Time for the first April bake for Tuesdays with Dorie.  I chose to make the Goat Cheese-Black Pepper Quick Bread. Because I'm not a fan of goat cheese, I substituted feta cheese instead.  This is a savory quick bread with hints of lemon and a subtle heat from the black pepper.  It makes excellent toast, especially when slathered in butter!   Head over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which delicious recipe the other bakers made ..read more

    I've been waiting a long time to make this Breakfast-in-Rome Lemon Cake.  It's one of the first recipes I tagged after I got the cookbook, Baking with Dorie, by Dorie Greenspan.  I decided to experiment by making half a recipe, and making individual bundtlettes.  Unintentionally, I also conducted a second experiment with this recipe. All the hardware/software prep was done in advance.  As was merrily zesting a freshly picked lemon, when I suddenly realized I was zesting it over the flour mixture rather than the sugar.  Whoops!  There were several o ..read more

    I love any kind of custard, so this Parisian Custard Tart from Baking by Dorie caught my eye when I first got the cookbook.  It's also known as Flan Patissier, and it reminds me of the pasteis de nata that I ate in Portugal.   I used puff pastry to line the pan; then I filled it with the delicious vanilla custard.  After baking it until the top is brown, I chilled it overnight before serving.   This is a great make-ahead dessert for all those custard-lovers out there!   Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which dessert the bakers made for t ..read more

   For the second February recipe, I made the Copenhagen Rye Cookies, filled with chocolate and a variety of seeds. The seeds added both crunch and flavor.  I kept getting a hint of banana, which I think was from the flax seeds.  I also love the sprinkling of Maldon salt on the top. Apparently, I forgot to set the timer for the last batch.  I got distracted and didn't think much about it until I realized I hadn't heard the timer ring.  Hmmm.  Had I already taken them out of the oven?  So I checked.  And, there they were, merrily cooking away and g ..read more

  Kelly, of A Messy Kitchen, was our Kitchen of the Month for February.  Kelly challenged us to make Black Sesame Shokupan, using a different technique for making milk bread:  yudane (yoo-dah-nay).  You combine flour and boiling water and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. The resulting bread is soft and tender and has a longer shelf life, although, to be honest, this type of bread doesn't last very long. We had the choice of making a marbled bread using black sesame paste, or, a more traditional looking bread.  I couldn't resist the marbled bread!  I bo ..read more

  It's Tuesday!  Time to post the first February recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie, from the cookbook, Baking with Dorie by Dorie Greenspan.   I made the Potato Flake Biscuits.  The special ingredient is instant mashed potatoes, which I've never bought before, so it require some research at the grocery store.  I bought the smallest package I could find, since I probably won't use it for anything else.  The biscuits also have some sauteed onions for additional flavor.  I decided to cut them into eight pieces so I wouldn't have to re-roll the dough.   Whi ..read more

    Way back in February 2020, the group decided to bake One-Bite Cinnamon Puffs. I was so overwhelmed at the thought of making 100 of these, that I passed. Recently, after studying the recipe, I decided to give them a try, halving the recipe, and making two-bite puffs.  I ended up with a little over 20 puffs, which was much more manageable.  They turned out beautifully, and every one was hollow on the inside.  (Future possibility of a pastry cream filling.)  The only down side was that they disappeared almost immediately!  Mea culpa.  Another successf ..read more

  For my second January bake from Baking with Dorie, I made the Chunky Lemon Cornmeal Cake, using fresh lemons from my backyard tree.  This is a delicious lemon cake with a subtle crunch from the cornmeal and extra citrus flavor from the zest and sumac.  My favorite bites -- the bits of cut-up lemon scattered throughout the cake itself.  Next time, I will definitely add more of those!   Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which treat the other bakers made.  ..read more

  For the first Tuesdays with Dorie challenge of 2024, I'm posting about the Spinach-Mozzarella Pie with Parm Crumble, a delicious quiche-like main dish.  I used Swiss chard in place of the spinach, and it worked out beautifully.      This is a great savory pie that can be served on its own, or as an accompaniment to meat or poultry.   Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which treat the bakers made this time around ..read more

 For the final 2023 recipe challenge, I made the Iced Spiced Hermits from Baking with Dorie.  I've been baking for decades and I've always passed on Hermits, probably because they contain raisins, and I'm not a fan of raisins in my cookies.  I decided to substitute currants instead, and that was the right choice!     These spicy bites are like gingerbread in cookie form, and I love gingerbread and all those winter spices.  They were easy to make, and disappeared quickly.  The next time I make them, I plan to play around with chopped dark chocolate inst ..read more