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Croissants

September 27, 2011 By + 32 Comments

BON MATIN MES AMIS!

Croissants | From My Sweet Heart

The Daring Bakers go retro this month!  Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

Well this is my first assignment as a Daring Baker!  And what a doozy as I was challenged to once again stare down my old nemesis…..pastry dough!  (I was secretly hoping for some kind of fancy cake to build my confidence!)  But truthfully, pastry dough would not be my nemesis if I just worked with it more often!  So this turned out to be a good exercise for me.  These turned out quite light, fluffy, and buttery.  And amazingly, something that took 14 hours to prepare, were gone in less than 1!  Relieved to have this first challenge under my belt and looking forward to more! [Read more...]

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Wild Blueberry Oatmeal in Warm Maple Cream

September 18, 2011 By + 34 Comments

“YOU HAVE TO EAT OATMEAL OR YOU’LL DRY UP.  ANYBODY KNOWS THAT.”  Kay Thompson, author of ‘Eloise’.

Wild Blueberry Oatmeal in Warm Maple Cream | From My Sweet Heart

Growing up in New England, and especially in the winters, my dad would very often make me oatmeal for breakfast.  To some, this may have seemed like the dreaded, dreary breakfast.  I think oatmeal has a bad rap of being a sticky, clumpy, heavy gruel.  But I have always loved it! Dad always served it with milk and maple syrup.  And I remember secretly wishing that he would be distracted while making it, because I was sure to find a lump or two in my bowl.  And I loved finding the sweet, unexpected texture of those lumps!

I still love oatmeal and eat it all year round.  And who says oatmeal can’t be sophisticated?!  So I’ve tried to elevate it a little bit from it’s rustic form; while still giving a wink and a nod to my dad, who I miss with all my heart.  A friend gave me this recipe some time ago telling me how she tweaked it from when it was given to her.  And I did my own tweaking to get it to my personal liking.  Here are the basics, but I hope you will feel free to tweak away……. [Read more...]

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Desserts by the Yard

September 17, 2011 By + 13 Comments

Desserts By The Yard | From My Sweet HeartA GREAT KITCHEN READ!!!

DESSERTS BY THE YARD…..Sherry Yard

“From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills – Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever”

I have a vast and growing collection of dessert cookbooks.  And this book is among my most favorites!  I love reading cookbooks and I mull through them daily!  But I especially enjoy reading cookbooks that offer more than just recipes and pictures.  And that’s one of the things that is so special about Desserts by the Yard.

Sherry Yard has been named Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Society as well as Bon Appetit.  She is the executive pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide. 

This book is a dessert and recipe chronicle of Ms. Yard’s life, from her childhood memories growing up in Brooklyn to her years as head pastry chef at restaurants such as The Rainbow Room, Montrachet, The Tribecca Grill in New York City; to San Francisco’s Campton Place Restaurant and finally to the place in Los Angeles where she made her mark, Wolfgang Puck’s Spago.  This book contains . . . . . [Read more...]

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Caramel Apple Cake

September 11, 2011 By + 43 Comments

BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS:  CARAMEL APPLE CAKE

Caramel Apple Cake | From My Sweet Heart

I am so glad to learn that the site for the Baked Sunday Mornings  baking group has been updated.  I always want to feature recipes that, even if they are not my own, are still accessible to everyone.   This scrumptious apple cake can, however, be found in the book, Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.

What initially seemed unusual to me about this cake is the frosting.  Because it contains flour!

Overall, this is really a good apple cake.  The cake itself is moist and flavorful and one that I am likely to use again, especially in cupcakes.  And the caramel buttercream  frosting is tasty.  But I don’t think it’s worth the cooking process to get rid of the flour taste, even if it was meant to thicken the frosting.  The recipe called for us to use the paddle attachment on our mixers for the frosting.  But I ended up swapping out for the whisk….just to get more air and volume into the buttercream.  I didn’t think the frosting had enough of a caramel flavor, yet I was reluctant to add more than the 1/3 cup it called for because I was afraid it would affect the texture of the buttercream.  So I decided to spread a thin layer of caramel on the cake layers before I frosted it.

All in all the cake is good and the frosting is lightly sweet.  But if I make this again, I will develop my own recipe for caramel buttercream……and leave the flour for the cake batter!

On a scale of 1-5…..I’m giving this 4 whisks!  And since the recipe did not make it to the site’s recipe page, it will follow here. . . . . [Read more...]

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Caramel Sauce

September 10, 2011 By + 26 Comments

 “COME ON OVER HERE WITH THAT SUGAR STICKY SWEET STUFF.”  Sugarland

Caramel Sauce | From My Sweet Heart

I always think it’s a smart idea to develop a repertoire of good, simple, basic recipes.  They are always there to fall back on in a pinch, stand in for something else, and be the basis or sidekicks for other great recipes.  A fantastic caramel sauce is one of those basic necessities.  I especially love to warm this in the fall and dip slices of fruit in it!  I love to bake this in apple or pear pies. And of  course, it’s great drizzled over ice cream!  I made this delicious caramel sauce now because I’ll be using it in a frosting!  However you choose to use it….it’s one of the simplest things to make and keep on hand….. [Read more...]

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Warm Irish Cream Shots

September 9, 2011 By + 32 Comments

Warm Irish Cream Shots | From My Sweet Heart

  • 1/4 cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream
  • 2 Tablespoons of Kahlua
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup of milk

Warm all ingredients over low heat in a small saucepan.  Pour into shot glasses.   Serve with palmiers (recipe to follow a little later.)  But here is a great and easy recipe to make your Irish Cream from scratch.

Well…..we are going on 4 days straight of down pouring rain here in D.C.   I know there are some areas of the country that are in desperate need of rain and I wish we could have shared ours with you!  But this happy hour, I thought it appropriate to drink something sweet and warm and comforting.  And this creamy little shot (or 2 or 3!) were just that!

So kick your feet up, dry off your socks, and enjoy this little drink with a sweet palmier; and a clip that can’t help but make me smile…..even on the dreariest of days.  GENE KELLY with the classic SINGING IN THE RAIN!

Have a sweet happy hour and a GREAT weekend everyone!

 

 

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Chocolate Pear Pouches

September 3, 2011 By + 59 Comments

“IT IS, IN MY VIEW, THE DUTY OF AN APPLE TO BE CRISP AND CRUNCHABLE, BUT A PEAR SHOULD HAVE SUCH A TEXTURE AS LEADS TO SILENT CONSUMPTION.”  Edward Bunyard, ‘The Anatomy of Dessert‘

Chocolate Pear Pouches | From My Sweet Heart

There is a restaurant in Middleburg, Virginia called The French Hound, which offers a wonderful stuffed pear dessert, served with a creme anglaise.  I wanted to try to recreate this dessert.  But I wanted to include a pastry that would lend itself as a delicate crust to absorb all the luscious flavors.  Kind of like a lighter version of pie.  I added dried cherries to the poaching wine, and reduced it to a wonderful syrupy sauce.  And the center of the pears?  They are filled with….. [Read more...]

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Pear Hug

September 3, 2011 By +

Pear Hug | From My Sweet Heart

 

 

 

Filed Under: Still Life Tagged With: