Tuesday, June 19, 2012

TWD: French Strawberry Cake


This cake is June on a fork- juicy strawberries promise the bounty of summer to come, the light genoise is a pleasant change from heavy winter chocolate and caramel flavors, and (at least here in the PNW) the weather is still cool enough not to destroy the cloak of whipped cream. I found this recipe more simple and delightful than I had expected. I love whipped cream, but somehow I don't usually care for it as a frosting. I'm also more of a biscuit-style strawberry shortcake kind of girl, but I couldn't help but be charmed by this adorable cake. It is lovely to eat and lovely to look at! The only challenge was slicing the rather thin cake into 3 layers. My middle layer was quite thin and sort of disappeared into the berries and cream.  I found that it kept improving over about 24 hours and than began to break down. This one was a sweet surprise while it lasted!

Find the recipe with our lovely hosts Sophia of Sophia's Sweets and Allison of Sleep, Love,Think, Dine!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

TWD:Oasis Nan

I came a bit late to the wonderful world of kitchen gadgets. Growing up, we had a yellow mixing bowl, metal soup spoons, one set each of plastic cup and spoon measures, and a wire whisk shaped like a tornado. My mom whipped up a menagerie of sweets in our sparsely equipped kitchen, and, although neither of us knew it until later, in doing so taught me how to improvise. Culinary school and years in professional kitchens introduced me to new tools- some inspired (micro plane! How I love you!) to downright stupid (egg separator? You have 5 on the end of each hand.) At any rate, I can't help but wonder if one tool I never saw much use for would have salvaged this bland recipe.

Would a baking stone have rescued my nan? It turned out much more like a poorly made pizza crust than any nan I have eaten.  I followed the dough recipe exactly and the shaping instructions as well as possible, though my careful rounds turned to amoebic shapes when transferred to the oven. The only changes I made were with the toppings. I got bored with scallions and tried other herbal combos, even stuffing a couple with raisins, fennel seed, and sugar. They all came out leaden and unappetizing, even when warm. On the other hand, playing nan Frisbee with the leftovers was pretty fun!

Anyone else feeling let down by this recipe?

A big thank you to hosts Maggie of Always Add More Butter and Phyl Of Cabbages and Kings!