Come on in and set a spell. I have some stories to share. Have a bit of tea and a “really exceptional” scone, to quote my husband. I’ll get to these luscious, cheesy scones in just a bit. Continue reading after the jump . . . .
continue reading "TWD – “Really Exceptional” Apple-Cheddar Scones."

No Tuesdays with Dorie for me this week, as I’m on vacation (I’ll be back tomorrow.) But I did whip up something else before I left . . .

I bake a fair amount of scones and biscuits for a variety of reasons: they’re quick, easy, affordable, and a great way to Clean Out the Pantry. So, recently when I found myself with some scallions and cheddar that needed to be used up, and little time for baking, I turned to The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook for some inspiration, and found it in the recipe for Scallion Cheddar Scones.

These were a big hit at Chez Chow. I have no idea why, but they smelled like bacon when I was baking them. And whether you eat bacon or not, you have to admit that nothing else smells quite like it does.

Will I be making these again? In a heart beat. I’ve hidden some scallions and cheddar in the back of the fridge expressly for that purpose!
continue reading "Luscious Cheese Scallion Scones"

I’ve been pretty busy, but decided to jump into Bread Baking Day for the first time by making a delicious cheese kuchen from Carol Walter’s wonderful book, Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight. Bread Baking Day #10’s topic is Breakfast Breads, an excellent choice by Melissa of Baking A Sweet Life.

One of the recipes in Ms. Walter’s book yields a versatile sweet dough that you can make with either cream cheese or sour cream, and then you can use the dough for a variety of other yummy baked goods, such as crumb buns, sticky buns, or the cheese kuchen. The dough is easy to make, easy to work with, and it freezes well. If you’re as busy as I am, that is an unbeatable combination. And, of course, the kuchen also tastes very good: it tasted like Danish pastry, but without all the work! The cheese filling was phenomenal, even with the raisins, which I usually don’t care for, but loved in this. In fact, I had to restrain myself from eating the filling with a spoon. I will be using this dough a lot! Keep reading more after the jump . . . .
continue reading "Cheese Kuchen"

Sorry the photo above isn’t too good – the others mysteriously disappeared from my hard drive. After shelling out $600 last year to “repair” our desktop, we are coming to terms with the sad reality that we are going to have to replace it. The good news? We are going Mac!

Now, about the strudel. Pulling my own strudel dough has mesmerized me for years, the way making macarons has affected other bloggers. I read a ton of cookbooks, and even watched videos on You Tube (this one is humorous and instructive). The night before I made the dough, I dreamed all night that I was making strudel. I practically worked myself into a tizzy. Finally, I turned to Carole Walter’s fabulous book, Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight.

Unlike Ivonne, of Cream Puffs in Venice, I did not have much luck pulling the dough, despite my best efforts (but I’m not giving up!). Instead of a twenty-inch strudel, I ended up with a ten-inch stump:

Note the filling explosion on the bottom, left.

This little strudel endeavor triggered the loss of my baking mojo, much to my dismay. I tore the dough repeatedly, and finally decided to stop while I had something left in which to roll up the tasty filling. And tasty it was, folks: a cherry cheese filling from Ms. Walter’s book, a filling that I made using sour cherries that I had pitted and frozen last year. I was eating the stuff with a spoon, and had to restrain myself. Luckily, the horizontally challenged strudel was too short to accommodate all the cheese filling, so I was able to eat that for breakfast the next day. What’s a few thousand calories among bakers?

Needless to say, I’m going to tackle this again, but with a different dough recipe the next time. If any of you are interested in making your own dough, here are some books that have recipes and instructions: A Baker’s Tour: Nick Malgieri’s Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World;A Baker’s Odyssey, includes DVD: Celebrating Time-Honored Recipes from America’s Rich Immigrant Heritage;A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking;Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague;Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts; and Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever.

Puffy, golden goodness. Mmmm.

Inspired, yet again, by Ina Garten, I decided to try her goat cheese tart. Now, you may wonder at my use of a commercial crust. I make no apologies – they are my yearly Thanksgiving backup, ever since the Jehovah’s Witness Incident of 2004.

What, you ask, was that? Ah, yes. I remember it well. I was furiously baking pies on Thanksgiving day. And it was one of those times when nothing was working quite like I had planned. I had just rolled some pastry into one of the pie pans, when a group of very nice Jehovah’s Witnesses rang my doorbell. I was covered in flour, and my hands were filthy. I set the rolling pin on top of the Pyrex pie plate so that I could wash my hands, and the entire pie plate shattered. Glass everywhere. Pastry ruined.

Well, ever since then, I make sure to buy a couple commercial pie crusts, just in case. Of course, that means if things go well, I have to use up those crusts, which I did here. Quite tasty, I must say.

Even though I prepared the shallots, I forgot to add them to the tart. So I had them on the side. I think the shallots are important, so I would suggest not leaving them out. I also took the liberty of adding some thyme.

Goat Cheese Tart

Adapted from Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)

10 1/2 ounces garlic-and-herb soft goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)

1 cup heavy cream (preferably NOT ultra-pasteurized)

3 extra-large eggs

1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.

Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

The tart puffs up beautifully, and yields six generous slices. The perfect accompaniment is a green salad with a light vinaigrette.

Hhhm, what to cook for dinner, since I haven’t made it to the grocery store?

What’s in the cupboard? Eggs. Cheese. Milk. And a secret ingredient that makes so many things taste better. Shhh . . . it’s anchovies. Even if you don’t like them (like me), they add an amazing depth of flavor to tomato sauces and souffles. They simply melt in and lose their anchovy taste.

I had some cheddar cheese that wasn’t sharp enough for my tastes, so I decided to use it up in a souffle, and jazzed it up with some of those little fishies. I must say, the smell of this little golden marvel filled the house and wafted outdoors, much to the delight of Master Chow when he came home. “What is that?” he inquired. He soon found out. Just add a nice salad, and enjoy!

Cheese Souffle

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

• Butter, room temperature, to grease souffle dish

• 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) butter

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 anchovy filets, packed in olive oil, minced

• 1 1/3 cups milk, hot

• 4 large egg yolks

• 6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

• 5 egg whites plus 1 tablespoon water

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartarGrease an 8-inch souffle mold with the room temperature butter. Add the grated Parmesan and roll around the mold to cover the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 5 minutes.

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  In a medium bowl combine the flour, dry mustard, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the butter. When the butter has stopped foaming, turn down the heat and add the anchovies, stirring them in. Whisk the flour mixture into the melted butter and anchovy mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Monitor the heat because you don’t want this to burn, or you will have a rather nasty mess on your hands.

  Whisk in the hot milk and turn the heat to high. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks to a creamy consistency. Temper the yolks into the milk mixture, constantly whisking. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until glossy and firm. Start by whipping the whites on a low speed until they start to foam, and then increase the speed. Be careful – if you overbeat the whites, they will be unusable.

  Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture to the cheese base. Continue to add the whites by thirds, folding very gently. Pour the mixture into the souffle. Fill the souffle to 1/2-inch from the top. If you like, run a damp finger along the inside of the rim to give the souffle a “hat-like” appearance.

  Place on an aluminum pie pan. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

This ebelskiver did not survive long after this photo was taken.

I received and ebelskiver pan for Christmas, much to my delight! Williams-Sonoma had a luscious-looking recipe in its latest catalog, so I dusted off the pan and put it to the test.

Ebelskivers are little, round Norwegian pancakes made in a special pan. They are usually filled with fresh fruit or a jam. Here is another photo of the cooking process. Er, or should I say the overcooking process:

Surprisingly, these little briquets still tasted delicious, a testament to the rich batter!

Some thoughts: Ebelskivers are tricky to make, but boy-oh-boy are they tasty. Flipping them over, without making a mess, is not easy and, even on medium heat (as instructed), they overbrowned. For some reason (the excitement of trying a new recipe??), I was so distracted that I forgot to add the beaten egg whites to the batter until I made my second batch. Not much of a taste difference, but the egg whites do lighten the batter considerably, and allow the center to cook through.If you use a jam filling, use a good one. I chose Bonne Maman cherry preserves. I also added extra lemon zest to my batter.

The entire cooking process is kind of messy and fast-paced . . . but did I mention these little gems are really tasty? Oh, yes, I see that I did. They’re worth the effort, and I think worth the practice to get them right!

Ebelskivers

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma’s Recipe

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Zest of one lemon
• 3 egg yolks plus 5 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese ( used part skim)
• 5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 7 Tbs. jam, as needed
• Confectioners sugar for dustingWhisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.

  In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. Whisk in the buttermilk and ricotta. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the mixture will be lumpy. Set aside.

  In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the whites into the batter in two additions.

  Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well, place 1/2 teaspoon jam in the center of the batter, and top with another 1 Tbs. of batter. Do NOT use more batter.

  Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 wooden skewers, turn the pancakes over and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and jam. Dust the pancakes with confectioners sugar and serve warm. Makes about 30.

The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity. Despite my best intentions to post on this blog, “Life” happened! At any rate, one of my modest goals for 2007 is to update this blog on a more regular basis.

The recipe comes from Paula Dean. It is an incredibly easy appetizer, and absolutely delicious. Master Chow despises macadamia nuts, and he loved this. Just be sure to get a fairly firm regular brie (I accidentally made this with a pepper brie once, and it was not good!). Paula Dean serves this with crackers and apples, but I serve it with plain water crackers, or with a mild salami to cut some of the sweetness. Also, you may have to play around with your oven temperature, as well, to get the desired consistency. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Sugar and Nut Glazed Brie

Adapted from a recipe by Paula Deen

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 (14-ounce) round brie (if you have a smaller one, that’s okay, just cut back a bit on the sugar mixture)
• Crackers, for serving.
  In a small bowl stir together the sugar, nuts, and brandy. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week.

Before you make this, set the brie out so that it comes to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the brie on an ovenproof platter or pie plate. Spread with the brown sugar mixture.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the brie is softened, and the sugar melts, bubbles, and turns a light golden brown. Place crackers around the brie and serve immediately.