Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

[Alinka]

And I had "kartoshka" - soft sweet "potatoes" made from sponge cake crumbs, milk, condensed milk, cocoa, butter, and rum.

[rosejoy]

Alinka, do you have a recipe for those that you could share? I have a crumbly yellow cake that I've been looking for a use for - those look great and I'd love to try them.

Thanks!

[Moopheus]

Today I made chocolate-almond macaroons, using the recipe from Fran Lebowitz's Pure Chocolate. I think I pulled them a little too early--the tops did not get quite crisp. I could have taken pictures but they did not look nearly as nice as Patrick's. Just little brown blobs. Tasty, but not photogenic.

[miladyinsanity]

Ling, I deserve to be smacked.

Despite your saying over and over again how yummy Korova Cookie dough is, I forgot to try some before sticking the dough in the freezer. :laughing:

←

No worries--do what I would do; make another batch of dough immediately, grab a spoon, and eat!

←

I didn't. In the end, I was too lazy to bake the last batch and just ate the dough. Good stuff!

[CanadianBakin']

Today I made chocolate-almond macaroons, using the recipe from Fran Lebowitz's Pure Chocolate. I think I pulled them a little too early--the tops did not get quite crisp. I could have taken pictures but they did not look nearly as nice as Patrick's. Just little brown blobs. Tasty, but not photogenic.

←

You know what though... often pictures of things that didn't quite turn out help us to trouble shoot and also help each other get better. Someone posted in the macaroon thread a picture of macaroons that didn't turn out but they looked exactly like the ones I had made. So between the picture and the advice of a few who knew better, both the picture poster and I were able to improve.

[Ling]

I had the pecan cake I made, with the pecan dacquoise and the chocolate Amaretto mousse, and almond cream cheese icing. Also had my cream puffs filled with coconut cream. A slice of Dairy Queen ice-cream cake, and a slice of a huge chocolate cake with chocolate "buttercream" from Costco. (Yes, there were three birthday cakes at this party--there were a lot of people.)

[Swisskaese]

I made the following desserts for my Latke party last week.

See my foodblog in General Food Topics:

Pomegranate Tart

Pear and Walnut Tarte Tatin

Lemon Tart

Edited January 2, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Patrick S]

I've been wanting to experiment with some different macaroon flavors, so today I tried some orange-vanilla macaroons. I added about 2t of orange zest to the cookies (processed with the almonds and sugar), and filled them with a vanilla/Grand Marnier flavored buttercream. The color was added to the meringue.

Edited January 2, 2006 by Patrick S (log)

[Megan Blocker]

I've been wanting to experiment with some different macaroon flavors, so today I tried some orange-vanilla macaroons. I added about 2t of orange zest to the cookies (processed with the almonds and sugar), and filled them with a vanilla/Grand Marnier flavored buttercream. The color was added to the meringue.

←

How did they TASTE, Patrick? 'Cause they look beautiful.

[TraciiTVCL]

I was asked to bring dessert for New Years.....go figure

Profiteroles with french vanilla mousse with a squirt raspberry coulis inside and then dipped in chocolate.

[Patrick S]

I've been wanting to experiment with some different macaroon flavors, so today I tried some orange-vanilla macaroons. I added about 2t of orange zest to the cookies (processed with the almonds and sugar), and filled them with a vanilla/Grand Marnier flavored buttercream. The color was added to the meringue.

←

How did they TASTE, Patrick? 'Cause they look beautiful.

←

They taste good, but not spectacular. In retrospect, I think a Grand Marnier flavored ganache would have worked better.

[I_call_the_duck]

This weekend featured a mocha nut loaf and homemade coffee-chip ice cream. We also have these chocolates that a friend made, peppermint bark (leftover from Christmas), brownies, and miscellaneous store-bought cookies. Hey Ling, want to come over and help us finish it?

[Ling]

^Ohh...gladly! What sort of chocolates did your friend make?

Right now, I have four ramekins of creme brulee in the oven. Mmm...can't wait to dig in!

Yesterday, I didn't have much dessert as I was out of the house all day. I had some dark Valrhona and kumquats (not together) when I got home.

[I_call_the_duck]

^Ohh...gladly!  What sort of chocolates did your friend make?

←

Does is make a difference?

Every year for Christmas, he gives all his friends a box of assorted homemade chocolates. This year, he sent truffles (three types--coated with nuts, coconut, and white chocolate), chocolate-covered raisins--I'm not a big raisin fan, but I loved them, little things filled with liqueur, and some toffee-stuff. My husband is forbidden to eat them unless I'm present, otherwise, he'll finish them off.

Mmm...creme brulee.

[Ling]

^Haha...yes, it does make a difference, believe it or not! I'm quite particular when it comes to chocolate...I don't eat the cheap stuff, and I don't eat white chocolate or milk chocolate. Your friend sounds really talented...I wish I could reach through my computer and grab a few from you!

The creme brulee ended up being pots de creme because my mom dug into one while it was still cooling, so I just decided to eat them as is, too.

[miladyinsanity]

^Haha...yes, it does make a difference, believe it or not! I'm quite particular when it comes to chocolate...I don't eat the cheap stuff, and I don't eat white chocolate or milk chocolate. 

←

Ling, you're a girl after my own heart!

Still finishing the Korova cookies. I wonder what I'll make this weekend.

[sazji]

A bowl of muhallebi (pudding made from buffalo milk and thickened with rice flour) with raspberries, with a slab of kaymak ice cream over the top. And that was my second choice...I went into the place with a taste for creme caramele but it looked like it had been cooked too hot, full of bubbles...

[Eden]

sazji, have you ever had muhallebi made with cow rather than buffalo milk? I'd be interested to know if they taste significantly different from one another. I've only had it with cow's milk as that's all you can really get here, but it's one of my favorite desserts & I haven't had it in ages....

Last night I made a tiny "leftovers crostata". I wish I'd taken a picture, it was SO cute!

we had some pasta frolla left in the fridge from making traditional crostate for various friends, we had the end of a jar of nutella and we had a pile of chopped almonds and chocolate that had not adhered when I made toffee. i.e. leftovers.

I rolled out most of the pasta into a thin circle, schmeared that with nutella except for a 1/2" margin at the edge, covered the nutella with the post-toffee mix, rolled the remaining pasta into thin strips, which were woven & placed over the chocolate/nut mound. then folded the edges of the pastry circle in to create a border/cover the edges of the strips. baked for about 15 minutes & voila!

warm chocolatey goodness served with a cold glass of milk - you can't beat it!

[tejon]

The glaze is really shiny, isn't it? It's the cocoa glaze from The Simple Art of Perfect Baking and I can see using it for all kinds of things. It stays shiny, can be refrigerated again and again in between, and is delicious to boot.

←

Is it possible to get the recipe for the glaze? It does look great!

←

Sorry to take so long! Here's the glaze recipe:

Glossy Cocoa Glaze

adapted from The Simple Art of Perfect Baking

Makes 2 cups

8 oz. heavy cream

1 Tb. light corn syrup

200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar

100 grams (1 cup) unsifted cocoa powder

1 oz. unsalted butter

1 Tb. vanilla

Mix cream and corn syrup in small heavy-bottomed pan.

Sift sugar and cocoa powder together. Add sugar and cocoa to the cream and corn syrup and stir. Add the butter, then warm over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

The glaze will thicken upon cooling. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, and can be re-warmed again and again. Also very nice by the spoonful

[Ling]

Here's something I just slapped together...doesn't look great. I ate this for breakfast. It's a Valrhona brownie torte with peanut butter frosting.

Here's a shot of the coconut cream puffs I made on Sunday. I'm still waiting for my friend to send me the photo of the pecan cake I made...the photos are on his camera.

[Ling]

Oops...forgot about the caramel apple pie from a few nights ago.

[avocado]

^ "Doesn't look great"? Ling, that thing you just slapped together looks AMAZING! I can almost taste it, it makes me want a glass of milk just thinking about it...

[Badiane]

I'm curious, Ling...how many indecent dessert based propositions to you get by PM every day?

I'd give my considerable thighs to spend a day eating all that dessert.

Everything looks just beautiful, she says as she shoves another spoonful of sugar free chocolate pudding in her mouth

[K8memphis]

...I'd give my considerable thighs to spend a day eating all that dessert. 

Everything looks just beautiful, she says as she shoves another spoonful of sugar free chocolate pudding in her mouth 

←

That reminds me, I went to the doc yesterday--ironically I have no ill effects like carpal tunnel from eons of cake deco but I have a chronic tennis elbow from clicking the &%$@ mouse. Tennis in the elbow is not a pleasant thing so I treated me to a wonderful bag of sugar free orange slices--the jelly kind y'know--well well well 4 of them are only 60 calories-- shoot, I ate the whole bag, 150 calories. I was soo friggin sick with cramps and et cetera et cetera et cetera from the malitol or whatever -ol stuff it was. Sooooo unmercifully freakin' sick. But the orange slices were amazing--deadly good in fact. (oh the pain!

And now back to your regularly scheduled no holds barred vicarious dessert eating ...

Edited January 5, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[avocado]

Oh, K8, I've been there. "Hey, this sugar-free ice cream isn't half bad, and I can eat four times as much...."

Famous last words.