Army of Darkness

One of the things I didn't mention in my "summer vacation" post was why Dorie was in Austin to begin with.  She was here for the annual IACP conference.  I'm sure all the members of Tuesdays with Dorie and French Fridays with Dorie were very excited to see that Around My French Table won for both best general cookbook and cookbook of the year.  This isn't the first time that Dorie has won an IACP award, either.  The IACP featured her as part of their celebration of 25 years of cookbook awards.

I love Dorie's cookbooks--I have 5 of them--not just because she writes great recipes, but because of the way she writes them.  I buy cookbooks because I like to read them, not just to bake or cook from them.  Dorie puts great stories in hers, about the recipes and where they came from, but she also includes lots of great information about ingredients and techniques.  I love how descriptive she is in her instructions.  One of my favorites is when she is talking about making tart dough in the food processor.  "The dough...forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change--heads up."  Dorie's books are filled with lots of little tidbits like that. 

Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes picked Chocolate Biscotti for us to make this week.  We've made biscotti once before (which I happened to post on G's 2nd birthday--my, how she's grown!).  I was excited to see how this chocolate version would turn out.  I remember from last time that there was some confusion and discussion because in that recipe, Dorie instructs you to "stand them [the biscotti] up like a marching band" for their second bake.  To me, it was clear that she meant to have the biscotti in the same orientation as they were in the log, just cut apart, as opposed to laying them down on the cut sides.  (That way both sides dry out at once and you don't have to flip the cookies over partway through the baking time.) But it confused a few people.  In this week's recipe, the instruction is a bit different--you're supposed to "stand the slices up on the baking sheet--you'll have an army of biscotti."  Marching bands and armies, how many cookbooks have those? =)

I decided to pass on the nuts for my batch of cookies, and turned to the Playing Around section for other ideas.  I'm not a big fan of dried cherries, but decided to go with another dried fruit that I've subbed for cherries in the past--cranberries.  I went with 100 grams of sweetened dried cranberries and about 120 grams of mini chocolate chips.  I used some of my stash of Scharffen Berger cocoa and reduced the espresso powder to just one tablespoon.  And I topped my biscotti with some Swedish pearl sugar (which you can find at IKEA).

The verdict?  These were really tasty!  I love the look of the pearl sugar on top of the dark biscotti.  As many times as I've tried the combination now, I'm still amazed at how well the tart cranberries pair with dark chocolate. If you haven't tried them together, you should.  I shared my army of biscotti with some daycare teachers and some coworkers, and everyone liked them.

If you'd like to try these for yourself, Jacque has the recipe in her post.  And to see what everyone else thought of this week's recipe, check out the Links!

If the shoe fits

The calendar may not agree, but summer has definitely started around here.  No, I'm not talking about the temperature for a change. =)  I'm talking about the fact that school is out for the summer, which really makes my life easier.  Instead of having to deal with drop-offs and pick-ups at both the elementary school and the daycare, I only have to go one place for a couple months.  Of course, summer occasionally presents its own challenges...

When I went in to pick up Brianna one day last week, I immediately noticed that she was wearing a pair of black flats that I'd never seen before.  I asked her where her sneakers were, and suggested that she get them back on her feet so that we could go home.  This resulted in lots of crying and B saying that she wished that Daddy was picking her up that day, since he wouldn't ask so many questions. (which I doubt...)  It took a few minutes, but I eventually determined that a bunch of the girls had been trying on each other's shoes, and one of the others left while still wearing B's.  Naturally, this was in no way B's fault.  It never is. =)  She said it was the other girl's idea to trade shoes, not hers.  She didn't seem amused by my question about whether the other girl has taken the shoes off her feet.  Anyone else dealing with the drama of an 8-year-old girl (or something similar)?  I hope I'm not the only one having all this fun. =)

One other handy thing about summer is that I don't have to pack lunch for B.  So I get to keep most of these lovely rolls all to myself.  I'm finally trying to get back on track with a few of my baking groups.  One of the June recipes for the Mellow Bakers is Pain Rustique.  It looked like a good place to jump back in--it's a fairly straightforward dough that uses a poolish perferment.  All I had to do was remember to mix up the poolish the night before.  I even talked Phyl and Margaret into doing it with me (via Twitter). This is a great dough for those who are a bit scared of yeast doughs, since there's no shaping--the dough is simply cut into pieces with a bench knife.  I decided to make rolls instead of loaves, so I just cut more pieces.  I ended up with 11--I was going for a dozen, but had to stick a couple of small pieces together to make a bigger one. 

The verdict?  This recipe is definitely going on the make-again list.  I should probably try making a larger loaf as well.  I really love the texture of these rolls, and I love using them for sandwiches.  Okay, I just generally prefer rolls over sliced bread when it comes to sandwiches--I like all the crust.  

If you'd like to give these a try yourself, the recipe can be found on page 111 of Hamelman's Bread.  I also found the recipe online here. (One note, the online recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast in the poolish, while the book only calls for 1/8 teaspoon.  I followed the book.)  To see how some of the other Mellow Bakers have fared with this recipe, check out their results here.  

How I spent my summer vacation

Okay, my summer vacation only consists of a week (and is technically before summer actually starts), but it's been a fun week.  Not that you could tell by Gillian's face. =)   Not the best picture ever, but it has the virtue of being taken somewhere other than here.  The where was Columbus, Ohio, at my aunt's house.  The who was my mom's brothers and sisters, along with their spouses and most of their kids and the three grandkids (my girls and my cousin's new baby).  We even had some honorary family join us all the way from The Netherlands!  We did what we usually do--we talked, and shopped, and ate and drank.  Generally there was just lots of relaxing going on, and passing the baby around...

B with her second cousin Penny

We got to Ohio on Saturday, and since Brianna was done with school last Friday, we didn't have to rush home.  Most of the family headed home Monday or early Tuesday, but we didn't fly out until Wednesday.  That meant that we had Tuesday available to see someone other than family.  A couple of friends from college live in Columbus, so we went to their house for dinner Tuesday night.  I think that G really enjoyed that, since their daughter is just a bit older than G, and their little boy isn't that much younger.  After dinner, we went for a walk and got to sample some of the yummy flavors at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. 

Earlier on Tuesday, we drove a ways north of Columbus (up toward Cleveland, though not all the way there) to meet up with another friend.  I love that Jamie doesn't think it at all odd that I would do that to visit with someone that I've never actually met in person.  But hey, I had already gone all the way to Ohio, so what was a little more traveling?  We were able to have lunch with my blogging friend Phyl and his wife, Juanita.  And did we talk about food?  No, we mostly talked about our kids, since mine were along for the ride.  

Phyl, Juanita, Jamie and me

The picture above was taken by Brianna, who will probably spend the rest of the summer asking to use my camera.  She apparently also managed to take some amusing video while trying to take pictures with Phyl's phone.

Once we were home, I still had a few days of time away from work to enjoy.  The girls and I stayed home on Thursday, because I didn't feel like driving back and forth to the daycare.  We went to the library (and I got my haircut) and that was about it.  Friday was my running around day.  I dropped the girls off and then headed to Starbucks to wait for 10am, when Costco and the other places I need to visit would be open.  I was reading stuff online, and ran across this great article (which includes the recipe for Dorie's delicious sablés), which reminded me that Dorie was in town, giving away cookies!  So I set off to find her, and them.  I found the cookies.  I saw Dorie, but she was running around doing stuff.  I did get to have a nice conversation with her lovely husband, though. =)  And I'm looking forward to trying out her new iPad app when it comes out this summer.

And I have to leave you with a picture of me with my sisters.  Whenever we get together, we have to take a "smushed face" self-portrait. (selves-portrait?)  

Evolution

I was really excited to see this week's Tuesdays with Dorie pick!  Patricia of Life with a Whisk chose one of my favorite recipes in the book--Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones.  This recipe is a good example of why I love to bake and why I love Dorie's books.  One of the best things about her books is that she gives so much more than just recipes.  I love reading all of the stories and tips that she puts in the headnotes.  And almost every recipe includes one or more variations to "play around" with.  I love playing around. =)

The first time I made this recipe was not long after I got my copy of Baking From My Home to Yours and joined the group.  While unofficial, it appears to have been the sixth recipe I made from the book.  My first attempt is shown here, from way back in March 2008.  That was the first time, but there have been many more since.  My girls especially like it when I make them with chocolate chips.  My favorite variation has probably been the cinnamon chip ones.  Besides the chips, I also used white whole wheat flour in place of some of the all-purpose.  There have been times when I didn't have buttermilk, so I substituted yogurt.  And while the version in the book is plain, we almost always top our scones with something, either coarse sugar or most often glaze.  

The glaze came in handy when I made the scones this morning.  I decided that I was going to make them again just for this post, and was going to go back to the original recipe.  It wasn't until I was looking at some of the comments on the Leave Your Links page that I realized that I'd never tried the Playing Around idea for this recipe.  My girls love "dried plums" so that sounded like a great addition.  But I was so busy snipping up prunes with my kitchen shears and supervising Gillian as she mixed the dry ingredients that I totally forgot to add the nutmeg!  Glaze to the rescue--I grated the nutmeg into some powdered sugar, added a bit of vanilla, and added enough milk for a thick glaze.  

One more thing--besides the variations in ingredients, I found it interesting that I've changed one other thing over time as I've played with this recipe.  In the first post mentioned above, I used volume measurements for the ingredients, same as in the book.  By the second post, I'd switched to using weights, in ounces.  Here's the latest incarnation of the ingredient list...

Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones

1 large egg

115 grams cold buttermilk

225 grams all-purpose flour

135 grams rolled oats

70 grams vanilla sugar (or just regular)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (unless you forget)

140 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

dried plums (I forgot to weigh them)

Oh, and the verdict?  I really enjoyed these with the prunes.  Gillian did as well, after she got over her disappointment at the lack of chocolate chips. =)  They were well-received at work, too.  I'm sure I'll make these many more times, and who knows what other variations we'll try.

If you'd like to make these for yourself, you can find the recipe on Patricia's blog.  And to see what everyone else did with these scones, check out the Links!

Baking for the enemy

One of the side effects of doing lots of baking is that I'm often looking for others to take baked goods off my hands.  It was pretty easy a few years back when I worked with a larger staff--there were always plenty of people willing to eat sweets, even if a few were avoiding them.  With our current staff of 5 or 6, I worry sometimes about bringing things too often.  So I also take baked goods to the day care teachers, and send them to school with Brianna for her teachers.  I try to find other outlets as well, but they don't come up very often.  

Last week I finally had a chance to catch up on one of the recent TWD recipes that I missed--Brown Sugar Bundt Cake, picked by Peggy.  I thought about halving the recipe, but decided to go ahead and make the whole thing, using pecans and cinnamon chips.  I was going to take some to work and to the daycare.  After sampling some cake, though, I only took it to work, so I could keep more at home for us. =)  I haven't seen something disappear that fast in a while--it was a big hit with my coworkers.  The part I kept at home disappeared pretty quickly too, and I failed to take any pictures!  So of course, I had to make it again.  

As it turned out, last week I spent a couple days helping out at another branch, so I decided to take some of the second cake to them.  At one point, someone called from my branch to ask me a question.  The person who answered the phone informed my coworker that they were planning to keep me at their branch so I could continue to bake for them.  When I got on the phone, I was informed that it was not acceptable for me to be supplying baked goods to our "competition."  I had no idea that people were so possessive about cake. =)

The verdict?  My coworkers aren't the only ones who loved this cake--I ate more than my fair share of it.  Part of me wants to try some other variations, while the rest of me just wants to make another one that's the same. =)  I love the whole brown sugar/pecan/cinnamon combination.  This is definitely one of those cakes that just keeps getting better, too.  Not that it survived that long either time so far.  The first time I made it, I asked Gillian if we should add a glaze or just go with it as it was.  Surprisingly, she said we should skip the glaze, and she was right.  The cake is just right without it.  

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but didn't change that much.  As I mentioned, I used pecans for the nuts.  I skipped the almond extract.  Instead of the fruit, I added about 140g of cinnamon chips.  My cake only took 50 minutes to bake.  If you'd like to give this one a try, head over to Peggy's blog for the original recipe.  To see what other fun variations people came up with, check out the Links.

That's how the biscuit crumbles

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is from Lindsay of A Little Something...Sweet!  She picked Maple Cornmeal Biscuits for us to make.  This was a great recipe for me to get back on track with TWD--quick to mix up, and quick to bake.  Gillian was quite happy to help me with the mixing, too. =)

The verdict?  Sadly, I didn't like these as much as I hoped to.  I like cornmeal and maple syrup, but unfortunately, my biscuits turned out kind of dry and crumbly.  I'm not sure why.  The only change I made was to use soured milk (milk plus vinegar) in place of the buttermilk, because I didn't have any. (Oops, never mind. That was another recipe I made over the weekend. These used regular milk.)  Maybe I had too much cornmeal.  Maybe I baked them too long (though it was only 14 minutes).  The flavor was good, so I might play around with the recipe next time to get a better result.  I'm thinking of adding an egg to get a more scone-like texture.

If you'd like to give these a try for yourself, Lindsay has the recipe.  And to see how everyone else fared this week, check out the Links.  

MIA

(not pictured - Z-pack and Mucinex)

Just a quick post so all my fellow TWD bakers won't think I've totally disappeared.  This is how I spent my day, at least the part of it that I wasn't at the doctor's office or asleep on the couch.  I've had the same annoying cold for over two weeks.  Since it started getting worse again instead of better, I figured I'd better actually go see someone about it.  (Thanks to Nancy and Abby for helping convince me via Twitter this morning.)  You know it's gotten bad when I voluntarily take time off work--I'm staying home tomorrow, too.  =)

I will catch up soon on the recent recipes that I missed, since I've been reading lots of rave reviews of them.  In the meantime, it's back to the couch for me.