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

[David Ross]

Well apple season is here in Washington, a very happy relief from this awful summer of wildfires.  I always like to start of apple season with my Apple Tarte Tatin.  The original recipe comes from Savuer Cooks Authentic French, but instead of puff pastry I use my own recipe for pie crust.  In the early years I experimented with different apples, but none has worked as well as the Golden Delicious, the apple from the Sauveur recipe.  To make it right, I do it over a two-day process, and year-after-year it always tastes the same.  It's very rich and sweet I warn you.

 

 

[heidih]

33 minutes ago, David Ross said:

Well apple season is here in Washington, a very happy relief from this awful summer of wildfires.  I always like to start of apple season with my Apple Tarte Tatin.  The original recipe comes from Savuer Cooks Authentic French, but instead of puff pastry I use my own recipe for pie crust.  In the early years I experimented with different apples, but none has worked as well as the Golden Delicious, the apple from the Sauveur recipe.  To make it right, I do it over a two-day process, and year-after-year it always tastes the same.  It's very rich and sweet I warn you.

 

 

2 day process? I enjoy it because it is baked crust side up - abhor soggy crust and I love the caramelization on the apples. Wondering on sweetness. To me (post having apple trees) Golden Delicious always seem sweet/blah from grocery store. I never buy them - but based on your location you probably get better & more flavorful ones. 

[David Ross]

I cook down the apples in the caramel on day one and then it chill in the fridge overnight.  Then day two I add the pastry and bake again then unmold.  This pastry is strong enough to hold up and I invented a gadget I use each year.  I cut out some wire mesh you would use for a screen door and wrap in on top and around a cookie sheet.  The cookie sheets have too big of spaces between.  The mesh is finer so it allows air under the pie crust so it won't get soggy, but gives more support so it doesn't fall through a cookie rack.  I would never eat a Gold Delicious, but it holds its shape well in this tatin and soaks up the caramel really well.  We have some newer varities that may work so I could try those this year.  

[David Ross]

This apple recipe morphed over the course of about 25 years, more if you think about the history of a slice of apple pie and a wedge of cheddar cheese.  Cheddar with apple pie wasn't big in the Pacific Northwest when I was a kid, but I remember my folks talking about it when they were kids in the 1930s.  The tart first started out in this basic form when I entered a pie contest at a company picnic ala 1995.  Last apple season I updated it, fanning out the apples over a custard with the cheddar cheese.  The original tart had both hazelnuts and cheddar in the crust.  It's quite a different contrast to that sugary Tarte Tatin.

 

For the Smoked Cheddar Custard-

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1" piece vanilla bean, cut in half you can substitute pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese

 

Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Crust-

1 cup whole hazelnuts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

12 tbs. butter, melted

 

For the Apples-

2 large Fuji apples

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. apple jelly

chopped toasted hazelnuts for garnish

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

 

 

Make the Smoked Cheddar Custard-

In a mixing bowl add the egg yolks and sugar and whisk to combine until the mixture turns a light yellow color. Add the flour and whisk to make a smooth mixture.

Pour the milk into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Use a ladle to spoon 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the bowl with the egg, sugar, and flour and whisk to combine. Then blend the flour mixture back into the saucepan with the milk. Cook the custard until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the grated smoked cheddar. Take the custard off the heat and pour it through a strainer into a container. Let the custard cool then cover and refrigerate to chill, about 4 hours.

 

Make the Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Crust-

Heat the oven to 375. Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast until just browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts and place them on a kitchen towel.  Rub the towel over the hazelnuts, removing most of the skins. Put the hazelnuts in a mini-food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Reserve some of the toasted hazelnuts for garnishing the apple tart.

Heat the oven to 375. In a bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, melted butter and 1/2 cup of the toasted hazelnuts and mix together to create a soft dough. Using your fingers, pat the dough into the bottom of a 9" round non-stick tart pan with removable bottom. Use a paring knife to trim the excess pastry from the edge of the tart pan.

 

Slice the Apples and Bake the Tart-

Use an apple peeler/corer to peel and cut the apples into 1/4" thick slices. Fill a bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Plunge the apples into the lemon juice to keep it from browning.

Ladle 1 cup of the chilled smoked cheddar custard into the tart shell. Cut each apple in half. Gently fan the apples on top of the custard.

Place the tart on a cookie rack over a baking sheet and bake 35-40 minutes until the apples and custard are golden. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool to room temperature. While the tart cools, heat the apple jelly in the microwave for 30 seconds. Brush the apple jelly over the top of the apples. Sprinkle some of the chopped hazelnuts over the top of the tart.

Cut the tart into slices and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

[David Ross]

5 hours ago, David Ross said:

Well apple season is here in Washington, a very happy relief from this awful summer of wildfires.  I always like to start of apple season with my Apple Tarte Tatin.  The original recipe comes from Savuer Cooks Authentic French, but instead of puff pastry I use my own recipe for pie crust.  In the early years I experimented with different apples, but none has worked as well as the Golden Delicious, the apple from the Sauveur recipe.  To make it right, I do it over a two-day process, and year-after-year it always tastes the same.  It's very rich and sweet I warn you.

 

 

 

For the Apples and Caramel-

10 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut in quarters

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tbsp. light corn syrup

 

For the Pastry Dough-

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cake flour

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup Crisco

2/3 cup ice water

 

Prepare the Apples and Caramel-

Heat the oven to 400. Heat a 10" cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to the skillet and melt. Once the butter is melted, Add the sugar and stir it into the melted butter. Stir in the corn syrup.

Once the sugar and butter bubbles, arrange the apples in the skillet. The photo shows a small 6" skillet with apples halves. For this recipe, we use a 10" skillet and overlap the apple quarters next to each other to fill the skillet.

 

Place the skillet in the oven and cook the apples in the caramel for 1 1/2 hours. Check on the apples every 20 minutes and press down using a spatula. The apples are done when the caramel is a deep golden color.

Remove the skillet from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

 

Make the Pastry and Finish the Apple Tarte Tatin-

The next day make the pastry. In a large bowl combine the flour, cake flour, sugar and salt and mix together. Add the butter and Crisco and cut into the flour using a hand-held pastry cutter. The pastry should be the size of large peas.

Add the ice water a little at a time and use a fork to blend it into the flour mixture. Continue to add enough ice water for the pastry to form a soft ball. Cover the pastry and chill in the fridge one hour.

 

Heat the oven to 400. Let the pastry dough come to room temperature until soft so it's easy to roll out. Flour the counter and roll our the pastry to about 1/8" thickness. Gently place the pastry over the top of the apples in the skillet, then trim the edges. Fold in any extra pastry to fit within the skillet. (see our photos).

 

Bake the Tarte Tatin in the oven until the pastry is golden and the caramel is bubbling around the sides, about 30 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool 2 minutes.

 

Run a paring knife around the edge of the pastry. Place a cookie rack on a baking sheet, then place it, rack facing down on top of the apples in the skillet. Hold the skillet with one hand and the baking sheet in another and gently turn over the skillet to unmold the Tarte Tatin onto the cookie rack. Let the Tarte Tatin cool from 10-12 minutes for the caramel start to set before serving.

Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

[David Ross]

57 minutes ago, David Ross said:

This apple recipe morphed over the course of about 25 years, more if you think about the history of a slice of apple pie and a wedge of cheddar cheese.  Cheddar with apple pie wasn't big in the Pacific Northwest when I was a kid, but I remember my folks talking about it when they were kids in the 1930s.  The tart first started out in this basic form when I entered a pie contest at a company picnic ala 1995.  Last apple season I updated it, fanning out the apples over a custard with the cheddar cheese.  The original tart had both hazelnuts and cheddar in the crust.  It's quite a different contrast to that sugary Tarte Tatin.

 

For the Smoked Cheddar Custard-

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1" piece vanilla bean, cut in half you can substitute pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese

 

Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Crust-

1 cup whole hazelnuts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

12 tbs. butter, melted

 

For the Apples-

2 large Fuji apples

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. apple jelly

chopped toasted hazelnuts for garnish

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

 

 

Make the Smoked Cheddar Custard-

In a mixing bowl add the egg yolks and sugar and whisk to combine until the mixture turns a light yellow color. Add the flour and whisk to make a smooth mixture.

Pour the milk into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Use a ladle to spoon 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the bowl with the egg, sugar, and flour and whisk to combine. Then blend the flour mixture back into the saucepan with the milk. Cook the custard until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the grated smoked cheddar. Take the custard off the heat and pour it through a strainer into a container. Let the custard cool then cover and refrigerate to chill, about 4 hours.

 

Make the Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Crust-

Heat the oven to 375. Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast until just browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts and place them on a kitchen towel.  Rub the towel over the hazelnuts, removing most of the skins. Put the hazelnuts in a mini-food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Reserve some of the toasted hazelnuts for garnishing the apple tart.

Heat the oven to 375. In a bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, melted butter and 1/2 cup of the toasted hazelnuts and mix together to create a soft dough. Using your fingers, pat the dough into the bottom of a 9" round non-stick tart pan with removable bottom. Use a paring knife to trim the excess pastry from the edge of the tart pan.

 

Slice the Apples and Bake the Tart-

Use an apple peeler/corer to peel and cut the apples into 1/4" thick slices. Fill a bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Plunge the apples into the lemon juice to keep it from browning.

Ladle 1 cup of the chilled smoked cheddar custard into the tart shell. Cut each apple in half. Gently fan the apples on top of the custard.

Place the tart on a cookie rack over a baking sheet and bake 35-40 minutes until the apples and custard are golden. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool to room temperature. While the tart cools, heat the apple jelly in the microwave for 30 seconds. Brush the apple jelly over the top of the apples. Sprinkle some of the chopped hazelnuts over the top of the tart.

Cut the tart into slices and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I still remember that company picnic. It was in Seattle in July and hot as the blazes.  That poor little apple tart sat in the sun on a judging table, the dusting of powdered sugar just melted.  I took it back home, but most likely shucked the poor thing into the trash. I don't remember I got a ribbon, which probably says I would have remembered if I did!

 

[heidih]

51 minutes ago, David Ross said:

This apple recipe morphed over the course of about 25 years, more if you think about the history of a slice of apple pie and a wedge of cheddar cheese.  Cheddar with apple pie wasn't big in the Pacific Northwest when I was a kid, but I remember my folks talking about it when they were kids in the 1930s.  The tart first started out in this basic form when I entered a pie contest at a company picnic ala 1995.  Last apple season I updated it, fanning out the apples over a custard with the cheddar cheese.  The original tart had both hazelnuts and cheddar in the crust.  It's quite a different contrast to that sugary Tarte Tatin.

 Oh! this I can wrap my head around,  Hazels in the crust yes . Cracking those and toasting them was fall to me. I feel odd when I buy them shelled at Trader Joes.  I love handling them and filling bowls round the house with them as art along with other nuts.  Smoked cheese is a childhood memory.  Our mall and local store thing  https://www.hickoryfarms.com/meat-cheese/cheese/smoked-cheddar-blend-003037.html  I may switch up my Christmas giving items this year. 

[shain]

Banana and peanut butter granita with dark chocolate chips.

 

 

[David Ross]

16 hours ago, heidih said:

 Oh! this I can wrap my head around,  Hazels in the crust yes . Cracking those and toasting them was fall to me. I feel odd when I buy them shelled at Trader Joes.  I love handling them and filling bowls round the house with them as art along with other nuts.  Smoked cheese is a childhood memory.  Our mall and local store thing  https://www.hickoryfarms.com/meat-cheese/cheese/smoked-cheddar-blend-003037.html  I may switch up my Christmas giving items this year. 

I always wonder why people buy those tiny little packages of hazelnuts.  So much of the cost is in packaging.  I buy them in bulk and even if I put a tiny amount in the shopping cart, the clerks never wince whether I'm buying a few ounces or a pound.  I also love toasting them and the work involved to rub off the skins.

[Jonathan]

I had a bit of time this weekend so I thought I’d try to replicate Amaury Guichon’s Saturn, a tempered chocolate and blueberry cheesecake dessert. I learnt a lot of things. One, a 60 second instagram video does not a recipe make and two, I hate silicone with a passion. Didn’t really have a recipe so had to wing it based on looks, I’m sure it’s pretty different to the original but happy to write out the recipe if anyone is interested. Nevertheless, the fruits of my labour:

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by Jonathan (log)

[lironp]

13 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I had a bit of time this weekend so I thought I’d try to replicate Amaury Guichon’s Saturn, a tempered chocolate and blueberry cheesecake dessert. I learnt a lot of things. One, a 60 second instagram video does not a recipe make and two, I hate silicone with a passion. Didn’t really have a recipe so had to wing it based on looks, I’m sure it’s pretty different to the original but happy to write out the recipe if anyone is interested. Nevertheless, the fruits of my labour:

 

Wow, that is beautiful

[Jonathan]

13 minutes ago, lironp said:

Wow, that is beautiful

Nowhere near as nice as the original but thanks! I’ll give it a go one day eventually again once my blood pressure settles (those damn bloody rings)

[Kerry Beal]

6 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Nowhere near as nice as the original but thanks! I’ll give it a go one day eventually again once my blood pressure settles (those damn bloody rings)

I'm just picturing the frustration. Guichon manages to make it look simple and then there are we mere mortals!

[Jonathan]

5 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

I'm just picturing the frustration. Guichon manages to make it look simple and then there are we mere mortals!

I remember watching the video and thinking “well this looks simple enough, I can’t find a recipe but I’m sure I can wing it”. 3 hours later “So if I leave off the rings it’s fine right?”

[Jonathan]

Chai hot chocolate spheres, saw a similar recipe floating around. Honest opinion: VERY style over substance, a nice hot chocolate but tempering the spheres only to melt them afterwards feels wrong somehow.

[jmacnaughtan]

On 9/30/2020 at 3:09 PM, Jonathan said:

Chai hot chocolate spheres, saw a similar recipe floating around. Honest opinion: VERY style over substance, a nice hot chocolate but tempering the spheres only to melt them afterwards feels wrong somehow.

 

I'm having trouble with the scale here - is that a tiny sphere or a very large cup? In any case, it's very pretty (and a shame to melt).

 

I think the gold leaf is wasted inside the sphere - I can't see very well on the photo, but it looks gunked up on the marshmallows. Would it work better on top of it?

[Jonathan]

17 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

 

I'm having trouble with the scale here - is that a tiny sphere or a very large cup? In any case, it's very pretty (and a shame to melt).

 

I think the gold leaf is wasted inside the sphere - I can't see very well on the photo, but it looks gunked up on the marshmallows. Would it work better on top of it?

Going back on it I'd probably add shimmer powder instead of gold leaf (maybe incorporate it to the ganache). Spheres are about 40mm in size

[shain]

Chocolate and orange crinkle cookies. Very fudgey and crisp. Made with dark chocolate, almond flour, orange zest and orange liquor.

 

 

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, shain said:

Chocolate and orange crinkle cookies. Very fudgey and crisp. Made with dark chocolate, almond flour, orange zest and orange liquor.

They look amazing and I bet you they taste amazing. Thank you for sharing.

[shain]

14 minutes ago, Anna N said:

They look amazing and I bet you they taste amazing. Thank you for sharing.

 

Thanks! A bit on the sweet side, but I love the combination of chocolate and orange, as well as the texture variation.

[curls]

plum & nectarine "pie" -- using the Dutch crust recipe from my Mom and Oma.

[kayb]

The girls at my physical therapist clinic were talking about how much they loved cheesecake last week, so I made a turtle cheesecake and took it to them. My recipe calls for baking the cheesecake, then leaving it in the closed oven for 4 hours, so I usually bake after supper and leave it overnight. Topped it the next morning, forgot to take a pic, and took it to them.

 

Now I want to make one here. Not a good idea, with just two of us to eat them.

[jmacnaughtan]

It's been a while since I've done any baking, so I took some time out to make a an old favourite.

 

 

Paris-Brest

Choux pastry

Praliné feuillantine

Praliné mousseline

Nuts

[shain]

Vanilla ice cream with with malt syrup and caramelized salted peanuts.

 

 

[kayb]

You know, you could give a girl a complex. You turn out such beautiful dishes on an apparently daily basis.

 

Kidding. I seriously admire your ability to turn out such desirable stuff within the constraints of the dietary regime you've chosen. My hat is off to you.