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

[Smithy]

On 6/26/2020 at 12:34 AM, jmacnaughtan said:

I still don't really "get" American scones though - what are they? Are they cakes? Muffins? Sweet, savoury or both?

 

I'll add my opinion to those who went before. I'd agree that American scones seem a bit like southern American biscuits, but firm and not especially moist. I loved scones when I traveled in England and Scotland. It's been a long time, but I remember them as having enough fat and flavor that they were tender - not as tender as a muffin, but more so than what we call a cookie. The scones I have bought here seem more like overgrown and dry cookies. Disappointing. I haven't tried making them, but if I do I'll look for a British recipe.

[RWood]

6 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

I'll add my opinion to those who went before. I'd agree that American scones seem a bit like southern American biscuits, but firm and not especially moist. I loved scones when I traveled in England and Scotland. It's been a long time, but I remember them as having enough fat and flavor that they were tender - not as tender as a muffin, but more so than what we call a cookie. The scones I have bought here seem more like overgrown and dry cookies. Disappointing. I haven't tried making them, but if I do I'll look for a British recipe.

 

Try the CI blueberry recipe. It's different from a lot of scone recipes. It's got a little bit of a lamination technique.  And the liquid is a combo of sour cream and milk.

I've made cream scones, butter and cream, buttermilk. Tried a lot of different versions. My mother loves scones, and she said this one is her favorite. 

They are soft, and not dry at all. 

[David Ross]

I can't get enough rhubarb this time of year.  This is the pie crust and the rhubarb pie just out of the oven. Later this evening with vanilla ice cream.  I haven't had a slice of pie with ice cream in months.

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

I'll add my opinion to those who went before. I'd agree that American scones seem a bit like southern American biscuits, but firm and not especially moist. I loved scones when I traveled in England and Scotland. It's been a long time, but I remember them as having enough fat and flavor that they were tender - not as tender as a muffin, but more so than what we call a cookie. The scones I have bought here seem more like overgrown and dry cookies. Disappointing. I haven't tried making them, but if I do I'll look for a British recipe.

 

I have a scone recipe that purports to be from The Savoy.  I don't remember where I got it from but if you are interested I can PM it to you.  Just know that I haven't made it.

[ElsieD]

I love scones.  I made some savoury ones the other day using old cheddar cheese and made another batch today.  Today's were supposed to be orange cranberry but dang it all I was out of cranberries so I used dried blueberries instead.  I came across a different way of adding butter and cream/milk/buttermilk to make scone batter.  Place the wet ingredient in the freezer and melt the butter in the microwave, just until melted.  Don't let it get too warm.  Get the rest of the stuff together.  Take your really cold wet ingredient and pour the butter into it, stirring it with a fork while you do so.  You will get tiny bits of butter evenly distributed through the wet ingredient.  Dump it into the dry mixture and stir until it comes together.  Works like a charm.

[RobertM]

I made blueberry scones and my first attempt at making croissants.....

it’s obvious I need more practice but, I was pleased with my first attempt....

 

[jmacnaughtan]

Thanks @Kim Shook and @RWood, that clears things up.

 

For what it's worth, I can't get clotted cream here, either. The closest is "crème double", which is thick, rich and tasty but not at all the same. Sigh.

 

Has anyone got a reliable base recipe for American scones? I'd like to try them again.

 

ETA: Just saw @Smithy's post. Thanks for the input!

Edited June 29, 2020 by jmacnaughtan (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Island Banana Bread from Toni Tipton-Martin's Jubilee.  Lots of flavor from the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, molasses and vanilla.

 I used walnuts instead of pecans,  Empress dates instead of Medjools and baked 3 mini loaves so I can stash 2 in the freezer.

[gfron1]

I've been fixating on kustavilainen saaristolaisleipä lately, and once I got all the correct ingredients I can't bake or eat enough of this stuff!

[rotuts]

@gfron1

 

had no idea what

 

kustavilainen saaristolaisleipä  was  then :

 

https://mydearkitcheninhelsinki.com/2017/12/12/kustavilainen-saaristolaisleipa-dellllicious-finnish-archipelago-bread/

 

that looks so interesting !

 

congratulations on getting it done !

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, gfron1 said:

I've been fixating on kustavilainen saaristolaisleipä lately, and once I got all the correct ingredients I can't bake or eat enough of this stuff!

I had to look it up, too.  Gorgeous loaves and the descriptions I read sounded delicious.

 

[gfron1]

41 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

I had to look it up, too.  Gorgeous loaves and the descriptions I read sounded delicious.

 

Also called archipelago bread I believe. 

[Chris Hennes]

30 minutes ago, gfron1 said:

Also called archipelago bread I believe. 

Are you using a Finnish dark syrup, or molasses? Or something else? And malted rye?

[gfron1]

42 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

Are you using a Finnish dark syrup, or molasses? Or something else? And malted rye?

Finnish dark syrup - the hardest ingredient for me to get. And yes, malted rye.

[David Ross]

On 6/28/2020 at 4:03 PM, David Ross said:

I can't get enough rhubarb this time of year.  This is the pie crust and the rhubarb pie just out of the oven. Later this evening with vanilla ice cream.  I haven't had a slice of pie with ice cream in months.

My pie crust recipe I've been using for about 25 years now.  Call me old-fashioned, I use both butter and Crisco and cut the pastry by hand using a metal pastry cutter, but the recipe never fails.  

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (stick) butter, chilled

1/2 cup Crisco shortening, chilled

1/2 cup ice water

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. of water

1 tsp. granulated sugar

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cake flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and Crisco. Cut the mixture until the pieces are the size of small peas.

 

Using a fork, pour in ice water a tablespoon at a time then toss with the fork to coat all the dry ingredients with water. Continue to add water and toss so that the dough begins to come together. Form the dough into a ball. It should be soft and come together but not be sticky.

 

Cover the ball of pie crust dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for one hour. This lets the dough relax and firm up.

 

Remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. Sprinkle the counter and the dough with flour, then roll into a circle about 1/8" thick. Place your pie dish on the dough and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough about 1" larger than the pie dish. Place the bottom crust in the pie dish. Spoon your filling in the pie dish. Roll out the top crust, then trim, and flute the edges. Cut a slit in the top of the pie crust to release steam during baking.

 

Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water, then brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top of the pie with demera sugar. Wrap the edges of the pie with foil or use a non-stick pie crust protector so it doesn't burn during baking.

Bake the pie according to your recipe.

 

[Chris Hennes]

This is Bryan Ford's "Choco Pan de Coco" from his new cookbook, New World Sourdough -- I'm getting ready to make a video about this recipe, but figured I should do a test-run of the recipe first. Although it's a bit sweeter than traditional pan de coco, it's really not that sweet, especially considering the chocolate, which I find makes you expect a sweeter loaf. It's one of the few enriched sourdoughs I've made, and truth be told you'd be hard-pressed to recognize that it's naturally leavened. Not necessarily a negative, just interesting.

 

[Franci]

I made triangoli alla marmellata from Omar Busi. This is a leavened dough with sugar/egg/butter and laminated. Instead of the jam, I filled them with frangipane. My boy turning 13 today, no party but he got a special breakfast 

[shain]

Lemon-coconut-mint granita with a touch of rum.

 

 

[weinoo]

Before...

 

 

And after...

 

 

Been making crisps lately; they're so easy and fool proof. This one is blueberry, strawberry, and peach.

[Cahoot]

Mille-feuilles. Fondant was too thick and edges could have been cleaner, but you live and learn!

 

Apple turnovers, with an applesauce + sauteed diced apple filling for a variety of textures.

 

Apricot rosemary tart. Rosemary almond cream, apricot marmalade, nut streusel, and seared apricots. 

 

[Kim Shook]

Made @Darienne’s Margarita Pie to take to a friend for her birthday.  Well, sort of.  I made the crust (GF so her wife could share) – pretzels, sugar, and butter:

 

The pie:

Except I forgot to add the booze.  The phone rang as I was walking over to get the bottles and I didn’t think of it again until we were on the way to their house.  She said it was delicious anyway, but I couldn’t believe I did that. 🙄😖

[Darienne]

9 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

 

 

Except I forgot to add the booze.  The phone rang as I was walking over to get the bottles and I didn’t think of it again until we were on the way to their house.  She said it was delicious anyway, but I couldn’t believe I did that. 🙄😖

Don't know whether to laugh or to cry.  

[Kim Shook]

Fresh blackberry cake from a recipe recommended on the British expat FB group I belong to (I am not a British expat, I just like the food and humor):

 

Close up:

 

Slice:

Some custard would have been lovely, but I didn’t make it this time.  This was so good – tender and moist and not overly sweet.  The actual recipe calls for strawberries, but the original poster uses all kinds of fruit.  She did a lovely pear and raspberry one that I’d like to try next.

 

I cooked it in the CSO, which I'm not at all sure was a good idea.  It collapsed a bit.  

[David Ross]

This is a new peach tart recipe I made last year and will be making this season.  In Eastern, WA, where I live, the peaches don't ripen until late August, and I always think the best peaches are in the first days of September.   While I love a fresh peach pie and peach cobbler, this is a lighter tart and just as good.  

 

 

Ingredients

For the Peach Tart-

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. buttermilk (buttermilk thins the sour cream but it's optional)

1 large egg

2/3 cup finely ground almonds

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup granulated sugar

ripe peaches, cut in half, pit removed, skin left on We like to leave the skin on the peaches to hold their shape, but it's optional.

2 tbsp. apricot jam warmed in the microwave

 

For the Almond Meringues-

4 egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream tartar

1/4 cup sugar

sliced almonds

 

Prepare the tart-

Heat the oven to 400. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and lay it on a sheet of parchment paper. Using the bottom of a tart pan or a plate as a template, place it on top of the puff pastry and cut a round out of the sheet of puff pastry.

 

Take a smaller round and place it on top of the round of puff pastry. The smaller round template should be about 1/2" smaller than the round of pastry. Using a paring knife gently score the pastry using the template as a guide. Don't cut all the way through the pastry, we just want to score it to create a rim once the pastry shell is baked.

 

Place the parchment on a cookie sheet and bake the puff pastry in the oven until puffed-up, about 12 minutes. Let the pastry shell cool, then use your fingers to gently press down the puffed-up pastry in the center of the shell. This creates a nest for the peaches and cream mixture.

 

In a bowl add the egg, ground almonds, vanilla, and sugar. Beat the mixture until combined. Spoon the cream mixture in the cavity of the puff pastry and place the peach halves on top.

Warm the apricot jam for 20 seconds in the microwave, then gently brush on top of the peaches. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

 

Make the meringues and finish the tart-

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer. Beat the egg whites on slow, moving to medium, until they are glossy and smooth with soft peaks. Turn the mixer to high and add the cream of tartar. Slowly add the sugar while beating the egg whites until they are white and form stiff peaks.

 

Remove the tart from the oven and turn the temperature down to 325. Dollop spoonfuls of the meringue around the tart and sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Bake the tart for another 12-15 minutes until the meringues are lightly brown and crisp to the touch.

Serve the tart slightly warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

[ElsieD]

That looks delicious.  If only we could get good peaches here........