If it's Tuesday, it Must Be Flaky Apple Turnovers

I love a good apple pie, and this certainly qualifies--why buy a goop-filled fried hunk-o-dough from some unnamed fast food joint (you guys all know which place I'm talking about) when a few minutes of work can yield these treats?

I'll tell you why: the dough (although I'll tell you why NOT again in a minute). I feel like I had just mastered Dorie's perfect pastry crust on page 442 or 443 of the book (so much so that I keep frozen butter and shortening in the freezer at all times now). Then I get thrown a curve ball with this dough. It's got sour cream in it. Dorie's warns us that it's soft, but I didn't have too much trouble until actual filling time.

The filling is simple: chopped apples, a touch of flour and sugar and butter...But I worked assembly line style and rolled and cut both halves then filled, by which time the dough was so soft, it fell apart a bit when I folded it over. I also overfilled and had to take about half the filling OFF each dough round (bec. I like a lot of filling)...With hindsight, I should have rolled, filled and started baking one sheet of turnovers, leaving the second half in the fridge until I was ready to roll and fill quickly.

It was a mess.

Fortunately, they taste fabulous and made me look good at a Sunday afternoon football party, so that is always a good thing. I egg-washed them and sprinkled them with raw/turbinado sugar, which gives them a great glaze and nice crunch.

Notes on this recipe?

• Work with only half the dough at a time. 
• For a 4 1/2-inch round, use one tablespoon filling (I used a very heaping tablespoon and had to take about half off)...
• and for efficiency's sake, make these rectangles or triangles instead of circles: no wasted dough.

The other note? (And why not to make the dough?) I live in South Florida where you can buy flaky empanada rounds in the freezer (and I think if you look for them, you can probably find these in most places)--they are marked "hojaldrada."
I have made apple turnovers in a jiffy in the past by chopping some apples, filling a few of these empanada rounds, brushing them with egg wash and sprinkling with sugar...No, not homemade, but for the effort and the result? More my speed.

Check out all the other blogs on the blog roll at Tuesdays with Dorie. The recipe was picked and is listed over at Someone's in the Kitchen with Jules Someone.

TWD: Chocolate Souffle

Organized me decided to make this Saturday for dessert just for us..just because I could--and also because I actually had everything on hand.

Souffles are deceptively simple. A few ingredients handled just so yield this magic. Of course that magic is pretty ephemeral, eh? Puffy souffle to fallen souffle cake in minutes. It doesn't dilute the deliciousness of it all, though.

All by way of saying that by the time my souffle made it to the table, it had fallen--but we loved it just the same.

I don't have the right dish at all, so I divided it into two--I have two pretty, nearly straight-sided bowls from Ikea. I followed Dori's intstructions to be generous when buttering and sugaring. I filled them about 2/3 full each, and that just didn't get them to puff beautifully above the rims, but never mind..we were still eating dinner when they came out of the oven, so I quickly snapped a photo...then another when we actually dished some out..fallen heaven, if you ask me, and that is just fine.

The chocolate flavor is strong, there is no eggy flavor I can detect and I love that the sugar on the bowl comes off and gives each bite just a tiny bit of sugary, crunchy texture. I did not make creme anglaise, although I do love it: that just seemed like gilding the lily a bit in this instance. Powdered sugar suits this just fine.

Dorie says leftovers taste great...and she's right.

Head over to She's Becoming Doughmesstic for the recipe (and a read...she's working her way through Julia--good read..)

Hooray for Tuesday with Dorie! Hooray for Espresso Cheesecake Brownies.

I open with a Cheesecake Brownie Abstract.

And hooray for hitting the gym, but that is so not what this post is about.

You know, my good friend Rachel moved away (you know who you are, Rachel). I blame her. Because when Rachel moved, her whole family moved with her (umm, of course). At least I knew Mike and Michael (husband, son) would eat my Tuesdays with Dorie goods. But now? Guess I'd better call Brady (my one "young" friend). He's been known to enjoy a dessert or two at my hands.

It's tough, you know? I could eat the entire pan. No, really, I am SO not joking.

But I won't. Eat every last brownie, that is. One, sure. Two? Probably a bad idea.

ANYWAY.

It has been way too hot to cook this summer and I've been running around a bit, but the truth is? I really miss cooking when I find myself too busy to do it. I've finally dug my heels and and refused to eat out. It's mediocre. REALLY. So...let's take the time to do something fun. Tonight I did two somethings fun:
1. Tuesdays With Dorie
2. Ming Tsai's Dumplings from Blue Ginger cookbook (more about that in another blog post).

These brownie's were oh-such-a-nice-way to return to baking. Brownies are reasonably easy for someone as baking challenged as I am and these are incredible (okay, truth be told, I haven't actually eaten one yet, because they are cooling for 2 hours in the fridge before I top them with even. more. sour. cream. But the coffee flavored cheesecake batter went really nicely with a dollop of the brownie batter! Love me some raw eggs...)
When I DID finally get around to assembly? Oh, heaven. The coffee flavor is there and the consistency of the cheesecake part is silky and smoth. Cut these into very small square because they are RICH. Enjoy with un cortado. And savor every crumb. Then share with as many people as possible: you will make them very happy.

(Final aside. I think I'd stop before the sour cream next time. It had an almost fake taste to it--so much so that I double checked and made sure I used full fat, good stuff...but hey, thems the breaks, right? If I make this again, I'm thinking a drizzle of chocolate over all. This is the kind of cheesecake they cut up, dip in chocolate and freeze on a stick. Decadence.)

(Really the final aside--after this sat overnight and the sour cream firmed up it lost that odd taste that made if fakey. I love it super chilled and firmer. That said, I still think I might forego it in the future, if for not other reason than the espresso cheesecake part of this is so fabulous.)

Recipe is up at Melissa's Life in a Peanut Shell. And check out TWD for the blog roll and all the other bakers.

Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies: It's Tuesday with Dorie

Hmm.. Who doesn't love a good brownie? But the Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownie isn't something I'd make again...I definitely like the proportions--I knew this would be fudgy--look at how LITTLE flour goes into the recipe. Very good start.

I got out my square pan--it measures just over 8 inches on the bottom, but 9 at the top. So, which is it? I hereby do solemnly swear I will never EVER buy a pan with sloping sides--sides to square and rectangular pans SHOULD BE STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN. Or you've got no hope and your brownies will be too flat. Like mine.

Okay. My work on behalf of bakers done, I will continue. I like brownies, but I think I'm a brownie purist. I already knew I wouldn't be adding nuts to this recipe, but after tasting, I wish I'd left out the cinnamon, too. I think I'd have kept the coffee. The cinnamon kept giving me a bit of a chemically taste. It was optional, and I love cinnamon, so I went ahead with it. I'll be interested to see how many of the other TWD bakers did without.

If you want the recipe, go read Lisa of Surviving Oz, winner of the Design a New TWD Logo Contest. Then work your way down the other blogs listed over at TWD to see how others fared.

Tuesdays with Dorie! I'm Back: Chipster-Topped Brownies

I kind of took last week off from Tuesdays (although I DID make fresh mango bread finally this week; I'd gotten the mangos, after all...) But I had a party to go to, a reason to make brownies and a will to make brownies, too...

So we did Chipster-Topped Brownies this week: decadent (as in decadent-you-don't-wnat-to-know-how-much-butter-is-in-these decadent) brownie base with really tasty chocolate chip cookie baked on top. Here's the spreading of the chocolate chip topping...drop it on, gently spread:


I loved how this looked, the two-tone bar cookie...ANd I loved how it tasted. But if you can believe it, it was almost too rich. No, it WAS too rich...I cut one-inch squares to start ....then I slice those into two and three pieces..that was all I could manage (I know my hips will thank me for that later! They thank me for it now.)


I omitted the nuts because I am, as I call it, a brownie purist. I don't like nuts, frosting, anything on/in my brownies. Add chocolate chip cookie dough to the list. Because although the flavor is fabulous, I want to ask why? I love good brownies. I love good chocolate chip cookies...I suppose this is the ultimate combo for some...but I should have guessed I might not love it even if I love both components: I never liked chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream either.

So love it or hate it, it IS beautiful and gets a lot of rave reviews from people...Now go read everyone's blog (see TWD for the blog list) about it, especially Supplicious by Beth, who chose this week's recipe.

And since I kept baking and made the mango bread, too, here's a photo. I really like the bread--I think Dorie says it tastes better the next day, and I agree. This would make great muffins...Mmm. with coconut topping..Mm. I had a minor "loaf explosion," as you can see from the photo, but that sure didn't affect the flavor. Check out Kelly from Baking with the Boys for her pick and the recipe.

TWD: Tartest Lemon Tart. That's Right: Something NOT Chocolate

I love the chocolate, but even I was a wee bit tired of all that chocolate over the last few Tuesdays With Dorie...so what do I do? Find the entirely opposite end of the palate spectrum and pick this tart.

And frankly, My TWD friends? I loved it. (I even changed the header picture to celebrate the lemony side of life.)

That is not to say I did this without a bit of problem...No, because then it wouldn't be me baking, right? I am the imperfect baker, as I keep insisting. Trouble is...baking is an exact science.

Case in point: Because this is "my" recipe (my turn), I thought I should really be methodical and early...Get the tart done SATURDAY. Blog Sunday. File and wait for it to post Tuesday. Hmm. Yes, but ...well, I don't know where I went wrong, but I couldn't have fouled up tart #1 more...first I grabbed the 1/3 cup measure, not the 1/4 cup measure. How? I don't know. No one but an idiot would confuse that diminutive 1/4 cup measure with the monstrous 1/3 cup measure. As a result, my dough had 1/3 cup nuts. 1 1/3 cup flour. (Oh, forgot to mention: the only thing in the cupboard was bread flour. Sigh.)...2/3 cup powdered sugar. Need I say that one yolk wasn't enough to hold it together? How did I detect this? Oh, maybe when the whole food processor full of everything still looked like ...powder? Not a clump in sight. I added a bit of water, decided to try to go ahead...and promptly forgot Dorie's admonition to NOT PACK THIS INTO THE TART RING. Oh, it was SO packed. Forge ahead STILL. Bake it. Forgot to set timer. Overbaked. Forge ahead. Make filling: What? No cream you say? Add vanilla yogurt and ? That's right, FORGE AHEAD. I had to bake this tart so LONG for it to set up. It is very ...um..."golden." And tasty, really it is, but ...well, frankly, it's tough. But tasty. Here's a photo...it's "darkish." A new word for...well, a new word for almost burnt.


Who shouted "No surprise!" at their screen?

So. Shopped. Got regular flour. Got cream. Paid attention. Actually remembered to gently push crumbly shortbread crust into fluted edges instead of packing it into the tart ring like spackle. Set all timers.

And I love this. Lives up to every expectation. The comments did mention bitterness, so I did trim the pith a bit. I picked this because I love a Shaker Lemon Pie that uses whole slices of lemon. This is better, Dorie. So much better.

I really wish I'd had time to do a bruleed top, ...next time. This went too fast to even think about that step....

This one is another winner for me, right after last week's tiramisu cake. Hope you all really enjoy it.

Now go have a look at the blog roll on Tuesdays With Dorie and see how everyone else fared.
Want this recipe and ALL our TWD Recipes? Better get yourself Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

I think we have permission, as the picker of the week, to post the recipe, so here it is. I'm kind of a stickler with permissions, so if I hear differently, I'll take this down (I know other pickers have posted...)

Dorie Greenspan's Tartest Lemon Tart
1 1/2 lemons, scrubbed and dried
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 lare egg yolks, room temp
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 9-inch tart shell made with Dorie's Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts (p. 444 of Baking from My Home to Yours), partially baked and cooled

Whipped cream, creme fraiche or confectioners' sugar for garnish

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place tart pan on baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat.

Slice whole lemon in half and pull out seeds from it and the half. Then cut lemons into small pieces.

Filling is best made in a blender, but you can use a food processor. Take care to work ingredients until they are smooth and to scrape down sides of bowl often. Put lemons and sugar in blender or processor and pulse, blend and scrape down sides until you have smooth mix. Add remaining filling ingredients and pulse and blend until filling is homogeneous. Rap bowl on counter several times to de-bubble filling as much as possible, and pour it into partially baked crust.

Very carefully--tart shell will be full--transfer baking sheet to oven. Bake 20 minutes, then increase oven temp to 350 degrees F and bake tart for an additional 25 to 30 minutes. (total time is 45 to 50 minutes). Don't be alarmed when filling starts to bubble up. (It might even bubble over edge of tart--that's okay.) When tart is properly baked, it shuld be set, although perhaps still shaky in center, and most of top will have formed a light sugary crust.

Transfer tart pan to cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Chill, if you'd like, before serving with cream or dusting of confectioners' sugar.

TWD: Chocolate Bread Pudding

I did it again. I made bread pudding for someone who "never liked bread pudding before" and guess what? Now she likes it. Or she likes Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Bread Pudding, at least--this week's entry in the Tuesdays with Dorie saga.

Here's the beauty of this dessert: It's extremely easy. There's not too much bread, so you get some custard separate and apart from the bread. AND you bake it in a water bath, which keeps the custard from becoming a tough pudding--it's silky smooth.

I made this as dessert for the Greek Easter Dinner I went to (see the blog post on Greek Easter Bread below)-okay, so it was a bread heavy contribution I brought, but all is fair in war and Tuesday with Dorie baking.

It is so delicious. I baked in a glass dish as suggested...I would have loved something smaller but deeper so I'd get even more custard to bread ratio in the finished product...I also wish I'd made some vanilla custard sauce to serve with this...it was plenty tasty just as it is, but bread pudding just deserves custard sauce, right?

Happy eating, all. Visit everyone else's TWD Chocolate Bread Pudding blogs for more sweet fun.

TWD: Banana Cream Pie

Hello, Tuesdays with Dorie fans. Welcome to another...Tuesday.

Hmm. Okay. Not my favorite thing, but I am committed. Because how will I ever learn to get a custard pie right? I don't even want to TALK about the number of lemon meringue and coconut cream custards I made when I tested and developed pie recipes a couple of months ago...suffice it to say: I was reduced to tears.

But. True to form, this recipe worked like a charm. I think it could be the six egg yolks (Ya think?) I had a moment of panic when it looked curdled, but I whisked up a storm and was gifted with glossy, silky smooth custard, studded with flecks of nutmeg.

(I should add this was AFTER I burnt the first pie crust to a crisp. I was so clever--had a crust, a DORIE crust, because this is the only crust I will ever make. Ever. Again.--in the freezer. I popped it in and took a shower. Dried my hair...lotion...got something cute on...And...well, and it took longer than 25 minutes. Who knew? Guess I needed additional practice making crust. You know. In case Top Chef calls. Or Next Food Network TV Star...I won't fail pie crust on national TV.)

Onward. I chilled the custard in a luxurious sink ice bath...took seconds. topping is easy...Glad I read how Dorie says to spoon it on and then smooth it--because you can't exactly spread this OVER the custard.

I'm still not a banana cream pie fan, but if anyone ever asks me to make it, this is the one. Bryn declares it the best pie she's ever tasted. G is on his second piece...me? I better go swim some more laps.Later that week: So I went away for a few days. When I came back, most of the pie was still there in the fridge, but ...well, a little browner. But I wanted a sliver. I took one. And I LOVED it. The day or two in the fridge allowed the banana to ripen and the banana flavor combined with the brown sugar caramel-y pastry cream just rocks. So maybe, just maybe, I've become a banana cream pie liker (if not lover...)

TWD: Coconut Butter Thins

Okay. As you already know if you're reading with ANY regularity here, I. Love. Shortbread.
I love to make them, I love to eat them and now? Now I love to photograph them. Food porn, that's what this is all about, isn't it?

This is so similar to the brown sugar pecan shortbreads...but these are enhanced with lime--leaving flecks of green in the dough--, coriander, coconut and macadamias.

I'll be honest. I cannot quite pick out the macadamias--so maybe I should have gone with something different, but mostly I am determined to follow these to the T. This is my learn to bake year.

Anyway. Here's the secret of good shortbread: DON'T OVERMIX! I love the rolling out in the zip-lock...this is such a neat and clean recipe. Into the fridge overnight..bake before I head out the door, take to office, reap the reward of praise as people devour them.

My one recipe note--Dorie says they turn into something lacy. Not mine...They just turned into nice shortbreads...Nice, delicious shortbreads..Cannot complain about that!

I love coconut. I love lime. I love coriander. Those three tastes totally make this cookie for me. What if I sprinkle the macadamias on TOP of the cookies next time???

Eat up. Visit the other TWD bakers, too! Check it out. Especially check out Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch. She picked this week's recipe--and you can find it there OR in Baking from My Home to Yours.

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie choice comes to us from Sihan of Beffudlement.

If there's one thing that gets me about a cake, it's CRUMB...crumble...you know.A great mix of butter, flour, sugar and, sometimes, nuts. Dorie's is a simple blend (I use pecans instead of walnuts because that is what I have on hand and because I find walnuts bitter)...I like this touch: put it into a bowl and then into the fridge. I'm guessing that adds to its "shortness" when if finally gets baked.

I used frozen blueberries bec. the price of fresh was obscene. I probably used a bit extra because if I used just the pint, I would have been left with a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries...too many blueberries never ruined anything, right?

This is another easy cake: mix wet, add dry, gently fold in blueberries (tossed with some of the flour, which helps keep the berries from all sinking to the bottom while the cake bakes). I tasted the batter and was worried there was too much baking powder/baking soda...the taste was strong...not to worry. It baked out.

I think I baked this at least...I don't know...an hour? An hour and 5 minutes? After the debacle of my uncooked cake before, I was a bit more careful here...

It rose and rose and ROSE. This is a great cake with PLENTY of crumb, just the way I like it...This, a cup of coffee, a great Florida morning...Breakfast anyone?

See the other TWD Blueberry Crumb posts.

Tuesdays With Dorie: French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade

Oh, I love a good loaf...Today's TWD is a lemony loaf with ground almonds and yogurt, plus a marmalade glaze to finish it off.

The beauty of this is its ease: whisk dry ingredients together. Work zest into sugar, add eggs, yogurt, then oil and bake. Delicious aroma floating from the oven. Mmm.

But. What's up with the way my cake rose? Kind of like a bridge flat, even a descending approach, big arch, then off again with a flat, even descending approach..not pretty. And, to top it off, it browned up way too quickly, perhaps the fault of dark metal pan?

Because this is such a simple (and very popular recipe in this house) recipe, I'll make it again trying a different pan and, perhaps a lower temp. The crust was a bit tough, but the crumb was a lovely texture. The almonds lend a moist richness to the the loaf that is wonderful.
A note about the marmalade: Dorie asks for lemon marmalade. Umm. Not a single commenter over at TWD could find it. I couldn't find it. I know I've seen it in my lifetime, but not now. Instead I bought the MOST delicious pink grapefruit marmalade. Now I have a nice bit of it left over...If I could just find a perfect baguette to enjoy with it...Maybe I need to bake a baguette..

TWD: Lemon Cup Custard

Mmm. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors..So bright, so light, so happy, so tart...Custards are so simple in terms of ingredients (milk, sugar, eggs...This one is flavored with lemon zest)...but the trick is in the cooking: low and slow and in a good water bath.

I love that Dorie has us line the roasting pan with paper towels: DUH. Nothing moves, nothing sloshes. I pour boiling water into the pan AFTER it goes into the 325 oven.Bang on 40 minutes, my custards were done. I've eaten one at room temp...This is the silky smooth--not thick pudding-y--texture that custards should be. My one regret is that I didn't have lemon extract or oil to punch up the flavor, because as is, the lemon flavor is very delicate...

I liked the dried lemon slices I did so much a few weeks back that I tossed a few into the oven here, too...Meh. I like the contrast, but it actually distracts from the silky texture.

Enjoy these. What an elegant, easy dessert.

Check out everyone else's custards, too: Tuesdays With Dorie

Tuesdays With Dorie: Caramel Crunch Bars

Well, once again, we--The Tuesdays with Dorie we--do a shortbread-based cookie. My favorite. I've learned some basics for this: namely, don't overmix. I wanted to be lazy and not chop the chocolate, but I look at the Dorie photo and the bits of chocolate are really tiny. I pull out the processor.

Tell me this isn't the best line EVER in a recipe: With a spatula and your fingertips, cajole (the batter) into a thin, even layer.

I do my best, Dorie, I do my best to cajole.I actually made a market run specifically to get Heath Toffee bits. And came home without them. Luckily, my inner sugar-fiend made me buy True North nut clusters yesterday--these are chunks of nuts held together with a tiny bit of toffee. Works for me. I throw a bunch of the cluster right into the food processor and get my topping.Chop the chocolate for the topping? Nah. I've actually made toffee bars from Silver Palate before where you just sprinkle the chips on top. Pop it back in the oven, let them soften and spread. I use up what I have: some milk chocolate, some bittersweet. Smooth it over my cajoled batter, press in my toffee/nut crunch. Let cool.

Eat.

Well done, Dorie. Well done.
Go have a look at what the other TWD bakers are doing.

Tuesdays with Dorie: CAKE!

Got Milk?

Good. Because this cake needs an ice cold glass of milk. Classic chocolate and marshmallow-y frosting. I LOVE that you get to crumble a layer and plaster is all over the outside. It hides a multitude of assembly sins. But really? No sins here, because it all tastes great.

I love this frosting...Swiss meringue? Italian? What's the difference? Silky smooth. Even I can't mess it up.

Mmmm.
Have some sugar.

Visualize World Peace...Cookies, That Is.

Yes, folks, the good news is that I am actually going to post a Tuesdays With Dorie on a Tuesday. The bad news? There is none! We are eating chocolate, so it's all good.

I have high hopes for these..I made chocolate cookies with some salt a few years ago...LOVED them..and cannot remember the recipe. This could be the one.

I love it when I have all the ingredients. Isn't flour sifted with cocoa pretty? And I just happened to have a sample tin of Fleur de Sel (Thanks, The Meadow...)

So is chopped chocolate...pretty, I mean.

I am rushing (what else is new) ...I want to take the cookies to a Super Bowl party...so I can't let the cookies chill. I did follow Dorie's light touch instructions, though--mixed until only just combined...I have Scharffen Berger chocolate...lucky me (and lucky people who are eating these..

I rolled them into small balls and flattened them to about the 1/2 inch Dorie wants...I baked one minute longer than she says, too...maybe they are a smidge over 1/2 inch...Mmm. Love these, and yes, I do believe this is the recipe--the salt is there, detectable, but not overwhelming. They are so delicate, too--they melt in your mouth, which, I believe after these weeks of baking, is a result of Dorie's instructions to mix lightly...

Go get yourself some World Peace...I've got mine.

If it's Tuesday, it must be brownies...

That's right, kids, we are back to Tuesdays with Dorie, and today's dish is French Chocolate Brownies...Lots of comments on the TWD website--people don't like raisins, they want to substitute this, change that..but my take is that part of what I am doing here is learning to bake. So for now, I'm following Dorie's recipes.

She says in the notes that this was supposed to be a cake, but when she served it, her guests (in France) exclaimed over the brownies.

So they come together quite easily. Lots of buttah. Soak the raisins in rum (I like that). Bittersweet, not semi, chocolate (I used Lindt 70%. Mmm.)..

The brownies cook a long time (50 to 60 minutes--I went 60)...The top crackles--typically a sign of overmixing, but these are NOT overmixed (Dorie even spells out how long to mix each step)...Cool, cut and eat.

I have to say I had a hungry family dying to know when they could eat the brownies...so we enjoyed our first bites quite warm. I thought. Okay. Good...But then they sat all night. These are fudgy and dense. And great cold.

I'm kind of a brownie purist, so I'm not crazy about the raisins in them, but hey, if you are going to put something in, rum raisins seem to be a great choice to me...