quiche quest

Posted on August 27, 2010 by galereeves

In my quest for what my palate considers the perfect quiche, I continue to search and research and bake, and then try another recipe (earlier efforts here) and bake again. I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but I do think I will know when it is achieved.

I’m becoming pleased with the crust recipe I’m using; however, the custard/filler portion of the quiche is still definitely a work in progress.

I’ve been on this quest for about a year, and I have baked some really bad quiches. I’ll look back some day and realize that the journey to success is littered with trials (that would preach on Sunday morning!).

I’ve become a fan of the Cooking Channel, and Rachel Allen Bake. In a recent episode, Rachel was teaching her cooking students to prepare a spinach, potato, and goat cheese tart. Her crust making process appeared simple, and I was again inspired. The pictures in this post are of my first attempt using her recipe. I have since tweaked the recipe, more to suit my taste.

The pictures below are pretty, but the dish still needs adjustments.

nutmeg…In my opinion, the more the better. I now grate fresh nutmeg over the top of the quiche before and after baking.

afternoon sunshine…photographer/artist sneaks out at least once in every food shoot

crust…molds well in the removable bottom tart pan

I think my filling overflowed, baking to a darker, crunchy, flavorful crust. It’s probably not culinarily correct, but it’s pretty.

attractive slice…taste is important, but so is pretty

As you can see, the bottom crust is too moist. That I have now corrected by increasing the blind bake time. I prefer the potatoes shredded rather than cubed. The baby spinach would probably be more flavorful if I added some ‘fat meat grease’ as Mom would say, but as of yet, I’m sticking to the healthy version.

You can find Rachel’s recipe here; however, I’ll note my adjustments in a later blog post, along with updated pictures.

lavender shortbread

Posted on August 21, 2010 by galereeves

This recipe bakes to a rich, buttery, melt in your mouth cookie. Add to that combination a hint of lavender, and the creation is a cookie that’s simple, yet sophisticated in flavor.

The mixing, chilling, and baking process is simple. In the future, I will chop the lavender before adding it to the cookie dough. You will notice lines/indentions in the cookies. While slicing the cookie dough logs, the knife pulled the lavender buds, and formed unattractive lines on the surface of the cookies.

Though not perfect in appearance, these cookies are outstanding in flavor. I’ll add this cookie to my classy ‘tea-time’ cookie list along with the Rose Water Almond Tea cookies which were adapted from the blog Baking Obsession.

You can find the recipe for the lavender shortbread at the blog Dessert First. Penzey’s stocks the culinary lavender; however, they do not display the lavender on the retail store shelves. Ask the ladies in the store for lavender; they probably have a few bottles in the storeroom.

dusting of raspberry – granola

Posted on August 21, 2010 by galereeves

Do you see it? It’s a little left of six o’clock. There – right there!

It’s a Chukar Cherries Raspberry Truffle, sliced in half, and added to one of my favorite GRANOLA recipes.

The granola pictured is adapted from Sunny Anderson’s Happy Trails Granola. You can find her recipe on the Food Network website here.

red is the color!

The golden tag attached to my glass of granola was originally attached to a large bag of raspberry truffles. Imagine a dried cranberry, enrobed in white chocolate, and dusted with tangy raspberry powder. The smoothness of the white chocolate combines with the chewiness of the dried cranberry to create a delicious marriage on your tongue, then, when least expected, a tartness invades the party from the raspberry powder.

The truth is, I ate most of the truffles, but did manage to save the last few to add to this granola.

Modifying the original granola recipe, I added raspberry syrup in place of the maple syrup, and I added the raspberry truffles in place of the MMs. I’m sad to say that the raspberry syrup did not add any flavor to the granola; however, the chopped truffle pieces added a tiny bit of tartness/sweetness to various bites of the granola. I will double the quantity of truffle pieces in the next batch of granola.

raspberry truffles from Chukar Cherries

I had hoped for a deep raspberry flavor in this granola. That did not happen; nevertheless, the recipe makes a great, extra crunchy granola. (store your granola in the freezer!)

aging in Ziploc; not as romantic as ‘aged in an oak barrel’

empty containers must mean something is baking!

d e l i c i o u s!

Bakery Nouveau Seattle, WA

Posted on August 18, 2010 by galereeves

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post , I visited Bakery Nouveau in Seattle a few weeks back. I was asked to write a post for their blog. I’ve tried to share with the readers what I saw and felt that day.

Click – Bakery Nouveau’s blog to see my Guest Post.

frangipane – blueberry version

Posted on August 15, 2010 by galereeves

I have probably grossly misused the word for the divine, almond pastry cream like mixture, frangipane. However, the almond flavor in frangipane is so intense, and I’m looking for a blueberry flavor just as intense. Perhaps the oil in the almonds add to the intensity; that oil quality may not occur in blueberries.

Listed below are a couple of internet references related to frangipane.

from O Chef:
What is Frangipane?

I have a cookbook that was written some time ago. In it there is a recipe for frangipan. The recipe resembles pastry cream. It mentions nothing about almond paste. Did frangipan always have almond paste in it?

It is interesting how food and cooking terms can evolve over a few hundred years. The earliest reference we can find to frangipane dates from about the mid 1600s, and was applied to a custard tart that included both ground almonds and pistachios in the custard. Since then, it is most often used to refer to an almond-flavored pastry cream, but, like you, we have found a reference to a vanilla-flavored pastry cream without almonds also called frangipane. We have found a pastry shell itself that goes by the name, which may be stuffed with a savory filling rather than sweet. Finally, it can be a gooey, savory paste, used to stuff meats or fish before cooking.

Given all those choices, we vote for the almond-flavored pastry cream, and intend never to use the word for anything else! Nowadays, it is mostly spelled frangipane or frangipani.

from wiseGEEK:

Actually, frangipane can be any cream or custard-like substance with nuts.

I’m looking for a blueberry granola recipe with blueberry flavor as intense as that in my almond (frangipane) granola. Thus, an experiment is outlined before you.

Blueberry powder

Blueberry paste – this has the consistency of just made marshmallows

made from these dried blueberries (Simply the Best from Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA)

Photograph here should be of the frangipane-blueberry version; I’ll insert later.

Frangipane-blueberry version mixed with honey, and ready to pour over granola mixture.

Blueberry granola, 30 minutes out of the oven. The blueberry flavor in this granola is not as intense as the almond flavor in my almond frangipane granola. I’ve stored the granola in the freezer for a couple of weeks, to age.

If the experiment is a success, I’ll update this post with the recipe.

someone, please tell me why this is good for me!

Posted on August 10, 2010 by galereeves

I have tried and tried to eat yogurt. I found it slimey with an aftertaste. The ladies at work have offered suggestions; my friend in NE of the famed Mrs. Ermel’s Blog has offered suggestions. None seemed to convince me that what I was tasting was actually good.

FINALLY!

I’ve found an orange creme Yoplait Whip (140 calories) that I can enjoy. This reminds me of an orange push-up…almost.

Now a member of the healthy yogurt eaters of the world, I decided to read the ingredient list. Is this stuff really good for me????!!!!!

I have never been a sweet milk drinker, ice cream often does not sit well in my stomach, and buttermilk with cornbread – out of the question!

Here’s a list of ingredients:

low fat orange creme yogurt, which consists of the following:

cultured, pasteurized, grade A, reduced fat milk
sugar
nonfat milk
high fructose corn syrup
modified corn starch
kosher gelatin (Some Kosher gelatins are made with agar-agar, most are not.) (Kosher gelatin can be made with fish bones, and/or beef skins.)
orange puree (WHOO HOO! finally something that sounds good)
potassium sorbate added to maintain freshness
natural flavor
colored with annatto extract (used to color cheese yellow) (from wikipedia: In the United States, annatto extract is listed as a color additive “exempt from certification” and is informally considered to be a natural color)
vitamin A acetate
vitamin D3

lactic acid esters of mono and diglycerides
nitrogen (we put this in tires at work)

Again I ask – do the good qualities outweigh the bad in a serving of yogurt?

relaxing after Pike Place Market tour

Posted on August 9, 2010 by galereeves

After two hours following an entertaining Savor Seattle Food tour guide through Pike Place Market, I welcomed the opportunity to sit and relax.

I spotted ‘Le Panier – Very French Bakery‘ earlier in the day while walking through the market. Relaxing on the high stool, resting my camera and bag on the bar height ledge, I sat and gazed out the open air window. Market-goers strolled by the window, many consuming a sample of the diverse selection of food found in the market area.

Choosing a sample of Le Panier creations was difficult. Patrons standing behind me in line silently hoped that I would make a decision rather than continue to stand and gaze at the selections in the display cases. I chose -

Crunchy, crusty, orange-ganache macaron
Petite lemon Tartlett aux citron – small tart with lemon creme
And, my favorite of the three, which was so moist, rich, and flavorful was the friand – a petite buttery cake with almond and vanilla.

I saved the last bit of lemon tart only to set up this shot, after which I quickly consumed the bite.

If you find yourself in Pike Place Market, I highly recommend relaxing at Le Panier.

Here’s the link to my blog post detailing the culinary delights I sampled during the Pike Place Market Tour.

another fruitcake

Posted on August 8, 2010 by galereeves

It’s hot and it’s August, neither of which most associate with fruitcake. I found this blog post that I started and never finished. Enjoy.

(reprinted from holiday baking 2008; baked again holiday 2009)

My grandparents, MaMaw and Pop Easterwood, always had orange slices and chocolate/cream candies at Christmas. I’ve always heard of this Orange Slice cake; so, when I found an old, now yellowed, newspaper clipping in MaMa’s recipe box a few days ago, I decided I would see what all the hype was about.

The last time I looked for candied orange slices, which was probably 20 years ago, they were easily found. This weekend, I searched three or four retail stores, and finally found them at Fresh Market. Do you want to guess how much they cost these days?????? $4.99/pound

The cake has been minced, mixed, baked, and is now soaking overnight in a glaze.

I finally found a recipe on the internet similar to the recipe I found in MaMa’s recipe box. The candy is called “Orange Slice Jelly candy.’ And the internet entries are referring to this cake as another………..FRUITCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some comments from the internet search:

“Tasted good, but scared off the fruitcake-wary folks, too sweet for some, and not at all kid friendly.The finished product was thought to be a fruitcake. Those of us who tasted it liked the flavor, but could only eat a tiny sliver.”

“My grandmother has made this same recipe for years, and it is absolutely fabulous. It has a very similar texture to a fruitcake, but it’s sooo much better!”

“Fruit cake haters beware. This cake is much like a “poor man’s” fruit cake with orange slice candy rather than candied fruit. HELPFUL TIPS: Coat the candy in the flour used in the recipe before blending and this will help with the candy sticking on the side of the pan. Dip your cutting knife in warm water, flour or spray with nonstick cooking spray to prevent the candy from sticking on the knife before cutting up the orange slice candies.”

My tasting comments:

It’s good!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very sweet, and very moist, but good.

Listed below is my adaptation of a recipe from an old newspaper clipping.

Cream until light and fluffy:

1 c. margarine

2 c. granulated

Add:

4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition

Mix and add to margarine/sugar/egg mixture:

1 t. soda

1/2 c. buttermilk

Toss together and coat all pieces well with flour:

3 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 box (I used 5 oz) chopped dates

1 pound orange slice candy, diced

2 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Note: the smaller you chop all these pieces, the easier it will be to slice the baked cake.

Add flour and flour coated ingredients to creamed mixture.

Stir in coconut.

Bake at 250 degrees F. for 2 1/2 to 3 hours in a well greased tube pan. I grease my baking pans with this pan release.

While cake is baking, prepare glaze.

1 c. fresh orange juice

2 c. powdered sugar

mix well

Immediately after removing baked cake from oven, pour glaze over the cake.

Allow cake and glaze to sit in pan overnight.

Remove cake from pan and store in refrigerator.

I find that this cake cuts easier when it is cold. The cake is very rich. It could be served in small squares in tiny paper liners.

mobil phone photos not to be shunned

Posted on August 8, 2010 by galereeves

Have some fun and share your best mobil phone photos with Sandie at ‘A Bloggable Life.’ She is spotlighting a few photos on her blog in her new project “Photos A GoGo.”

While sitting at the beach, on vacation, I photographed my toes and uploaded the photo. Well, she posted the photo! I’m honored. (I should have painted my toe nails!!!)

Click on this word TOES to see my entry.

She is now collecting mobil phone photos for round two. Submit your photo today.

bakingpictures

I bake, first to photograph, then to taste

Monthly Archives: August 2010