TWD: Apple-Apple Bread Pudding

It's hard to get back to the things you love sometimes. So much can get in the way. There's work, of course, but also family obligations, new puppies, friends, becoming a Mac, laundry, the epic end to "Lost." But eventually, with careful planning, and re-arranging of puppy space in the kitchen, you get back to baking. And that is a good thing.

Of course the getting back can be poorly planned. As I type this the bread pudding is in the oven, with another hour to go. But I have high hopes for it's taste based on fellow TWDer's reviews, and the fact that all of Dorie's apple recipes have been stellar.

I made an 8 x 8 pan rather than the 9 x 13, and tried to reduce the recipe by 1/4 (I guess that means I made 3/4 of the recipe??). My math is never very good, so it will be interesting to see how this all turns out. I had hoped to get some apple butter from Trader Joe's, but was left with a monstrously large container from Vons. Good thing I like it when I tried it on the end of some left over challah. I will be adding it to my toast in the future (and for a long time after!).

A few apple slices hit the floor on their way to the pan, so it was a great opportunity to see if Bailey (the new pooch) liked apples. Apparently he didn't know himself until after he played with the slices a few times. He came back for more, which seemed like a good sign.


This is a little rambling since I have no actual dessert yet. But a big shout out and thanks for the pick to Elizabeth at Cake or Death. I have another year before I get to pick a recipe (assuming I post a wee bit more than I do now) so I can understand the angst that goes into making the choice. But based on the reviews and the fabulous smell coming from my oven, this one is a real winner.

TWD: Tarte Tatin

First let me say "Happy Birthday 'Tuesdays with Dorie'!" At this time of year, especially when flipping over to a year with a "0" one can't help but look back and reflect on what has come before. Two years ago I never would have imagined I'd be blogging about cooking or baking. Or would I have imagined that one cook book can hold so many wonderful treasures. Or the confidence I would gain in the kitchen by making the variety of recipes we've made out of said book. But most of all, I wouldn't have imagined meeting such a fun and fine group of people as yourselves. I'm somewhat sporadic in visiting your blogs, and even more sporadic when it comes to leaving comments - so you may have a hard time believing how much I've come to adore you. Thanks so much for the cyber friendship. It means a lot to me.

Last, but not least, a special thanks to LW who got the whole TWD thing rolling. Your hard work is appreciated and you should be very proud of this amazing thing you created. Congrats!

Now -- on with the post!

I can't tell you how much I've looked forward to this recipe. On my whirlwind 48 hour trip to Paris I took in 2003 I had this dessert for the very first time. How little I knew about food is horrifying in retrospect. But I did "get" that "caramelized apple tart" sounded like a very good thing. And it was. Heaven on earth. It sealed the deal for my love of Paris (that and the multitude of chocolate croissants I consumed!).



I've pondered getting a cast iron pan many times just for this recipe, but since Dorie gave a great option of using a skillet I gave that a try. I was very nervous about the whole project. Worried the pan wasn't right, worried the Braeburn apples weren't the best choice, worried the caramel would burn, worried I wouldn't survive the flip. And truth be told the pan was probably a little big and the sides a little too slanty. The apples were a little soft when I cut them and probably weren't the right choice. Although I let the apples cook over the stove for much longer than the 15 minutes Dorie recommended, I didn't have the heat on high enough to get the proper color on the caramel. The one true success was the pan flipping. I just took Dorie at her word - I flipped it "confidently" and it worked. Had I listened to her on all the other things, I probably would have better results.


All of that said, even though I have very "tender" apples that have very little color, the results are delicious. And due to my experience this past year plus of baking with this group, I know I have another puff pastry in the freezer. A few more apples (I'll try Gala this time), a trip with my coupon to my favorite cooking store to get that cast iron skillet, and I'll be good to go trying this out once again. I can't wait to do so. Just like I can't wait to see what this year brings baking with all of you.

Happy 2010!

Sunday Soup: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Cider Cream

I'm a day late, I know, but I was very busy yesterday being lazy. This week for me at work is insane and is usually the busiest for each holiday peak we have. So I tossed away my "to do" list and cocooned myself in my tiny house, trying to brace myself for the marathon week this will be.

And what better way to fortify yourself than with soup. There are so many things I really like about this soup. First, it is fast to make and tasty to eat. I'm assuming there is some healthiness going on as well. One way it is fast is to use pre-cut items like this butternut squash. Couldn't be handier, and is good to have leftovers for a quick and healthy side dish. I also took advantage of Trader Joe's prepackaged leeks. I appreciate buying just the part that I want to use. It doesn't seem as wasteful as buying a whole leek only to throw half of it away.


The other thing I'm loving about this soup and the last one is the use of an immersion blender. These little babies are among my top 5 tools in the kitchen. They are fun to use, easy to clean up. And I simply love blended soups.


I cut the recipe in half and each serving was very generous. You won't go hungry with this. And another plus - this recipe wasn't very expensive. I used many of the ingredients from the last soup, plus others I already had on hand.



Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Cider Cream
from the book Sunday Soup: A Year's Worth of Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Recipes
by Betty Rosbottom
Serves 6

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash (from 2- to 2 1/2- pound squash; cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (about 3 medium leeks)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped, plus an extra apple for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage
5 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups apple cider, divided
Kosher salt
2/3 cup sour cream
5 bacon slices,sauteed until crisp, drained and crumbled

Melt the butter in a large, heavy pan set over medium-high heat. When hot, add squash, leeks, carrots, and celery and saute', stirring frequently, until vegetables have softened slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Add apples, thyme, and sage. Add stock and 1 cup of the cider. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until vegetables and apples are tender, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, make the cider cream. Boil remaining 1/2 cup cider in a small, heavy saucepan until it reduces to 1/4 cup, for about 5 minutes. Cool, then place sour cream in a small bowl and whisk in reduced cider. (Cider cream can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate until needed.)

Puree the soup in batches in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return soup to the pot. (Or use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.) Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.)

For the garnish, halve and core the reserved apple, then cut one half into 12 paper-thin slices. (Eat or save remaining half for another use.)

To serve, ladle soup into 6 shallow bowls and drizzle with cider cream. Garnish each serving with crumbled bacon and a couple of apple slices.

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisps

Hey kids -- did you miss me???

It sure is nice to be back and baking with you all. I'll post a little something about my vacation later this week. I started working on it when I was getting my car serviced this weekend. Apparently "free wifi" does not equal "speedy wifi" or "convenient wifi" or "non-maddening wifi" so that entry will post later.

I'm also back to my old ways of starting projects on Tuesday night. Since I'm taking a class and don't get home until 10pm, that's a little later than normal. As a result I've got the crisps in the oven as we speak, so I'll have to give you a full report a bit after midnight.


It sure is great to take November's recipes in whatever order works. This one is great because it is so easy. Well, easy as long as you're not trying to divide by 3. If I were smart, I would have just divided by two and had large crisps. On the other hand, if I were smart, I wouldn't have just 3 ramekins, but 4 (thus making the division thing easier). Happily I have a handy dandy dial that helps with this type of complicated math. Not perfect, but it helps.


At the moment all I can smell is something burning in my oven (I must have spilled something - maybe a nut or something when I made granola this weekend) but otherwise I'm very excited about this recipe. I love anything with apple in it, and cranberry is another favorite flavor. Fall is by far my favorite season. Some people lament a lack of seasons in San Diego. We do have seasons - people who don't notice them don't appreciate subtly.

I'm going to post this now to beat the midnight deadline, but will let you know how this all turns out. If I were a good girl I'd let them cool and try them in the morning. But why do that when I only have to let them cool for 10 minutes before I try them!

I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you out there in blog-land and see what you've been up to while I was gone. Happy fall, everyone!


Edited to add this picture of the finished product. Boy was it YUMMY! And, I found my 4th ramekin. I had it stashed separately from the others. No idea why. Oh well, next time I'm making four of these!

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

Despite mistakes, confusion, and a few swear words, this was a very unattractive but tasty choice for this week. Thanks to Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen for picking a challenging and delicious treat!

Things started out rough when the dough wasn't broken down into small enough parts.


My butter was too cold, so it didn't "make friends" as much with the rest of the dough as it should have.



After a trip to the fridge, out came the crumbly dough -- all over the floor.


A little more sour cream and a little more mixing, and back into the fridge the divided dough went.

Out for a roll -- not exactly 9x18. Both of mine looked like small European countries.


Back into the fridge (where one still lives) for more rest, while apples were cut and mixed.


A trip to the oven, took about 23 minutes for them to become the right color and doneness.


Too many apples, too small of dough, too ugly to serve to others. But oh so tasty, flaky and flavorful once cooled.


Since I have another dough in the fridge, I can give this another try. I probably didn't have the dough rolled out thin enough, and I can't imagine how TWO tablespoons full of the apple mixture would EVER fit in the dough round. Like I said, it wasn't pretty, there was some swearing, but gosh these things are good. Definitely a challenge, and one I'll likely try again!

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

Karen over at Something Sweet by Karen defied the season and picked a treat that quickly put me in the mood for Fall. It helps that the weather here has been unseasonably cool. It should be blazing hot, and all the fans in my house should be on, but instead just one little fan on low, just because the oven was on and the house had been closed up all day (closed windows another sure sign it isn't summer). Before you all get jealous, I'm sure we'll be in for a scorching September and October. Hopefully scorching in temperature only, as we are well known for our October wild fires.


But on to more pleasant talk -- how about these bars!?!? Super easy to make with a minimal of equipment needed (I reread the directions to make sure I added up the number of bowls/pots I would need - two just seemed too good to be true). This was the recipe that made me break down and buy allspice. We've had recipes that required it before, but I've always skipped it. I don't know why this one made me open up the wallet -- I guess that picture in the cookbook just looks too good to mess with.


A whisk, some melting and whisking, a bit more whisking and then gentle stirring. Baking whilst watching a little Big Brother (I was expecting more "oomph" with Chima's expulsion - kinda disappointing), cooling while washing, more melting and whisking (oops, put the vanilla in early!), a little putting the thing back together as it broke coming out of the pan, a bit of spreading, and viola, a yummy dessert!


I like how the spices are there, but not overpowering, and I like the contrast between the apples, the raisins (used those Trader Joe's goldens) and the pecans. Simply delish!

Perhaps some will make it to work tomorrow, but not all. Some will definitely stay behind to keep me (and my hips) company. These are good enough to willingly go to the gym tomorrow (that means they are good!).

TWD: Parisian Apple Tartlet

Jessica at My Baking Heart is my new hero and best friend, though she doesn't know it. Anything with baked apples is at the top of my culinary loves. One day remind me to wax poetic about the Tarte Tartin I had during my 48 hours trip to Paris. It was long before I knew anything about food, but the trip gave me an inkling of what I was missing. So I was totally on board with any pick that has apples and sugar in it. Then add to the fact that on the busiest week of my year Jessica picks a recipe with no need for a mixer, a bowl, a sauce pan or most any other kitchen tools, well, I almost fell to my knees in gratitude!

I had some puff pastry from our friends at Trader Joe's in the freezer. Only needed to pick up some apples from the store, and I was ready to go. This couldn't be easier to make. But just like the last few recipes I've tried, it took longer to bake than stated in the recipe. And even then my apples weren't completely cooked. I was worried about the puff pastry being a little too done, so I made do.

It was yummy for dessert last night and yummy for breakfast this morning. I love the fact that I could whip this up at basically a moment's notice. We've had other desserts that were prettier, more decadent and/or sinful, but this wins in the "easy to make but with bang for your buck" category (don't worry if you didn't know that was a category until now. Neither did I).

This will be it for me until sometime next week. Plans for Mom's party are in full swing with relatives landing on Thursday AM and being drafted into work upon arrival. Shopping on Thursday, food prep on Friday, panic on Friday night into Saturday morning, then "too late to change anything now" mode at noon on Saturday. Wish me luck. I'll report on how it all turns out next week (I'd say after I've recovered, but it would be nice to make an appearance here sometime before 2010).

Will miss you while I'm gone. Have a nice week and see you soon!