Archives for the 'sweets' Category
Frozen cheese and sherbet cake
I’m only human and occasionally I have moments of lapsed judgment. When I was younger that might have entailed too much alcohol, hilarious dancing, and howling at the moon…seriously folks, I was a wide wild child. But now that I’m older I try not to damage myself…so in this case my lapsed judgment involved some organic berries trucked in from Cali. I know…the carbon footprint on those delicate little guys is almost more than I can bear; and although I hesitated, I still did it.
Because that’s when I began to imagine this frozen confection. I had some graham crackers from TJ’s that were nixed for s’more duty by my youngest, so I figured they could be used for a crust, and as I shopped I decided that some raspberry sherbet sitting on top of that crust wouldn’t be a bad thing, especially if I embedded the berries in the sherbet. Then in the back of my mind I’m going over what I could add for the next layer and I decided cream cheese and Greek yogurt mixed together with some vanilla would be a tangy, creamy counter point to the sherbet and berries.
Was it good…yup, it was. Did it have problems…oh yeah…major problems…
- It weighed a ton.
- I forgot to chill the cheese mixture after I whipped it up and when I put it on top of the sherbet it made the sherbet melt.
- Once it was fully frozen it was solid…solid like a rock.
- Did I mention it was heavy?
- The berries were large and when they froze they were like stones.
- It had to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before it could be cut.
- It then had to sit on the plate for another 10 minutes before it could be approached with a fork.
- It had the potential to damage teeth.
Obviously I need to rework this concept. Here’s the thing, I like cheesecake but I don’t like cheesecake that’s baked…it’s texture really freaks me out. The cheese portion of my cake was delicious, tangy and cheesy, but alas, frozen hard as a rock. The sherbet was a good addition with its sweet smoothness contrasting nicely with the crunchy hardness of the crust, but it melted before the cheese mixture softened. I think when I try to make this again I’ll use gelatin instead of freezing it…that would give my cheese portion some sturdiness. The sherbet could be substituted with… a fruit puree? Hmmm, I’m not sure about that. I do think the next crust should be made with amaretti cookies, that would be an improvement.
Okay my über intelligent, creative readers…any suggestions on how to fix this?
Dorie’s great grain muffins…a taste of yellow
You know how much I love strawberry scones, right? Well, even though I haven’t made them as often as I did last year, I still make them…or at least I intend to. On Sunday I fully intended to make scones using Dorie Greenspan’s recipe…but then I remembered all the pain au chocolat that I’ve been eating because Cameron has been turning out such perfect delights lately, and then I thought about the baquette and butter splurge I went on the other evening, and I said to myself “hmmm, you need more whole grains”. Of course Dorie had the answer in the form of her great grain muffins.
A good muffin can be really good, but a bad muffin is often no better than a doorstop. Back in the 80’s I bought Jane Brody’s Good Food Book and learned a lot about whole grain cooking but as usual for me I went overboard…the details are unclear now but what I do remember is that the muffins I made were really dense (like a hockey puck) and heavy and I’m sure they had no resemblance to anything in Jane Brody’s book. The worst part is that I actually gave them to people to eat…I had no frame of reference on what a good muffin should be since I’d never made muffins before and honestly there were no muffins in my background…it wasn’t something my mom ever made.
These muffins are the good kind. They rise up with a nice perky little domes, their texture is good, they’re not heavy or dense…but they are satisfying. I chose to add dried cranberries and pistachios and I think it was a good choice. The colors add some interest and the flavors are well matched. 
Speaking of color…this post is my entry into the Taste of Yellow blogging event hosted by Barbara over at Winos and Foodies. I doubt that there is anyone who hasn’t been touched by cancer in some way and LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s one-day initiative to raise awareness and funds for the cancer fight. LIVESTRONG Day 2008 will occur on Tuesday, May 13.
Great Grains Muffins
adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan
printer-friendly recipe
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pistachios
Preheat the oven to 400° and butter a 12 count muffin tin or line the cups with paper muffin cups.
Combine the flours, cornmeal, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. In another bowl combine the milk, yogurt, syrup, sugar, eggs, and butter. Whisk to combine. Add the cranberries and pistachios to the dry mixture. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture making sure to only stir enough to combine…don’t over-stir. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes. Gently remove the muffins and allow them to cool, or eat them right away…that’s what we do!
Berry my heart in a galette
There is so much to be said for simple food. This scrumptious galette took no more than 20 minutes to make, not counting the time I left it in the refrigerator to rest. The crust is crisp, flaky, and of course, buttery, and the berrys are tender, succulent, and sweet.
I think I started making this pie about 8 years ago and I’ve not changed my recipe at all, though I have changed my technique. Before I owned a food processor I used my mixer to create the dough. It did a good job but once I switched to the food processor I realized it was a much better machine for the task. Its quick, sharp bade cuts the cold butter better and the results are flakier and butterier. The recipe came from Baking with Julia, by Julia Child and Dorie Greenspan and it is perfection. I do enjoy a typical american pie with a top and bottom crust cooked in a pie pan but the crust is usually soggy, at least on the bottom. Since you only have one crust to roll out it is so much quicker and because it bakes on a cookie sheet it gets that toothsome, delicious crust I always crave. Right before I put it in the oven I brush it down with cold water and sprinkle it with sugar…I love sugar.
Here’s the recipe for an apple galette.
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