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

Washington State Buckeyes

HORSE CHESTNUTS.   As kids, we used these spiked balls as artillery during neighborhood play (ouch). I grew up thinking the nuts insides were chestnuts - the kind you roasted on an open fire. As an adult, my palate prefers another chestnut - or Buckeyes as they call 'em back east. That's New York east, not Ohio east.

NO OVEN REQUIRED.  These fall into the quintessential No Bake category - a quick and easy treat featuring the classic combo of peanut butter and chocolate. The boys at BAKED veer from the traditional recipe of rolled balls with powdered sugar and peanut butter - adding their own twist:  graham cracker crumbs. It gives these chestnuts a unique texture and flavor. Their dark chocolate coating, much like a fresh coat of Smucker's Magic Shell, is Pound Plus - direct from our brand-spanking-new, incredibly-staffed, first-ever Trader Joe's store. Can you tell I'm a bit elated? This 72% dark chocolate takes the edge off the powerfully-sweet confection. Set these out on your holiday table and watch them disappear. They come pre-shelled, without the spikes.


Grab the recipe and view all the festive BAKED BAKERS' BALLS  over on BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

 – mike

Salted Caramel Spritz Cooky

I   B E L I E V E  . 

Everyone has a repressed cooky press memory or two sealed away. Mine are somewhere back in the 60's with mom's green-tinted wreaths and pink-tinted stars. Or were those flowers? She made them with a MIRRO cooky press - one I've since inherited, complete with its tattered box featuring pastel-colored creations. I thought it a rather festive and nostalgic way to ring in the second annual Cookie Exchange from Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook.

I chose an authentic MIRRO recipe from the recipe booklet - Caramel Cookies. Made with all shortening, (what, no butter? what gives?), I figured the "caramel" flavor must come from using brown sugar in place of white. Hm... sounds good, but let's spice this up a notch. I made a thin caramel sauce with sugar, heavy cream, a dash of vanilla and a bit of Fleur de Sel. Once the cookies had cooled, I drizzled the caramel sauce and sprinkled more Fleur de Sel. They made for a tender cooky with a slight crunch. I'm sure an all-butter cooky would yield a more "melt-in-your-mouth" flavor and texture, but hey, shortening has its place.

Be sure to head on over to the Di's Round-Up site this coming weekend to view all the cooky entries. There's sure to be at least one, if not several recipes to add to your holiday baking list.

** And a special thanks to Nancy's of The Dogs Eat the Crumb's talented daughter, Allison (that's a mouthful, isn't it?) for creating with festive Exchange Badge - two years in a row! **

– mike

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

*  C A R A M E L  S P R I T Z   C O O K I E S  * 

Time:  10-12 min.        Temp.:  375 degrees

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla exract
3 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda

1. Cream the shortening; add sugars gradually and cream thoroughly.
2. Add beaten eggs and vailla extract
3. Sift flour, soda and salt and gradually add to creamed mixture.
4. Fill a MIRRO cooky press and form fancy designs on ungreased MIRRO Aluminum cooky sheets.  Bake.
Yield – 6 dozen

* * * * * * * * * * 

Bite-Sized Baked French Toast

BREAKFAST IS SERVED.  There's something magical about 'going out for breakfast' when you're a kid. For me, it was Sambo's. Way, way back. When your dressed "up" to go "out". Pitcher holders featuring three flavors of syrups and large, rounded scoops of whipped Tiger butter. Back then, French Toast was made with good old, refined-and-bleached-white-flour bread. Nothing could beat it.  FAST FORWARD:  Times have changed and so has French Toast. 

SLICE. POUR. CHILL. BAKE.  For the bite-sized toast, a bag of "baby baguettes" caught my eye at Trader Joe's. A simple egg, cream, cinnamon and vanilla mixture is poured over the slices and chilled overnight. In the morning, sprinkle toasted almonds atop and bake - skillet free. To see the round-up of BAKED  French Toast, visit the round-up at BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

If you're a stickler for going by the book, you'll want to make the BAKED raspberry sauce as per the recipe. I'm a stickler for tradition. Nothing beats syrup on my new favorite French Toast - with your choice of maple, blueberry or strawberry. 

 – mike

Rice Pudding and Caramel Apples

F R E N C H   F R I D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E
Thanksgiving. I'm hoping there were plenty of pumpkin pies, pecan pies, apple pies, pumpkin cheesecakes, and even a chocolate tart here and there. I'm betting Dorie's wonderful rice pudding was probably not found on many dessert tables this season. It should be.

This "two-parter" starts with a milk pudding - flecked with arborio rice. Visions of tapioca fill my head when rice pudding is mentioned, but the large grains of arborio make this a moist, tender and texturally-interesting pudding. 

My ever-flowing bowl of autumn apples were my one inspiration (nudge) to try this recipe. This apple & caramel compote combines the best of two worlds - caramel sauce and tender flavorful apples. Layered with a rich, rice pudding, it's a combination I would never think to pair, but the result is the perfect autumn dessert. Served warm, alongside my pumpkin pie, (for those traditionalists), it made for a delectable Thanksgiving dessert.

One can't help but be thankful for unique desserts like these.

– mike

Hazelnut Cinnamon Chip Biscotti

'TIS TIME FOR A BREAK.  A BREAK from your regularly-scheduled BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS "Boston Cream Pie Cake".  Think of it as a coffee break. A trip to Denver with my parents to visit my brother and his family left me but a day to read up on the infamous Boston cake - and left me slightly panicked . I decided to draw upon the BAKED Bill of Rights - the Right to Substitute. To see all those wonderful  high-brow Boston Cream Pie Cakes, visit the round-up at BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

Oh Frangelico

Drawing upon and ancient recipe from the "BAKED - New Frontiers In Baking" archives - Hazelnut Cinnamon Chip Biscotti - the "chips" being chocolate chips. Studded with toasted, chopped hazelnuts and a healthy dose of cinnamon - they're accented with yet another BREAK in the repertoire . I substituted hazelnut liqueur in lieu of vanilla extract.

Objects are closer than they appear.

I might have been baking too hastily, but the recipe states to form "one log" with your dough - which will form a 3 1/2 inch wide loaf. Mine measured 9 1/2 inches. This BAKED recipe makes large biscotti. Wait, more like gargantuan-sized biscotti. Whether large or small, these are the most flavorful biscotti I've ever tasted. A must try - along with their alternative add-in:  dried cherries and pistachios replace the hazelnuts and chips.

If I must, I'd suggest another BREAK - do yourself a favor and split the dough in half. Make normal-sized biscotti. But that's just me - the Rule Breaker.

 – mike