TWD: It Takes a Village to Bake a Brownie

One of my favorite things about being a part of the Tuesdays with Dorie baking community is the weekly P & Q. It's an opportunity to eavesdrop (or participate, if you dare) on a conversation about the week's project. My fellow bakers are so interesting; they substitute ingredients and pans, chatter about technique and baking times, and troubleshoot the tricky recipes.

You wouldn't think that a brownie recipe would cause much of a stir with a group of accomplished bakers, but Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia (Child, that is) yielded no fewer than 47 comments. This validates a lot of my experiences in the kitchen; even with great recipes and the freshest ingredients the process for a home cook is probably going to be much different than the recipe implies. In this case, the key to success was a much larger pan than Dorie recommended (9 x 13 instead of 8 x8), a strip of parchment paper, and about 5 extra minutes in the oven.

The coolest part of this recipe was splitting the egg and sugar mixture, incorporating half of it into the melted chocolate, then whisking the other half in a stand mixer until it tripled in volume. I wouldn't call them weeknight brownies because of that step and the number of bowls and pans involved, but they are by far the best brownies I have ever made.

Since my friend Scott was turning 29 (for the first time - how nice!) I let him choose the addition of peanut butter chips. Bay-bee!

Thanks to Tanya of Chocolatechic for choosing this week's confection. Check out the recipe and her blog here.

TWD: Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

There is nothing that says November like the perfect spice cookie, and this is it.

I really should stop photographing the baked goods and instead capture the looks of delight on the faces of my eager tasters. They loved 'em!

This is the time of the year when I take inventory in my baking cupboard and replenish my supplies for the holidays. The fresh spices I got from Penzey's in Chestnut Hill really made a difference in this recipe. I used their Vietnamese Cinnamon, which is purportedly the highest quality cinnamon available in America today. It's intensely flavored and deep in color, and combined with Grandma's Robust Molasses, ginger and allspice, made some very dark and delicious cookies. I took Dorie's advice and added a healthy pinch of coursely ground pepper. Mmmmm!

Other than over-baking the first tray a bit, I didn't have any issues with the dough. It was easier to handle the second day, and it didn't misbehave the way I'd heard it might. I loved the way the pressing the dough balls with a glass made the batch nice and uniform.

A big thank you to Pamela of Cookies with Boys for selecting this super-easy recipe. Stop by her blog and try not to fantasize about sitting at her dinner table - she makes some great food! The recipe and some baking tips can be found right here.

TWD: Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte

This week April from short+rose made an exquisite choice for the group: this delicious brownie torte. Melted and chopped Scharfen Berger chocolate, dried cherries cooked in kirsch and a touch of fresh ground pepper combine forces in the brownie base. If that's not enough, the topping is a delightful whirl of cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, vanilla, and heavy cream. Trust me - it's even more decadent than it sounds.

Having a Trader Joe's nearby was really helpful in acquiring a few of the ingredients at a reasonable price, since I splurged on a good bottle of kirsch. Thanks to Margot at Effort to Deliciousness, that's where I found the dried cherries. While I was there I found mascarpone cheese for $2.99 for 8 ounces, too. This was one pricey endeavor, but I have no regrets.

I enjoyed working on this project over the course of three days, especially since I had a few other cooking projects underway. At one point I had beans soaking on the counter, apple chutney simmering on the stove, and a chicken trussed and ready to be baked as soon as the brownie was done. I figure if I'm in the kitchen, I might as well dirty every pan.

Some of my baking buddies had problems getting the topping to set, but I had the opposite situation. Dorie describes it as pourable mousse, but mine was so thick that it denied Gina, my decorating recruit, the opportunity to make some fancy chevrons. We had a few laughs trying to get the piping bag to cooperate, then attempting to carve in the design with a bamboo skewer. (God, I hope Dorie never reads that...) All I know is if Gina can't do it, it can't be done, so in the end I just smeared the preserves over the top and dusted each serving with some cocoa.

This is a great special occasion dessert, one that would be well received by any hostess. I got it out of the house as soon as possible before it could do too much damage. Needless to say, I had plenty of willing tasters between school and Moore Brothers. Perhaps my greatest compliment came from Rafael, an 11th grade student at Bodine and a professional baker. (yep, you read that right) He picked up a slice on his way to lunch, and halfway through my dreaded 9th period class walked by my door sporting a big thumbs up. Thanks for making my day, Rafi!

TWD - Allspice Crumb Muffins

With all due respect, this post may be rather irritating.

I know it's tough to believe that the photogenic little flying-saucer-of-a-muffin smiling coquettishly at you may be evil. But according to nutritiondata.com, she's packin' a good 12 Weight Watcher points. It's a nightmare!

I personally found this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe to be fairly unique. At this moment in time, muffins have become another food item Americans shouldn't of stuffed with too many ingredients. Dorie's allspice crumb muffins, however, are pleasantly pure and wonderful, with a moist cake center and a delicate, crunchy topping. Mmmm! I can't imagine why one of my fellow bakers described these as "too buttery." Whatever.

Are you annoyed yet? You should be. Absolutely.

A big baking thank you to Kayte of Grandma's kitchen table for choosing such a great recipe! Check out her website for all of the details, and adorable pics of Homecoming 2009. Teenage romance - it is what it is.

Muffin making isn't rocket science. In fact, you could make this recipe 24/7, if you got up early enough. I made the topping the night before so I could send my husband to work with hot muffins for his co-workers. He didn't wait. Whatever. At the end of the day, it's all good.

A shout out to Oxford University's list of the most annoying phrases for making allspice muffins a lot more fun. I've added a few of my own favorites, too. My apologies, Mr. Safire.

TWD: A Bye Week

This week Carla of Chocolate Moosey chose Chocolate Crunched Caramel tart for the group. It's a gorgeous dessert, one I plan to make for a special occasion. Since we were enjoying a weekend getaway, I didn't participate this week. Visit Carla's blog for a full report and the recipe!

I'll be back with the Dorie bakers on October 13 for the Allspice Crumb Muffins. In fact, I'm placing my order with Penzey's right now!

TWD - Cottage Cheese Pufflets

This week's recipe was a real challenge. The pastry, which is made with butter, cottage cheese, and just a touch of sugar, is tender and tangy. It's the perfect counterpoint to its filling, a dab of sweet preserves. Like most things in life, it was worth the effort.

As the week unfolded, the chatter on the Tuesdays with Dorie site revolved around the various difficulties members were having with the dough. Undaunted by the warnings of brave bakers that ventured ahead of me, I opened the dough and began to roll like someone formally trained in the art of the pastry. Wow - it was the stickiest dough ever! I took the advice of one blogger who, when even waxed paper failed her, suggested using plastic wrap to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin and countertop. Well, it worked, but not without a lot of coaxing, refrigerating, and even freezing. I wasn't able to roll it as thinly as the recipe indicates - a scant 1/8"- but the finished product was still a success. And I think using the pastry cutter made them really pretty. My trusted taster, gg, proclaimed them "amazing" and that's enough for me!

When I finish with the dough tonight, I'm going to make the squares a bit bigger to increase the jam to pastry ratio. I'm filling them with strawberry preserves with Grand Marnier mixed with a little blueberry all fruit. I really love that this recipe, like last week's apple turnovers, can be shaped and frozen for baking at a later date.

Thanks to Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes for moving cottage cheese from lunch to dessert! Check out her site for the recipe, as well as her adventures in baking.

TWD - Apple Turnovers

This week's recipe was a fun way to make my Tuesdays with Dorie debut. Although I've made many pies, turnovers had not yet made their way into my baking repertoire. Well, I think they are here to stay!

This recipe is perfect if you are busy because it can be prepared in stages. The dough is made with the usual ingredients, with the lovely addition of sour cream. I prefer unsalted cultured butter for all of my baking, although it's a bit pricey. Ok, it's outrageously priced, but worth it.

After the initial preparation, the dough is refrigerated for up to 2 days. Then, after it is worked and shaped, it can be chilled for another day. It's really pliable and easy to handle.

Finally, Sunday was the big day. I added some chopped walnuts to the apple cinnamon filling and omitted the chunks of butter that were supposed to be inside. There were already 3 sticks of butter involved, so I thought we'd be ok. I think I overworked the dough a little bit, judging from the photos on my fellow bakers' blogs, but those little envelopes of goodness were delightful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And I have an unbaked bunch in the freezer ready for an unexpected dessert emergency.

Thank you Jules from Someone's in the Kitchen for choosing such a delicious, seasonal recipe! Check out her blog for the recipe.

Ta-da!!!
I'd like to take a big basket of these to Jeff Garcia to welcome him back!