Blog: The girl who’s learning to bake

[yorkshirepud]

SethG, yes I've tried the cream cheese crust. I used it for the Rhubarb Custard Tart from the book. Very good. I need to try it again with regular cream cheese as I just used the 'light' I had in my fridge.

Any favourites from the book? I highly recommend the Black Bottom Tiramisu Tart! It's fabulous. I overcooked the crust just slightly so you've got to watch it.

Thanks for the info on the book. I will keep an eye out for it.

Edited May 31, 2004 by yorkshirepud (log)

[yorkshirepud]

Overall reviews

Creamy Caramel Sauce - different. As I've already said, due to the bitter undertone, this caramel sauce offered a flavour I was unfamiliar with. Personally, I prefer caramel sauce without the bitterness, but I imagine, contrasted against the right accompainment, I would appreciate it more. It certainly won't go to waste though.

Vanilla Ice-Cream - wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! It was smooth and creamy. Perfect sweetness. This will become my standard vanilla. I'm looking forward to trying it with an actual vanilla bean.

Pecan Pie - very good. Again, perfect balance of sweetness. My only complaint was the filling was a little skimpy. I seemed to have half the amount of height of filling to crust (though this may be due to the amount of filling that seeped out and bled into my crust). Next time I would do it in a pie plate rather than a tart pan to avoid this.

I'm also really glad I decided to just go with a simple vanilla ice-cream to accompany the pecan pie. It couldn't of been more perfect.

[SethG]

Any favourites from the book? I highly recommend the Black Bottom Tiramisu Tart! It's fabulous. I overcooked the crust just slightly so you've got to watch it.

I acquired the Pie & Pastry Bible pretty recently, so I haven't tried as many things as I'd like to. I've really liked the savory tarts in the book. There aren't that many, but they're well-chosen. The poblano/red pepper one is unusual and good. The spinach one is very good too. I've made the apple pie that begins the book twice, with good results.

[yorkshirepud]

Seth, I saw you mention the spinach tart on another thread which brought it to my attention originally. I've bought the frozen spinach for it. Now I just need to get the cheese. I love quiche so I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.

[ErinM]

It's good to see you and so many other familiar "faces" on this thread!

Your pecan tart looks fabulous, as does your ice cream. Like I told you earlier, you make me want an ice-cream maker (I think I'll be able to hold off for awhile, though)

I look forward to seeing how this project grows and evolves...in the end, it will make you a better baker, I know it!

[claire797]

So how was the texture of the filling? Was it velvety smooth or was it somewhat custardy? I've been trying to figure out the secret to velvety smooth pecan pies and am wondering if cooking the egg yolks the way RLB does is the key. Obviously, I haven't made the pie yet!

[yorkshirepud]

Erin, thanks sweetie. Shame you're so far away or you could sample the goods. And don't hold off on the ice-cream maker too long!

Anna, the filling definately wasn't custardy. It was very smooth. Go on, make it woman!

[claire797]

Erin, thanks sweetie. Shame you're so far away or you could sample the goods. And don't hold off on the ice-cream maker too long!

Anna, the filling definately wasn't custardy. It was very smooth. Go on, make it woman!

Ugh. If you knew how many sweets were in my kitchen right now you'd faint. It's on my to-do list. Unfortunately, a fallen chocolate souffle cake jumped ahead of it.

I'm also knee-deep lurking in the chocolate cake thread.

[yorkshirepud]

[ugh.  If you knew how many sweets were in my kitchen right now you'd faint.  It's on my to-do list.  Unfortunately, a fallen chocolate souffle cake jumped ahead of it.

Oh, I know!

Funny you should mention the fallen chocolate souffle cake. I think that will be my project for this weekend, amongst other things.

I'm using the recipe from Bittersweet if I do. I have a feeling it's the same one from her low-fat book (I finally remembered to take that back to the library - just a few weeks late! ). Let's hope I remember the almonds and flour this time!

Edited May 31, 2004 by yorkshirepud (log)

[JanKK]

Like I told you earlier, you make me want an ice-cream maker (I think I'll be able to hold off for awhile, though)

Don't wait too long, Erin! There's nothing like good homemade ice cream!! I just rediscovered that fact this wekeend. My ice cream maker has been sitting unused on the top of the fridge for a LONG time. But after listening to folks here talking about ice cream making, it got me motivated again. Made a Chocolate Malted Ice Cream recipe from Claudia Flemings book, "The Last Course" and it is absolutely one of the best things I've ever tasted and the texture was perfectly rich and creamy.

[mktye]

I imagine it will be a combination of both.  Part of my quest is to trust my instincts, but I realise first, I need to grasp and ins and outs of it all.

Sounds like a great plan. I've found the biggest challenge is determining what are the inflexible facts (such as the chemical and physical changes in sugar at various temperatures) and what are just guildelines and common practices (such as, in my experience, pretty much anything involving baking bread! ). Once you figure out the "rules" you'll really be able to get creative.

Another suggestion is to record your results. It does not need to be anything formal, but be sure to jot down notes (I use the margins of my cookbooks/recipes) as you go along -- any changes you made to the recipe, ideas for changes next time, what worked and did not work. It will be very valuble in the future when want to make that recipe again.

I have seen Cookwise mentioned often here and will have a gander at it.

IMO, it is worth it just for the soft meringue (i.e. for topping pies) recipe.

Good luck with the fallen chocolate souffle cake!

[RebeccaT]

Sounds like a successful baking weekend, Adele! In looking at your pictures, it appeared that one of the ingredients in your pecan pie was Golden Syrup... am I correct? How is Golden Syrup different from regular Karo (the pecan pie ingredient of choice here in the South!)

Glad you went with the vanilla ice cream. I need to break out my ice cream maker again - last year I was disheartened by my numerous attempts at lower-fat ice cream that never set up, resulting in very cold creamy soup. I think I just need to get over the fat content and make the real thing. Perhaps I'll bring some to the beach this weekend. ;-)

[sequim]

Vanilla Ice-Cream - wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!  It was smooth and creamy.  Perfect sweetness.  This will become my standard vanilla.  I'm looking forward to trying it with an actual vanilla bean.

Yes yes yes, get thee some vanilla beans! They are so expensive but they are worth it. I love the black specks you get in the custard from them. I was so envious when watching Oliver's Twist one time and he brought out a whole quart jar with vanilla beans..

[yorkshirepud]

mktye, I'm going to start charting my thoughts etc for each recipe. I was just thinking about it last night - great minds think alike!

I agree that the hard part is knowing what is fleible in a recipe or how much flexibility each ingredient has. I'm sure it'll come with time - give me a few years!

RebeccaT, RLB does comment on why she uses Lyles (good old Brit stuff! ). I'll get back to you later.

Make the real stuff Rebecca. You won't regret it. I had to get over it too - glad I did!

sequim, I agree, you can't beat using real Vanilla beans. I got some for XMAS and used them for ice-cream. Yum! Just wished I'd saved it for some real good stuff (ice-cream I mean).

I know what you mean about Jamie's stash of beans. Must be nice!

Edited June 1, 2004 by yorkshirepud (log)

[yorkshirepud]

Rebecca

I looked into the use of Golden Syrup (she offers the sub for dark corn syrup) for you.

She chooses to use it because she thinks it prevents the pie from being sickly sweet. Also, it adds a 'special' mellow flavor.

I imagine this will all be personal preference. I love Lyles Golden Syrup. I'd recommend you try to find some. It can be hard as it's an import from England.

I also looked in the back of the book on ingredient info and it seems golden syrup has less water content (15 to 18 percent) compared to corn syrup (about 24 percent). I'm not sure if this would make a difference too.

Edited June 2, 2004 by yorkshirepud (log)

[mktye]

Slightly off topic, but if anyone is having trouble finding Lyle's Golden Syrup, it can be ordered from King Arthur Flour's Baker's Catalog.

I think I've also seen it at Williams-Sonoma on occasion. However, I imagine they mark up the price quite a bit.

[yorkshirepud]

To add onto mktye's locations for finding Lyle's Golden Styrup.

In Canada, you can find it at Loblaws. At least in Toronto.

[RebeccaT]

Adele, thanks for the info! Pecan Pie is often sticky-sweet (to me, that's just short of sickly sweet!) but if it's made with the right amount of butter (and maybe some bourbon to cut it!) then I think it treads the line without crossing it.

I have seen Lyle's Golden Syrup in Central Market here in Houston. I am having a hard time understanding it's flavor, so I guess I will just have to sample it! Do you think that I could just substitute 1:1 for corn syrup in my favorite PP recipe, or would I have to find a recipe that was developed especially for Lyle's?

[yorkshirepud]

Rebecca,

The recipe I did called for Lyles, but the author said you could sub it with dark corn syrup with no changes, so I'm sure you can take your favorite PP recipe and make the change.

[Anna N]

...

I have used a silicone hot pad to anchor a bowl on the counter with great success.

You might also try shelf-liner - the woven, rubbery kind - I keep it all over the house to anchor whatever needs anchoring and it's especially useful in the kitchen to anchor bowls and even cutting boards - and, of course, it's CHEAP!

[yorkshirepud]

Great idea Anna. I actually have a scrap piece leftover from the roll I bought to line some of my drawers. Thanks for the idea!

Edited June 2, 2004 by yorkshirepud (log)

[yorkshirepud]

Week 2

So I’ve just finalized my plan for the coming weekend. Here’s what on the menu:

- Danish Braid with Apricot Filling and Confectioner’s Cream – Baking with Julia (Dorie Greenspan)

- Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake – Bittersweet (Alice Medrich)

- Coffee Ice Cream– Williams-Sonoma Website

I’m rather excited about the Danish I’ll be making. It was one of the first recipes that caught my eye when I first got the book. It’s also a test run for a potential ‘show-off’ for when my parents visit next month for 2 weeks.

I have actually made the Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake before but I made a bit of a boo. After a few minutes in the oven, I eyed the almonds and flour on my counter. Yes, they were supposed to be in the oven with the rest of the soufflé. I had to quickly pull the soufflé out of the oven and fold them in. I’m sure it affected the recipe somewhat but thankfully it turned out okay. So, I’m going to go another round with it and get it right this time.

The ice-cream will be an accompaniment to the cake. I’m a little skeptical of the source as my last ice-cream recipe from there was a total bomb. Let’s see if it can redeem itself. I am also a little dubious about the amount of espresso called for (we discussed it a little here), but I’ll give it a shot anyway. Tom (my husband) eats anything - mistakes and all - so it’ll go to a good home.

[ErinM]

Erin, thanks sweetie. Shame you're so far away or you could sample the goods. And don't hold off on the ice-cream maker too long!

Adele, it would so dangerous for me if I lived near you....but we'd have fun, so it would all be worth it!

The only thing that scares me about buying an ice cream maker is that I'd eat MORE ice cream...being single, that is NOT a good thing!

[jeniac42]

I think I've seen Lyle's at the World Market (Cost Plus) around here, too.

[claire797]

So what day does fallen chocolate souffle cake take place? I made one yesterday (an Epicurious recipe) that was pretty good, but suffice it to say, was not as satisfying as Alice Medrich's light one! The Epicurious cake uses about 14 tablespoons butter and 12 ounces of chocolate. That said, I think Medrich's lighter version is true culinary alchemy.

Speaking of which, I'm making a "stirred over the stove" pecan pie recipe tomorrow. Mktye sent me a CI version which is similar to RLB's.