Happy Birthday Siena (and her favorite dog biscuit recipe)!!!

Happy Birthday Siena! Our little pooch is celebrating her first birthday, and she spent her day in typical California girl fashion, lounging around the pool and soaking up the sun.
Looking at her now, I can't believe that she is the same tiny pup that we brought home last spring:

To mark this special occasion, I busted out the mixing bowl and baking sheets to make Siena her favorite homemade treats. Lately, she's been turning a deaf ear to us (doggy adolescence?), but when these treats are dangled in front of her we get her full attention.

I really enjoy making these dog biscuits for Siena. With a short and sweet list of all natural ingredients, I know that I'm feeding her a snack that is really wholesome and nutritious. Nutrition aside, Siena LOVES devouring these biscuits.

Siena Bites

adapted from www.marthastewart.com (original recipe is found here)

makes about 16

2 C. barley flour

1/2 C rolled oats

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (swiss cheese is good alternative)

1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

1/2 C applesauce

2 Tbsp flaxseed oil

Pre-heat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, and add enough water (2-4 Tbsp) to form a dough. Roll mixture between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick. Remove parchment paper and cut out biscuits with a cutter. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting out biscuits.

Space biscuits 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes until nicely browned and firm.

Transfer biscuits on a wire rack to cool.

Rick Katz's Brownies For Julia (TWD)

I had mixed feelings about making this week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection, Rick Katz's Brownies For Julia. I love brownies. Let me clarify...I really LOVE brownies. Those of you who have followed my blog long enough know how much I {heart} making and eating brownies. When it comes to sweets, brownies are my achilles heel.

So, what's my problem? I just started a 21 day detox following the Clean Program, and I'm pretty sure brownies are not on the allowable foods list. I should have thought ahead and indulged in these brownies before the detox, but of course my planning was less than stellar.

Instead of skipping out of all of my baking commitments for the entire month of February, I decided to bake, but not eat a morsel...not even a taste, folks! We'll see how long this lasts before I give in to temptation. Now I know how Siena feels:

The namesake in the recipe title is THE Julia...Julia Child. If these brownies were good enough for Julia, they have to be pretty damn good, right?

Preparation-wise, this recipe is unique as half of the eggs and sugar call for are beaten until they double in volume and are as light as a sponge. In Dorie's notes, she shares that whipping the eggs creates the surprisingly creamy, soft and fugdey texture.

By the looks of the final results, I would say have to say that Dorie's description is spot on. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how they taste....they look pretty yummy, don't they?

If you're curious to hear feedback about this recipe, make sure to peruse the TWD blogroll to read more. For the detailed recipe, head over to Tanya's blog, Chocolatechic.

Cocoa-Nana Bread (TWD)

I need to quit this habit of JIT (just-in-time) blogging. Hopefully, I'll get this post up before the day is out.

Fortunately for me, this week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection of Cocoa-Nana Bread was mercifully easy, and I was able to bake and photograph the goods before I polished off my last cup of coffee this morning.

This quick bread recipe is intended as a breakfast treat that combines the flavors of chocolate and banana. You've got to love a recipe that slips in a healthy dose of chocolate into breakfast food.

I was a bit underwhelmed with the final results. The look of this dark brown loaf is deceiving, as the chocolate flavor wasn't very intense, and you could barely taste the two bananas that went into the batter. Still, I did appreciate that it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, so it wouldn't assult the taste buds first thing in the morning.

Of course, I had my sous chef Siena hovering in the kitchen looking for some crumbs to fall:

Sorry girl...

Please visit Steph's blog, Obsessed With Baking, for the full recipe.

Tarte Tatin - Happy 2nd Anniversary TWD!!!!

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Tuesdays With Dorie! Who would have guessed that after two years that TWD would be going strong with 300+ bakers and with 95+ completed recipes from Dorie Greenspan's fabulous cookbook Baking: From My Home To Yours. Even more surprising to me has been my own commitment to bake and to post weekly on my ole blog (you see, I'm a huge flake when it comes to my personal hobbies). Pastry has always been a passion of mine, and it's been a gratifying experience to bake and share with so many groovy people in the blog-o-sphere. I'm looking forward to another sweet year of delicious baking in 2010!

To mark this auspicious occasion, the TWD group went the democratic route and voted on a recipe. After the votes were tallied, we were given a choice of Tarte Tatin or Cocoa Buttermilk Cake (or both, for some ambitious bakers). I've never made a Tarte Tatin before, so I was looking forward to making my first.

After reading over the recipe, I eyeballed the short ingredient list and noted that most of the prep and baking is done in a single tatin pan or skillet. I'm already loving this recipe! I opted to make a mini tarte tatin, halving the recipe and using a 6 inch cast iron skillet.

Peel and core the apples (I used Fuji)...
Melt butter in the pan, add sugar, then take off the heat. Arrange the apples decoratively in the pan, then cook on the stovetop until the butter/sugar mixture caramelizes.

Once caramelized, its time to set the pan on a baking sheet and seal with a crust of some sort. This skillet was HOT! Check out the bubbling brown butter/sugar goodness...

Seal the fruit with a crust. The recipe is pretty flexible giving puff pastry, pie crust or tart crust as options. I went with a pie crust...

Once the tarte is baked and nicely browned in the oven (my mini version only took 20 minutes), remove from the oven. Silpat was an essential kitchen tool, as the caramel created a sticky burnt mess...No time to wait. It's time to flip the tarte out of the pan to see what lies beneath. Drumroll please...

Yipeee...tarte tatin success!

The delicious smell of this tarte had Siena hanging out in the kitchen. Sorry girl, this tarte is for the hubs and me...

If you're a tarte tatin neophyte like me, you have to give this classic recipe a try. Click here for the complete recipe. It isn't that difficult to make, and you will be rewarded with a gorgeous dessert. Next time, I can't wait to make and serve a full size version to dinner guests...or just for me.

Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie (TWD)

Without Tuesdays With Dorie, my blog would not exist! Back in April 2008, I unexpectedly found TWD from doing a Google search on Dorie Greenspan and her cookbook, Baking: From My Home To Yours. I was only intent on buying the book, but after learning more about TWD, I thought that it would be a fantastic avenue to bake through the recipes.

At that time, I didn't have a blog and the group required one to participate. In fact, I had absolutely no clue what blogging was, so I was in for a quick education. Fast forward 18 months and 70+ TWD recipes, I can't believe that I've been able to keep up my blog and stick with it long enough to select a recipe! One unexpected surprise from this experience is the sense of community that has come with this group and the blogosphere, and I've appreciated getting to know some really terrific, talented bakers and cooks who are passionate about what they do.

One of the great things about this experience was expanding my baking horizons. Prior to joining TWD, if I were asked to select a recipe, I would have (without hesitation) picked a cake or brownie recipe. After completing a wide variety of recipes over the course of this past year, I've learned to really enjoy making things that are out of my comfort zone. For me, pies/tarts and yeasted doughs were definitely in that category.

With my new found love for pies & tart, I couldn't resist picking Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie for this week's TWD.The combination of lime and ginger flavors infused in the luscious, rich cream instantly sold me on this this recipe.
Dorie Greenspan's technique to make this velvety cream is definitely worth taking note. The instructions for the cream starts with a mixture of sugar, eggs, lime, ginger. As the mixture cooks over a bain marie, the liquid mixture thickens and transforms into a curd.

The left photo shows the mixture before heating. The right photo shows the thickened mixture just moments before I took it off the heat.

Now, this is the part where Dorie's recipe sets itself apart from other recipes. The mixture is cooled slightly, then strained into a blender or food processor. With the equipment on, you gradually add butter pieces. Once completed and chilled, you will be rewarded with the most velvety cream imaginable! The flavors of lime and ginger were fantastic, and I actually yearned for more of that zinginess from the ginger (note to self for next time). I slathered some of the leftover cream on a piece of toast and had it for breakfast --- totally decadent!

I prepared four 5 inch tartlet pans with a graham cracker crust. I didn't add any additional sugar to the crust, as I thought that there was enough sweetness in the cream.

For the meringue, I actually heated the egg whites and sugar slightly over a bain marie before whisking. As I was planning to torch the meringue (vs baking in the oven), I wanted to avoid undercooked egg whites.

How did we enjoy this pie? I think Siena expressed it the best:
Lip smacking delicious!!!

Thank you Laurie for all of your dedication and hard work to keep TWD going...I've enjoyed making the 70+ recipes that we've made to date, and look forward to at least that many more!

Please make sure to peruse the TWD blogroll, as I guarantee that you will see many scrumptious pies this week. Thanks everyone for baking along with me!

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Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie
From Baking: From My Home To Yours By Dorie Greenspan (pp 337-339)
Makes 8 servings

Dorie's Notes: The look of this pie is sumptuous, its texture silky and its lime-ginger flavor big, bright and sassy. While I’m happy to have a lemon meringue pie any time of the year, I save this pie for summer because, as fresh as lime and ginger taste on their own, when they’re mixed together, they turn uber-zingy and so cool you’d think they’d been in the deep freeze. It may be an illusion, but one you’ll be happy to play along with on a sweltering day.

Serving: The pie is best served chilled and in generous wedges.

Storing: Meringue-topped pies are at their best the day they are made. Kept longer, the risk of weepy meringue gets higher.

FOR THE FILLING
1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 limes
4 large eggs, preferably at room temp
¾ cup fresh lime juice (from about 6 limes)
A 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 ½ sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temperature

Getting ready: Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand.

Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest into a heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest between your fingertips for a few minutes, until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of lime is strong.

Whisk in the eggs, then whisk in the juice, ginger and cornstarch.

Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the lime cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk- you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling – you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point – the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don’t stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience – depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain the cream into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the rest.

Let it cool until it reaches 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high speed (or turn on the processor) and add the butter a few pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. After all the butter is in, continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If you find the machine is getting really hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest in between beats.

Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and refrigerate the cream for at least 4 hours, or overnight. (The cream can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.)

FOR THE CRUST (2 options)

Graham Cracker Crust

makes a 9-inch crust

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Turn the ingredients into the pan and use your fingers to pay an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)

Center a rack in the over, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack.

Good For Almost Everything Pie Dough

makes one 9-inch crust

1 1/2 cups all·purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the mixing—what you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of water—all a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface.

Gather the dough into a ball, flatten the ball into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. (If your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge.)

To Roll Out the Dough: Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand. You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. (I usually roll this dough out on the floured counter.) If you're working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to lift the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn't roll into the dough and form creases. If you've got time, slide the rolled-out dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up.

To Make the Crust: Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, but the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2 inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork.

To Partially or Fully Bake the Crust: Refrigerate the crust while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust and fill with dried beans or rice or pie weights. Put the pit plate on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and wights and, if the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, return the pie plate to the oven and bake for about 8 minutes more, or until the crust is very lightly colored. To fully bake the crust, bake until golden brown, about another 10 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

FOR THE MERINGUE
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ cup sugar

To finish the pie with the meringue: Preheat the broiler.

Whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the pie shell. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet.

Working in a clean dry mixer bowl with the clean whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites at medium speed until opaque. With the mixer running , add the sugar in a slow stream and continue to beat until the whites are glossy and form firm peaks.

Spread the meringue over the lime filling, swirling it if you’d like. Make sure the meringue comes all the way to the edges of the crust, because it will shrink when it bakes.

Run the pie under the broiler until the meringue is golden and the tips are dark brown (Or, if you’ve got a blowtorch, use it to brown the meringue.) Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Playing Around – Gingered Lime and Mango Meringue Pie
Peel a ripe mango, cut it into small cubes and sprinkle with a little lime juice. Spread about one third of the lime cream into the crust, top with the diced mango and cover with the remaining cream. Chill and finish with meringue as directed. Or omit the meringue and top the pie with long, elegant slices of mango and a gloss of quince or apple jelly: boil about ¼ cup jelly with ½ teaspoon water, then brush the glaze over the pie.

Chipster-Topped Brownies (TWD)

If you know me, I have a little "thing" for brownies. I'm game in trying all sorts of brownie concoctions, but I have only one requirement: keep the recipe simple --- no nuts, frostings, fillings, or other flavors to interfere with the chocolatey goodness.

You can bet that I was skeptical about this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Chipster-Topped Brownies. A chocolate chip cookie layered on top of a brownie? Doesn't sound like my cup of tea. In fact, I was going to skip this week's recipe.

Fate would have it that I would try this recipe out. The Los Angeles Marathon was a big event in the city yesterday, and part of the race goes right through my neighborhood (I live in Miracle Mile, between mile 16 and 17). With all of the road closures, I was landlocked for a good chunk of the morning. Aside from cheering on some AMAZING athletes (I can't even imagine running 26.2 miles in a little over 2 hours), I had a bit of free time on my hands. So, with all of the ingredients available in my kitchen, I decided to take this recipe for a spin.

You can find the complete recipe over at Supplicious. My only adjustments were omitting the nuts in the brownie layer, and substituting the chocolate chips in the cookie layer with this:

This recipe is definitely not for the faint of heart, as it uses 3 1/2 sticks of butter (yes, this is not a typo). After baking for 65 minutes (slightly longer than the 50-55 minutes as stated in the book), I was amazed at how thick this brownie would turn out. After cutting, I realized that the raspberry chips sunk into the brownie layer, thus you don't see these chips studding the cookie layer.

More importantly, how does this brownie taste? Oh my goodness, what an unexpected and delicious surprise!!! The brownie layer was wonderfully cakey (I'm one of the rare few that enjoy cakey brownies) with a fantastic bittersweet chocolate flavor. The cookie layer provided a crispy/chewy contrast, and the raspberry chips delivered an unexpectedly delicious flavor punch. It's definitely rich, so a small piece will satisfy a sweet tooth. Besides, a small piece probably contains two tbsp of butter - yikes!
Thank you Beth for a fantastic selection this week! Make sure to visit the TWD Blogroll to see how the other fantastic bakers fared with this recipe. Before I go, wanted to share the latest picture of Siena giving a little love to her new toy:

A New Houseguest...

You'll have to forgive my flakiness with my baking and blogging this past week. I've been a little distracted in giving my undivided attention to the newest member of our family:
We've been eagerly waiting for Siena to come home with us since the beginning of this year, and I can't believe she's finally here. We love her tons!
Things have been hectic with a new puppy in the house, so I haven't had a lot of time to bake or blog (or sleep for that matter). With the long weekend coming up, I should be back in the kitchen soon....