Grandma's Kitchen Table

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie - Cranberry Spice Squares

       The fourteenth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Cranberry Spice Squares and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 109. 

       Ingredients:  all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, ground cloves, sugar, molasses, canola oil, egg, buttermilk, cranberries, cream cheese, butter, and confectioner’s sugar.

       This time of year, a bit cold and wintery, it’s always just so nice to be baking and cooking with cranberries.  While we love fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, etc. cranberries, Mark thought that he would like dried cranberries in these bars, so I went with those, the ones I had were plump and moist so I didn’t do anything further with them.

       The most time-consuming part of the recipe is gathering the ingredients and measuring them into the mixing bowls, once that it accomplished, it takes just a few quick minutes to mix and pour into the pan for baking.  After baking and cooling, the cream cheese frosting is easy and quick, icing the bars also quick. She suggested cutting the cake into 16 squares, a fine idea as they are rich and filling, a small one hits the spot.  We really liked these, they have a light gingerbread taste and it is fun to come across those tart chewy cranberries.  We will make them again for cookie trays for Christmas. Definitely repeat-worthy. 

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them ALL at your fingertips, what a deal! 

Tuesdays With Dorie: Baking With Dorie - Pear-Comté Tart

       The thirteenth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Pear-Comté Tart and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 309. 

       Ingredients:  tart shell, Dijon mustard, eggs, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, Comté (or Gruyère or Sharp Cheddar Cheese), fresh pears, and walnuts.

       Tarts go over fairly well here and this one was no exception. With a nice salad, this makes a lovely lunch or dinner, depending on the portion sizes. The pears I used were very ripe so they truly cut like butter in the finished tart. If you want to really taste the mustard, use the full amount she gives, if not, go with a little less…we used the full amount. I didn’t have Comté so I used Gruyère and it was very flavorful and the nutty taste complemented the walnuts.  All in all, a great flavor combination, easy to make, and definitely worthy of a repeat now and again.  

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them ALL at your fingertips, what a deal! 

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking With Dorie - Caramel-Apple Crisp

 

      The twelfth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Caramel-Apple Crisp and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 250. 

       Ingredients:  flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, vanilla, oats, corn syrup, cream, and apples.  

       Any kind of crisp is always welcome around here, but apple crisp is probably the most requested.  This recipe adds the wonderful flavor of caramel into the mix, making it seem like you are eating a caramel apple…one could toss in a few nuts and, there you go, you are eating a caramel apple without the hassle of the stick. Easy recipe, no fancy ingredients, delicious from beginning to end.  Dorie suggested serving it with ice cream but we felt it was very sweet as it was so maybe just a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream and a big sprinkle of cinnamon would do nicely…and it did. Definitely repeat-worthy. 

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them ALL at your fingertips, what a deal! 

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie - Glenorchy Flapjacks

       The eleventh recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Glenorchy Flapjacks and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 211. 

       Ingredients:  oats, coconut, crystallized ginger, dried cranberries, salt, butter, brown sugar, Lyle’s Golden Syrup, and sesame seeds.  

       Until now, I had never heard of these, when I saw the name of the recipe, I thought they were some sort of pancake, but not so…they are a British treat Dorie discovered in New Zealand, a cross between a bar cookie and an energy bar.  The recipe goes together quickly and easily without a lot of fussing around and bakes for less than a half hour, so if you are looking for something along those lines, with the great flavor of toasty oats, coconut, cranberries, and ginger bound together with that caramel flavor, this one is for you.  And for us…we liked these very much.  Definitely worthy of a repeat.

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Swirled, Spiced Sour Cream Bundt Cake

       The tenth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Swirled, Spiced Sour Cream Bundt Cake and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on pages 105-107. 

       Ingredients:  sugar, chocolate chips, nuts, cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt, flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, confectioner’s sugar, and milk.    

       First off, I know I can’t hide this because the photos shows what it shows, so I’ll be upfront and come clean that there is no chocolate in my version of this recipe. Shocker that I would do this, I know. I was so excited when I read the name of the recipe and no mention of chocolate was made, so I thought I was home free.  Not so…when you read the fine print (known as the ingredients list), you find out quickly that chocolate makes an appearance, well, two appearances. I made it before Lent as I give up desserts for Lent (Mark, however, does not so I can continue to bake for him throughout the season), and I wanted to have one last dessert, as it were, before Ash Wednesday, so this is the No-Chocolate-Was-Harmed-In-The-Execution-Of-This-Dessert version.  I left out the cocoa powder completely and switched out the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips, which were very tasty in there as it turns out. Otherwise, everything else remained the same, and this was a wonderful bundt cake, worthy of repeat status for sure…and maybe chocolate will never be featured in future Swirled, Spiced Sour Cream Bundt Cakes from here.  You all do you.  This one was for me. 

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie: One-Bite Cinnamon Puffs

         The ninth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is One-Bite Cinnamon Puffs and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on pages 220-222. 

       Ingredients:  water, milk, butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour, eggs, pearl or sanding sugar.   

       The idea of these little one-bite wonders sounded really appealing, but I bake for a guy and little tiny food is not his favorite, so I opted for making the two-bite version.  Dorie says in the book that these are favorites of the French and that little bowls of these can be found in the bakeries where customers buy them enthusiastically. I wish I had the pearl sugar to use but alas, I just had to sprinkle some powdered sugar on them and call it a day.  I think also next time I will go for the little small one-bites as these were okay, but I don’t think they puffed up as nicely and I think the little ones would be even more fun. They don’t take very long to make so I think I will keep trying this recipe to see if I can do better.  The taste was lovely, not too sweet, like little baby Croquembouche without any filling, but with a little punch of sweetness from the powdered sugar.

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Whip-It-Up-Quick Cornbread

       The eighth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Whip-It-Up-Quick Cornbread and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on pages 339-340. 

       Ingredients:  butter, flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, black pepper, cayenne pepper, eggs, buttermilk, and optional add-ins (bacon, corn, jalapeño, scallions, herbs, cheese).  

       I have made the same cornbread recipe for more than ten years, one from Nick Malgieri, it’s our favorite.  Until now…now we have two favorites and this recipe from Dorie is definitely one of them. The flavor is wonderful, nice and light and yet filling, the add-ins made it even more flavorful, I used bacon, jalapeño, scallions, and cheese.  She suggested 4 scallions but next time, I’m cutting that back to 2 scallions as we like them, but 4 was a bit too much of a onion-forward taste for me. The rest of the recipe works for me as written and I wouldn’t change another thing.

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Grain and Seed Muffins

        The seventh recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Grain and Seed Muffins and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 67. 

       Ingredients:  whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, fine sea salt, cinnamon, baking soda, oats, wheat bran, brown sugar, eggs, milk, canola oil, maple syrup, sunflower seeds flax seeds, sesame seeds, and dried cranberries.

       Gather all your ingredients, measure them out, and this all goes together quickly, you don’t even need to get out the mixer. Mine were done in the amount of time the recipe specified, a few of them got the little fissures on the top, but mine didn’t really have the peaks that others seemed to be getting.  Might need to check the freshness of my baking powder and baking soda before my next bake.  All in all, peaks and fissures or not, this is an easy and great tasting muffin, full of flavor.  We will happily make and eat them again anytime.

        If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Steph's Bakewell tart

       The sixth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Steph’s Bakewell Tart and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 298-299 and page 355 for the All Purpose Tart Dough recipe. You can also search for it online.

       Ingredients:  flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg, water (for the tart part) and almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, almond extract, raspberry jam (I used cherry jam), almonds, and confectioner’s sugar.

       We always watch The Great British Baking Show when it comes on and we always wondered what a Bakewell Tart was so I was very happy to see that this recipe was chosen this month and couldn’t wait to make it and see what all the fuss was about…everyone seems to love them and they are somewhat of a tradition in England.  They are easy enough to make…a tart crust, a layer of jam (I used cherry instead of raspberry because Mark wanted cherry and since he will be the one mostly eating it, Bob’s your uncle on that), and then a cakey type layer topped with almonds and a little drizzle of icing to pretty it up.  Not at all difficult.  The only thing I changed besides the jam flavor was making it a half size in my beloved 6” tart pan, because just how much Bakewell Tart can two people be responsible for in a timely manner?

        Now I see what all the fuss is about…this was delicious.  It certainly hits the sweet tooth, so smaller rather than larger slices are the better part of your decision on a given day, but the mix of almonds and cherry and cake and tart and drizzle…well, Bakewell Tart deserves its place in the rotation every now and again. Easy enough for everyday…fancy enough for company…a wonderful recipe.

        If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Cheese Puffers

       The fifth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Cheese Puffers and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 342-343. The recipe can also be found online, click here.

       Ingredients:  butter, flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, and scallions.

       The recipe comes together easily with you-probably-already-have-these-ingredients-at-home so you can put the puffers together any old time you feel like it…they are quick, and if you use really good cheddar, the taste meets all that cheesy goodness you were hoping for when you saw this photo. Mark had no trouble with the quantity netted, he promptly ate five, I had two, and then he warmed up leftovers the next day to eat with his beef stew.  He thought they were just as good the next day.  Some things are worth the splurge, these would be those.

        If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Mokonuts' Rye-Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

        The fourth recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Mokonuts’ Rye-Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 163.  You can also find the recipe online in several places, click here for one of them. 

       Ingredients:  rye flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, egg, dried cranberries, poppy seeds, chocolate, and flaky sea salt.

       The cookies get their name from famous cookie made in a famous restaurant in Paris.  Dorie tells all about it in the book, which is another reason to purchase the book…you get all the little bits of information that make the recipes even more interesting. 

       The recipe comes together easily, but does require an overnight time to sit in the refrigerator before baking them.  Described as one of Dorie’s favorite cookies, they also achieved great acclaim here as well…Mark loves a cookie that is not too sweet but nice and chocolatey and these are that, win win.

        If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - English Muffins

       The third recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is English Muffins and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on page 24. 

       English Muffins ingredients:  water, milk, oil, flour, sugar, salt, yeast, cornmeal, and a little butter.

       Homemade English Muffins are so superior in taste to the ones you buy packaged at the store, and they are so easy to make, I don’t know why I don’t always make them from scratch.  Every single time I make them I promise myself that I will never buy the packaged ones again, and yet I find myself buying them more often than making them.  But really, never again, I’m always making them from now on. They are so easy and so satisfying to make, very little hands-on time to complete the process. 

       The recipe has you making the dough in a stand mixer but you don’t even really need to get out the mixer as you can mix them easily by hand and the kneading time is just a joy with this dough.  It takes less than ten minutes until you have it rising for an hour, punch it down, and let it rise another three hours, form, and bake. I baked mine this time, usually I make them on the griddle so I already knew what that was about but Ulrike was making them on her pizza steel and I thought that maybe I would bake mine as well just to see how that went.  It went just fine.  I don't have a pizza steel, but I have a pizza stone so I used that, preheated it with the oven to 400 degrees and baked them on each side ten minutes.  They are a lovely golden color, I may do that again at times.  I made half a batch as two people can only be responsible for just so much English Muffin eating here so six muffins rather than twelve seemed the better part of discretion.  Give these a try, you will love the whole process and be amazed at the superior taste and texture, absolutely delicious…you can take credit for every nook and cranny.

        If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD: Baking with Dorie - Apple Pandowdy

       The second recipe I made with the Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Dorie group is Apple Pandowdy and can be found in the Baking with Dorie book on pages 257-259. We had the choice of this recipe or the one for English Muffins on page 24, I’ll post the English Muffins next time.

      Apple Pandowdy ingredients:  apples, sugar, lemon, butter, flour, and salt.

      As described in the book, an apple pandowdy is a sort of apple pie with only a top crust.  I had never made, or even eaten, one of these before, so I was happy to learn some new things with this recipe.  The recipe gives a great deal of freedom in your choice of how you would like to present the crust on the top of this pie…anything from a full crust to bits and pieces of leftover dough, to shapes and designs.  I wanted to see the apples beneath so I just went with a simple round of cut out dough to let the apples peek out all around the edges of the pie.  This was good in that we loved those bits of crusty tops on the apples peeking out, but maybe not as attractive as would be hoped.  I missed the cinnamon flavor associated with an apple pie, but we did love the lemon, such a surprise of deep lemon flavor.  This pie dough recipe tastes more like sugar cookie dough than pie crust to me, and I had to bake it much longer for it to get any color at all despite the brushing of milk and sprinkling of sanding sugar on top.  

       All in all, it was a delightfully delicious desert and worthy of my time and efforts.  I did enjoy learning new things with this recipe and I’m probably going to make it again at some point. Lemon Apple Pie, what a deal.

 

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal! 

TWD - Baking with Dorie - Miso Maple Loaf

      Here we go again, my my…another book from Dorie Greenspan, Baking with Dorie, was released for purchase today and to honor that, the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group selected the first recipe for the Baking with Dorie (BWD) group to make and blog, Miso Maple Loaf.  I pre-ordered the book and decided to jump in at the beginning so I could enjoy baking again with old and new friends in the group (not that any of us are “old,” of course, just in a manner of speaking, since we first met in 2008 when we all started baking together from Dorie’s Baking From My Home to Yours for several years).

 

       Miso Maple Loaf  ingredients:  flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, fine sea salt, orange zest, butter, white miso, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and orange marmalade.

 

       As with most of Dorie’s recipes, this one comes together easily and with great success the first time.  Her recipes are so well-written that if you just follow along nicely and do as she instructs, you can’t go wrong.  So that’s exactly what I did…just gathered everything, followed along nicely, and was rewarded with a lovely orange flavored loaf that was soft and moist.  Husband-approved. The glaze was “optional," so I checked with Mark, and after discerning this would be used as dessert, he thought the glaze would be a nice touch. And, it was definitely a nice touch, in looks (glossy and shiny) and taste (extra orange flavor). Using the loaf slices as a snack or as breakfast toast are also good options. Definitely worthy of repeating.

 

       If you would like to join in, just make it, bake it, and leave a link to your post at the Tuesdays with Dorie website:  click here.  At the website you will find the postings for the current recipe, the list of recipes chosen each month, and some baking chit chat that is definitely helpful as well as fun.  Currently there are two groups baking at this website:  this one, Baking with Dorie (BWD), and one that is in its final year, Dorie’s Cookies (DC), which uses recipes from that book.  We don’t publish Dorie's recipes here, but you can buy the book and have them all at your fingertips, what a deal!