This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was for a very interesting quiche — Apple & Gorgonzola. And, as is my way, I changed it quite a bit. I actually feel a little bad, it seems like I’m always fiddlin’ with these Around My French Table recipes, which I know would be very good great made exactly as written. I just…can’t help myself.

Actually, I usually make changes based on what I have at home or what I maybe don’t like. Take for instance Gorgonzola shudder. I am just not a fan of the blue cheeses, so I swapped that out for some feta and a little cheddar.

Here’s what else I changed this week (and some notes):

1. We went out to dinner Tuesday night and last night, and I just couldn’t make a (delicious!) butter-laden crust in good conscious. So, I made this Whole Wheat Olive . . . → Read More: FFwD: Apple, Feta & Baby Kale Quiche]]>

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was for a very interesting quiche — Apple & Gorgonzola. And, as is my way, I changed it quite a bit. I actually feel a little bad, it seems like I’m always fiddlin’ with these Around My French Table recipes, which I know would be very good great made exactly as written. I just…can’t help myself.

Actually, I usually make changes based on what I have at home or what I maybe don’t like. Take for instance Gorgonzola shudder. I am just not a fan of the blue cheeses, so I swapped that out for some feta and a little cheddar.

Here’s what else I changed this week (and some notes):

1. We went out to dinner Tuesday night and last night, and I just couldn’t make a (delicious!) butter-laden crust in good conscious. So, I made this Whole Wheat Olive Oil Crust from Chocolate & Zucchini. I thought it worked really well with this quiche and was even pretty great tasting! I used a combination of about 6 oz wheat flour and 2.8 oz AP flour and 1/2 tsp of herbes de Provence. And the best part? It was ready to roll out right away. I just had to chill it on the fridge for about 30 minutes before filling it up.
2. I added some greens to the sauteed onions. Baby kale to be precise, but spinach would probably work well too.
3. Speaking of the onions, instead of sauteing them in butter, I used about a tsp of bacon fat. (Hey! Whole Wheat Olive Oil Crust…so it’s okay!)
4. I used half and half instead of heavy cream.
5. I completely misread the recipe and did not par bake my crust first. Doh! So, I gave the quiche 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, then turned it down to 375 and gave it about 20 more minutes. The crust was perfectly done and so was the custard. Whew!

Here are my pictures and here’s a link to everyone’s fabulous quiches.

Placing the crust in the tart pan. The whole wheat crust was a little harder to roll out too, so I got a mini arm workout!

Crust ready for the filling.

1/2 a large, leftover red onion, sauteing.

Onions and kale at the bottom of the quiche.

Half a diced, peeled green apple.

Some feta, grated cheddar and custard added. Ready to go into the oven.

Out of the oven and ready to eat.

Oh, hello French Fridays with Dorie! Nice to see you again. This week: it’s a cake. Yay! I Like Cake! Anyway, this is sort of like a French Poundcake, called quartre-quarts. Sounds good to me. Let’s go have some cake.

Notes:

1. My springform pan was a little smaller in diameter (but deeper) than what was suggested in the recipe. Because of this, mine took longer to bake — about 45 minutes. And I got that split open top that sometimes happens on cakes. That’s okay. Did not bother me at all! 2. I kind of mixed it up and used 2 tsp dark rum and 1 tsp vanilla. Maybe it was the rum, but it kind of reminded me of those alcohol-soaked cakes you can find around the holidays. 3. I loved the crackled brown sugar on top. 4. The cake is all gone now (it didn’t take long). Very dense, pretty . . . → Read More: FFwD: Quartre-Quarts]]>

Oh, hello French Fridays with Dorie! Nice to see you again. This week: it’s a cake. Yay! I Like Cake! Anyway, this is sort of like a French Poundcake, called quartre-quarts. Sounds good to me. Let’s go have some cake.

Notes:

1. My springform pan was a little smaller in diameter (but deeper) than what was suggested in the recipe. Because of this, mine took longer to bake — about 45 minutes. And I got that split open top that sometimes happens on cakes. That’s okay. Did not bother me at all!
2. I kind of mixed it up and used 2 tsp dark rum and 1 tsp vanilla. Maybe it was the rum, but it kind of reminded me of those alcohol-soaked cakes you can find around the holidays.
3. I loved the crackled brown sugar on top.
4. The cake is all gone now (it didn’t take long). Very dense, pretty moist and delicious!
5. Pictures of egg yolks, egg whites and flour is not too exciting so there aren’t as many pictures this week.
6. I will definitely be making this one again.

A link to all the lovely quartre-quarts this week.

Okay, this one is kind of exciting. Whipped egg whites.

Egg whites folded into the cake base.

About to go into the oven.

Finally! Done! When can we eat it? How about now? Now?

Wow, these are so good. In fact, I think they are my most favorite muffins that I have ever made. Seriously. And, I made them quite a bit healthier than the original. That recipe had 12 tablespoons of melted butter, which is kind of insane, imho. I used 4 tablespoons instead, subbing in some low-fat yogurt for the rest. I also added some whole wheat flour and some flaxseed meal. You wouldn’t even know they were kind of healthy if I wasn’t telling you. So go ahead and make some and be amazed! They are super moist and very buttery tasting.

If you don’t have any ground flaxseed meal, you can just use 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour. But you really should get some — it’s very good for you and pretty easy to incorporate into baked goods. Okay, so go make some…I’ll . . . → Read More: I Can’t Believe They’re Kind of Healthy Muffins!]]>

Wow, these are so good. In fact, I think they are my most favorite muffins that I have ever made. Seriously. And, I made them quite a bit healthier than the original. That recipe had 12 tablespoons of melted butter, which is kind of insane, imho. I used 4 tablespoons instead, subbing in some low-fat yogurt for the rest. I also added some whole wheat flour and some flaxseed meal. You wouldn’t even know they were kind of healthy if I wasn’t telling you. So go ahead and make some and be amazed! They are super moist and very buttery tasting.

If you don’t have any ground flaxseed meal, you can just use 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour. But you really should get some — it’s very good for you and pretty easy to incorporate into baked goods. Okay, so go make some…I’ll wait.

(I Can’t Believe They’re Kind of Healthy Muffins): Banana Nut Muffins
Recipe adapted (quite a bit) from one by Tyler Florence
1-1/3 cup AP flour
2 Tbsp ground Flaxseed Meal + enough Whole Wheat Flour to make 2/3 Cup
1-1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Ginger
3 super ripe Bananas
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp melted Butter
3/4 cup low-fat plain Yogurt
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts, toasted (don’t skip the toasting — I just threw mine in the toaster oven for about 3-1/2 minutes)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly spray a jumbo 6 muffin tin with non-stick spray. You can also use a 12 muffin tin. If you use the jumbo, be ready to accommodate a little overflow. I ended up using two ramekins.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, ground flaxseed meal, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture.

With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining banana and brown sugar together on high speed for about 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.

Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 24-28 minutes for jumbo muffins and 18 to 20 minutes for small muffins.

Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These are so good. Make sure to eat one while it’s still warm. If you are using a regular-sized muffin tin, you will probably want to eat two.

I recently purchased an angel food cake pan and had to decide on its maiden voyage. This was it and hey, I think it was a huge success. The lime and pistachios were a great combination and the cake was nice and spongy and not at all too sweet. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit there’s only about half of it left. After one day. Hmm, well, it is very good, and also very photogenic so there’s a number of photos!

I think I’ve been kind of tentative to make an angel food cake due to all the atrocities that you-know-who has committed against the store bought variety. Well, I say LET’S TAKE BACK THE ANGEL FOOD CAKE!!

Lime Glazed Angel Food Cake with Pistachios Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine. 10 to 12 servings. Cake 1 cup cake flour 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, divided 1/4 tsp salt 10 large . . . → Read More: Lime Glazed Angel Food Cake with Pistachios]]>

I recently purchased an angel food cake pan and had to decide on its maiden voyage. This was it and hey, I think it was a huge success. The lime and pistachios were a great combination and the cake was nice and spongy and not at all too sweet. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit there’s only about half of it left. After one day. Hmm, well, it is very good, and also very photogenic so there’s a number of photos!

I think I’ve been kind of tentative to make an angel food cake due to all the atrocities that you-know-who has committed against the store bought variety. Well, I say LET’S TAKE BACK THE ANGEL FOOD CAKE!!

Lime Glazed Angel Food Cake with Pistachios
Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine. 10 to 12 servings.
Cake
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, divided
1/4 tsp salt
10 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp finely grated lime zest (2 limes will probably give you 3 tsp lime zest)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cream of tartar
Lime Syrup & Lime Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
1 tsp lime zest
1/2 cup unsalted raw pistachios
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Special Equipment
10-inch-diameter angel food cake pan with 4-inch-high sides and removable bottom

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F and finely chop your pistachios in a food processor.

Sift flour, 1/2 cup superfine sugar, and salt into medium bowl; repeat sifting 3 times. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, lime peel, and vanilla on medium speed in large bowl until frothy (mixture may turn neon green but color will change when remaining ingredients are added).

Add cream of tartar; increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over whites and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions just until incorporated. Transfer to ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan with 4-inch-high sides and removable bottom (do not use nonstick pan); smooth top.

Bake cake until pale golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 38 minutes.

Immediately invert cake onto work surface if pan has feet, or invert center tube of pan onto neck of bottle or over a raised cake rack and cool cake completely.

Using long thin knife, cut around cake sides and center tube to loosen. Lift out center tube with cake still attached; run knife between cake and bottom of pan to loosen. Invert cake onto rack, then turn cake over, rounded side up. Set rack with cake atop rimmed baking sheet.

Combine sugar and 3 tablespoons lime juice in small saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Brush syrup all over top and sides of cake. Immediately press pistachios onto top and sides of cake, pressing to adhere.

Stir powdered sugar with remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 10 minutes.

Transfer cake to platter; cut into wedges and serve.

So, at first I was kind of sad for this French Fridays with Dorie as I don’t currently have a Madeleine pan and thought I’d have to sit it out. Then, I started poking around the interwebs looking for ideas on how to get around that and I found two great ones — a mini-muffin pan (which I have) and spoons (which…I also have).

The spoons, imho, are a great idea but when I tried it out with just two spoons (pilot project!) I learned that you absolutely can not over-fill the spoons. As in you have to severely under-fill them to not wind up with a mess (which I did wind up with). The cookies kind of puff up around and over the edges of the spoon unless you have a great deal of self-control and discipline (which I don’t have), when applying the batter to . . . → Read More: FFwD: Honey Spiced (not)Madeleines]]>

So, at first I was kind of sad for this French Fridays with Dorie as I don’t currently have a Madeleine pan and thought I’d have to sit it out. Then, I started poking around the interwebs looking for ideas on how to get around that and I found two great ones — a mini-muffin pan (which I have) and spoons (which…I also have).

The spoons, imho, are a great idea but when I tried it out with just two spoons (pilot project!) I learned that you absolutely can not over-fill the spoons. As in you have to severely under-fill them to not wind up with a mess (which I did wind up with). The cookies kind of puff up around and over the edges of the spoon unless you have a great deal of self-control and discipline (which I don’t have), when applying the batter to the spoons. So…mini muffin pans it was!

Some notes on this FFwD:

1. I made a half recipe, which gave me about 10 mini-muffin (not)madeleines.
2. I made the batter Wednesday night and baked the cookies Thursday night.
3. As of 8:30 PM Thursday, all of them were gone.
4. I kind of want to go buy a proper Madeleine pan now.
5. Just in case you are curious (and I was before I tried it), I didn’t notice any damage to my spoons after having them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Here’s a link to everyone’s posts. And here are my pictures below.

Sugar and orange zest rubbed together.

Mixing it all together.

After resting in the fridge overnight.

Batter in spoons. If you do this, fill only half as full as I did here. Thank god for the tin foil underneath.

Mini muffin tin, loaded and ready for the oven.

Out of the oven and ready for snackin’.