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!

TWD: Brownie Buttons

Lessons learned this week while making the Brownie Buttons, chosen by Jayma over at Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen.

- Dorie follows a "truth in advertising" policy I think. These were very small, literally the size of buttons. Well, buttons worn during the 1980s perhaps, but buttons nonetheless. No rise, which is no surprise (oh - I made a rhyme!) since there was no leavening agent. But once the concept was embraced, I was on board.

- Trust in the power of Dorie. You may think those "optional" ideas sound weird, but I haven't tried one yet that hasn't spoken to me. Instead of orange zest I went with lemon (that is what I had on hand) and I really, really liked it. The balance between the zing of the zest, the richness of the chocolate brownie, and the sweetness of the white chocolate icing really worked.

- Trust your timer. If you set your timer to a particular time, and you hear it alert you to the fact that 14 minutes have come and gone, do not think, "oh, I'll get there in just a minute." Because if you're baking something this small, that extra minute is going to cost you. Second week in a row that "moist" isn't a word used to describe my results.

- If you put a metal bowl inside another metal bowl filled with simmering water, and the white chocolate in the first bowl melts as a result of said simmering water, there is a very good likelihood that picking up the first bowl with the melted chocolate WITHOUT some sort of heat protection isn't a very good idea.

- I am grateful on a daily basis for the quick reflexes and excellent balance I inherited from my father. Without them, my kitchen would be a whole lot messier.

- Still no obvious upside to chubby, short fingers. These little suckers were hard to hold on to! I finally gave up and just frosted them with the back of my spoon. Got the same results with a lot less swearing.

- On the downside theme, tiny desserts are evil. You are lulled into thinking "just one of these adorable little treats can't possibly hurt....." Sixteen of them later - well, 'nuff said.

So there you have it. Another successful TWD project completed, with an extra dose of insight at no extra cost. Sadly my co-workers did not partake in this - both sadly for them and sadly for my hips. Lucky for them, and my hips, the Applesauce Spice bars look like a good "let's share" dessert. I'm looking forward to making them next week. And - I finally got around to making the vanilla ice cream. Full report to follow.

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

First, I'm going to apologize to any of you who live in cold climates. Really, I've been there, I know how painful these words are this time of year. The words are these -- it is too dang hot to bake (cruel! I know!). Today wasn't nearly as hot as yesterday. It would be impossible to bake yesterday (actually, just walking into my house at 8pm last night felt like I was baking). This brief warm spell we're having is making me worry about what I'll do this summer. No air conditioning. Little house. I'll have to participate in TWD at 3am. Oy!

Moving on -- it's been awhile since I've done the TWD thing, so I felt a little out of practice. Good thing there weren't too many ingredients. And in this heat, "chopping" the chocolate was pretty darn easy.

I first thought I'd go the 8x8 Pyrex route, but upon looking over some of the comments in the P&Q I decided I really liked the idea of ramekins (ah yes, my still new ramekins in their shinny new roasting pan). I made half of the recipe, and divided into four. It was at this point I remembered the whole "take pictures as you go" thing. As many of you have no doubt discovered, this is not a pretty dessert. Not at all. I find myself trusting in the power of Dorie. Were it not the experience of knowing her desserts taste divine, I would have serious reservations.

This baked for 45 plus minutes, and it still didn't look appetizing. But oh boy, is it yummy! Super rich (perhaps a little too rich even in a 6 ounce ramekin portion) with just the right balance of chocolate and bready goodness. My intention was to only take a bite for the sake of the picture. Alas, the container is almost empty at this point (someone save me from myself!).

Many thanks to Lauren of Upper Eastside Chronicle for choosing this week's recipe!