Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

[miladyinsanity]

I've given up on my attempt to make the perfect cinnamon rolls because even with the Pioneer Woman recipe... Sigh.

I'll just be eating a lot of bread pudding, I suppose.

[GTO]

Mark - They don't sell frozen bananas here no. They don't sell many things banana flavoured for that matter. The few things I can think of off the top of my head are Banana Crusha Banana Angel Delight and Foam bananas - None of which have ever seen a banana in their lives.

With regards to the Clafouti. Looks good btw, what you said about the liquid was probably the reason why the Clafoutis at La Tartine Gourmande contains whole cherries. Thanks for clearing that up!

Wow, lot of links there.

[shaloop]

I've given up on my attempt to make the perfect cinnamon rolls because even with the Pioneer Woman recipe... Sigh.

I'll just be eating a lot of bread pudding, I suppose.

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What's wrong with them? Maybe someone could help you troubleshoot.

[miladyinsanity]

I've given up on my attempt to make the perfect cinnamon rolls because even with the Pioneer Woman recipe... Sigh.

I'll just be eating a lot of bread pudding, I suppose.

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What's wrong with them? Maybe someone could help you troubleshoot.

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They inevitably turn out 'crunchy,' for lack of a better word. Vanessa/Desiderio had this problem with them too, and started a topic for them. I thought it was the flour, but I'm using pastry flour...is that a problem?

[Chufi]

2 things I made for my friend´s birthday-teaparty this weekend:

chocolate cherry cupcakes (Nigella Lawson recipe) and meringues with cream and berries.

The cupcakes did not turn out as pretty as usual (it´s a very simple and delicious recipe where you just add a jar of cherry preserves to a very chocolaty cake batter) because my 12 hole muffin pan did not fit into my friends oven So I had to place the paper cases on a baking sheet, which ofcourse caused some of the batter to run over and the cakes came out sort of flat. But with the ganache on top, nobody seemed to care

[prasantrin]

They inevitably turn out 'crunchy,' for lack of a better word. Vanessa/Desiderio had this problem with them too, and started a topic for them. I thought it was the flour, but I'm using pastry flour...is that a problem?

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Pastry flour would definitely be a problem, though I don't know if it would cause the crunchiness. Cinnamon rolls are a type of bread--use all-purpose or bread flour.

[amccomb]

I know this isn't as gorgeous as a lot of the desserts on here, but I thought I would post it anyway. Just a plain New York style cheesecake with a pecan crust, topped with Pierre Herme's lemon cream and local blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. I brushed the berries with some melted ginger preserves to give them some shine. If I had it to do over, I would use a different jam.

[alanamoana]

I've given up on my attempt to make the perfect cinnamon rolls because even with the Pioneer Woman recipe... Sigh.

I'll just be eating a lot of bread pudding, I suppose.

←

What's wrong with them? Maybe someone could help you troubleshoot.

←

They inevitably turn out 'crunchy,' for lack of a better word. Vanessa/Desiderio had this problem with them too, and started a topic for them. I thought it was the flour, but I'm using pastry flour...is that a problem?

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are you keeping them covered while proofing? it seems that you might be overbaking and/or letting them develop a tough skin on the dough before baking which turns into a crunchy crust. pastry flour also isn't ideal for a bread-type dough. all purpose or even bread flour would be more appropriate i would think.

it could also be a case of oven temperature...too hot and the outside cooks too fast and gets crunchy.

[alanamoana]

I know this isn't as gorgeous as a lot of the desserts on here, but I thought I would post it anyway.  Just a plain New York style cheesecake with a pecan crust, topped with Pierre Herme's lemon cream and local blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.  I brushed the berries with some melted ginger preserves to give them some shine.  If I had it to do over, I would use a different jam. 

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i think it is beautiful and what a great fourth of july dessert. i know what you mean about the ginger on the berries...it might have been better with ginger if you had topped the cheesecake with peaches as those flavors go better together.

[Pan]

Very beautiful, indeed, if you ask me, amccomb!

[Pille]

2 things I made for my friend´s birthday-teaparty this weekend:

chocolate cherry cupcakes (Nigella Lawson recipe) and meringues with cream and berries.

The cupcakes did not turn out as pretty as usual (it´s a very simple and delicious recipe where you just add a jar of cherry preserves to a very chocolaty cake batter) because my 12 hole muffin pan did not fit into my friends oven    So I had to place the paper cases on a baking sheet, which ofcourse caused some of the batter to run over and the cakes came out sort of flat. But with the ganache on top, nobody seemed to care 

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Chufi - we've obviously got a very similar dessert taste

Here are my Meringue Nests with Cream & Berries:

and here are Nigella's Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes:

I made the latter just after Easter, hence the use of miniature chocolate Easter eggs Great cupcake recipe indeed!!

And here are some other recent desserts from our kitchen:

Marzipan Cake with Strawberries & Cream:

My Favourite Flourless Oat Cookies:

Apricot Tartlets with Pistachio Paste:

Vareniki with curd cheese filling and home-made apricot jam:

And last, but not least, we picked a kilogram of wild strawberries about 10 days ago and made a batch of wild strawberry jam:

[Chufi]

Chufi - we've obviously got a very similar dessert taste   

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and I guess we both love Nigella, eh?

I love those green pistachioslivers you put on your dessert. I´ve never seen them in the shops here, I can only buy whole shelleed pistachios.

[eskay]

Mmm, meringue. Everything looks so awesome. One question though: isn't a kilogram rather a lot of wild strawberries? Aren't they....really small? Excuse my ignorance

[Pille]

One question though: isn't a kilogram rather a lot of wild strawberries?  Aren't they....really small?    Excuse my ignorance

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A kilogram of wild strawberries is a lot indeed. But if you stare closely at this:

then you realise that:

and in just about an hour you'll have this:

And that's just under a kilo, we weighed it. We swapped some for hot smoked fresh flounder, and turned 750 grams into a "fridge jam". We had a long and mild spring with relatively few frosty nights this year in Estonia, so it's been a really good wild strawberry year. Even cloudberries and blueberries and bog bilberries are already ready and plentiful, and there are reports of lots of yellow chantarelles. I'm hoping to make it to the forests and bogs this weekend to check it out..

You can read more about my wild strawberry picking adventures this year (here) and last year (here). Note that I'm talking about proper 'real' wild strawberries here (Fragaria vesca) and not any semi-cultivated ones, eventhough Harold McGee claims in his "On Food and Cooking" that there's none left in Europe. He's obviously never wandered outside European cities

Edited July 5, 2007 by Pille (log)

[Chufi]

Note that I'm talking about proper 'real' wild strawberries here (Fragaria vesca) and not any semi-cultivated ones, eventhough Harold McGee claims in his "On Food and Cooking" that there's none left in Europe. He's obviously never wandered outside European cities 

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isn't it wonderful, sometimes, to be able to disagree with the Big Guys? Especially when the reward is a basket full of wild strawberries...

Such a beautiful picture!

[Tri2Cook]

Ode to Ispahan.

Inspired by the flavors in Pierre Herme's beautiful creation. Almond milk anglaise, raspberry-lychee puree and rose petal ice cream (made with rose petals from my neighbor's garden)...

I really have to pick up some nicer looking plates one of these days.

[GTO]

Beautiful, Tri2cook. I'm thinking of buying a Pierre Herme book.

This was my first ever attempt at Choux pastry and Eclairs. They rose beautifully in the oven, then deflated rather dramtically. Sill tasted awesome. We had no cream in, so the filling was made with Mango and Ricotta and topped with 'Green & Black's' Dark Mint chocolate. Very good.

[jumanggy]

Hey GTO, very inspired filling/topping for the eclairs. Looks yummy too. If they deflated too much, maybe the need some more time in the oven. The color of your eclairs is great, but I find that they can take a lot more time in the oven till they turn uncomfortably dark. Meanwhile, you've got me inspired to try my hand at bread-making, which I'm sure will be a disaster. I hope I've got some muscle left in my arms.

Hit Tri2cook, that looks excellent. I'll just pretend I didn't read that it had lychees in it (hate that fruit!) I feel for you regarding the plates. Each issue of Bon Appetit has me drooling-- they really have some out-of-this-world ceramics over there.

I froze some profiteroles before (and the chocolate sauce that won't die), and I reheated them just today for a filling of Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream.

[GTO]

That's what I thought, Mark. I'll cook them for longer next time.

Jesus with that chocolate sauce aswell! How long have you had it!? Great looking buns. Looks like you had to move quickly to get a picture while it was still flowing.

[gfron1]

Those really look great guys! Mark, that is a super photo - makes me want to wear my arm out making some

[jumanggy]

Thanks, Rob! The choux pastry is actually flavored with the yummy taste of my sweat, to give it a soupcon of salt. KIDDING!

Jesus with that chocolate sauce aswell! How long have you had it!? Great looking buns. Looks like you had to move quickly to get a picture while it was still flowing.

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The chocolate sauce is a family heirloom, hahaha I can probably mail you a frozen brick of it and it will make an appearance in each of your desserts till you're old and gray. It's been almost a month. Thankfully (and weirdly) someone gave us 2 freaking gallons of vanilla ice cream (my mind is dancing with the number of ice cream-related stuff I want to make).

If I had a penny for each time someone said my buns looked great... Ha ha I'd have a penny.

I took the photo with a timer (10 seconds) and a heart bursting out of my chest, that the sauce won't create a gross mess and would pour in an appealing manner. Somehow, it worked!

[gfron1]

Here's my latest from The Art of the Dessert. Mont Blanc. You can see the full thread here.

I clearly need to work on my piping skills, but otherwise this chestnut dessert was super. Just chestnut and rum.

[Tri2Cook]

Thanks GTO and nice first shot at eclairs. We won't discuss what my first attempt at them looked like. It was a long time ago (I think I was about 14 or 15) and I still remember them down to the ugliest detail.

Nice profiteroles jumanggy. Actually the lychee doesn't really stand out all that much in the puree, I probably should have used more (or just left them out but I wanted to represent all of the flavors of the original).

gfron1, those look great... and probably taste even better. I may have to check out that book.

[gfron1]

And another...Orange Frangipane Tart from The Art of the Dessert. Almond filling with Grand Marnier and apricot glaze.

[David Ross]

I have been dying for a nice strawberry shortcake but our local berries didn't arrive at our produce stands until last week. When I lived down on the Western side of Oregon we picked strawberries in June. Out here in Eastern Washington our growing seasons are about a month behind the West side, thus, no good strawberries until the first of July.

I make the 'shortcake' if you will out of an old recipe for 'Biscuits Supreme' from a Betty Crocker cookbook. I am sure there is much debate over what type of 'cake' goes into 'Strawberry Shortcake.' I prefer a denser type of cake like a biscuit.

I brush the biscuit dough with melted butter and coarse baker's sugar just before popping them into the oven. After the biscuits have cooled, I dust the tops with powdered sugar.

My only mistake, I didn't blob enough whipped cream on top!