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

[Katie Meadow]

12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

And I don't like banana bread.

 

I don't like banana bread and I really don't like raisins. But I like @weinoo so I wouldn't eat his banana bread just to be polite, and I'm sure he would appreciate that.

[heidih]

52 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

I don't like banana bread and I really don't like raisins. But I like @weinoo so I wouldn't eat his banana bread just to be polite, and I'm sure he would appreciate that.

 

Similarly do not care for banana bread - generally too sweet and the smell makes me mildly ill. I  am the one who runs banana peel to the outside bin if someone in an office puts them the trash. However - I would enjoy it I think as @weinoo mentioned lightly toasted and spread with a nice soft slightly strong cheese as I enjoy sweet and savory together.

[weinoo]

@weinoo is a smart guy.

 

Significant Eater won't eat a banana. Can't standa banana. Makes a facea at a banana.

 

But for some reason, she really likesa banana bread.

[heidih]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

@weinoo is a smart guy.

 

Significant Eater won't eat a banana. Can't standa banana. Makes a facea at a banana.

 

But for some reason, she really likesa banana bread.

 

I think you said she is lawyer. We can create seeming logic out the most incongruous facts

[rotuts]

@heidih 

 

sometimes , for me , known as PsycoBabble

 

or MisDirection

 

I personally like bananas , on the not quite so ripe side

 

as this is a Family Site , I would have said ' Firm '  but

 

chose not to.

 

I love QuickBread , and BB is on that list 

 

but i down like BB :  dense , way to moist , etc. and

 

Old Bananas are not a flavor I like.

 

but , Bananas Foster , w B's on the firm side

 

w PoundCake , h0me made or not

 

and OK Rhum 

 

sell . instant heaven for very little work.

[heidih]

@rotuts  I am more of a pumpkin spice bread  person which is one of my my Christmas season things to give.  I had breakfast with my son one year and had it wrapped up and in a bag. As we left the restaurant he said "Mom is that pumpkin bread I smell?". I did a lightly sweetened cranberry bread of my own as a teen and sent my original recipe to Sunset Magazine. They printed it! 

[David Ross]

The 2020 wild huckleberry season is coming to a close up here, with about 8 more days left.  Every season I try and create at least two new huckleberry recipes.  This is the newest of the huckleberry recipes.  The idea came from a BBC Good Food calendar I've had a few years and the recipe for the month of June was a Elderflower Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Crumble Topping.  That was the base of my idea, so I infused the panna cotta with huckleberry juice and oregano flowers.  The crumble is just a blend of butter, almonds and sugar.  The sauce is a modified version of my huckleberry-cranberry compote I make during the holidays to serve with turkey.  This was all huckleberries.  I think this panna cotta would work with a lot of different berries.  I didn't know where there might be a local source for elderflowers, so I just used the blooming oregano flowers on the pot on the patio.  It gives just a faint oregano flavor to the panna cotta.  Took some work but turned out tasty. 

 

For the Almond Crumble-

5 tbsp. cold butter

5 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. ground almonds

 

For the Huckleberry Panna Cotta-

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tbsp. oregano flowers substitute 1 tsp. dried lavender flowers or rose petals

1/2" piece of vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

1 packet dry gelatin powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup huckleberry juice substitute blueberry juice or juice from the berries you are using

 

Make the Almond Crumble-

Heat the oven to 350. Place the butter, flour, sugar and ground almonds in a food processor and quickly pulse to blend. The butter should be the size of tiny pebbles.

Spread the almond crumble in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until it turns golden, about 12 minutes. Let the crumble cool, then break into small bits. You can make the crumble ahead of time then keep it covered on the counter.

 

Make the Panna Cotta and Serve-

Prepare our recipe for Huckleberry-Cranberry Compote a day ahead.

Pour the cream, milk, into a saucepan over medium heat, and add the oregano flowers and vanilla bean seeds. When the mixture starts to simmer, take it off the heat and let it cool.

Lightly spray the custard molds with cooking spray. Place the gelatin powder in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir to mix.

Strain the cream and milk mixture into a saucepan over medium heat, discarding the oregano flowers. Stir in the sugar and add the gelatin and stir to combine. Stir until the panna cotta starts to thicken, 4 minutes. Take the panna cotta off the heat and pour it into the molds. Chill the panna cottas for at least 4 hours, or covered overnight.

Pour about 1" of warm water into a baking dish. Place a panna cotta in the warm water, and gently use the tip of a paring knife to loosen the top edge of the mold. Turn the mold over onto a plate to release the panna cotta.

Top the panna cotta with huckleberries, spoon the compote around the plate and sprinkle with the almond crumble.

[heidih]

@David Ross Glad it turned out for you. We had a number of elderberry bushes at a marsh I volunteered at and I have pretty sensitive nose and did not notice a strong scent or many pollinators. I let my oregano flower because it was prolific and neighborhood kids loved the flowers fried. Quite a prominent scent.  Playing with your food is fun

[Kim Shook]

Crazy people.  Banana bread is one of the only things from the Hippie Era that actually TASTES GOOD.  Raisins, chocolate chips/chunks, cocoa, nuts.  All wonderful.  

[Katie Meadow]

4 hours ago, heidih said:

 

I think you said she is lawyer. We can create seeming logic out the most incongruous facts

Talk about logic? There's very little in these personal likes and dislikes. I will occasionally suffer a half a banana in the morning, if it is the right ripeness and the moon is in fruit, but anything made or flavored with banana? Forget it. Bread, no way. Banana Split? Never touched one in my 72 years. Augmentin? Find another antibiotic for my kid; even the smell of a teaspoonful made me ill. Was there a banana flavored Necco? I threw it away, if so, along with the licorice ones. Banana flavored taffy was always a very unpleasant surprise. 

[ElsieD]

I don't like bananas in anything.  I do enjoy the occassional whole fruit as well as a banana split in half and fried in brown sugar and butter.  Those I REALLY like.

[Kim Shook]

6 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Talk about logic? There's very little in these personal likes and dislikes. I will occasionally suffer a half a banana in the morning, if it is the right ripeness and the moon is in fruit, but anything made or flavored with banana? Forget it. Bread, no way. Banana Split? Never touched one in my 72 years. Augmentin? Find another antibiotic for my kid; even the smell of a teaspoonful made me ill. Was there a banana flavored Necco? I threw it away, if so, along with the licorice ones. Banana flavored taffy was always a very unpleasant surprise. 

I adore real bananas.  Fake banana flavor???  Nauseating.  Happily yellow Neccos are lemon flavored!

[shain]

Blueberry muffins, made with sour cream and a hint of orange zest, coriander and nutmeg.

 

 

[RWood]

A little Spidey 😊. I'm a fan myself, so this was fun.

[ElsieD]

@RWood  Wow!  I'm speechless.  Beautiful work.

[Darienne]

2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@RWood  Wow!  I'm speechless.  Beautiful work.

Ditto from me.  Blown away.  Amazing!

[David Ross]

I was gifted some Marionberries a few days back, so it was time to revisit a family recipe that I haven't made in years, Marionberry Crisp.  I grew up in Marion County, Oregon, home to the state capitol Salem.  Marionberries were first cultivated in the county, but I've never found them much locally.  Well some friends had a huge patch, so other friends did the picking and delivering.  The berries need a bit more sugar than if I had used blackberries, but it's a delicious and rare treat.  We also used to make it with loganberries and boysenberries.  

 

For the Marionberry Filling-

6 cups marionberries substitutes blackberries, or peaches, apples or pears

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. cornstarch

dash nutmeg

 

For the Crisp Topping-

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking power

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup butter cut in chunks

1 large egg

 

-Heat the oven to 350. Combine the marionberries, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cornstarch and nutmeg in a large bowl and gently toss to combine. Pour the filling into a Dutch Oven like Le Creuset.

-In a food processor, add the flour, sugars, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and egg. Pulse the mixture until it's just blended.

-Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the marionberries to cover. Refrigerate or freeze any leftover crisp topping.

-Bake the crisp for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling around the sides. Serve the crisp warm with ice cream.

[BeeZee]

Our first taste of Fall weather today, apple cake seemed to fit the bill.

 

[David Ross]

I got really behind this summer with posting some new recipes.  I made a new style of strawberry shortcake back in late June when our local berries were starting to come in season. On the west side of Washington we'll have strawberries the first weeks of June if the weather is warm and sunny. June on the east side of the state was wet and rainy, so we didn't start to see them appear at the farmer's market until late in the month and they were good through July.  So I cam up with a new way to blend strawberries into a French choux pastry.  I'll probably be making this year-round with strawberries from the supermarket, but it's best with your local strawberries in season. I've been fiddling around with my Canon EOS Rebel T7 since I bought it earlier this year, and I think and hope I've finaly gotten the focus settings for my food shots, as long as I quit tinkering with it. The recipe makes about 10 medium size shortcakes.

 

Strawberry Bavarian Choux Bun Shortcakes-

 

For the Strawberry Bavarian Cream-

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups mashed strawberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream

 

For the Choux Buns and Garnishes-

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

6 tbsp. butter

4 large eggs

1 cup whole strawberries

 

Make the Strawberry Bavarian Cream-

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.  Sprinkle in the gelatin powder and stir until it dissolves in the water.  Pour into small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Add the strawberries and the sugar in a food processor.  Add the dissolved gelatin and mix well.  Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes until the gelatin starts to set.

In a mixer, beat the heavy cream until it’s light and fluffy, then fold in the strawberry gelatin mixture until the cream is fully combined with the strawberry mixture.  Keep the strawberry Bavarian cream chilled in the fridge while you make the Choux Bun Shortcakes.

 

Make the Choux Bun Shortcakes and Serve-

Heat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the flour, sugar and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the water, milk, and butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour mixture, whisking it fast into the liquid.  The choux pastry dough will be thick and look like mashed potatoes. Keep stirring and cooking the dough for 3-4 minutes.  The dough will be smooth and glossy.

 

Place the cooked choux pastry dough in a mixer bowl. Beat the dough on low speed for 2 minutes to cool it down.  Then start adding the eggs, one at a time, until each egg is blended into the dough. When all the eggs are added the dough will be sticky and shiny.

 

Fit a pastry bag with a large piping tip or star tip and fill it with the choux pastry dough.  Pipe a 2” round onto the parchment, twisting and raising the tip at the end. (The shortcakes will expand during baking).  Brush the tops of each choux bun shortcake with egg wash.

 

Place a pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pour in hot water.  This adds steam to the oven while the shortcakes rise and bake.  Bake for 10minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 16-18 minutes until the choux bun shortcakes are golden brown and have risen. 

 

Place the shortcakes on a rack and prick with a toothpick.  This allows steam to release so the shortcakes don’t fall. Cool the choux bun shortcakes to room temperature before filling with the Strawberry Bavarian Cream.

Cut the shortcakes in half. Add the strawberry Bavarian cream to a pastry bag and pipe in the bottom half of the bun. Place the top shortcake on top.  Dust with powdered sugar. Pipe a little more strawberry Bavarian cream on top and garnish with a whole strawberry.

[shain]

Mango coconut falooda of sorts. Rice noodles with orange blossom water, and a smoothie/slushy of mango and coconut milk.

 

 

[MokaPot]

On 9/14/2020 at 4:38 AM, David Ross said:

I've been fiddling around with my Canon EOS Rebel T7 since I bought it earlier this year, and I think and hope I've finaly gotten the focus settings for my food shots, as long as I quit tinkering with it. The recipe makes about 10 medium size shortcakes.

 

Strawberry Bavarian Choux Bun Shortcakes-

 

 

Your photo looks great, @David Ross. Looks professional.

 

[Kim Shook]

Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cookies:

Actually not eggs - the Cadbury autumn mix (they don't really have a name for the autumn and Christmas ones).  Really good cookies.  It was hard for me to get a pretty half "egg".  I tried chopping and nearly lost a finger tip, then I tried smashing with a meat mallet thingy and as you can see, they are a bit of a mess.  I let these sit in the fridge for a couple of days like Jacques Torres suggests.  Not sure if it really makes a difference, but if he says so, I'll do it.  

[David Ross]

Wasn't sure if the idea in my head was going to work out-poached peaches, cheese, herbs.  I'm not really sure what got me thinking about those three things other than it's peach season.  I tasted six difference cheeses to start. Comte-France, Triple Creme Brie-France, Sheeps Milk Basque from the Pyrenees, Feta, Ricotta and Mascarpone.  I settled on the triple creme brie because it was soft and would melt during baking and good flavor but not sharp to mask the peaches.  Poached the peaches in a late harvest sweet Riesling and Herbes de Provence.  Then after baking I glazed it with some reduced poaching liquid and lavendar flowers. 

[heidih]

@David Ross  Beautiful. Taste?  The Herbes de Provence did not overpower the peaches?  I always think of that blend as the smell of Le Maquis which I associate with cheese -  on the strong side of oily herbs like our coastal sagebrush.  http://www.fleurdecorse.com/Corse_Plants.html

[David Ross]

1 minute ago, heidih said:

@David Ross  Beautiful. Taste?  The Herbes de Provence did not overpower the peaches?  I always think of that blend as the smell of Le Maquis which I associate with cheese -  on the strong side of oily herbs like our coastal sagebrush.  http://www.fleurdecorse.com/Corse_Plants.html

No I just put a little Herbes de Provence in the poaching liquid so it gave just a hint of flavor.  Then the dried lavendar flowers on top accented a little more of the flavors.