What are You Baking the Week of August 6, 2017?

[skeptic7]

On Monday I did blueberry scones -- its more like a muffin recipe, but baked in a small cast iron frying pan and cut into wedges, and today I did a zuchinni pizza with cheese topping.

[Joan Simpson]

Made a loaf of Banana Nut Bread.

[cwcdesign]

I hadn't made Boston Cream Pie in a few years because of the various issues I'd been having (chocolate chip cake last year). So I decided to go for it this year. I started by seeing if Ina had a recipe and was directed to a recipe by Gale Gand on the food network. i thought I would compare it to KAF's and discovered two things. Gale Gand's recipe had horrible reviews and KAF had redone their recipe since I last made it to deal with issues the commenters made.

I was very happy with the new recipe for the cake - I even used AP flour just to see. I made it on Tuesday and called KAF about the best way to wrap it to save it for Wednesday. It is a tender cake, and would probably be even more so if you used cake flour. I made a half recipe for the pastry cream because that's all that was called for in the recipe. I had to call KAF Aagain to see how necessary the corn syrup was for the glaze they recommended- it was - so I made the ganache for the big batch brownies which worked perfectly.

It's really good and it held together, but there are changes I'd like to make next time. I don't think there is enough height in the cake - I would consider baking two layers and then cutting some off the tops to allow for the cream to soak in. I would also make the full batch of pastry cream and make sure I thicken it up a little more. The ganache was perfect. I might try to upload a pic later.

2 days later (neither of us had any yesterday)and it's really good. I do like this recipe except, as I mentioned, making bigger layers and more pastry cream.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by cwcdesign.

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I tried a new recipe: Chocolate Chip-Toffee Scones, a recipe from the Fresh Cream Cafe in Ann Arbor, MI, which appeared in the RSVP recipe request section of Bon Appetit (September 1997). It is unusual in that it does not use butter but calls for whipping cream until stiff peaks form. I used heavy cream (and may have slightly overwhipped it). The only ingredient change I made was to substitute in 1 cup of barley flour. For the other 2 1/4 cups of flour, I used Gold Medal. Also, it called for 1/2 cup chocolate-covered English toffee bits. I used Heath toffee bits, which are not covered with chocolate, but since the recipe also uses 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, I felt that was not an issue. The recipe called for making a 12-inch circle and cutting into twelve triangles that are baked separately. I found it more prudent to make two 6-inch circles and cut each into six. I baked them an extra three minutes, since I use very heavy baking sheets. The scones have a very light texture when warm. (I had one with coffee.) My first impression is that the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli) overpowers the rest of the ingredients. I might consider using only half a cup. I like warm scones, but I also like ones that are good at room temperature, since I usually bake for only two people. I will report on how these are tomorrow.

Addendum: The scones are delicious at room temperature. When I mentioned to my husband that the chocolate chips seemed to overwhelm them, he said, "Well, yes," which means he does not see it as a problem. Given how unusual this recipe is, I'm going to post it with my changes.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Cwcdesign--There is a recipe for Boston Cream Pie in Cook's special issue: Incredible Eggs. (I ended up buying this egg issue and was surprised to see a cake, but it does make some sense, given how many eggs go into the pastry cream.) I just bought it this week at my local CVS, so you might be able to get a peak at it in the store.

In another recipe for ice cream, they mention that using corn syrup with granulated sugar in ice cream "interferes with crystal formation," which produces a smooth surface. I assume that is also the case for the glaze.

I'd love to try making Boston Cream Pie, but I need a crowd to eat it, especially if my husband were to get wind of just how many eggs are involved. I'll have to wait for an occasion.

Note: This Cooks issue also has an interesting method of making pasta without a pasta machine that I plan to try.

[BakerAunt]

I initially put this post in the cooking section. I deleted it there and have put it in the correct category.

On Friday, I tried another new recipe, “Triple Chocolate Biscotti,” which was submitted by Mary Tripoli of Kirksville, New York to the “Too Busy to Cook?” feature of Bon Appetit (April 2001), p. 156. I followed the recipe, except that I added 1/2 tsp. espresso powder. I used Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa and Gold Medal flour. I followed the KAF guidelines of letting the two baked logs cool for 25 minutes out of the oven, spraying with water, then slicing the logs five minutes later. I also stand the biscotti on edge in the oven to do the second bake, which was 12 minutes. (My husband does not like them too dry.) I liked the taste of warm ones with milk. The logs were flatter than some biscotti I have made, and the accompanying picture suggests that they should have been a bit higher and less wide–although with food stylists, who knows? It is called triple chocolate because it uses cocoa, semisweet-chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. (Note: it is not identical to the triple chocolate biscotti recipe posted in the Nebraska Kitchen recipes.)

[Mike Nolan]

Adding some corn syrup (mostly glucose) to a sucrose solution is a common trick, changing the ratio of glucose to fructose (the two component sugars in sucrose) interferes with their tendency to crystallize.

If you research the history of Boston Cream Pie, it isn't supposed to be very tall.

[Mike Nolan]

I've been known to make 2 six-inch cakes rather than an eight or nine inch cake for Boston Cream Pie (and then I give one to my neighbor), I should think about downsizing the recipe I've been experimenting with so it makes just one six inch pie.

So far I think the best one I've made was the time I made two different batches of pastry cream (one using a classic French creme patisserie recipe) and then combined them. It had the richness of the creme patisserie, made with lots of egg yolks and heavy cream, with the firmness of the other recipe.

I haven't made my mind up about the right topping. I think it needs to be on the bittersweet side rather than sweet, but that's probably because the Boston Cream Pie we used to get in Chicago had that kind of topping on it. My wife prefers something a bit sweeter, but I'm more of a dark chocolate fan than she is.

[cwcdesign]

Hi Mike,

Just putting it in an 8 inch pan instead of the 9 inch might make a big difference - KAF recommends making their pastry cream minus the heavy cream for the filling. For the ganache, I used 1 cup heavy cream brought to boiling and poured over 1 ½ cups chopped dark chocolate (I used Ghiradelli) I didn't put Saran or anything over it so it held its shine for serving. That has become my favorite ganache.

[chocomouse]

I made the usual 2 loaves of whole grain bread; I'll be out of town next week for 8 days and need to leave the freezer stocked for my husband. I also made blueberry scones and a berry trifle, using blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries we grow. I think I cheat a little, 'cause I use a box cake mix (lemon), instant no sugar added pudding (lemon), and Cool Whip. The kicker is the raspberry liquor my husband makes every year, and I drizzle it on the cake bites. It adds a lot of flavor without being overpowering. Yummy!

[Rascals1]

BakerAunt, when you made your clonmel bread in the Kaiser pan was it the full recipe or half.

[BakerAunt]

Rascals--I put the whole recipe into that pan. It baked a humungous loaf that was a little more dense than usual. I tried the recipe again the next week, and I made two loaves in my French bread pan. Those loaves are lighter in texture.

[Mike Nolan]

I generally divide the Double Crusty dough into two or three parts, shaping them into torpedo-shaped loaves and baking them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. These days I've been making two loaves, cutting both in half when cool, and freeing 3 halves.

[Rascals1]

I was wondering about using the Pullman pan for it, thank you for the reply.
My daughter would rather have store bread but I can taste the preservatives or something in it.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Rascals1.

[Mike Nolan]

Rascal, have you tried the Austrian Malt Bread recipe? That's the one that my son said was more like white bread than white bread.

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