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"Baking With Julia" by Julia Child (2004)


SethG

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The Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake was a major disaster for me. I got way too much air into the mixture even though I used setting 2 (out of 6) on my mixer. I had more batter than would fit in the pan and, even though I didn't pour all the batter into the 8-in springform, it still mushroomed over the top of the pan. It would have been a decent souffle if I had wrapped a collar around my pan. Also, water got inside the pan. The cheesecake that initially came out of the oven definitely belongs in the ugly dessert thread. I trimmed off the 'mushroom' top, let the cheesecake cool, then flipped it over and baked it in a 300F oven without the water bath. The cleaned up version is the pic I'm posting and it's still ugly. The mushroom top was still pretty gooey when I cut if off the rest of the cheesecake, so I mixed it into the leftover batter, added some Grand Marnier and dried tart cherries and baked it into a delicious, moist brownie. I've been eating the brownie. I discovered that I don't much like chocolate cheesecake. So what's the project for next week? (BTW, the rustic potato bread is one of my favourite recipes from the book)

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Rhea, your "major disaster" looks pretty appetizing! Your creative fixes seem to have worked miracles.

The potato loaves are still fair game as far as I'm concerned. Don't skip it because I went ahead already. Maybe I'll finally catch up on brioche this weekend. Somebody other than me should decide what the consensus is.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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My pictures! First, galette before and after baking:

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The two types of naan (Oasis and Persian in that order):

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And to finish off....X cookies (which everyone at work immediately called "kisses" (like XOXOXO).)

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I love love love this book!

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness. – Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer

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arbuclo - Great pictures! Makes me want to get into the kitchen right now!

I am up for the potato loaves if that sounds good to everyone else. I did not have time for the cheesecake last weekend, but it is on my list.

This book is great!

Wearing jeans to the best restaurants in town.
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Oooh, I'm blushing from the kudos. Thank you! After I got THE book just wanted to skip work for the next week and just bake. I'm hoping to do the potato loaves too and the apple tart if I can. I'll see how much time I have this weekend.

Now, I just need to go buy the book so I can let some other deserving soul check the book out from the library.

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness. – Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer

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Newbie here. I'd like to get in on the weekly baking fun. Now $40 lighter, and armed with "Baking With Julia," I'm good to go. Is it going to be the rustic potato bread this week? They look fantastic.

another newbie here, also wanting to join the fun. I have the book - so- what's next??

Too bad that all the people who know

how to run the country are busy driving

taxicabs and cutting hair.

--George Burns

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I don't have the book :sad: I guess I could get the book and join in. :biggrin:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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I'm not going to the Grand Prix this weekend after all so I have a bit more free time. I'm definitely doing the potato bread. I'm also still thinking of doing the French apple tart you guys did a few weeks ago. However, I have a couple of questions for those of you who did make it. First, the recipe calls for Granny Smith apples. Since it's the beginning of apple season, I bought a couple of bags of fresh off the tree apples from a roadside stand. However, they're not granny's and they're not that tart. I was thinking of using them anyway since I have so many and just add a bit of lemon juice. Do you think that'd be OK?

The other question I have about the tart is whether it'll be just as good or nearly as good on the next day. I wanted to take it in to work but of course need to make it the day before. Any thoughts?

Oh, and the exciting news is I've ordered a copy of the book from Amazon (which was by far cheaper even with shipping than having a bookstore here get it for me!). Yeah! Can't wait to have my own copy to get crumbs, dough and batter all over it.

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness. – Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer

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arbuclo - I don't think you will have any trouble using other apples. Just be careful with the amount of sugar that you use so that they are not too sweet.

I kept a tart to bring into work the day after I made it and it was still very good.

Wearing jeans to the best restaurants in town.
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The other question I have about the tart is whether it'll be just as good or nearly as good on the next day. I wanted to take it in to work but of course need to make it the day before. Any thoughts?

I've often brought tarts into work the day after with no problem. The only downside is sometimes the bottom crust may get a bit damp. I haven't looked at this tart recipe yet, but some recipes call for "glazing" the bottom of the crust to minimize moisture invasion. Anyhow, haven't had a complaint from coworkers yet--and they better not!

Joel

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I'm looking forward to seeing the potato loaves. I'm sure you guys will get better torpedo shapes than I did. I want to try again and see if I can get closer to the football shape in the pictures in the book.

I made some brioche dough tonight. It's in the fridge now, and I guess I'll make some twice baked brioche. Or I might just bake a plain brioche loaf. And I'm thinking about freezing some of the dough, or making some savory brioche pockets (p. 421).

Between the brioche and the potato loaves, I've given my mixer a workout this week, but it seems to have handled it okay.

And Kirsten, I admire you for trying the cheesecake again! Looks good.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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Just took the loaves out of the oven and they smell great! I cannot wait to cut into them. Not sure I did the best job of shaping, but that should not affect the taste much. :laugh:

This was an incredibly quick bread to make and I am sure that I will be making it again.

Looking forward to seeing the other pictures.

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Wearing jeans to the best restaurants in town.
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Thanks for the advice on the apple tart! I did the rustic potato bread and though I don't think the shape of mine is what I had in mind the bread tastes fantastic! I'll definitely make this again. :biggrin:

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A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness. – Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer

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Those potato loaves look tremendous!

I thought about doing all sorts of fancy things with my brioche dough, but this morning I just got lazy and baked 'em in loaves. They were great.

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We gobbled one up and tomorrow the other one will become French toast.

I know that today's loaves don't really discharge my brioche obligations, but I froze 1/3 of the dough, and when I'm feeling ambitious I'll defrost it and bake it twice.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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SethG, those brioche loaves look great! Is that steam I see coming off of them? Makes me almost smell them! I look forward to giving it a try by the end of the month, hopefully.

I had to use up some milk so I soured some with lemon juice and made the buttermilk crumb muffins:

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They're very good but I'm not that likely to make them often. I like my muffin recipes to be a bit faster and making the crumb takes me awhile. Maybe I could just use the food processor next time. I used butter instead of shortening because there isn't really any such thing here unless I go to a place that sells American foods but they sell Crisco at some ungodly cost! :unsure:

I thought these muffins might be a bit boring because they don't have berries or fruit or chocolate in them, which my usual recipes do, but the crumb makes them interesting.

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness. – Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer

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SethG, those brioche loaves look great! Is that steam I see coming off of them? Makes me almost smell them! I look forward to giving it a try by the end of the month, hopefully.

No steam, sorry. That's some kind of wierd reflection on the lens. I think I got too close to the loaves-- the egg wash created such a glossy shine!

They were great, though, thanks. Especially as French toast. Fantastic as French toast.

Those muffins look perfect.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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