Friday Night Fights: Madelines vs. Snickery Squares

Thank you for those who were concerned about my late post and bad weekend.  A series of stressful things, including my friend’s funeral, made this a bad weekend.  There WERE some good things too.  My son’s commencement on Friday night.  My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last week.  But I think my stress circuit breaker flipped on Monday and I’m kind of out-of-energy this week.  Next week we’re going out for a few days of bird watching.  Hopefully I will lose some of this residual anxiety.

This week’s recipe, for Madelines, was chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home.  An alternative was also offered for people who didn’t have a Madeline pan.  They could make a recipe that had already been made for Tuesday’s with Dorie.

I set out to make Madeline’s.  I bought a non-stick pan at Williams-Sonoma on Thursday and was going to make the cookies on Friday and take them to my friend’s funeral on Saturday.  Once I sat down with the recipe, however, I saw there were some problems with my plan.  The recipe only made 12 cookies and they’re best eaten on the day they’re made.  Once I saw the batter needed to be chilled I knew I could make the batter and bake the cookies late Saturday morning.  But it still only made 12 and I wasn’t in the mood to double the recipe, which doesn’t always work in baking.  So I started paging through the bars and cookies to see if I could make something else to bring that would be easy and good.  I have wanted to make the snickery squares since I bought the cookbook, and they looked easy, so I made those too.  One recipe used my mixer and one used my food processor, so that worked too.

First I made my Madeline batter and put that in the fridge to chill.  Then I made the shortbread base for the snickery squares.  Then a trip back to the store for dulce de leche.   Then off to commencement.  Then back home to make the peanuts.  I carmelized the peanuts just until the sugar started to give off some smoke, then quickly moved them to the Silpat.  Once they cooled, I finished assembling the bars. Then off to bed.

I baked the Madeline’s late Saturday morning.  I think I baked them too long because they tasted dry to me.  Another baker brought up the point that the non-stick pan is dark and maybe the temp should have been lowered.  If I make these again, I may try that.  I’m on a raspberry kick, so I made some raspberry glaze for the Madelines.

I didn’t get a very good photo of the snickery squares but they won hands down as our favorite for the weekend.

I won’t be blogging next week.  So see you in two weeks.

Traditional Madeleines

Source: Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale, thick and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days. This long chill period will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines. (For convenience, you can spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the cookies directly from the fridge; see below for instructions on prepping the pans.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, or up to 36 mini madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Or, if you have a nonstick pan (or pans), give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one almost to the top. Don’t worry about spreading the batter evenly, the oven’s heat will take care of that. Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, and minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

If you are making minis and have more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking.

Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 12 large or 36 mini cookies

Serving: Serve the cookies when they are only slightly warm or when they reach room temperature, with tea or espresso.

Storing: Although the batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, the madeleines should be eaten soon after they are made. You can keep them overnight in a sealed container, but they really are better on day 1. If you must store them, wrap them airtight and freeze them; they’ll keep for up to 2 months.

Snickery Squares

Source: Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 stick (113 gr) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the Filling:
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp water
1 ½ cups salted peanuts
About 1 ½ cups store-bought dulce de leche

For the Topping:
7 ounces (200 gr) bittersweet, coarsely chopped
½ stick (57 gr) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature

Getting Ready:
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 8 inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To Make the Crust:
Toss the flour, sugar, powdered sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Toss in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 12 times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour the yolk over the ingredients and pulse until the dough forms clumps and curds-stop before the dough comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan. Prick the dough with a fork and slide the sheet into the oven.

Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until it takes on just a little color around the edges. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Have a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet at the ready, as well as a long-handled wooden spoon and a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.

Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to color. Toss the peanuts and immediately start stirring. Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with sugar. Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white—keep stirring until the sugar turns back into caramel. When the peanuts are coated with a nice deep amber caramel, remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts out onto the baking sheet, using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can. Cool the nuts to room temperature.

When they are cool enough to handle, separate the nuts or break them into small pieces. Divide the nuts in half. Keep half of the nuts whole or in biggish pieces for the filling, and finely chop the other half for the topping.

Spread the dulce de leche over the shortbread base and sprinkle over the whole candied nuts.

To Make the Topping:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, stirring until it is fully blended into the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche, smoothing it with a long metal icing spatula, then sprinkle over the rest of the peanuts. Slide the pan into the fridge to set the topping, about 20 minutes; if you’d like to serve the squares cold, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours before cutting.

Cut into 16-24 bars.

TWD: Calling in Late

After a particularly bad weekend, I didn’t feel like writing anything up last night.  Hopefully I will have something to post tomorrow.  I did make Snickery Bars and Madelines.

Kitchen Chemistry: Florida Pie

Baking something is like doing a chemistry project, which is why baking needs to be more of an exercise in precision than cooking usually has to be. This week’s recipe for Florida Pie, chosen by Dianne of Dianne’s Dishes, included very little baking but it was still a great example of kitchen chemistry in action. And really, what could be better than a chemistry project that you can eat?

I was excited for this weeks recipe. I have been a key lime pie eater since my first trips to Florida in the 60’s, and the only time I could have it would be on family vacation’s to Florida. Key lime juice was a precious commodity to be carried back from vacation and hoarded. Oh, the joy when key lime pie became Baker’s Square’s July pie-of-the-month (they make a pretty decent one too) and when the local grocery stores started carrying the juice here up North. Baker’s Square also used to make a pie called key lime rickey which had a layer of raspberry puree in it. I thought it was even better than plain key lime pie. So I decided to add raspberries to this pie. Dorie’s recipe added coconut to the mix, which I welcome wholeheartedly to the party. I will admit to being a key lime snob and NEVER substitute lime juice for key lime juice. Sorry, but it’s not the same.

There were a lot of, ahem, “elements” to this pie.

First came the crust. I was a little shocked that Dorie said she always uses a store-bought graham cracker crust. After reading the ingredient list of the premade crust, I decided to make one using Newman’s cinnamon graham alphabet cookies. Once again this week my Escali Pana Volume and Weight Digital Scale with the pre-programmed ingredients codes came in handy (I sound like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” . . . “A Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time”). How many little Newman’s cinnamon graham cookies would make 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. I entered the code for graham cracker crumbs and added cookies until the scale said 1 1/2 cups. On to the food processor.

This is my easy way to make a graham cracker piecrust. First pulverize the cookies. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt, pulse and few more times and pour them straight into the pie plate. Evenly distribute the crumbs, cover with plastic wrap, and press another pie plate on top of the crumbs. No muss, no fuss.

Now, if there’s one word in a recipe that strikes fear into my heart, it’s “reduce.” While I suppose a reduction couldn’t be called a chemical reaction, it’s still pretty cool, it you’re patient . . . which I’m not. But I was determined, and I was rewarded. If you’re patient, and keep the heat high enough that it bubbles and evaporates, but not so high that it scorches, you will be rewarded with creamy, thick, butter-colored goodness. Take a small bite, and then before you eat it all, set it aside.

Before

After. See what I mean?

On to the good part, and what makes this a Florida Pie. Key lime filling. As I beat the egg yolks I didn’t think the they would ever get light and thick. But they finally did and then I could get to the fun part. I added the condensed milk and then started mixing in the key lime juice. During mixing, a chemical reaction, called souring, occurs between the condensed milk and the acidic juice which causes the filling to thicken on its own. The filling didn’t come anywhere near the stove and yet it still thickened.

Back in the “old days” you were done now except for the chilling. The new-fangled recipes give the filling a few minutes in the oven, in case the eggs have some salmonella lurking in them. But first, you have to assemble the pie. This is where I added my raspberries, and they were a very good addition indeed. See how pretty they look? Next time I will add even more raspberries. And do I have future plans for this coconut cream! Spread over brownies and topped with some almonds and milk chocolate ganache!

As for my meringue, I think my egg whites were on the edge of going over to the dark side of destabilization. If I do meringue again, I will add some cream of tartar for some insurance. See the transcript of the Good Eats episode “Let Them Eat Foam.” to learn more about egg whites. Alton Brown can say it better than I ever could. But for me, I much prefer whipping cream on my key lime pie and I’m not a fan of meringues.  I used my kitchen torch to brown the meringue.  I think running it under the broiler would have given the meringue a softer browning.

I really wasn’t sure what the trips to the freezer were all about. Maybe to cool it faster? Next time I would just chill in the fridge overnight.  If I had chilled it overnight I might have been able to cut a neater slice than shown at the top of this article.  I just couldn’t wait to dig in.  And sometimes the best piece of pie is the homiest looking. This is one of my favorite desserts, which I will choose over chocolate almost any day.  And except for the meringue, it lived up to my expectations. What can I say.  I’m a whipped cream girl. After it had chilled, the coconut cream took on a toothsome texture that was very satisfying.  I love the cool, tart, creaminess of the key lime filling.  Oh, my mouth is watering again, but at our house, this pie is already gone.

So that, my friends, are the keys to this sublime pie. Get it? Keys . . . sublime? Never mind.

Next week’s recipe is Traditional Madelines, chosen by Tara of “Smells Like Home.” I’ve been asked to bring some cookies to the memorial service for my friend this Saturday. I think Kari would have liked madelines. They’re simple and sophisticated, but still a fun cookie, like she was.  I miss her very much.

Florida Pie

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.

Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:

Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you’ve got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) (I think broiling might have given a softer browned affect, but I used my torch and it worked pretty slick.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Dorie, All is Forgiven: Peanut Butter Torte

Tuesdays with Dorie

There’s nothing like a little baking adversity to pull people together. Last week my fluted polenta and ricotta cake was a flop. What had I done wrong? Results from other bakers were all over the map. It was great to hear from all the cheerleaders that rallied to give support. After tasting this week’s recipe for Peanut Butter Torte, chosen by Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food, I have to tell Dorie that all is forgiven.

As for this week, I have to admit my heart hasn’t really been in it. I have a dear friend who is very sick with cancer, and though she lives in another state, she is constantly on my mind and my heart is so heavy (Tuesday evening update: I am so sorry to say that my friend passed away this morning).

I had been really looking forward to making this, and my son was looking forward to eating it. I’ve been feeling helpless and angry but also wanted to keep busy. Fortunately, this wasn’t a recipe that required a lot of patience or concentration, both of which are in short supply right now. It went together very easily, if somewhat messily. I thought of just a few things I would change for next time:

• I would add 5 more cookies to the crust so that I don’t feel like I’m skimping when I’m building up the sides plus a reminder to myself to add more butter to compensate for the extra cookies.
• The ganache had a very thin consistency;I did chill it for a little while and, of course, it thickened up eventually. Next time I will only add 1/4 cup of whipping cream. I will chop peanuts for the top separately and into bigger pieces.
• For a change of pace, my son had the great suggestion of using golden Oreos with chocolate filling for the crust. How about chopped peanut butter cups in the filling and on top?

Oh, this cake is so delicious. It’s rich and creamy with a little bit of that salty/sweet combination that I love! It’s really more like an unbaked cheesecake. My husband, who doesn’t have a big sweet tooth, called it decadent. He ate 2 pieces on Sunday night.

My four-year-old nephew tasted it and put his head on my shoulder and wistfully said, “I wish I could have helped you make it.” I asked him if he wanted to come over soon and make a cake. “A chocolate cake? A little chocolate cake?” he asked. Yes, I promised him we would make chocolate cupcakes together. His twin sister took a bite and pronounced it yucky. There’s no accounting for taste.

On a side note, I have a friend with an egg allergy who was thrilled to see that this recipe contained no eggs.

Next week, Florida Pie, chosen by Dianne of Dianne’s Dishes.

Looking at the photo below I’m glad I’m heading downstairs right now to have a slice before I go to bed.

Peanut Butter Torte

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl (I didn’t even bother wiping out the bowl. I was tempted to lick it clean, but then I would have had to wash it), fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.