Dorie's Anytime Cakes, Reviewed

As a longtime Dorie Greenspan fan—ever since her World Peace Cookies sent my taste buds into orbit—I couldn’t wait to dive into Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, scheduled for release on October 21. This book feels like a warm hug from Dorie herself, packed with over 100 recipes for cakes that are simple yet special; from the moment I cracked it open, I was hooked, my mouth watering at the thought of baking every single one.

 To read the rest of the review, go to my sister blog, Book'em.

 You can (and you MUST!) get a copy here.

 Disclaimer: I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

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Shatteringly Good Mini Mustard Batons

It's been one of those days.  The air conditioner that conked out last week during 95-degree weather has now been fixed, hooray for that.  And though we still have a lot ahead of us, things have started to calm down into a manageable disarray.  The day is beautiful, a seasonable 82, with (also seasonable) high humidity, but a light breeze makes being outside very pleasant.  My son is working on rebuilding the brick patio now that the uprooted tree has been pulled up and carted off, and I was happily working away in the kitchen making chicken pot pies and chocolate cake for our dinner (and to send home with my son).  Then I heard a strange noise, and I knew that just couldn't be good.  The grass cutters were here, cutting the front lawn.  One of them hit a rock, and sent it flying into our front storm door, shattering it into a million pieces that rained down on the potted plants, porch swing, and brick surface of the front porch.  Ugh.

I poured myself a glass of iced tea, eyeing the bourbon warily, then decided a squeeze of lemon would do instead, enjoying it while paging through Dorie Greenspan's recent tome, Around My French Table.  A recipe on page 25 for Mustard Batons caught my eye.  Hers called for full sheets of rolled out puff pastry and a 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard.  I sized up the trimmed remains of the puff pastry I'd used to top the pot pies and decided to make my own mini version of her Batons.  As she writes in her book, they are terrific!  They also illustrate how it doesn't take a lot of ingredients to make something easy and delicious.  Just ask my husband and son.  I made four of these and by the time I got my camera, only two of them were left!

Dorie's recipe is below, but all I did was slather stone ground mustard onto a long strip of puff pastry, fold it in half, and made four equal, vertical slices.  I transferred them to a piece of foil while preheating my toaster oven, brushed them with an egg wash (1 lightly beaten egg to which 1 tablespoon of cool water has been added), and sprinkled poppy seeds on top.  Since mine were smaller, I baked them a minute or two less than she suggested, removing them when they'd turned golden brown.

I will definitely be making these again!  I love that they can be made ahead of time, and frozen until ready to bake.  I also think a sweet version would make great breakfast pastries sprinkled with a cinnamon and sugar mixture, or cinnamon, sugar, cocoa and chopped nuts, or even raspberry jam.  Imagine the possibilities!  Try these, you'll love 'em.  And while you're at it, treat yourself to Dorie's book.

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and  Everyday Sisters - Appetizers

Dorie Greenspan's Paris Mushroom Soup

What a banner week this has been!  Two books that I won arrived in the mail, Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for all Things Sweet and Wonderful by Barbara Fairchild, A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum (a Christmas mystery in the cozy genre for knitting fans -- that would be me) and my own purchase of Dorie Greenspan's amazing tome, Around my French Table.  Where to begin?  I ask you.  Where?

Windy, icy, raw weather kept me in, so I was limited by what we had on hand.  Thanks to Dorie, I was able to make a delicious, rich, woodsy mushroom soup with relatively few, rather common ingredients.  A great appetizer, hearty lunch, or dinner starter, it's great at any time of the day.

PARIS MUSHROOM SOUP

Prep 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes

Makes: 6 servings

This soup can be served over a small salad of raw mushrooms seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped chives and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to 2 months.

2 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 large onions, coarsely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

 Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1-1/2 pounds white mushrooms, trimmed, sliced

2 parsley sprigs

1 rosemary sprig

1/3 cup dry white wine

6 cups chicken broth or water

 Creme fraiche, optional

  the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining tablespoon of the butter.

 Raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high; cook until almost all the liquid evaporates. Pour in the wine; let boil until almost evaporated.

Add the broth and herbs; heat to a boil. Lower the heat; cover the pot almost completely. Simmer 20 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig.

Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Taste for salt and white pepper. Pour the soup back into the pot; heat over low heat until hot. Serve garnished with creme fraiche.

Indulge yourself in some tasty holiday reading.

Blueberry Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Sauce

You will learn if you read this blog with any regularity, that I LOVE breakfast, specifically pancakes and waffles.  Well, also scones and biscuits, and pretty much any other high carb item that you can imagine would be great with a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee -- OMG! Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Donuts! -- but I digress.  Lately, however, my interest has been strongly leaning towards pancakes and waffles and the vast amount of varieties there seem to be.  I was stunned, for example, at the very large number of books on the subject.  I've checked out as many as possible from the library in order to give them my personal review so I know just which one(s) I want to add to my ever-growing collection of cookbooks. My plan, of course, is to try EVERYTHING! So far I'm leaning toward the Dorie Greenspan book, Pancakes: From Morning to Midnight, I mean how wrong can you ever go with Dorie?  But I guess the reason this one appeals so much is the nostalgia factor.  The thought of pancakes for dinner takes me back to my young days when my father would go out of town and my mother, too weary from her day to make a big dinner for the two of us, would make pancakes and bacon.  It was one of my favorite meals and always softened the blow of having my dad leave town.

In the meantime, when I want something that I know will be great, I turn to Ina, who has not once let me down. This morning’s breakfast was a recipe of hers that appeared as a part of a column she wrote for Good Housekeeping Magazine. The pancakes were delicious! Light, fluffy, beautiful little works of art that lifted off of the Griddler in berry-studded perfection. The sauce was equally good, though considering the blueberries we’ve been buying this time of year have been a bit on the tart side, I did double the amount of sugar. The recipe made a pile of pancakes, the rest of which are now in the freezer for future mornings when I want pancakes, but not the effort it takes to make them.

Blueberry Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Sauce

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon cornstarch

3 ½ cups blueberries

5 tablespoons sugar (divided)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon grated orange zest*

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¾ cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place cookie sheet in oven.

Prepare blueberry sauce: In 1-quart saucepan, combine water, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups blueberries, and 2 tablespoons sugar, and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until berries burst. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Prepare pancakes: In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, salt, and remaining sugar. Stir in buttermilk, butter, and eggs just until flour mixture is moistened. Stir in remaining berries. Lightly grease griddle or nonstick 12-inch skillet; heat over medium heat until very hot. Drop batter by 1/4 cups onto hot griddle, spreading batter gently to make 4-inch rounds. Cook pancakes 2 to 3 minutes. (Pancakes are ready to turn when batter begins to set, bubbles start to burst, and edges look dry.) Turn pancakes over, using a wide spatula. Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, until puffy and undersides are a rich golden brown. Transfer pancakes to cookie sheet in oven; keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing griddle if needed. Serve pancakes with blueberry sauce.

*The orange zest is my own addition. I tend to think that all pancake recipes benefit from a tiny bit of citrus zest, either orange or lemon.

PRINT RECIPE

Have a great morning!

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