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Pete Fred

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I'd never heard of a Dream Bar until yesterday. Luckily I had all the ingredients to hand...

     

    DreamBar.thumb.png.09206dd1af329cd553c149f00e6ee207.png

     

    The recipe was published in a Nebraskan newspaper nearly ninety years ago but seems to be pretty standard. This adaptation used dark brown sugar and walnuts. It was nice, but I felt it needed something else to round it out; I dunno, maybe just a bit more salt. 🤷‍♂️

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Pete Fred (log)

    Portokalopita....

     

    Portokalopita.thumb.png.5ed60685f3285b8dd2762fd381c24963.png

     

    I'd seen this described as sort of a Greek bread-and-butter pudding. It's crushed, dried-out filo pastry mixed with a custard and, once baked, drenched in an obscene amount of orange syrup. It was surprisingly light, and the orange flavour really popped. I'll definitely make this again. Served with some tangy Greek yoghurt to balance the sweetness it was a real winner...

     

    Portokalopita(Plated).thumb.png.74c404612aa61a0febc92caf964ab52c.png

     

     

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Rhubarb, Marmalade and Rosemary Cake by Diana Henry...

     

    RhubarbMarmaladeandRosemaryCake.thumb.png.33a2d73587af73fc519a2588df747591.png

     

    This was an improvement on Sunday's rhubarb cake but still didn't illicit more than a shrug. The rosemary was totally invisible - maybe it's one of those things where you only notice when it's omitted - and there was a marmalade-iness to the cake element without it being too forward.

     

    RhubarbMarmaladeandRosemaryCake(Plated).thumb.png.bec6b9ada91fcf9a217c8fa065ecd4dd.png

     

    It was pleasant enough with a bit of crème fraîche, and it's a not-unattractive cake, but I'm unlikely to bother again.

     

    There's one more rhubarb cake I might have a go at, but so far this little adventure has only confirmed for me that the best way to eat rhubarb is cooked simply (poached) and served as an accompaniment or with some custard.

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    My little rhubarb patch has started delivering its bounty. After a quick ebook scan to see if there was anything intriguing, I settled on the Rhubarb Crumb Cake from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi...

     

    RhubarbCrumbleCake.thumb.png.b8183d56f19febf86e5be4b0d8029c66.png

     

    It was disappointing, unfortunately. As it started to rise at the sides, the crumb topping was displaced into the centre, and the rhubarb all sank, resulting in a bit of a mushy bottom where the fruit released its moisture.

     

    I had no sour cream so substituted creme fraiche thinned with a little milk, so maybe that was part of the problem. But the batter was still fairly thick and I expected it to support the rhubarb. I might make a couple of adjustments and give it another go just to satisfy my curiosity.

     

    One positive takeaway, though: the addition of sumac to the crumb topping was very good. I'll definitely be doing that again.

    • Like 4

    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    11 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

    Do you have a good recipe? There don't appear to be any raisins in yours.That's very good.  If a raisin so much as looks at my rice pudding I reach for my anti-anxiety meds.

     

    Adapted from a recipe by Anthony Demetre...

     

    1 L whole milk
    150g cream (35% fat)
    100g butter, diced
    120g sugar
    180g short grain rice

    5 kg raisins (optional)

     

    Bring the milk, cream, butter and sugar to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
    Pour into an ovenproof dish, add the rice and stir with a fork to distribute evenly on the base.
    Bake at 130C/265F for 90 mins. Do not stir if you wish to preserve the skin.

    Test for doneness by nudging the dish. If there is a gentle wobble under the skin, remove from oven. If it looks too liquid, cook a little longer.

    Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the residual heat to finish cooking.

    Best served warm(ish) accompanied by huge bowls overflowing with raisins. 😉

     

    I used carnaroli (risotto) rice. Arborio is good, too. Your dish needs to be at least 1.7 L (7 cups). The original recipe used a cast iron pan to bring everything to a simmer on the hob, which was then transferred to the oven to bake. It's important to spread the rice evenly to avoid pockets of dense rice. I flavoured mine with tonka but vanilla is more traditional. My 90 minutes took it to a point where there was no wobble, which is why I feared it might be stodgy. But it wasn't, being firm but light, with a creaminess towards the bottom. I liked this textural difference from a regular stovetop rice pudding. If the skin isn't as developed as you'd like, whack it under a moderate grill until you're happy. I recommend eating it somewhere between lukewarm and warm for best texture and flavour (30-60 minutes out of the oven). If chilled, any leftovers benefit from a few minutes in a low microwave.

    • Thanks 2

    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I've been on a bit of a fritter frenzy in the last week or two. Once there's a can of oil on the go, might as well make the most of it and cross off a few things in the 'to-do' folder.

     

    Choux beignets...

     

    ChouxBeignets.thumb.png.17f1673d85d15fcf4c4f4774d21b3e89.png

     

    Leche Frita, cubes of vanilla pastry cream coated in breadcrumbs and tossed in cinnamon sugar...

     

    LecheFrita.thumb.png.c4fcb493a85871e86bf8c37979f24e65.png

     

    Kuih Kodok (Malaysian banana fritters), simply mash together banana, egg, sugar and flour...

     

    KuihKodok(BananaFritters).thumb.png.43b183a3d5191e49cb10d33a44dfcd06.png

     

    Ricotta fritters (Nigella Lawson), just ricotta, egg, flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon...

     

    RicottaFritters.thumb.png.cf8765ddd3c18a0a9159c9552356c3ab.png

     

    Schenkele (Alsatian beignets), which was basically a deep-fried cookie...

     

    Schenkele(AlsationBeignets).thumb.png.4ff8a1d3890ffa6486e06aeeff799e00.png

     

    I liked all of them but, let's face it, you could deep fry a flip-flop and it'd taste good.

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    The Peanut Butter Sandies in Christina Tosi's 'All About Cookies' caught my eye. The 'flour' in the cookie is Rice Krispies blitzed to a powder...

     

    PeanutButterSandie(RiceKrispies).thumb.png.302ef8c160f2f4cf487dbdac78e7328a.png

     

    ...but she says you can make it from pretzels, cookies, nuts, or other cereals.

     

    So I made some from oats...

     

    PeanutButterSandie(Oats).thumb.png.09c63f7877004c83eb0f253f4b8e8733.png

     

    The difference in thickness is just down to me fiddling around with the bake.

     

    I've never had a sandie before and these were a nice alternative to the usual soft and chewy peanut butter cookie. I preferred the slightly grittier (sandier!) Rice Krispie version, but they weren't too dissimilar.

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    A fruitcake from Raymond Blanc...

     

    CutandComeAgainCake.thumb.png.54020d76ce6782069f199975b267117a.png

     

    This contained raisins, cranberries and sour cherries. The batter was made by the reverse creaming method and produced quite a crumbly texture that reminded me of a Gateau Basque. It was good.

     

    For anyone who's seen Raymond's television series and remembers "Adaaaam!", there's a cute story to go with the cake...

     

    "Once upon a time there was a Cornish woman who loved to cook. Lilian Gladys Johnson was her name. She baked lots of cakes, and one of her favourites was a fruitcake. She called it her 'cut and come again cake', and it sat on a table, but not for long because her family helped themselves, cutting a slice ... and coming again, for another slice, or a pinch of moist crumbs. Well, with all that baking she was lucky to have a helper, her little grandson Adam. It was there, in the kitchen with his grandmother - and with his mother - that young Adam discovered a real enthusiasm for cooking. He grew up to become a chef. The story is sweeter still because I am proud to call Adam Johnson my protégé. I am also honoured to share that recipe for his grandmother's cut and come again cake."

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    @ElsieD I don't see why not. Any nut butter would work, I guess. I've never done it myself with this recipe, but have swapped peanut butter successfully for tahini in hummus.

     

    @TdeV I increased the tahini to 100g (mine is the dark type). The mix-in were: 125g dates/prunes/dried figs; 50g raisins/dried cranberries; 100g walnuts; 40g dessicated coconut; 50g seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin). I prefer a chewier flapjack so use 225g oats and keep the dried fruit and nuts chunky for a variety of texture. And salt! Double the recipe for a 9 x 13-inch tin.

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

    Is this the recipe?  When I'm looking to use up tahini, I sometimes make these tahini and almond cookies from David Lebovitz that were recommended to me years ago by @Darienne.  

     

    That's the one (although I only had non-jumbo oats and I threw in a few more dates). I rolled 55g of cookie dough into balls. For the thicker ones I flattened them into Ø 6 cm discs and baked at 180C. For the thinner ones I flattened them into Ø 7 cm discs and baked at 160C. They don't spread much.

     

    Thanks for the Lebovitz cookies. I shall add them to my adventures in tahini. 🙂

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    Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Now that I have a pot a tahini to use up, I took the opportunity to make some tahini and date cookies by Benjamina Ebuehi that had been on my to-do list for a while...

     

    TahiniandDateCookie1.thumb.png.ad07eaeac3c4a7336614fe7c1027d355.png

     

    They were good, with a nice chew and a pleasant halva flavour. Simple to make and vegan, too, if that's your thing.

     

    A couple of adjustments for larger, thinner cookies...

     

    TahiniandDateCookie2.thumb.png.43298035b5875d83b322abcf491a03aa.png

     

    But overall I preferred the thicker ones.

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