Irish Soda Bread

T U E S D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E

Special thanks to this week's hostesses:  

Cathy of My Culinary Mission & 

Carla of Chocolate Moosey

Irish soda bread without butter? Without caraway seeds? Without currants? Say it isn't so. I'm rather partial to a beloved recipe that incorporates all of the above. A soda bread as basic as this just can't be as good. Of course, Mr. Leprechaun seems to think differently. 

This Baking with Julia recipe is courtesy of Marion Cunningham, contributing baker. A traditional Irish bread - made from the simplest of ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk - is quite wonderful on its own. Marion suggests adding chopped dried fruit - I threw in some currants (also traditional) as well as some apricots, both soaked in dark rum. I also added some orange zest - just for kicks. Being that there is no fat (butter) in this recipe, it turned out surprisingly delicious - and not dry in the least. It has a simple, not-too-sweet flavor that is perfect on its own or as an accompaniment to another traditional Irish dish, Corned Beef & Cabbage.

Special thanks to Cathy and Carla for hosting this week's recipe - visit their blogs to get the recipe.

– mike

Sitrus Sunday Sorbet : Meyer Lemon

MY MY Mr. MEYER.

 Meyer has always been an unattainable fruit for me. It wasn't until our brand-spanking-new flagship Trader Joe's (heck, it's our one and only) rose from a vacant parking lot last October, that I was able to find Mr. Meyer. I was overjoyed. And to celebrate, he is  reincarnated as a zesty sorbet - to ring in Citrus Sunday from Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook.

Bunky of BunkyCooks.com was the inspiration for this citrus sunday. (Don't you just love the name Bunky)? I chose Bunky's recipe over powerhouse ice cream aficionados, David Lebovitz and Jeni, because of two reasons:  a beaten egg white and a tablespoon (or two) of vodka. Both additions help emulsify and prevent that dreaded "icy" texture to ice creams and sorbets. And who am I to question adding a little liquor in anything? 

The resulting sorbet was more than just quite tasty - I wasn't expecting much tartness, knowing Meyer is rather a sweet lemon. It is a marriage of both tart & sweet that shines. Smooth, almost creamy and deliciously refreshing! If Mr. Meyer hangs around for the summer, more of this sorbet will be made. Maybe even on a Monday.

A special thanks to Di for heading up this Citrus Round-Up. Be sure to stop by her blog to view all the fruit-filled entries!

– mike

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*  M E Y E R  L E M O N  S O R B E T  * 

Adapted from BunkyCooks

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 large egg white, at room temperature
3/4 cup Meyer Lemon juice (about 4 Meyer Lemons)
2 tsp. grated Meyer Lemon zest
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vodka

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Raise the heat and boil 1 minute.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg white until foamy. Slowly beat in the hot syrup mixture. Continue to beat until the mixture cools down slightly. Add the Meyer Lemon juice. Cover and chill until cold or overnight. The mixture will have the egg white foam on top, but it will mix in when placed in the ice cream freezer.

Place the mixture in a well chilled ice cream freezer. Mix in the zest and the vodka and freeze until it is the consistency of a soft serve custard. Remove from ice cream freezer and place in another container. Freeze overnight.

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Boy-O-Boy Caramel Corn

THE CARAMEL CORN SHOPPE.   As a kid there was nothing like a trip to NorthTown Center - our first urban shopping center, built in the 1950's. Most notable - a trip to The Caramel Corn Shoppe, serving hot, fresh popcorn, licorice and the grand daddy of them all - Caramel Corn. 

Years later, and many hot air corn poppers as well, I've never once made this from scratch. Too complicated I thought. Boy-O-Boy was I mistaken. A simple caramel sauce is made from butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Poured over fresh popped popcorn and sprinkled with salted peanuts, this childhood treat is then oven and cooled. Leave it to BAKED to elevate this simple treat - with a drizzling of melted chocolate (milk and semi-sweet). As if it weren't a favorite already.

Grab the recipe and view all the other BAKED CARAMEL POPCORN  over at BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

 – mike

White Bread. Cinnamon, Too.

T U E S D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E

Special thanks to this week's hostesses: 

Laurie of slush & Jules of Someone's in the Kitchen

Tea & Toast. Toast & Tea. Quiet early mornings in a breakfast nook, before the day begins. And speaking of beginnings, today's Tuesday with Dorie post highlights a new Dorie Greenspan baking adventure:  Baking with Julia. I along with hundreds of Doristas are baking our way through this culinary-challenging book, with courage, conviction and gusto. Just like Julia would.

The inaugural Baking with Julia recipe, "white bread" is from Craig Kominak, contributing baker. Made with the simplest of ingredients (bread flour, water, yeast, butter & salt), this bread was quite simple to prepare (although, don't ask my Kitchen Aid, it's still in recovery). I halved this recipe and made two small loaves. One loaf for the traditionalist and one for the renegade (who loves cinnamon sugar swirls). Both were highly-rated at my breakfast nook.

I like Cinnamon Toast. And Toast in general. Lots of it. 

Thank you Laurie and Julie for keeping Tuesdays with Dorie going strong. Your hard work is greatly appreciated. For the recipe to make this delightful bread, visit Julie's blog, Someone's in the Kitchen.

– mike

Buche de New Year

The Stump version

MY FIRST JELLYROLL.  Isn't that supposed to be a simple rolled sponge cake filled with jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar? Having never made one, this Stump de Noel from BAKED seemed a bit daunting. Instead of stumping, I rolled, and even attempted the traditional sidekicks to any buche - meringue mushrooms. 

Surprisingly, these little mushroom were the highlight of this buche. A simple meringue piped into caps and stems and fit together with white chocolate. This BAKED recipe for mushrooms makes more than the five pictured above. More like 550 - most of which ended up in the ding & dent center, also knowns as Snack Central. Still, they supplied some holiday cheer and reminded me of Disney's 1940 animated feature, Fantasia. These happy little characters prance around to Tchaikovsky's Chinese Dance - watch the minute-long dance while you're here.  

Island of Misfit Mushrooms

Let's not forget about the star of the serving platter: a rich, dark chocolate cake rolled and filled with a malted milk ball filling and covered with dark chocolate frosting. Superb on its own. I adorned it with some bark (chocolate shards), an idea I borrowed (stole) from Donna Hay. Along with sugared rosemary sprigs and cranberries, it's a virtual forest right on your table.

If you're planning a holiday party or simply want to impress your friends with ultra-fancy culinary skills, try your hand at this buche. Whether you decide to go with the stump or the roll, just don't forget the mushrooms.

 – mike


For this festive recipe, venture over to BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

Kid's Thumbprints

SPECIAL THANKS TO 

LAURIE & JULIE WHO MADE THIS JOURNEY POSSIBLE.

Extra thanks to SPIKE for putting together a Tuesdays with Dorie Bakers Album.

Click HERE to view the TWD Bakers!

Lait de Poule Creme Brûlée

F R E N C H   F R I D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E

Milk of Chicken (lait de Poule).  Somehow, "eggnog" sounds more palatable than its french translation, does it not? I would much rather have a glass of Darigold's Pumpkin Eggnog than one of chicken milk - especially at this festive time of year. I might even like it in a creme brûlée.

Having never made a creme brûlée before - I threw caution to the wind and used the entire amount of eggnog in place of whole milk and heavy cream. My scientific mind deduced that milk and cream are fat. Eggnog is fat - just better-tasting fat. Dorie's Creme recipe whisked together quite quickly - a boon for the the busy holiday season. Baking the custards was also a breeze - no bain marie needed and can be baked ahead of time and chilled, another time-saver.

I read the charm of creme brulees is the flaming of the sugar - much like flaming crepes suzette, where dinner guests gasp in awe and wonder. I utilized my tiny kitchen torch to brown and caramelize the sprinkled brown sugar. While I didn't get the 'oohs & aahs' of a flaming crepe, I did get a sparkly, crackled, sugary surface. Below lay a creamy, pudding-like custard of eggnog - which more than made up for the lack of enthusiasm with the torch.

– mike