Monthly Archives: March 2009

TWD: Coconut Butter Thins

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Okay. As you already know if you’re reading with ANY regularity here, I. Love. Shortbread.
I love to make them, I love to eat them and now? Now I love to photograph them. Food porn, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?

This is so similar to the brown sugar pecan shortbreads…but these are enhanced with lime–leaving flecks of green in the dough–, coriander, coconut and macadamias.

I’ll be honest. I cannot quite pick out the macadamias–so maybe I should have gone with something different, but mostly I am determined to follow these to the T. This is my learn to bake year.

Anyway. Here’s the secret of good shortbread: DON’T OVERMIX! I love the rolling out in the zip-lock…this is such a neat and clean recipe. Into the fridge overnight..bake before I head out the door, take to office, reap the reward of praise as people devour them.

My one recipe note–Dorie says they turn into something lacy. Not mine…They just turned into nice shortbreads…Nice, delicious shortbreads..Cannot complain about that!

I love coconut. I love lime. I love coriander. Those three tastes totally make this cookie for me. What if I sprinkle the macadamias on TOP of the cookies next time???

Eat up. Visit the other TWD bakers, too! Check it out. Especially check out Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch. She picked this week’s recipe–and you can find it there OR in Baking from My Home to Yours.

TWD: Coconut Butter Thins

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Okay. As you already know if you’re reading with ANY regularity here, I. Love. Shortbread.
I love to make them, I love to eat them and now? Now I love to photograph them. Food porn, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?

This is so similar to the brown sugar pecan shortbreads…but these are enhanced with lime–leaving flecks of green in the dough–, coriander, coconut and macadamias.

I’ll be honest. I cannot quite pick out the macadamias–so maybe I should have gone with something different, but mostly I am determined to follow these to the T. This is my learn to bake year.

Anyway. Here’s the secret of good shortbread: DON’T OVERMIX! I love the rolling out in the zip-lock…this is such a neat and clean recipe. Into the fridge overnight..bake before I head out the door, take to office, reap the reward of praise as people devour them.

My one recipe note–Dorie says they turn into something lacy. Not mine…They just turned into nice shortbreads…Nice, delicious shortbreads..Cannot complain about that!

I love coconut. I love lime. I love coriander. Those three tastes totally make this cookie for me. What if I sprinkle the macadamias on TOP of the cookies next time???

Eat up. Visit the other TWD bakers, too! Check it out. Especially check out Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch. She picked this week’s recipe–and you can find it there OR in Baking from My Home to Yours.

Not the Barefoot Blogger…Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

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Okay. So I’m not on the blogroll at Barefoot Blogging any longer, and I don’t deserve to be…somehow, cooking what they were cooking WHEN they were cooking it has eluded me. So this is unofficial, unsanctioned Barefoot Blogging…but it was such a success it deserves a post.

The choice of the week is Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart in Puff Pastry from Ina Garten. I’ve had a recipe and a half of Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Pie Dough in my fridge for a few days and this seemed just right as a subsitution for the puff dough.

I rolled out the dough and lined 6 shallow ramekins with it–the kind usually used for creme brulee. Caramelize onion (black cast iron RULES for this). Sprinkle in grated parm. Top with herbed goat cheese (I stretched 4 ounces over 6 tarts). Top this with slices of the most beautifully ripened tomatoes (thank you, Florida!), then some very good EVOO (Badia a Coltibuono. I won’t tell you how much I paid for this, but it is WORTH it)…Basil. Salt (once again, thank you Mark from The Meadow for my sampler of sel gris). Pepper. Top all this with shards of shaved parmesan. Bake until pastry is golden brown.

Things to note about this dinner:
1. This is beautiful.
2. This is delicious
3. My kids LOVED it.
4. DH decided to eat crap at a British pub instead of this…you know, because he had homemade pizza (also with tomato and cheese) the night before. Poor him, right?

A tart, salad and a glass of crisp white wine…Lovely dinner. Try it.

Not the Barefoot Blogger…Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

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Okay. So I’m not on the blogroll at Barefoot Blogging any longer, and I don’t deserve to be…somehow, cooking what they were cooking WHEN they were cooking it has eluded me. So this is unofficial, unsanctioned Barefoot Blogging…but it was such a success it deserves a post.

The choice of the week is Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart in Puff Pastry from Ina Garten. I’ve had a recipe and a half of Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Pie Dough in my fridge for a few days and this seemed just right as a subsitution for the puff dough.

I rolled out the dough and lined 6 shallow ramekins with it–the kind usually used for creme brulee. Caramelize onion (black cast iron RULES for this). Sprinkle in grated parm. Top with herbed goat cheese (I stretched 4 ounces over 6 tarts). Top this with slices of the most beautifully ripened tomatoes (thank you, Florida!), then some very good EVOO (Badia a Coltibuono. I won’t tell you how much I paid for this, but it is WORTH it)…Basil. Salt (once again, thank you Mark from The Meadow for my sampler of sel gris). Pepper. Top all this with shards of shaved parmesan. Bake until pastry is golden brown.

Things to note about this dinner:
1. This is beautiful.
2. This is delicious
3. My kids LOVED it.
4. DH decided to eat crap at a British pub instead of this…you know, because he had homemade pizza (also with tomato and cheese) the night before. Poor him, right?

A tart, salad and a glass of crisp white wine…Lovely dinner. Try it.

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

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This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie choice comes to us from Sihan of Beffudlement.

If there’s one thing that gets me about a cake, it’s CRUMB…crumble…you know.A great mix of butter, flour, sugar and, sometimes, nuts. Dorie’s is a simple blend (I use pecans instead of walnuts because that is what I have on hand and because I find walnuts bitter)…I like this touch: put it into a bowl and then into the fridge. I’m guessing that adds to its “shortness” when if finally gets baked.

I used frozen blueberries bec. the price of fresh was obscene. I probably used a bit extra because if I used just the pint, I would have been left with a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries…too many blueberries never ruined anything, right?

This is another easy cake: mix wet, add dry, gently fold in blueberries (tossed with some of the flour, which helps keep the berries from all sinking to the bottom while the cake bakes). I tasted the batter and was worried there was too much baking powder/baking soda…the taste was strong…not to worry. It baked out.

I think I baked this at least…I don’t know…an hour? An hour and 5 minutes? After the debacle of my uncooked cake before, I was a bit more careful here…

It rose and rose and ROSE. This is a great cake with PLENTY of crumb, just the way I like it…This, a cup of coffee, a great Florida morning…Breakfast anyone?

See the other TWD Blueberry Crumb posts.

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

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This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie choice comes to us from Sihan of Beffudlement.

If there’s one thing that gets me about a cake, it’s CRUMB…crumble…you know.A great mix of butter, flour, sugar and, sometimes, nuts. Dorie’s is a simple blend (I use pecans instead of walnuts because that is what I have on hand and because I find walnuts bitter)…I like this touch: put it into a bowl and then into the fridge. I’m guessing that adds to its “shortness” when if finally gets baked.

I used frozen blueberries bec. the price of fresh was obscene. I probably used a bit extra because if I used just the pint, I would have been left with a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries…too many blueberries never ruined anything, right?

This is another easy cake: mix wet, add dry, gently fold in blueberries (tossed with some of the flour, which helps keep the berries from all sinking to the bottom while the cake bakes). I tasted the batter and was worried there was too much baking powder/baking soda…the taste was strong…not to worry. It baked out.

I think I baked this at least…I don’t know…an hour? An hour and 5 minutes? After the debacle of my uncooked cake before, I was a bit more careful here…

It rose and rose and ROSE. This is a great cake with PLENTY of crumb, just the way I like it…This, a cup of coffee, a great Florida morning…Breakfast anyone?

See the other TWD Blueberry Crumb posts.