baking

Elegant Apple Rose Tart

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I saw a photo for an apple rose tart and was blown away. It looked so pretty! I decided to make one for my family.

Looking at the photo I must say I was intimidated. Swirling sliced apples into roses could not be easy. This would surely be a show stopper if I could pull it off.

The recipe, which can be found at: http://www.purewow.com/recipes/gluten-free-apple-rose-tart?media=print, is officially called Gluten-Free Apple Rose Tart. I changed the crust from a pecan crust to a Graham Cracker Crust. The crust recipe I used can be found at: http://www.crazyforcrust.com/perfect-graham-cracker-crust/. I made the baked version of the crust.

The graham cracker crust was super easy. The cinnamon custard for the apple rose tart was also super easy to make. The apple roses were a little challenging but not impossible. The main advice I would give for making the roses is to be sure the apples are sliced super thin. Also, I poured off all the lemon water from the soaking apples and made two batches of 1 cup each to heat instead of just one cup. In this way, I split the apples in two batches so they could be fully covered in the liquid and soften faster.

If choosing to make this dessert, the roses will look their freshest if made not too far in advance of serving. The crust and custard can be made, assembled, and chilled in advance. A topping of whipped cream might also be a nice touch. As always, Bon Appetit!

A Sticky Situation

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As Charlie Brown would say, “Aaugh!” I did it again. You would think I would have learned by now, however, that never seems to be the case.

I decided to make dinner rolls. Yum! However, I did not really want all sixteen rolls that the recipe would yield. Easy enough. I proceeded to cut the recipe in half.

Everything was going great and then I added the flour. “Why is this dough so gooey?” I wondered. Then it dawned on me. While I cut all the ingredients in the list portion of the recipe in half, I did not cut the water (which was listed in the instructions) in half. Rats!

So in I throw in the rest of the ingredients to make it a full recipe. Now I am hoping I have not ruined everything as the ingredients are mixed in all out of order. We will be having those sixteen rolls, good or bad, after all.

Well, I have done this sort of thing before. I will be sailing along just fine and then I mess up on one of the ingredients. Some times it is not a big deal. Other times, it is a huge problem. Am I the only one who ever does this?

Learning from my mistakes, I would like to offer home cooks a bit of advice. Write down the altered ingredient amounts on a sticky note and place over the top of the original amounts on the recipe. In this way, the old noggin does not have to think to hard. If a distraction occurs one will not forget to cut the ingredients.

Speaking of sticky notes, I also like to use the sticky note page flags to mark my spot in recipe books. When I am going through a book and making out my shopping list, I stick a flag on the page so that when I am ready to make the recipe that week I do not have to search for it again. The flags can be reused many times before they lose their stick.

By the way, in case anyone was wondering, the sixteen rolls turned out beautifully. A bit more than we needed but they are almost gone.

Puff Pastry Apple Pies

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Feel like apple pie but want it now? Get out the puff pastry. I’ve got another fast and easy recipe, this time for dessert.

Set the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take one sheet of puff pastry dough and thaw on the parchment paper. While that is thawing, peel, core and slice 3 apples. Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a saute pan and add the apples. Saute until soft. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of sugar (or to taste). (Could also add nutmeg, allspice, raisins, etc…) Set aside.

Once thawed (but not too tacky), roll out puffed pastry a bit with a rolling pin (just a bit). Spread apple mixture on half of pastry. Using a pastry brush, brush water around edges of pastry.

Fold pastry over apples and crimp the edges of pastry top and bottom together with a fork. With a knife, make a slit in top of pie.

Pop in oven and bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden. (serves 3-4 persons) Bon Appetit!

Baked Brie Puffed Pastry with Raspberry Jam

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Want a quick but elegant appetizer? A baked brie puffed pastry with raspberry jam may be just the ticket. Savory and sweet wrapped up in one package. Let’s get baking…

Ingredients:

  • One sheet of puffed pastry dough (thawed and ready to go)
  • One wheel of brie cheese (8 oz)
  • 4 Tbsp of Raspberry Jam (or jam of choice)

Also Needed:

  • Parchment paper
  • Baking dish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll the puff pastry out just a bit with a rolling pin. ( Note: Do not let puff pastry dough get to warm or it will be sticky. Thaw only until it is workable – no longer.)

Put the brie wheel in the center of the dough.

Spread 4 Tbsp of raspberry jam evenly over the brie.

Fold up the puff pastry dough around the brie to form a little package.

Place on a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and has good coloring.

Cut (into approximately 6 pieces) and enjoy! Bon Appetit!

Making Macarons…Round Two

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My first attempt at making macarons was such a hit with the family that I did not waste any time at giving it a second go. This time I had two goals in mind. The first, to accomplish the perfect bake time, second, to try a new flavor.

For my macarons, I chose a pretty pink color with a raspberry butter cream filling. (The raspberry butter cream filling can be found at https://delishably.com/desserts/Macaroon-Fillings-Easy) The recipe I chose would work well with just about any jam flavor. I really enjoy adding the different colors to match the flavors of the macarons. They are a joy to look at as well as to eat.

I baked my macarons for about 10 1/2 minutes this go around. I found this to be a perfect bake for my oven. First goal accomplished!

My family liked the raspberry butter cream filling. I think next time I will try a chocolate ganache; a lemon curd could also be nice. The possibilities seem endless.

Macarons with Raspberry Butter Cream

I must say that making macarons is easily becoming an addiction for me. I do not find it as difficult as people make it out to be. Honestly, the hardest part of the whole process is sifting the almond flour. So do not be intimidated to give macaron baking a try. Bon Appetit!

Making Macarons

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My first attempt at making the pretty little French Macaron went pretty well. The Macaron, after all, has a reputation of not being the easiest to make. Mine were fairly similar in size and the coloring wasn’t bad, they had feet, and most importantly, they tasted good.

I got a few tips on making the French treats from a recent episode of Master Chef. From the show I learned the importance of sifting the flour and pounding the cookie sheet after piping the batter. I also learned that the Macarons should have feet and should maintain their bright colors and not brown during baking. Some of the chefs had their cookies stick to the cooking mats. I read that parchment paper was a better choice. I must say I agree. My Macarons had no problems with the parchment paper.

I found a recipe for Macarons and decided to give it a try. The ingredients are simple… almond flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, and food coloring to give it that fun look. The biggest job was sifting the almond flour since almond flour tends to be a bit on the moist side. After what seemed like hours, the almond flour was sifted. Next, I beat the egg whites to a peak and gently folded in the dry ingredients. I was now ready to pipe the Macarons onto cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Then the sheets were pounded/dropped to get rid of potential air bubbles. The Macarons were then left to rest for 40 minutes and finally, put into the oven to bake. After seven minutes in the oven, the pan was turned for even cooking. The Macarons must be cooked until they do not move when touched, but no longer, or they will brown, losing their pretty color. This was the tricky part. It only takes, in my estimate, 30 seconds to 1 minute to over bake the Macarons, so one must be very watchful so they do not over-bake. The recipe called for 12-15 minutes baking time. Mine took on the lower end of this. I would say about 10-11 minutes was about right.

Macarons resting
Baked Macarons

After the Macarons cooled, I made a buttercream frosting for the filling. Next time, I would like to experiment with flavored fillings. Maybe raspberry! A ganache would also be a nice filling to try.

Voila! Filled Macarons

While there is always room for improvement, I think my first attempt at making Macarons was a success. Next time, I will know to watch the bake time even more carefully. I can not wait to experiment with new flavors and colors. Bon Appetit!

For the recipe go to: https://preppykitchen.com/french-macarons/