Tuesdays with Dorie Number 23: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

Well, this post is late, but due to the Thanksgiving holiday, TWD posters had an extension on the posting date. Thank goodness! The Thanksgiving Twofer pie is this week's recipe, and it was chosen by Vibi of La casserole carrée. I traveled to my parents this Thanksgiving, so my mom and I made the pie for Thanksgiving dinner (which is why this post is just a bit on the late side).

I managed to locate my missing battery charger, so the pie photos are not the blurry variety from my cell phone. Hoorray!
This pie came together nicely and we had little difficulty preparing it. However, I did learn a lesson. When the recipe tells you to weight the crust when prebaking, do not "shortcut" it and hope that pricking the pie crust all over will be an acceptable substitute. Thankfully, my mom and I were concerned about the 25 minute baking time and pulled the crust out after 10 minutes to check it. The pie crust edges had slid down to the bottom of the pie plate, and the center part of the crust had tripled in volume. It was late Wednesday night and we were not about to remake the pastry, so I pulled another heavy pie plate out and squished the crust as much as I could. The sides did come up a bit and we finished prebaking. The finished product came out much better then expected because the pecan topping covered all the sad spots of crust.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving!

Tuesdays with Dorie Post Number 7: Summer Fruit Galette

This weeks recipe was "Summer Fruit Galette" and was chosen by Michelle of Michelle in Colorado Springs. If you would like to see the full recipe, visit her site as it will be available there.

When I saw the recipe for this week, I though "what on earth is a galette"? So far with TWD I've made cobblers, pies and scones....all things familiar to me. Even the puff pastry (which I had never attempted) was something I had eaten before. But the word galette was mystifying. This week proved to be opportunity for personal culinary growth. You can't get much better then that.

Here is what Wikipedia had to say "Galette is a general term used in French to designate different types of round and flat crusty cakes."

After reading through the directions a few times and referring to another recipe in the book, I realized that essentially a galette is a pie with no pie plate, and the crust end folded up over the filling. Ah! It was equally exciting to realize that I got to use that fabulous pie crust recipe again!!!
One important lesson I learned through galette making is when using plums, spend a little more time selecting ripe participants to play in the pastry. Evidently some of the fruit was a little on the tart side....
As usual, I decided to make mini versions of the recipe. I cut the dough recipe in half, and rolled it out on my counter. Using a berry bowl, I made 4 circles in the dough and went from there. I was really worried because the dough looked a little thin (like perhaps I should have only made 3 mini-galettes), but when baked, everything held together really well! I didn't use very much of the custard filling at all...makes me wonder if next time I shouldn't cut the plums into small pieces...
These were delicious! I've never baked with plums before!

Tuesdays with Dorie Post Number 4: Double-Crusted Blueberry Pie

This week's recipe for "Double-Crusted Blueberry Pie" was chosen by Amy of South in Your Mouth. If you would like to see the full recipe, it will be posted on Amy's page. What a wonderful pick, because what would the 4th of July be without a blueberry pie?

Let me begin by saying that I am a one pie crust person. This will probably horrify some of you, but I have found success with the Crisco Pie Crust recipe, and after being traumatized by other pie doughs that did not cooperate....well....if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, knowing that we have to use the recipe from the book, I was a little nervous. This pie dough recipe takes a staggering amount of butter, but it is absolutely wonderful to work with. I am in love with the flavor of the dough, and it rolled out nicely. Chilling it makes all the difference. I haven't made a full top crust in forever because I like the ease of making lattice tops....but the top crust for this came together really well.
Notice all the festive sprinkles :) Here is my pie pre-baking, when it was still pretty. I even tried to cut a star in the center.
This is what it looked like after it baked. My pie shield squished the outside crust a bit, and the blueberry happily bubbled up on the top of the crust. I was calling it "the ugliest blueberry pie ever" because of its lack luster appearance.
The pie tasted absolutely delicious! I will make this again!

Daring Bakers Challenge Number One!

Well, the time has come to post my first Daring Bakers Challenge! The hosts for this month's challenge are Kelly of Sass and Veracity and Ben of What's Cooking?, and the challenge was to create a Danish Braid. The recipe entailed creating a yeasted laminated dough, a homemade filling, and a finished Danish Braid. I was pretty scared when I first saw the recipe as I have never done anything like this before, and was worried that this challenge would be too far outside my element.
I am so glad that I tried the Danish Braid recipe and completed the challenge! It was a lot of work (rolling, chilling, rolling, chilling...you get the idea), but everything came together really well. I opted to use the apple filling recipe, and the flavor of the apples, butter and vanilla was wonderful!
The pastry itself featured vanilla bean, cardamom, and fresh orange juice. My kitchen smelled heavenly as it was baking, and the flavor was wonderful! I'm glad I was able to give away most of the braid, as I would have eaten the entire thing if I had been left alone with it. I have never worked with vanilla beans before, but really wanted to try the recipe in its entirety, so I ordered some from e-bay. I think I may be hooked on vanilla beans now.

This was a terrific first challenge for me....and I'm excited to face the next challenge!

DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

For the dough (Detrempe)

• 1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 large eggs, chilled
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING (Makes enough for two braids)

Ingredients

• 4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
• 2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash: Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Click the picture above to check out the blogroll for the Daring Bakers and see many more fantastic pastries!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Peppermint Cream Puff Ring

My first ever Tuesdays with Dorie Post!!!!!!
The first thing you are probably noticing as you look at this post is that I have lovely cream puffs....and no ring....well....
I looked at the recipe and realized that not only did it serve 12 people, but that making it in the ring form would make it very difficult to give away to people. So, I cut the recipe in half and made the dough into individual cream puffs.

The mint infused cream was wonderful, up to the point where I whipped it. I never could get it to make the peaks that it was supposed to. However, the flavor was amazing! I ended up putting plain whipped cream in the middles with the sour cream, and having minty coffee for several days. The idea of infusing the cream with mint is a wonderful one, and I intend to try this recipe again, this time being more careful with my whipped cream.

I was really scared at the idea of making puff pastry. Oddly enough, the pastry was the easiest part of the whole recipe. My mini cream puffs came out beautifully!

Delicious!

Thanks so much for all the warm welcomes to "Tuesdays with Dorie!" I'm so glad to be a part of this baking community! Caroline of "A Consuming Passion" chose the recipe for this week, so please visit her blog if you would like the recipe for this dessert, and also to check out her peppermint cream puff ring pictures as well.