangipane part, but this recipe's was great, though sweeter than I prefer, even with a reduction in the sugar it called for. I got it from a nectarine-frangipane tart recipe in the most recent Gourmet, which was just a pate sable with a nice, soft frangipane cream, peaches on top, glaze afterwards. I'll share the recipe if anyone likes as written and with my sugar/salt changes (I omitted the salt in the cream - pointless to me - ).

Thank you. The cobbler and galette is what I've basically been serving all summer (what I meant my crisps/tarts, that whole category of fruit contrasted with a buttery grain-thing). The pavlova is interesting, and I might do that. Other ideas?

No, actually I don't want chocolate! I want fruit. But you just can't get good fresh figs that I know of here in Chicago unless you grow them. And I'm working on that (maybe by Labor Day 2008).

Here's another idea to throw into the mix. I'm a heavy biker in the summers, and can spend a day pedaling 60+ miles easily. I can taste the salt leaching off my skin when I shower. When I cook during this season, people tell me I tend to overseason my food. I also find that I crave salty foods as well. As a result, in the summer, I consciously try to underseason what I'm preparing!