Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

[Ling]

ling - that galette is just gorgeous! the crust looks especially flaky & delicious - did you use a regular pie crust? puff pastry? also, what are the darker flecks? - vanilla bean? ground nuts?

really - just gorgeous; i could eat that all day long!

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Thank you! I didn't use a recipe for the galette, but I sent a rough recipe to a fellow admirer of said galette so here's the copy and paste from the email. (Yes, the brown flecks are ground hazelnuts.)

I used (approx):

1 cup, 2 tbsp AP flour

2 tbsp cornstarch (or sub everything for 1 1/4 cup pastry or cake flour...I'm out of that at the moment)

about half a cup of butter, cold

1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt

1 egg yolk mixed with about 3 tbsp ice water

Combine everything until butter is cut into flour in pea-sized amounts. Let the dough rest in the fridge for half an hour, and roll it out with some bench flour on your counter.

filling:

I cut up 2 white nectarines (or white peaches) and 1 large plum, about 3 or 4 tbsp of sugar (depending on how sweet your fruit is), a heaping tablespoon of ground hazelnuts (or whatever ground nuts you have on hand), a tablespoon of cornstarch...(you could, of course, add a bit of ground black pepper or some cinnamon if you wish)

Roll out the dough in a rough circle, pile the fruit in the middle, and fold the edges over the top. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar and ground nuts around the edge of the fold. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees (or 375 convection) for about 45-55 minutes (as long as the crust is a nice shade of brown, it's done!)

[Patrick S]

I've been eating pieces of Exotic Orange Cake.

The layers, from bottom to top, are: honey almond cake, caramel vanilla bean cremeux, honey almond cake, orange bavaroise, Passion Fruit/Mango gelee. The cake is coated with more orange bavaroise.

[Pontormo]

: OHHHH!

[Ling]

Gaaahhh...that is too perfect, Patrick! We're not worthy!!!!

[SweetSide]

I've been eating pieces of Exotic Orange Cake.

The layers, from bottom to top, are: honey almond cake, caramel vanilla bean cremeux, honey almond cake, orange bavaroise, Passion Fruit/Mango gelee. The cake is coated with more orange bavaroise.

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Gorgeous (and I'm sure delicious) as usual! You seriously need to consider a job as a food photographer -- either on the side or as a second career when (if) you need a change....

[Dana]

That is just stunning.

[Ling]

Today: banana cake, hazelnut shortbread, raspberry almond coffee cake, 3 bowls of homemade mango pudding, and chocolate graham cookies...and this was after a huge BBQ meat fest

[Abra]

Patrick, can you stand one more kudo for the Exotic Orange Cake? I've eaten FWED's version, so I know how much work it is, and how delicious. Yours is awe-inspiringly beautiful.

My blueberry bushes are laden with fruit so tonight I made Pille's blueberry tart.

I used a few more berries than the recipe indicates, and yogurt instead of sour cream, since that's what I had, plus a drop of lemon in the topping. I can't imagine how it could have been any more delicious.

[Chufi]

Gorgeous Abra! It reminds me that we haven't seen Pille here for a long time!

I made a really nice peach/pinenut cake today with a bunch of not-so-nice peaches.. you know the kind they are soft and ripe and juicy but don't taste much of anything. A big splash of amaretto liqueur in the cake mix really helped

[Pille]

My blueberry bushes are laden with fruit so tonight I made Pille's blueberry tart.

I used a few more berries than the recipe indicates, and yogurt instead of sour cream, since that's what I had, plus a drop of lemon in the topping.  I can't imagine how it could have been any more delicious.

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Abra - I am so glad to hear you liked my blueberry tart!!!

I have been travelling a lot recently, so not much cooking happening in my kitchen. However, I did bake these cantucci with ginger, almonds & pink peppercorns to take along to a dinner party last weekend. They were very well received and I will be baking these again soon.

Chufi - I'm flattered I've been missed But yes, I've been to Greece, Sweden and Estonia during the last 2 months, and have spent hardly any time in my kitchen. However, I have been posting on my blog about forageing for wild strawberries, and cloudberries etc, so feel free to pop by

Edited July 31, 2006 by Pille (log)

[Swisskaese]

Gorgeous Abra! It reminds me that we haven't seen Pille here for a long time!

I made a really nice peach/pinenut cake today with a bunch of not-so-nice peaches.. you know the kind they are soft and ripe and juicy but don't taste much of anything. A big splash of amaretto liqueur in the cake mix really helped 

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Chufi that looks delicious! Can we have the recipe?

Abra, your blueberry tart looks wonderful. I wish I could make it, but blueberries cost about 4.50USD for 20 blueberries . I am not exaggerating. Okay, maybe a small exageration; 25 blueberries.

Edited July 31, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Joni]

Patrick...what is your home address..will start looking for a place in your neighborhood!!!!!

[Abra]

Klary, that's a great use for so-so fruit. The pine nuts are so plump and fresh-looking.

Pille, welcome back, and those cantucci are really cute. I don't know enough uses for pink peppercorns, so I'll definitely be trying these.

[ablosh]

I made Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream and White Chocolate!

I had to *ehem* taste one before giving the lot as a little girl's birthday gift!

[gfron1]

Its been a while for me...busy...hot...but here is something I've been trying to create for a while now. The full details are posted in the Delicia al Limon thread, and it was good enough that I'll put in recipe gullet. Delicia al Limon:

Edited August 1, 2006 by gfron1 (log)

[Ling]

Some very beautiful desserts (and biscotti) on this page...gfron, that lemon dessert looks exceptional!

Today I had some leftover macadamia nut cookie scraps and lemon sabayon from a tart I made for a friend. At night, I got the chance to meet Emily Luchetti at an ice-cream social event at Eva in Seattle. My bf and I were guests at the Cooks and Books table, and I sat next to Emily!

Pastry chef Dana Bickford offered the following interpretations of Emily's recipes.

The lemon ice-cream with the gingersnap cookies were particularly tasty.

The peach soup tasted just purely of the ripest, sweetest peaches imaginable.

The sun had gone down at this point, so the next two pictures are not as pretty as I had to lighten them considerably in Photoshop.

Nonetheless, I assure you the hazelnut semifreddo was incredible. It was a bit sweet on its own, but worked nicely with the rich chocolate cream.

I know some pastry chefs refuse to use stuff like Rice Krispies in their desserts, but I'm not above that and I'm glad I'm in good company. The cereal adds just the nicest crunch to the brownies and brings back memories of childhood, though the quality of the ingredients was obviously much better than your run-of-the-mill brownie and chocolate sauce. The brownie was great--very fudgy. I don't know if you can tell from these photos, but the size of the desserts were incredibly generous and my bf needed some help finishing off this plate...I was only too happy to assist.

The evening was so much fun...great desserts, great company. I had a fabulous time!

Edited August 1, 2006 by Ling (log)

[RuthWells]

I've been eating pieces of Exotic Orange Cake.

The layers, from bottom to top, are: honey almond cake, caramel vanilla bean cremeux, honey almond cake, orange bavaroise, Passion Fruit/Mango gelee. The cake is coated with more orange bavaroise.

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Lord, that's beautiful. How did you get such a clean cut, Patrick? There are no mousse smears on your almond cake!

[RuthWells]

Oh, Ling, I'm so jealous! They all look fabulous and now my tummy's growling........

[Patrick S]

I've been eating pieces of Exotic Orange Cake.

The layers, from bottom to top, are: honey almond cake, caramel vanilla bean cremeux, honey almond cake, orange bavaroise, Passion Fruit/Mango gelee. The cake is coated with more orange bavaroise.

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Lord, that's beautiful. How did you get such a clean cut, Patrick? There are no mousse smears on your almond cake!

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Nothing special-- just use a clean, sharp, thin knife to make each cut. It helps if the cake is very cold or even frozen, but that's not necessary. I'm pretty sure the slice in the picture was cut while at refrigerator temp, not frozen. The fact that the cremeux and bavaroise are stabilized with gelatin also helps keep the cut clean.

Thanks Ruth, and everyone else, for complimenting my cake!

gfron, that Delicia al Limon looks delicious and interesting.

[Ling]

My mom got a flat of figs from her friend's farm today. I ate five in rapid succession, then decided to share their voluptuous beauty with you all.

figs and Bleu d'Auvergne

[Abra]

Lorna, that is the most hardcore fig porn I've ever seen, and there's a lot of it out there.

Guess I was an idiot to miss the Luchetti-fest, eh?

[gfron1]

What incredible colors in that pic Ling!

[Patrick S]

alanamona, I hope you don't mind me replying to your question on this thread instead of the exotic orange cake thread.

thanks for the reply patrick.  sounds good.

i meant to ask you about this on the dessert thread...you posted a mousse roll recently...did you use a specific recipe for the sponge?  it rolled so perfectly, no cracking etc.  a thing of beauty.  maybe i should post this over there?

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The lemon sponge recipe was from Rosie's All-Butter Baking book (the title is something like that). If you want the recipe, let me know. It was rolled in a sugared towel while still warm. I bunched up a little of the towel in the middle (at the end of the sponge where you start to roll), so the turning radius wouldn't be so small, and the cake would be less likely to crack. Also, as you can see in the picture, I didn't fill the roll the way you would normally.

[oli]

alanamona, I hope you don't mind me replying to your question on this thread instead of the exotic orange cake thread.

thanks for the reply patrick.  sounds good.

i meant to ask you about this on the dessert thread...you posted a mousse roll recently...did you use a specific recipe for the sponge?  it rolled so perfectly, no cracking etc.  a thing of beauty.  maybe i should post this over there?

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The lemon sponge recipe was from Rosie's All-Butter Baking book (the title is something like that). If you want the recipe, let me know. It was rolled in a sugared towel while still warm. I bunched up a little of the towel in the middle (at the end of the sponge where you start to roll), so the turning radius wouldn't be so small, and the cake would be less likely to crack. Also, as you can see in the picture, I didn't fill the roll the way you would normally.

Patrick you've got mail.

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[Patrick S]

A simple and refreshing dessert: coconut panna cotta with pineapple gelee.