Raspberry Almond Tartlets

These tartlets pop right out of there pans. 

Cool on a rack to keep the bottoms crisp!

Just before going in the oven, sprinkle sliced almonds on top.

There are so many wonderful recipes for berry desserts, I always 

love trying new ones!

Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand, and I love making little desserts
to feed a crowd.  Some how, getting your own little pie makes you feel like you
have so much more!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source:  The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

Makes 24 - 2 inch mini tartlets ( I used larger tartlet pans)

24 tartlet crusts, unbaked, made from Sweet Tart Dough or Nut Tart Dough,

     in tartlet pans set on a baking sheet.

ALMOND FILLING

4 ounces almond paste

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla 

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

3 Tbsp. flour

RASPBERRIES

2 Tbsp. seedless raspberry preserves

24 - 48 fresh raspberries, depending on their size

1/2 cup sliced almonds

confectioners' sugar for finishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Filling - almond paste, sugar, egg yolk in food processor, pulse until smooth. Add vanilla, butter, and

the egg, and pulse again.  Once the mixture is smooth, add the flour, pulse until mixture is smooth.

Put a dab of the preserves(1/4 tsp.) in the bottom of each tartlet crust. Add a raspberry or two depending on their size.

Evenly spread 1 scant tsp. of filling per tartlet.  Top the filling with the sliced almonds, covering the filling entirely.

Bake the tartlets 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove them from the pan while they are still warm.

Let cool completely. Immediately before serving dust the tartlets with sugar.

Chicken Stock vs. Chicken Broth

Which to use?

Looking at the ingredient list they are similar, yet different.

In an all white bowl, you can visibly see the difference.

The stock is clear and the broth is opaque.

Who would have thought there could be such a difference, 

and such confusion.

If making broth or stock at home there is no confusion, because stock is made with bones
and broth(can have bones) but also has vegetables.
The Free Range Chicken broth that I would previously purchase at Trader Joe's is no longer
available.  In its place they have put this white box of chicken stock.
Inquiring to the employees about my standard broth and its replacement,
which happens to live on the shelf next to the Organic Free Range Broth,
I began reading labels, and they read labels along with me.
Much to our dismay, just reading the label did not give much of
a distinguishing difference, except for the sodium levels.

So home both boxes came with me to do a side by side test.
The results are this........

The Stock is clear, has an aroma more of meat, and tastes low in salt but
full of good chicken meat taste.  This stock would be perfect for adding
to sauces, and dishes requiring chicken liquid for its completion.

The Broth is opaque, has an aroma more of vegetables, and tastes very
good on its own because of the high salt.  I would add this to any
chicken soups, or other soups requiring chicken liquid.

There you have it!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Lime Juice

Add juice to ice cube tray.

Once the juice is frozen, add to marked ziploc bag.

So, you bought a big bag of limes for a party or a recipe, and 

you did not use them all?  You may find others ways to use them in recipes and such, 

but, if you are not going to use them right away, the best thing to do is squeeze them. 

Using an available ice cube, first squeeze the limes and collect their juice.  Add this to 

the empty tray.  Put in the freezer for a few hours until solid.  Remove the solid

cubes of juice, and store in a ziploc.  You now have juice available, for those times

when you want to make a cocktail or salsa, etc., but have no limes in the house. 

Marking the bag helps, especially if you also squeeze lemons.  Once the juice is frozen 

into cubes it is difficult to distinguish the difference between them. Marking the bag

helps for quick recognition.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Whole Wheat Sourdough - Le Pain Quotidien

A dark brown crust, covered with flour

from the banneton.

Initial ball of dough, after kneadings.

Resting in its linen lined basket(banneton),

after shaping.

Fully risen and ready to go on the hot baking stone in the oven.

For a week I have been feeding my sourdough starter, to strengthen it. 

This is a sourdough starter I began 6 years ago. Always saving

some in the refrigerator, so I have it available for breads,

pizza dough, rolls or waffles.

Once the starter had matured, I was ready to try this new 

recipe by Alain Coumont, baker, and founder of

Le Pain Quotidien.

This recipe turned out with much more of that sour taste, I was looking

for but not able to quite achieve with the other sourdough 

recipe I had been using.  The mixing, kneading and proofing process, are 

not too difficult.  The most difficult part for me was getting the proofed

loaf onto the hot baking stone.  It seems to have lost a bit of 

its lift, once it rolled out of its banneton form and landed on the 

hot stone.  Once in the oven it baked beautifully. 

This recipe is worth the effort, if you have the time!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Le Pain Quotidien Cookbook by Alain Coumont

INGREDIENTS

250g(8oz.) Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour

175g(6oz.)Filtered or Spring Water

70g(2 1/2oz.) Sourdough Starter

6g(1/4oz.) Fine Sea Salt

   Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Knead, or mix on low for 3-5 min.

Once combined, knead or mix on medium for 2-3 minutes.

Remove dough, lightly oil bowl. Cover with Plastic. Every 15 minutes remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 10 seconds.  Do this 5 times for a total of 1 1/2 hours of its first rising.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten into a square.  Pick up each corner and pull to the middle.  Repeat.

Place the dough in the banneton.  Cover and let rise for 3-4 hours at room temp.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with the baking stone inside.  Remove the hot baking stone and carefully turn the bread out onto it.  Put the stone back in the oven and throw a few ice cubes onto a baking sheet that is on a rack below the stone.  Quickly close the door.  The ice cubes create steam in the oven, which makes a nice crunchy crust.  

Bake for 35-45 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Use this bread sliced thin to make tartines as they do at Le Pain Quotidien.

Walnut Bread with Figs

This dark crust adds so much great flavor

and texture to the final baking results

of the bread.

The interior is just perfect! Dotted with walnuts 

and figs and a chewy dense crumb.  Yummy!

It is not easy to find fig bread or walnut bread.  They are two of my favorites.

When combined it is spectacular!

Grilled or toasted, a tad bit of butter or some favorite cheese,

even add a slice of prosciutto, and I think you have a little heaven!

This was the first bread I have made that utilized a Dutch Oven 

for the final baking.  The bread turned out magnificent.  

The lidded dutch oven captures the moisture, creating steam, which
then creates an unbelievable crust!

This bread takes patience, because an overnight proofing in the
refrigerator occurs.  It is not a bake in the same day kind of bread.
It is really worth the effort though, so give it a try!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish

p.s. I added 1 cup of chopped dried figs, at the same step as the walnuts.

Buttery Sourdough Buns

Beautiful brown swirls! 

 Hot out of the oven!

ready to cover for final proofing!

Using this base recipe, I created three different types of rolls. 

The top two pans, have cream cheese and peach jam spread

over the dough before rolling up. 

The bottom pan is the original recipe, which calls for paprika butter, 

and the left pan is garlic and parmesan. 

You could fill this dough with any kind of filling you like, 

or keep them simple, just to serve as a dinner roll.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

p.s. these rolls are made with sourdough starter discard (Levain)

DOUGH

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter, fed or unfed
• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Organic All-Purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespooon sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg
• 5 tablespoons soft butter
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water

TOPPING

• 4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika, optional

Instructions

1. Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl, and mix and knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a soft, smooth dough.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased container — an 8-cup measure works well here — and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it's just about doubled in bulk.
3. Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
4. Roll and pat the dough into a rough rectangle approximately 12" x 16". Put 2 tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl, and add the paprika, if desired; it's there for color, and accentuates the buns' swirl, but omit it if you wish. Spread the dough with the melted butter.
5. Starting with a long side, roll the dough into a log.
6. Cut the log in 1" slices, using a sharp knife, or a piece of dental floss looped between your fingers.
7. Lightly grease two 8" or 9" round cake pans. Arrange 8 buns in each pan.
8. Cover the pans, and let the buns rise for 60 minutes, until they're noticeably puffy. Don't let these buns rise too long; you want them to have enough rising power left to expand nicely in the oven. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
9. Uncover the pans, and brush each bun with some of the remaining melted butter.
10. Bake the buns for 22 to 25 minutes; they'll color only slightly.
11. Remove the buns from the oven, and turn them out of the pan onto a rack. Brush with any remaining melted butter. Serve hot or warm. To reheat, place the buns on a baking sheet, tent lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
12. Wrap any leftover buns airtight, and store at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze.
13. Yield: 16 buns.