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

[ElsieD]

@pjm333  those tarte tatins  look amazing.  If I am reading your posts right, you cut the puff pastry circles in the appropriate size, bake them, cook the apples in the pans and then invert them over the pastry?

[David Ross]

5 hours ago, pjm333 said:

Tiramisu , Apple tarte tatin, Pumpkin Crinkle

How wonderful.  And ironic as right now I'm posting photos of my own first of the season Tarte Tatin.  And I've been wondering about doing individual ones so your photo will help me a lot as I start the planning.

[David Ross]

First of the season WA apple crop is in and it's going to be a good year.  The long hot summer didn't seem to hurt the apples, and how were back into cool nights and days and the apples seem to be getting really sweet.  You'd think being in apple country would keep our prices down, but some of the varietals like the Honey Crisp and newer apples are still at $3.95 a pound.  Too much in my view but they are delicious.

 

In any case, this is my first of many Apple Tarte Tatins.  This year I cut the apples differently.  I usually just peel, core and cut them either in half or in quarters to put in the skillet.  This time I cut them on my apple peeler and corer gadget, then let them fan out in the caramel.  Looks interesting for presentation and the end result is apples more tender than usual.  Now I have to make another one with the apples cut like I usually do to do a taste comparison.

 

Our Apple Cook-Off below includes a post with my recipe for Apple Tarte Tatin.

 

[pastrygirl]

Another cake this morning - Disney Descendants theme for Babette, daughter of a chef colleague.

 

 

 

[pjm333]

JohnT, Your very welcome, I also add a vanilla bean & same salt just forgot to say it. I am guessing for health reasons but why is corn syrup banned ? Thanks ! Patrick

[JohnT]

I am no medical expert and do not pretend to know the actual answer other than it is believed to be responcible or play a large part in obesity, liver and heart disease, dimentia and diabetics. Aparently the corn producing associations in the US have fought hard and long to try and cover-up these problems. I think your best bet is to do your own research and reach your own conclusions. I am led to believe that most European countries have also a ban on corn syrup - maybe some of the EU members on the forum will chime in to confirm or refute this. We are a high maize (corn) producing country and it is illegal to produce corn syrup or even import it. We use glucose or cane syrup as a sub in our products and I have never found any South African recipe that uses corn syrup - even going back to the 1800's.

Edited September 25, 2017 by JohnT (log)

[cakewalk]

That is interesting. In the US, I think the major problem is not corn syrup per se, but the fact that food manufacturers put it in just about everything. (High-fructose corn syrup, which seems to be a different animal than the corn syrup an individual consumer might buy.) I'm sure there are others that can give you more detailed information. In any case, I did not know that it was banned in other countries. (Good move, IMO.)

[pjm333]

JohnT, Thanks I figured it was something along those lines. 

 

Elsied, yes that's how I do it. 

 

 

[Patrick S]

10 hours ago, JohnT said:

I am no medical expert and do not pretend to know the actual answer other than it is believed to be responcible or play a large part in obesity, liver and heart disease, dimentia and diabetics. Aparently the corn producing associations in the US have fought hard and long to try and cover-up these problems. I think your best bet is to do your own research and reach your own conclusions. I am led to believe that most European countries have also a ban on corn syrup - maybe some of the EU members on the forum will chime in to confirm or refute this. We are a high maize (corn) producing country and it is illegal to produce corn syrup or even import it. We use glucose or cane syrup as a sub in our products and I have never found any South African recipe that uses corn syrup - even going back to the 1800's.

 

 

Without trying to derail this thread, I would say that discussions about HFCS are typically rife with misunderstandings of what the actual differences are between HFCS and other sweeteners. And most of the articles claiming some metabolic difference between HFCS and ordinary sugar actually point to metabolic studies using pure fructose rather than HFCS. HFCS is not higher in fructose than most other commonly used sugar sweeteners, and sugar sweeteners that are mixtures of fructose and glucose do not have the same metabolic effects as sugar sweeteners that do not also contain glucose.

 

HFCS is manufactured and used commercially in two major formulations, a 42% fructose version and a 55% fructose version, with most of the rest of the sugars being glucose. So to an approximation, HFCS is basically a 50/50 mixture of fructose and glucose, just like sucrose, ordinary sugar. The only real difference between HFCS and ordinary sucrose is that in sucrose the glucose and fructose monomers are joined by a hydrogen bond. Following consumption, this bond is rapidly broken, or hydrolyzed, yielding unbound fructose and glucose monomers, and controlled metabolic studies have found no significant differences in their effects (e.g., with respect to fasting plasma glucose, insulin, leptin, or ghrelin).  Invert sugar and honey are even more similar to HFCS, in that they consist of unbound glucose and fructose monomers, in basically equal proportions (45/45 in the case of invert sugar, 49/43 in the case of honey), just like HFCS. Below are links to two articles, one in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and a review article in the journal Advances in Nutrition, both with free full-text available. From the abstract of the AIN article:

 

". . . a broad scientific consensus has emerged that there are no metabolic or endocrine response differences between HFCS and sucrose related to obesity or any other adverse health outcome. This equivalence is not surprising given that both of these sugars contain approximately equal amounts of fructose and glucose, contain the same number of calories, possess the same level of sweetness, and are absorbed identically through the gastrointestinal tract."

 

http://advances.nutrition.org/content/4/2/236.full

 

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/6/1716S.full

 

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/145/10/2265.abstract

[Kim Shook]

Made ATK Ultranutty Pecan Bars for dessert last night:

 

These were really good and very easy.  You mix up the crust and press it in the pan.  Then you mix up the pecan layer and pour it on top.  No need to bake the crust separately.  Loaded with pecans and not too sweet. 

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

""ATK Ultranutty Pecan Bars  ""

 

which of their billion publications is this in ?

 

might be in a few dozen , at least

 

PS  Id really like to look over this Rx

 

seems you might be able to use pre-made  refrigerated pic crusts 

 

and I do love pecans.

Edited September 27, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[cakewalk]

Stella Parks takes on one of my favorite cookies: http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/09/how-to-make-ginger-lemon-sandwich-cookies.html

 

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Kim Shook 

 

""ATK Ultranutty Pecan Bars  ""

which of their billion publications is this in ?

might be in a few dozen , at least

PS  Id really like to look over this Rx

seems you might be able to use pre-made  refrigerated pic crusts 

and I do love pecans.

 

 

@rotuts, I'm not Kim, but that recipe is on p14 in the Nov 2015 Cooks Illustrated.  I was able to pull it up via my library's online magazine reader, perhaps you can do the same?

[rotuts]

thanks

 

the Boston Public Library 

 

electronic resource system only has CI back two years

 

ive asked for the hard copy from my library

 

do you know what the exact title of this Rx was >

 

maybe its in an ATK TV show book which I have from '16

 

many thanks

[Kim Shook]

5 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Kim Shook 

 

""ATK Ultranutty Pecan Bars  ""

 

which of their billion publications is this in ?

 

might be in a few dozen , at least

 

PS  Id really like to look over this Rx

 

seems you might be able to use pre-made  refrigerated pic crusts 

 

and I do love pecans.

 

It was on the show - one of the new ones with the Cutesy Twins.    Here's a link to the recipe on my site: Pecan Bars

[rotuts]

many thanks

[rotuts]

Ive looked at ATK S 17

 

and its on ATK 1716

 

I have all these shows on my various HD's

 

many thanks

[pjm333]

Lemon Squares !

[shain]

Kugel with apples and cinnamon, wine soaked raisins, toasted walnuts. Buttery and crisp on top.

[Katie Meadow]

@shain that kugel looks fabulous. (Except of course for the raisins!). I'm rarely enthusiastic about kugel, but now I want it. What's your recipe?

[shain]

@Katie Meadow

250 g wide egg noodles or pasta 

20 g butter + more to top

2 of your baking apples of choice (450 g, apx.) 

50 g toasted walnut (pecans are also good) 

60 g raisins (it will be a shame to skip them... Maybe substitute another dry fruit, like apricot) 

2 tbsp red wine 

40 g dark brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt (noodles cooked in unsalted water) 

3 eggs 

 

Soak raisins in wine for at least 30 minutes. 

Heat oven to 170C. 

Cut apples into thin wide stripes.

Cook noodles until al dante and drain. 

In a large bowl  mix butter with noodles. 

Mix sugar, salt and spices. 

Mix in apples, nuts, raisins with soaking liquid and eggs. 

Pour into lightly greased pan, spring form is best if you plan to serve out of pan. This amount fits a 24 cm round pan. 

Push all visible nuts deeper into the dish, or else they will burn. 

Optionaly brush some butter on top. 

Cover with foil and bake about 50 minutes , you will be able to smell it. 

Remove foil and bake until crisp and brown on top, about 20 minutes. 

Let chill for 10 minutes.

Leftovers keep well if reheated in an oven. 

 

Edit - forgot the salt 

Edit #2 - apparently also forgot the sugar 

Edited October 7, 2017 by shain (log)

[Katie Meadow]

@shain thanks so much. Surprising that there is no soft cheese involved, which is fine by me. I may try dried cherries, since I usually have them around. Apricots sound equally appealing. I don't know what it is about me and raisins. They just make me irritable! And that's without eating them.

[Smithy]

5 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

@shain thanks so much. Surprising that there is no soft cheese involved, which is fine by me. I may try dried cherries, since I usually have them around. Apricots sound equally appealing. I don't know what it is about me and raisins. They just make me irritable! And that's without eating them.

 

You are not alone in your dislike of raisins.

[FrogPrincesse]

David Lebovitz's Chocolate Crack Cookies

 

 

 

[jmacnaughtan]

8 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

David Lebovitz's Chocolate Crack Cookies

 

 

 

Crack because of the appearance, or because they're just so moreish?