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

[rarerollingobject]

29 minutes ago, chromedome said:

If Terry Pratchett hadn't been prematurely taken from us, I'd nominate you for inclusion in the Discworld pantheon as the Goddess of Carefully Calculated Excess. 

(For those unfamiliar with his work, fantasist/satirist Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels included a number of offbeat gods among its characters, including Anoia -- the goddess of stuck drawers -- and Bilious, the "oh-god" of hangovers.)

 

And my last name IRL is...Pritchett. 

[chromedome]

LOL

 

[Tri2Cook]

5 hours ago, chromedome said:

If Terry Pratchett hadn't been prematurely taken from us, I'd nominate you for inclusion in the Discworld pantheon as the Goddess of Carefully Calculated Excess. 

(For those unfamiliar with his work, fantasist/satirist Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels included a number of offbeat gods among its characters, including Anoia -- the goddess of stuck drawers -- and Bilious, the "oh-god" of hangovers.)

I'm on board with that. Carefully calculated excess is exactly what desserts should be in my opinion. I love fruit and cheese but I don't want half a strawberry with a thin shaving of parmesan and a drop of balsamic vinegar for dessert. I want something I'll regret in the morning.

And while we're on the subject, Terry Pratchett's books are some of my best friends in the reading world. I was a bit late to them, they were recommended to me by a friend after I mentioned that I needed something to take the place of reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently books for the millionth time (not that I particularly mind that). He said if I enjoy Douglas Adam's books (enjoy is a huge understatement) I would most likely enjoy Pratchett's books. Enjoy is now an understatement with those books as well.

[Captain]

I've been thinking about this for a while now and after a busy working week and weekend I really had to make the effort Sunday afternoon.

My ambition was to make a Baked Cheese cake that was light & not to sweet.

"Nice & light & not to sweet" where the comments from the family. 

[David Ross]

Well, after 3 1/2 weeks of hospital food, then another 3 weeks of prepared, frozen or pre-made stuff I had, I'm finally back in the kitchen.  A pesky right knee replacement put me down for the count for 6 weeks.  But I'm finally getting back in the kitchen and the first sweet I made was this blueberry crostatta.  Very easy to make and delicious.  And as our huckleberry crop ripens up here, that'll be next on the crostatta menu.

 

 

 

 

[cakewalk]

That's a lovely crostata. Do you mind sharing your crust recipe? Several years ago I made a crust for a crostata that a absolutely loved, beautiful texture and flavor, and I lost it. I had printed it out from some website, who can remember? And the funny thing was, I messed it up, and it was the mess-up that made it so nice. The list of ingredients called for one egg and one yolk, and I wasn't paying close attention so I added both the egg and the yolk to the dough. It turns out that the separate yolk was meant for glazing the top, and the dough itself was only meant to have one egg. But that extra yolk in the dough was what made it so good. (Because I did make it again, later, and it wasn't nearly as good as the first time.) Since that time I tend to throw extra yolks into various doughs, and it's usually a very good thing. I can see the beautiful glaze on your crostata. How many eggs are in your dough? 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

12 hours ago, David Ross said:

Well, after 3 1/2 weeks of hospital food, then another 3 weeks of prepared, frozen or pre-made stuff I had, I'm finally back in the kitchen.  A pesky right knee replacement put me down for the count for 6 weeks.  But I'm finally getting back in the kitchen and the first sweet I made was this blueberry crostatta.  Very easy to make and delicious.  And as our huckleberry crop ripens up here, that'll be next on the crostatta menu.

 

 

 

 

 

That is just a scrumptious looking crostata, David, and I'm so glad to see you back in action in the kitchen!

[Shelby]

I'd love to have your crust recipe, too, David  

[oli]

21 hours ago, David Ross said:

Well, after 3 1/2 weeks of hospital food, then another 3 weeks of prepared, frozen or pre-made stuff I had, I'm finally back in the kitchen.  A pesky right knee replacement put me down for the count for 6 weeks.  But I'm finally getting back in the kitchen and the first sweet I made was this blueberry crostatta.  Very easy to make and delicious.  And as our huckleberry crop ripens up here, that'll be next on the crostatta menu.

 

 

Did you find the berries larger than the last 2 years?  Going out tomorrow to pick.

 

 

[David Ross]

These blueberries were from the Williamette Valley in Oregon and good in size.  I haven't gotten my huckleberries yet, so I'm not sure what to expect but I think it's going to be a good crop.  We had a long winter with lots and lots of snow and it's been hot and dry for weeks now which usually bodes well for the huckleberries.

[David Ross]

I developed my pie crust recipe about 20 years ago when I was writing a piece about huckleberries.  I don't remember for sure, but I think I pulled parts of other recipes and then through trial and error came up with this recipe.  The key thing I do is to cut the Crisco and butter into the flours by hand using an old-fashioned pastry cutter. I avoid using a food processor because the blades go so fast they make dust of the butter and the flour.  The end, baked pie crust basically has that same texture--dust.  I've substituted lard for the Crisco, but Crisco works best for both flavor and texture.

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup Crisco shortening, chilled, cut in cubes

1 stick, (8tbsp. salted butter), chilled, cut in cubes

1/3 cup ice water

 

Mix the flours, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.  Using a hand pastry cutter, cut in the Crisco and butter until it's combined into the dry ingredients and the size of peas.  Using a fork, stir in the ice water about 2 tbsp. at a time, to bring the dough together.  The dough should form a moist ball but not be too wet.  Wrap the pie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours before using.  Now bring the dough out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature to soften before rolling out. 

 

 

[cakewalk]

No eggs, hmmmm. Do you use the same recipe for pie dough and galette dough? I always thought galette dough needed to be more "flexible" (for lack of a better word), for folding over that lip. I think the combination of AP flour and cake flour makes for a very nice dough. Thanks for posting it. I will try it. I usually avoid making pies because I am never satisfied with my crusts, and it's the only part of the pie I really like. 

t

No eggs.  My Grandmother always added a bit of apple cider vinegar to her pie crusts, so if I remember sometimes I add that.  I think more than flavor or adding to the crispness of the crust it's more nostalgic for me.  I use this same dough for pies, crostatta (galette) and also savory pot pies.  About the only other dough I use is my version of shortbread which I used for an apricot tart last week.

[JohnT]

@David Ross That is truly a wonderful looking crostata. What temperature and for how long did you bake the pie? My guess would have been 150° to 160°C for between 20 and 30 minutes in a convection oven?

[David Ross]

15 minutes ago, JohnT said:

@David Ross That is truly a wonderful looking crostata. What temperature and for how long did you bake the pie? My guess would have been 150° to 160°C for between 20 and 30 minutes in a convection oven?

This one was 400 degrees F for about 28 minutes.  I basically watch the browning of the crust as my indicator and making sure the berries are bubbling hot.  My methods are pretty unconventional I suppose, but they seem to work.

 

[cakewalk]

I am taking a 4-week baking class, and wouldn't you know it, tonight was pie and tart crusts with a pate brisee. The recipe combined AP and cake flours like yours. And no eggs. I asked the teacher about eggs, she said they would make the dough richer but less flaky. (I don't know these things.) And I remembered, that dough I loved was not at all flaky. It was wonderful and rich and delicious, but not flaky. 

[lindag]

16 hours ago, David Ross said:

I  The end, baked pie crust basically has that same texture--dust.  I've substituted lard for the Crisco, but Crisco works best for both flavor and texture.

 

 

 

Can I assume you used leaf lard?  And still prefer Crisco?

Not questioning your choices, I'm not a seasoned pie maker so I'm looking for helpful hints.

[David Ross]

No I didn't try it with leaf lard, but a brand from Mexico I buy in a tub from a local Mexican grocery store.

[Kasia]

Afternoon tea with finger biscuits - very simple recipe and not only for the children:) - RecipeGullet

 

 

Edited July 21, 2017 by Kasia (log)

[suzilightning]

Breakfast this morning was a peach cake made with fresh, local Jersey peaches that were peeled and chopped, dusted with Johnnybird's toast dope and topped a basic and not too sweet cake.  Baked about 30 minutes before it became too hot and muggy here and served with some whipped topping.  Just what I wanted to start another summer day.

[shain]

"Biscuits cake" - it's a very popular homemade dessert in Israel, mostly due to being easy and quick to make. It's made with commercial biscuits (in the British meaning of the word). My favorite version, and the one I made this time is filled with sour cream and vanilla mousse and topped with dark chocolate and sour cream ganache.

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, shain said:

 

"Biscuits cake" - it's a very popular homemade dessert in Israel, mostly due to being easy and quick to make.

 

 Sounds an awful lot like the icebox cakes  made over on this continent. 

[Franci]

Ah. Thanks. Learnt something new @Anna N. That's how is called here.  In Italy it's called Dolce Mattone. Sweet brick. Always layered with buttercream and biscuits  (a brand called Oro Saiwa)  soaked in coffee. 

[Crust N Cakes]

One of my best celebration cake "Fruit N Crunch" It is a perfect blend of premium quality butterscotch nuts happily married with exotic fruits. I loved it

[Kerry Beal]

On 7/24/2017 at 7:39 AM, Franci said:

Ah. Thanks. Learnt something new @Anna N. That's how is called here.  In Italy it's called Dolce Mattone. Sweet brick. Always layered with buttercream and biscuits  (a brand called Oro Saiwa)  soaked in coffee. 

@Franci - can you link me to a recipe? I'd love to try that and the cookies look enough like Social Tea biscuits that I'm sure I could use them.

[Franci]

@Kerry Beal here is a link http://www.pinellaorgiana.it/2012/03/il-dolce-mattone-della-mia-fanciullezza.html If google fails translation ask.