FFwD: Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts

I couldn't decide whether to go fancy or rustic with this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts.





These tasty treats were fantastic. What I loved about them was that the flavor came at you in stages. While no one flavor overwhelms, the first sensation is warmth, probably from the cinnamon, then a sweetness, then a hint of savory and finally a tiny little kick from the cayenne.

I'm sorry we're not sharing the recipes for FFwD, because this is a recipe worth sharing. But cookbook authors gotta make a living too, ya' know? Check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Around my French Table" to get your hands on the recipe.

Gingered Carrot Cookies, Crostata, Semolina Cake!

I am waaaaaay behind schedule this week. Not only did we host Thanksgiving dinner, but my parents came to visit (yeah!) and we also had my son's birthday party (I won't bother showing you a picture of the 12 brownies (from a box) with candles in each one.... boring).

So anyway, I'm going to get caught up on the sweets and treats I made last week.


We did a "rewind" (i.e. previous recipe) for Tuesday's with Dorie this week. I picked the Gingered Carrot Cookies that were chosen by Natalia from gatti fili e farina in August of this year. I didn't make them the first time around and figured I'd serve them on Thanksgiving.

These were a moist, spicy cookie that didn't really scream "carrot cake" but they had a great texture due to the coconut, carrots, raisins and nuts. I decided to pump them up a notch with a little cream cheese frosting on top. It seemed like an obvious choice. These were a big hit with the T-day crowd.

Next up is the Crostata we were challenged to make for the Daring Bakers. I chose to fill my crostata with the most lovely and delicious butterscotch pudding we made a couple of years ago for TWD. It's so good I want to hide it and not share with anyone.


OK, go ahead and say it, I won't get my feelings hurt... this is one of the most boring, drab, dull, tan desserts ever photographed and posted on the web.

This was another Thanksgiving dessert and I was lucky to get a picture.

The crostata crust was cookie like thanks to the inclusion of egg in the recipe and held up very well even after several days. A winner in my book, for sure.

Now a word from our sponsor... The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Last but not least is the Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake for French Fridays with Dorie.


This was a unique dessert. Honestly, I think it would have been perfect for brunch because it almost seemed like sweetened breakfast food. Not surprising since the ingredient list includes farina, which can be substituted with Cream of Wheat hot cereal.


Here's the thing, though. I do NOT like Cream of Wheat. And farina? Searching for that unusual ingredient was not going to happen during Thanksgiving week. Fortunately, I discovered that Malt-O-Meal hot cereal is also made with farina, and I just happen to love the stuff. So that's what I used.

It was quite tasty and had a very moist, dense texture. Almost like Italian polenta, if you've ever had that. But again, I would be more tempted to eat it for a weekend breakfast than serve it as dessert.

OK, that's about it! Now I can try to get caught up on this week's recipes for TWD and FFwD.

You can find the cookie recipe at Natalia's site. The Semolina Cake recipe isn't available, sadly, but you can find it in Dorie Greenspan's book "Around my French Table". As for the crostata, I used the this version of the crust recipe...

Pasta Frolla
Ingredients:

•1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon [105 ml, 100 g, 3 ½ oz] superfine sugar (see Note 1) or a scant 3/4 cup [180ml, 90g, 3 oz] of powdered sugar
•1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour
•a pinch of salt
•1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
•grated zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option, see Note 2)
•1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl
Note 1: Superfine sugar is often also referred to as ultrafine, baker’s sugar or caster sugar. It’s available in most supermarkets. If you cannot find “superfine” sugar, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.

Note 2: There are different ways of making vanilla sugar. I keep vanilla beans in a jar half-filled with sugar until I need to use them, for example, to make vanilla ice cream. After I remove the split bean from the custard that will go into the ice cream maker, I rinse it, dry it and put it back in the jar with sugar.

Making pasta frolla by hand:

1. Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.
3. Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).
4. Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
5. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
6. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
7. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Making pasta frolla with a food processor:

1. Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
3. Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface
4. See step 3 above and continue as explained in the following steps (minus the lemon zest, which you have already added).

FFwD: Potato Gratin

I have to admit that 99% of the potato gratin I've eaten in my life came from a box. I might as well get this out of the way and admit too, that I really liked those boxed potatoes. A lot.

So I was both excited and curious how these would compare when I approached this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Potato Gratin.

Since it's too early as I type this and I'm half asleep, I'm going to get right to the punchline here... honestly, I didn't love the scratch version of this as much as the boxed. (I know, I know, not too classy.) I would have liked for it to be more, well, "cheesy" throughout. However, it was still quite tasty and I really liked the garlic infused cream. I think the cheese-factor could easily be remedied by sprinkling in cheese as the potatoes were layered in the dish, rather than saving it all for the topping.

So there you go! If you'd like to see the recipe, find yourself a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book "Around my French Table". It's an absolutely lovely book and perfect for a Christmas wish list.

FFwD: Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux

This week, for French Fridays with Dorie, I made the Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux. (Les Paresseux means "lazy people".)

In keeping with the theme, I think I will be one of those "les paresseux" and make this a short and sweet post. In a word, the chicken was delicious. It was also moist and full of taste from the variety of spices, garlic, and of course, salt and pepper. Dorie definitely has the roasting of chickens down to a "T".

If you'd like to see the recipe, you won't find it posted (sorry, them's the rules) but you can turn to Dorie Greenspan's book "Around my French Table".

Later, alligator!

FFwD: Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flan

November is going to be an interesting month at French Fridays with Dorie. The members voted on a number of recipes and the top four vote-getters are the recipes for the month. The twist is that members get to pick the order in which they bake the chosen recipes.

One of the more intriguing recipes of the month is the one I chose for the week, Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans.

A savory flan, it has few ingredients but is long on taste.


Pumpkin, eggs, and cream are whizzed in the food processor and poured into the awaiting ramekins. The mixture is topped with chunks of Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts, then baked in a water bath.

And how was it? If you like Gorgonzola, you'll like this, like my husband did. However, if you don't like Gorgonzola... well, yea, you're gonna like it... not so much.

I didn't know I didn't like Gorgonzola. I don't like it. A lot. Sadly, I didn't like this dish. BUT, I'm guessing a change-out of the type of cheese and I would have liked this just fine. The pumpkin custard was tasty and light, from what I could tell with my one bite.

OK, that's it for this week. Head on over to the FFwD site if you'd like to see the rest of the month's line-up or check out other member's dishes.

For the recipe, get ahold of a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, Around my French Table.

FFwD: Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake

Dear Baking Groups,

Please send a wheelbarrow for my family to cart me around in.

Signed,
- the Queen of Chub

OK, it's not quite that bad, but after a week of apple pie, donuts, and cinnamon rolls haunting my counters, I felt it was time to cut back.


I cut this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake, down to 1/4 recipe and baked it in a 5" pan. Good thing, since this cake was definitely chow-down worthy.

I cut back on the corresponding amount of apples because it just seemed there were too many apples for the small amount of cake batter.

I thought it was very tasty and delish. Interestingly, I thought it was very similar to the Fold Over Pear Torte in both taste and appearance that we made a few weeks ago for TWD.

If you'd like to see the recipe... please go check out the FFWD site (this month only, recipes are supplied), or get a copy of Dorie's new book "Around my French Table".

FFwD: Hachis Parmentier

In this, the fourth installment of French Fridays with Dorie, we tackled a dish some of us couldn't pronounce, Hachis Parmentier. Which is fancy-talk for shepherd's pie.

The shepherd's pie of my childhood consisted of a layer each of hamburger, corn, and tater tots. I know, classy, huh?

Compared to that, Hachis Parmentier is very classy. The bottom layer consists of sausage and beef, first cooked in homemade boullion. The upper layer is creamy mashed potatoes topped with Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses.

You can see it here before baking, dotted with butter.


I really enjoyed this, a real meat-and-potatoes meal. Literally. The meat layer was packed with flavor. Sadly, neither of my boys liked it. (Their tastes are probably more in line with the tater tot version.)

Although I enjoyed it, the amount of dirty dishes generated will probably push it into the "special occasions" section of my cooking repertoire. (And this isn't all of them!)


If you'd like to see the recipe... please go check out the FFWD site (this month only, recipes are supplied), or get a copy of Dorie's new book "Around my French Table".

See you next week when we make apple cake. Yum, can't wait!

FFWD: Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

Up this week for French Fridays with Dorie is Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup.

I know it doesn't look like much, does it?

Don't let the simple look of this soup fool you, though. It was packed with flavor galore. Coconut milk, onion, garlic, cilantro, coriander, peppercorn, and lime - they're all in there.

And it was fantastic!

I followed the recipe except for a few minor deviations. First were the noodles... I couldn't find either rice vermicelli or Chinese egg noodles, so I used what I had on hand. My Thai friend calls these bean threads or cellophane noodles.


Aren't they cool? They're almost see through. Never mind that they have no taste whatsoever, but they have a fun, chewy texture.


The only other change, besides leaving out the chilies, was that I whizzed the broth with my immersion blender. Why? I don't know... just felt like it.

OK, that's it for this week. If you'd like to see the recipe, for this month only, you can find it on the FFwD site, or Dorie Greenspan's book "Around My French Table".

FFWD: Gerard's Mustard Tart

Up this week for French Fridays with Dorie is Gerard's Mustard Tart.

Mustard tart? Yeah. OK.

I guess.

I can do tarts and I like mustard well enough... so, hey, I figured I'd give it a whirl.


Dorie's main version included carrots and leeks with the mustardy custard filling. A tomato version was given as an alternate and since it IS tomato season and I just happened to have a pile of tomatoes fresh from the garden, that's the direction I went. I added some dried basil too.

The tart was wonderful! I cut the recipe down to 1/3 of the batch and made one 4-inch tart (although I had enough custard left over so I could have probably made two of them). It was perfect for dinner... so much so that I didn't even share! Sorry family. Maybe next time.

This month only, you can find the recipes on the FFWD website. After that, you're just gonna have to get your hands on the book. Au revoir (that's "goodbye" in French) until next week!

FFWD: (That's French Fridays with Dorie) Gougeres

OMG, am I crazy or what? I don't have time for another blog event!

Yea, um. About that...

Welcome to the premier post for French Fridays with Dorie! (Too bad Dorie's name isn't Florie... "French Fridays with Florie" would sound awesome, LOL) This time around, we're baking through Dorie Greenspan's newest book "Around my French Table".

Dorie herself picked the recipes for October. (Thanks, Dorie!) First up is Gougeres, which is fancy talk for "cheese puffs" ;-).

Simple to make, delicious to taste. They start simple by first boiling water, milk, butter, and salt.


Flour is added all at once and the mixture stirred to beat the band.


The mixture quickly turns thick and pasty (if you've ever made homemade play-doh, it's exactly the same effect).


After hanging out to cool in the mixer for a minute, eggs are added one at a time and mixed thoroughly until...


you get a wonderful, shiny, smooth pate-a-chou dough.


Once you add the cheese, the puffs become cheese puffs.


The dough is scooped out onto the awaiting pan and baked (or, as for these guys, they're stowed in the freezer for later baking).


The final reward? Wonderfully cheesy gougeres....



Mmmm, perfect! How's that for a home run on the first at bat?

OK, that's it for this week. Join us next week for a mustardy Frenchy tart thingy. If you'd like to see the recipe... go check out the FFWD site (this month only, recipes are supplied), or get a copy of Dorie's new book!