Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

[Patrick S]

Everything is looking great, especially HQAntithesis's cake, Ling's gallette, and Jmahl's banana cake. I've been munching on that Plasir Sucre, plus I made these little chocolate cakes. Inside are two layers of cocoa chiffon, seperated by a whipped Nutella ganache, and covered with a ganache glaze.

[pansophia]

I made these Monday night but I made tons for an open house and turn out was mediocre so they have been dessert all week long.

Not really fancy by eGullet standards but it was my first attempt at creative icing and I'm pretty proud of them!

My co-worker thinks I'm in the wrong profession!

The cookies are a tradition cream cookie recipe my family uses at Christmas, I'll get it on RecipeGullet shortly. The brownies were Martha Stewart's truffle brownies. Dark and divine!

(P.S. My husband helped with the decorating and though I think I was careful when photographinf, any wierd or inappropriate icing that made it into the photos is his fault!)

[Ling]

I taught the kids in my cooking class how to make brownies today (using my recipe, but with Baker's chocolate as I can't afford to give them Valrhona to work with, and I doubt they'd notice much of a difference anyway). I then showed them how to do caramel on the stovetop and they thought it was pretty cool watching the sugar turn brown in the saucepan. The kids loved the brownies!

[Swisskaese]

Sazji, I went to that pastry shop two years ago and was very impressed.

My favorite baklava is from a shop in the spice market.

[miladyinsanity]

I had 3 rolls of Korova cookie dough (for emergencies) in the freezer.

I took half, and stuck it in the microwave for a minute and a half. Yummy, gooey goodness, especially whether the chocolate has melted!

[sazji]

^mmm...that Turkish rice pudding looks great! What makes it different from the North American version, other than being baked?

The little babas look like they are opening their cream-filled mouths saying, "Eat me!" 

Whenever I get baklava in Vancouver, it almost always comes drenched in syrup. Is this the way it's always served?

←

(Megan, I didn't try everything...but I go there about once a month so I'll keep working on it..)

Rice pudding: Quite different. The milk is boiled with not nearly as much rice as ours, then thickened either with rice flour (the cheap kind) or "subye," which is short-grain rice that has been soaked overnight, then either ground or zapped in the blender with just enough water to cover it. The result is a thick "milk" that is similar to cornstarch mixed with water. It's mainly boiled, then browned in the oven. Sometimes an egg is added too. But the thing that really makes the good commercial ones is that they are made with *whole* milk, and often with buffalo milk.

Baklava...I could do a whole post just on that (maybe I will); there are so many different types and shapes. A few that come to mind are "bülbül yuvası" (nightingale's nest), "dilber dudağı" (beautiful girl's lips), "bohça" (bundle), "çubuk" (stick) and "Antep bülbülü" (nightingale of Antep). Most are in sugar syrup (never honey, it's too cloying). It may be filled with pistachio, walnut, almond, hazelnut, or "cream" (similar to the filling of galatoboureko but much less of it), or combinations. Some are mostly dough with a filling while others are almost all filling. There is a "kuru" (dry) baklava which has just enough syrup to sweeten it but not to make it drippy. There is also a "white" baklava that's cooked differently. The phyllo used to make baklava is also special, very thin, opened up to 13 at a time on the "oklava," the long thin rolling pin they use to open the phyllo. Baklava phyllo (yufka in Turkish) also has egg in it. You can make something passable with commercial doughs in the US but it won't have the lightness of the real Turkish item.

[sazji]

Sazji, I went to that pastry shop two years ago and was very impressed.

My favorite baklava is from a shop in the spice market.

←

Did you have their profiteroles? Everyone goes on about Inci in Beyoglu but it is just nasty to me, flavorless. Beyaz has it right, they use really good ingredients.\

Do you know which shop it is in the spice market? I can't think of a baklava place there. The local famous one is Güllüoglu, and it's good but there is also one down on the Tünel end of Istiklal Caddesi that is very good. My neighborhood has lots of little shops run by people from Antep (the capitol of baklava), selling ekmek, baklava and different kinds of kadayif. I don't do it a lot, but my favorite kadayif is a flat one, only about 3/4 of an inch thick, studded with whole pistachios, and just enough syrup to make it moist. Could do a post on those shops too...!

[Swisskaese]

Sazji, I went to that pastry shop two years ago and was very impressed.

My favorite baklava is from a shop in the spice market.

←

Did you have their profiteroles? Everyone goes on about Inci in Beyoglu but it is just nasty to me, flavorless. Beyaz has it right, they use really good ingredients.\

Do you know which shop it is in the spice market? I can't think of a baklava place there. The local famous one is Güllüoglu, and it's good but there is also one down on the Tünel end of Istiklal Caddesi that is very good. My neighborhood has lots of little shops run by people from Antep (the capitol of baklava), selling ekmek, baklava and different kinds of kadayif. I don't do it a lot, but my favorite kadayif is a flat one, only about 3/4 of an inch thick, studded with whole pistachios, and just enough syrup to make it moist. Could do a post on those shops too...!

←

I think I had a cake or tart with strawberries and Tapenade (my other half) had something with chocolate.

I don't remember which end of the spice market the baklava store is located. I just remember that I liked them because they were not swimming in syrup. I prefer less syrup.

[ludja]

...

Baklava...I could do a whole post just on that (maybe I will); there are so many different types and shapes.  A few that come to mind are "bülbül yuvası" (nightingale's nest), "dilber dudağı" (beautiful girl's lips), "bohça" (bundle), "çubuk" (stick) and "Antep bülbülü" (nightingale of Antep). Most are in sugar syrup (never honey, it's too cloying).  It may be filled with pistachio, walnut, almond, hazelnut, or "cream" (similar to the filling of galatoboureko but much less of it), or combinations. Some are mostly dough with a filling while others are almost all filling.  There is a "kuru" (dry) baklava which has just enough syrup to sweeten it but not to make it drippy. There is also a "white" baklava that's cooked differently.  The phyllo  used to make baklava is also special, very thin, opened up to 13 at a time on the "oklava," the long thin rolling pin they use to open the phyllo.  Baklava phyllo (yufka in Turkish) also has egg in it. You can make something passable with commercial doughs in the US but it won't have the lightness of the real Turkish item.

←

I hope you do... This paragraph would be a great way to start off a thread. I just looked and saw that there are no baklava threads yet... It would be fascinating to hear more about the different types and peoples baking experiences with baklava as well.

I've always loved walnut baklava, but the first pistachio version I had ~ 10 yrs ago was a complete revelation. Nearby I have a good place to buy them; I may have to get some tomorrow!

[Ling]

^I would love a baklava thread too! It's not one of my favourite desserts, but I'm sure it's because I haven't had a good version yet. I would love to learn how to make proper baklava.

I made a quick apple galette with the last of my puff pastry (no frangipane this time), then ate most of pan of butter cookies. I also made palmiers with some puff pastry scraps...ate those too.

Edited February 19, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Swisskaese]

...

Baklava...I could do a whole post just on that (maybe I will); there are so many different types and shapes.  A few that come to mind are "bülbül yuvası" (nightingale's nest), "dilber dudağı" (beautiful girl's lips), "bohça" (bundle), "çubuk" (stick) and "Antep bülbülü" (nightingale of Antep). Most are in sugar syrup (never honey, it's too cloying).  It may be filled with pistachio, walnut, almond, hazelnut, or "cream" (similar to the filling of galatoboureko but much less of it), or combinations. Some are mostly dough with a filling while others are almost all filling.  There is a "kuru" (dry) baklava which has just enough syrup to sweeten it but not to make it drippy. There is also a "white" baklava that's cooked differently.  The phyllo  used to make baklava is also special, very thin, opened up to 13 at a time on the "oklava," the long thin rolling pin they use to open the phyllo.  Baklava phyllo (yufka in Turkish) also has egg in it. You can make something passable with commercial doughs in the US but it won't have the lightness of the real Turkish item.

←

I hope you do... This paragraph would be a great way to start off a thread. I just looked and saw that there are no baklava threads yet... It would be fascinating to hear more about the different types and peoples baking experiences with baklava as well.

I've always loved walnut baklava, but the first pistachio version I had ~ 10 yrs ago was a complete revelation. Nearby I have a good place to buy them; I may have to get some tomorrow!

←

Actually, there is a baklava thread except that it is lumped into a thread called Middle Eastern Pastries

[Chufi]

This is the cake I made for my husbands birthday today:

simple sponge with lemon curd, raspberries and mascarpone/greek joghurt cream

besides the fact that the top cake cracked a little when I was assembling the cake, and that the sponge did not rise as much as I had hoped, this was a perfect cake. Beautiful lemon curd, the creamy mascarpone, and the tart berries. This is a keeper!

[Megan Blocker]

Chufi, that is GORGEOUS! Is it a recipe of your own creation?

Just beautiful.

[Chufi]

Chufi, that is GORGEOUS!  Is it a recipe of your own creation?

Just beautiful.

←

The sponge is one I often make, the curd is Delia Smiths recipe. I just thought of combining them, and adding the mix of mascarpone and joghurt, and the raspberries (a layer of raspberry preserve between the cakes and fresh berries on top).

I think this would also be great with strawberries!

[ludja]

Chufi, that is GORGEOUS!  Is it a recipe of your own creation?

Just beautiful.

←

The sponge is one I often make, the curd is Delia Smiths recipe. I just thought of combining them, and adding the mix of mascarpone and joghurt, and the raspberries (a layer of raspberry preserve between the cakes and fresh berries on top).

I think this would also be great with strawberries!

←

Looks and sounds just great! I've noted this combination down in my "cake idea" file. I should call it "Chufi's Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake"...

[legourmet]

My recent Valentine dessert: Passionfruit mousse in a chocolate heart on amarena juice with amarena cherries and mint leaves.

[ablosh]

Beautiful work, legourmet!

[Patrick S]

I made the Golden Pearl Brownie Cake from Desserts by Pierre Herme. This has a brownie base made with (Valrhona) Le Noir Gastronomie, on top of which is a creamy layer similar to creme chiboust -- its vanilla pastry cream flavored with cognac, lightened with whipped cream, and set with a little bit of gelatin. On top of that is a thin layer of pastry cream (my deviation from the recipe) and a layer of vanilla bean clear glaze. I couldn't get a decent shot with the flash, and the sun was hiding this afternoon, so I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.

[Ling]

^can't wait!

Your dessert is beautiful, legourmet! (I like all your past dinner pictures in the other thread as well!)

I made another batch of hazelnut biscotti today, this time with a bit of brandy instead of rum. I took some pictures but I can't find that cord that connects from my camera to the computer so I can't upload them yet.

Now I'm going to make gingerbread biscotti.

ETA: pictures!

hazelnut biscotti

gingerbread biscotti

Edited February 21, 2006 by Ling (log)

[ablosh]

hazelnut biscotti

gingerbread biscotti

←

These look YUMMEH! I feel like getting a hot cup of coffee right now...

[ablosh]

Post-Valentine's posting of Heart-shaped Cheesecakes topped with glazed fresh strawberries!

Very creamy Leche Flan that I tried for the first time!

Edited February 21, 2006 by ablosh (log)

[kaneel]

I made the Golden Pearl Brownie Cake from Desserts by Pierre Herme. This has a brownie base made with (Valrhona) Le Noir Gastronomie, on top of which is a creamy layer similar to creme chiboust -- its vanilla pastry cream flavored with cognac, lightened with whipped cream, and set with a little bit of gelatin. On top of that is a thin layer of pastry cream (my deviation from the recipe) and a layer of vanilla bean clear glaze. I couldn't get a decent shot with the flash, and the sun was hiding this afternoon, so I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.

←

I have made the brownie cake base before and it was really good.

I underbaked it a few min and it was the perfect fudgy texture.

I have been eating the lemon cream that i made for some tarts.

[bluechefk]

ling - those biscotti look fantastic! can you share your recipe (or a link) for the gingerbread ones? visiting a friend who loves biscotti in a couple of weeks, and i know she'd just go crazy for those

kerry

[Ling]

Sure...the gingerbread biscotti is just something I came up with last night while fiddling with a recipe I didn't like so much.

Here you go

Gingerbread biscotti

[petite tête de chou]

Even though we now have six! freakin' boxes of girl scout cookies (a questionable courtesy of my husband but verbally appreciated ) I made a huge blueberry cheesecake with graham cracker crust. I do.not.like.the.cookies. And a lady must have something sweet in the house. Aside from herself and the lone female cat.