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

[pjm333]

Thanks Captain !

[pjm333]

Chocolate Mousse Cake !

[shain]

Diós beigli - Walnut yeasted roll cake.

Actually, I've added some hazelnuts in the filling, along with some brandy, apricot jam, dark brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon and almond extract.

As you might note from it's stubby figure, I've opted to bake an half-sized cake, and I will bake the other half on a later date (it's been given prime real estate in my freezer).

[cakewalk]

^ That dough is so beautifully browned. 

[jmacnaughtan]

I've come to the realisation that I prefer meringue to be unbrowned and brilliant white.  Somehow, the caramel/Maillard notes just don't seem to work as well, especially with fruit.

 

I have a sneaking suspicion that browning meringues isn't about flavour or presentation.  I believe, deep down, that pastry cooks just really like playing with blowtorches.

 

So here  it is, an unashamedly white lemon meringue tart

 

 

Pâte sucrée

Lemon confit

Lemon curd

Italian meringue

Candied citron

[helenjp]

Love the springlike greens with white!

Since it was raining, I did what should only be done in fine weather - made rakugan (Japanese "dry" sweets - mixture of sugar and any of a variety of cooked flours, with just enough moisture to hold together in a small mold).

Powdered sugar + kanbaiko (sticky rice cakes baked at low temp and  made into flour)  + powdered dried salted cherry blossom = wonderful flavor but too sweet
Trad fine brown sugar (not quite wasanbon but close) + kanbaiko + kinako (toasted soybean flour) = really hard to manage because of the fat content of the soybean flour, seemed uninteresting at first bite, but way too more-ish (not too sweet)

trad fine brown sugar + jonanko (sticky rice steamed, dried, and made into flour) = the perfect melt in your mouth powdery texture (no photo).

I've always used kanbaiko so I was really surprised that jonanko made such a difference. 

Sorry photos are not so great, I just snapped a couple to annoy absent son!

Edited March 25, 2018 by helenjp (log)

[cakewalk]

@jmacnaughtan please tell me about your lemon confit and how you incorporate it into that lovely dessert. I never heard of lemon confit before so I Googled it. The recipes I found seem to vary from preserved lemons (with just a bit of sugar added to the salt) to lemons steeped in olive oil rather than salt. They all look great (I was particularly drawn to the recipe in Saveur), but how did you use yours in that dessert? Which version of confit did you use, salt or oil? (Or something else?) It must add a very interesting flavor element to the sweetness of the lemon curd and the meringue. 

[Anna N]

 My granddaughter has been to my house twice a day for 10 days to administer medication to one of my four-legged houseguests.  I figured I could do something in return. 

 

 

 These are one bowl cinnamon rolls By  Stella Parks from Serious Eats. 

 

 Not sure I would ever make them again.

 

I did not make the icing. It is simply an icing sugar and milk glaze slathered on as only my granddaughter can.

 

But there were certain steps in the recipe that struck me as unnecessarily complicated.

 

The mixing of the filling and then putting it into a Ziploc bag seem just an unnecessary complication.  

 

 I suppose I shouldn’t judge having not tasted them myself.   They were sent home with my granddaughter unbaked.  Perhaps they were life-changing but I somehow doubt it. 

 

 

 

 But she enjoyed them and that is really all that mattered. 

[jmacnaughtan]

5 hours ago, cakewalk said:

@jmacnaughtan please tell me about your lemon confit and how you incorporate it into that lovely dessert. I never heard of lemon confit before so I Googled it. The recipes I found seem to vary from preserved lemons (with just a bit of sugar added to the salt) to lemons steeped in olive oil rather than salt. They all look great (I was particularly drawn to the recipe in Saveur), but how did you use yours in that dessert? Which version of confit did you use, salt or oil? (Or something else?) It must add a very interesting flavor element to the sweetness of the lemon curd and the meringue. 

 

It's not a confit in the traditional sense, more like the French confiture - but much more intense.  Essentially, you zest a couple of lemons and juice them, and add half the weight of the juice in sugar.  You then reduce that down slowly until it takes on a jam-like consistency.  (The original recipe from Conticini says to peel off the strips of zest, blanch them three times and blitz the confit, but I skip that and just microplane the lemons and it works perfectly well).

 

It's an incredibly intense lemon flavour with lots of acidity and almost zero sweetness, so you have to be careful how much you use.

 

I've tried it successfully with grapefruit as well, and less so with oranges - they tend to go extremely sticky.  If I tried it again with them, I'd cut down the sugar by half.  Let me know if you give it a go

 

[cakewalk]

1 hour ago, jmacnaughtan said:

 

It's not a confit in the traditional sense, more like the French confiture - but much more intense.  Essentially, you zest a couple of lemons and juice them, and add half the weight of the juice in sugar.  You then reduce that down slowly until it takes on a jam-like consistency.  (The original recipe from Conticini says to peel off the strips of zest, blanch them three times and blitz the confit, but I skip that and just microplane the lemons and it works perfectly well).

 

It's an incredibly intense lemon flavour with lots of acidity and almost zero sweetness, so you have to be careful how much you use.

 

I've tried it successfully with grapefruit as well, and less so with oranges - they tend to go extremely sticky.  If I tried it again with them, I'd cut down the sugar by half.  Let me know if you give it a go

 

Thank you. That does sound intense. It also sounds very do-able. (Which makes me happy.) But how did you use it in this cake? Do you spread a thin layer on the crust and then a layer of lemon curd, topped with meringue? Did you mix some confit into the lemon curd? Sorry if I'm being too nosy. This really caught me. (I love lemon.) 

[oli]

On 3/24/2018 at 3:49 PM, shain said:

Diós beigli - Walnut yeasted roll cake.

Actually, I've added some hazelnuts in the filling, along with some brandy, apricot jam, dark brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon and almond extract.

As you might note from it's stubby figure, I've opted to bake an half-sized cake, and I will bake the other half on a later date (it's been given prime real estate in my freezer).

My mom made those quite often along with poppyseed versions. I preferred the walnut bejgli because she would add some raisons and some apricot.

I am waiting for the opportunity to make some.

[cakewalk]

I realized I had too much milk and so I had to do something. I also realized I never made a hot milk sponge cake, a situation that had to be rectified. I used the KAF recipe, which actually seems to be a cross between a hot milk sponge and a chiffon cake. (It uses oil in addition to butter.) Whatever, it's very simple and very good. I scarfed down the sides before adding some chocolate ganache. I will bring this downstairs to the guys who work in my building before I eat any more.

[pastrygirl]

10 hours ago, Anna N said:

But there were certain steps in the recipe that struck me as unnecessarily complicated.

 

The mixing of the filling and then putting it into a Ziploc bag seem just an unnecessary complication.  

 

I think it's only to keep it "one bowl"  One bowl and two bags, that is.

[jmacnaughtan]

8 hours ago, cakewalk said:

Thank you. That does sound intense. It also sounds very do-able. (Which makes me happy.) But how did you use it in this cake? Do you spread a thin layer on the crust and then a layer of lemon curd, topped with meringue? Did you mix some confit into the lemon curd? Sorry if I'm being too nosy. This really caught me. (I love lemon.) 

 

No problem.  Here, I spread a thin layer on the pastry case, then put the lemon curd over the top.  You could mix it into the curd itself, but I prefer my curds to be completely smooth

[shain]

10 hours ago, oli said:

My mom made those quite often along with poppyseed versions. I preferred the walnut bejgli because she would add some raisons and some apricot.

I am waiting for the opportunity to make some.

 

The second half that sitting in my freezer is filled with poppy. Maybe I'll bake it today. 

I tend to (slightly)  prefer the poppy, as it has a more unique flavor. 

Edited March 26, 2018 by shain (log)

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

I think it's only to keep it "one bowl"  One bowl and two bags, that is.

 You could well be right. I find it deceptive or perhaps manipulative is a better word. Gimmicky?  Whatever. I tried it. I’m glad I did. And now I can forget it.

[gfron1]

On 3/25/2018 at 4:06 AM, jmacnaughtan said:

Pâte sucrée

Lemon confit

Lemon curd

Italian meringue

Candied citron

I always love your work and if I lived nearby would be enjoying far too many of your creations.

[jmacnaughtan]

3 hours ago, gfron1 said:

I always love your work and if I lived nearby would be enjoying far too many of your creations.

 

Thanks.   What a wonderful thing to hear

[shain]

Mákos beigli , this is the second half of my previous cake, which I has frozen.

[pjm333]

Pistachio Apricot Meringue & Lavender Macaroons !

[andiesenji]

Deep, Dark Cocoa Pie  my own recipe - after much trial and error, finally got it right.

 

Andie’s Original Cocoa Pie

no cook, 

no bake (unless you want to use a pie pastry shell that has to be blind baked)

Deep rich flavor.

 

One prepared 9-inch Pie shell - You can use the Keeblers graham shell or the Oreo chocolate shell

or make your own with vanilla wafers. There are recipes online for cookie crusts. Or bake a regular pastry shell.

 

Ingredients:

 

Cocoa - half Black cocoa, Half double dutch KA cocoa  1/2  cup      If you use other cocoas, add 2 TBS

Truvia baking blend  1/3 cup  (if you want to use plain sugar it is 3/4 cup.

Cornaby’s E-Z Gel instant corn starch  2/3 cup

kosher salt  1/2  teaspoon

 

Whole milk  2 cups

Heavy cream  1/2 cup

Vanilla extract   1 Tablespoon

 

Directions:

 

Mix dry ingredients together  -  I actually measure them into a  sifter or fine sieve to make sure there are no lumps in the cocoa.

 

In a large mixing bowl with rounded sides where a whisk can reach all areas,

measure in the milk, heavy cream and vanilla. 

 

Add the cocoa/sugar/thickener mix and whisk for about 3 minutes.

The mixture will begin to thicken.

Allow to set for 2 more minutes

Whisk again and pour into pie shell.  Unless you are using a rigid pie plate, set the pie pan on a plate.

Allow it to set for 30 minutes without moving it.

Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours.  

A bit longer is better.

I cover it with one of my microwave spatter covers  DON’T USE PLASTIC WRAP! 

 

If you have one of the wide and shallow  “cheese or meat drawers” you can place it in there without a cover if it is the type that seals.  

 

 

 

 

[ElsieD]

34 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

Deep, Dark Cocoa Pie  my own recipe - after much trial and error, finally got it right.

 

Andie’s Original Cocoa Pie

no cook, 

no bake (unless you want to use a pie pastry shell that has to be blind baked)

Deep rich flavor.

 

One prepared 9-inch Pie shell - You can use the Keeblers graham shell or the Oreo chocolate shell

or make your own with vanilla wafers. There are recipes online for cookie crusts. Or bake a regular pastry shell.

 

Ingredients:

 

Cocoa - half Black cocoa, Half double dutch KA cocoa  1/2  cup      If you use other cocoas, add 2 TBS

Truvia baking blend  1/3 cup  (if you want to use plain sugar it is 3/4 cup.

Cornaby’s E-Z Gel instant corn starch  2/3 cup

kosher salt  1/2  teaspoon

 

Whole milk  2 cups

Heavy cream  1/2 cup

Vanilla extract   1 Tablespoon

 

Directions:

 

Mix dry ingredients together  -  I actually measure them into a  sifter or fine sieve to make sure there are no lumps in the cocoa.

 

In a large mixing bowl with rounded sides where a whisk can reach all areas,

measure in the milk, heavy cream and vanilla. 

 

Add the cocoa/sugar/thickener mix and whisk for about 3 minutes.

The mixture will begin to thicken.

Allow to set for 2 more minutes

Whisk again and pour into pie shell.  Unless you are using a rigid pie plate, set the pie pan on a plate.

Allow it to set for 30 minutes without moving it.

Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours.  

A bit longer is better.

I cover it with one of my microwave spatter covers  DON’T USE PLASTIC WRAP! 

 

If you have one of the wide and shallow  “cheese or meat drawers” you can place it in there without a cover if it is the type that seals.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is that this?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cornabys-Gel-Name-Same-Product/dp/B00910LUQS/ref=pd_bxgy_325_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00910LUQS&pd_rd_r=BZDGTDY1JVSQ4D9400ZS&pd_rd_w=tnGSd&pd_rd_wg=Kgbk5&psc=1&refRID=BZDGTDY1JVSQ4D9400ZS&dpID=51bbQ%2BdlMfL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

 

Is that this?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cornabys-Gel-Name-Same-Product/dp/B00910LUQS/ref=pd_bxgy_325_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00910LUQS&pd_rd_r=BZDGTDY1JVSQ4D9400ZS&pd_rd_w=tnGSd&pd_rd_wg=Kgbk5&psc=1&refRID=BZDGTDY1JVSQ4D9400ZS&dpID=51bbQ%2BdlMfL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

Yes.  I have been using the product for some time - and other Cornaby's products.  It was called  Ultra Gel when I posted my Peach pie with canned peaches last year.  Not have to COOK the filling means the milk products never "split" or curdle.  

Note:  There are NO EGGS in this recipe.  Eggs require cooking so a different product.

 

I use Cornaby's Thick Gel for stuff that needs to be cooked.  Particularly for canned stuff. Gravies and sauces.

I make my own Hoi Sin sauce and it was always runny.  I cook it with the Thick Gel before jarring it and processing it in a water bath and it turns out perfect. 

[ElsieD]

On 29/03/2018 at 9:56 PM, andiesenji said:

Yes.  I have been using the product for some time - and other Cornaby's products.  It was called  Ultra Gel when I posted my Peach pie with canned peaches last year.  Not have to COOK the filling means the milk products never "split" or curdle.  

Note:  There are NO EGGS in this recipe.  Eggs require cooking so a different product.

 

I use Cornaby's Thick Gel for stuff that needs to be cooked.  Particularly for canned stuff. Gravies and sauces.

I make my own Hoi Sin sauce and it was always runny.  I cook it with the Thick Gel before jarring it and processing it in a water bath and it turns out perfect. 

 

I have this: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/instant-clearjel-8-oz  I'm thinking it is the same stuff?  Hope so, that pie looks really good.

[kayb]

OK. I don't do a lot of sweet stuff. And I particularly don't do "cute." But doggone it, this is cute, if I did make it myownself.

 

I've wanted for years to fold some traditional Passover dishes into the family's Easter celebration. This year, I made a start at it. The little coconut-covered critters are Haroseth Truffles, recipe on the NYT cooking site. They were quite easy to make, and seemed amenable to substitutions (Plums for the apricots I Could Not Find in the pantry, walnuts for pistachios, orange juice for pomegranate). 

 

And then in keeping with the Easter side of things, I shaped some coconut macaroons into bird nests, and filled them with tiny Whoppers robin egg malted milk balls and Starburst jellybeans. 

 

It's an ecumenical Easter/Passover dessert.