Today is DH’s birthday and this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was seemingly chosen with him in mind. Oh sure I could’ve made a traditional birthday cake but then I realized this has both almonds and chocolate… two of his favorites… and though it’s a torte it’s definitely close enough to cake for my DH. Trust me, this chocolatey-almondy dessert made him one very happy birthday boy :)
I honestly don’t know what happened because the vast majority of the other TwD bakers had absolutely no problem with Dorie’s recipe… and I’m thrilled for them :) So don’t go by my experience alone… check out the results from the other TwD bakers right here.
In the spirit of “keepin it real” I’m just gonna put it right out there for ya…. I’m looking for a little sympathy today. We’re having some work done on the first level of our house and it’s just got everything discumbobulated right now. We had to clear everything out of the living room and dining room… the furniture was moved to the family room, my “studio” (haha yeah, good one! LOL) was disassembled and moved to the guest bedroom… and everything that was in my china cabinet and curio cabinet is sitting all over the kitchen. The stovetop has the china, the countertops have some of the glassware and the rest is on the kitchen table. O-M-G. The living room… the dining room… the family room… and worst of all the kitchen… all out of commission. It’s been painful and very hard on my psyche as I’m unable to cook or bake… or photograph. It’s unfortunate I made these scones about a week ago because I’d surely LOVE to have some right now. These are really good… and of course, the addition of a wee bit of alcohol (optional, of course) doesn’t hurt a bit ;-) The batter is so tasty that I had to stop myself from eating it. This recipe is extremely versatile… use your choice of fruit… and your choice of alcohol… omit either one… omit both… as I like to say “do whatcha like”… but do make these :)
Before March of this year I’d never tried a scone. But just a single one had me hooked… hooked I tell ya! Now, I eat them all the time, mostly because I bake them so often. More complex in texture and taste than either a biscuit or a muffin, done right, a scone melts in your mouth and makes your tummy happy :) I had some dried cherries in the pantry, and we usually have Amaretto on hand so that’s the combination I made since cherry and almond flavors really appeal to me. But use your imagination, be creative! Maybe peaches and brandy, pineapple and Grand Marnier (orange) or whatever you like. You can omit the fruit entirely or use nuts instead. The base recipe is noteworthy all on it’s own so don’t feel like you have to dress them up because most certainly you do not.
Adapted from Alton Brown
Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup cream
1 egg
Handful dried cherries
Enough Amaretto to just cover the cherries
Preparation
Put the cherries in a small bowl and pour in the Amaretto so that the cherries are soaking. Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes to soften. Come back and using either a muddler or end of a wooden spoon or similar utensil, kind of mash down the cherries just enough to open them up allowing more of the Amaretto to be absorbed. Let this sit for about 30 minutes. Pour the cream into a measuring cup that is larger than 1cup size. Add the cherry/Amaretto mixture and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 375°F
Line cookie sheet either with silicone baking mat or parchment paper
Directions
In a food processor combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar then pulse a couple of times to mix well. Add in butter and shortening and combine for about 15 seconds or until you have a pebbly mixture. In a separate bowl, combine cream mixture with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined (don’t over mix but your cherries should be pretty well broken down and incorporated into the dough). Spoon or scoop the dough into rough balls and place on cookie sheet. Use a wet finger to smooth “peaked” areas. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
These come together quickly and easily. They’re tender, slightly sweet, moist and delicious. Great with tea or for breakfast or as an anytime snack. The work on our house should be completed this weekend so with any luck I’ll be back to baking soon :)
Enjoy!
NOTE:: There’s an update at the end :)
Yay me! DH proclaimed that I couldn’t possibly still be contagious so I got up out of my sick bed for a little while today. I logged on and did some work and then I decided to tackle this week’s TwD recipe while I still had some energy in me. DH loves almond and he loves biscotti so I really wanted to make Dorie’s Lenox Almond Biscotti recipe as a special treat just for him!
This week’s TwD host was Gretchen of the blog Canela & Comino and she chose Dorie’s recipe for Lenox Almond Biscotti. I’ve made biscotti before using a different recipe but was looking forward to trying Dorie’s because it was a bit different than what I’m used to. I wish I had more energy and not been feeling so poorly the past few days because I would have wanted to play around with different variations just for fun. As it is, I’m just proud of myself for making these, getting the pics done and the post written on the due date :)
These are an absolute breeze to make… IF you have all the ingredients. Not everyone happens to have cornmeal in the pantry so that might take these from being “an absolute breeze” to “requiring forethought and planning”. With the exception of baking times and halving all of the ingredients, I followed the original recipe to the letter. I used slivered almonds in the batter and then before baking I pressed in some sliced almonds into the finished “log” for aesthetic purposes :)
DH thought these were really good and enjoyed a couple with a cup of coffee. Me? Not so much. I have to be honest and tell you the cornmeal really turned me off. I find that gritty consistency of unsoaked cornmeal to be just as bad as raspberry seeds… ptooey! Other than that, the taste was really good. I had to bake these quite a bit longer than the recipe indicated. I turned down the oven to 200 and then baked probably an additional 20 minutes total, rotating on each of the cut sides.
If you’d like the full recipe, be sure to visit the blog of our hostess Gretchen and while you’re at it check out the others who bake Tuesdays with Dorie.
Have a delicious day!
Update:: It’s late, I decided to make a cup of tea… and I’m eating one of these Lenox Almond Biscotti… it’s much MUCH better with something to dunk it in. The cornmeal doesn’t bother me nearly as much when the biscotti is a bit soggy with tea ;-) I still wouldn’t make this particular biscotti recipe again and primarily because of the cornmeal… but maybe, just maybe, I can enjoy a few of these with DH and a nice cup of tea :)
I made these cupcakes a few weeks back. They’re extremely tasty… especially if you’re a fan of almond since the cherry adds a nice variation. I never quite got around to posting them perhaps because I thought the pictures really didn’t turn out well. They’re not hideous, but they’re not “good”. I was reading another baking/food blog the other day and she posted something she didn’t feel was gorgeously photographed but shared it anyway because the recipe was worth it. Well, that sums up my feelings today… the photography isn’t stellar but the cupcakes are so tasty that I simply have to share!
Cherry Almond Cupcakes
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk
20 fresh cherries, pitted and halved (divided use)
optional crushed almonds for garnish and melted chocolate for decorating
Directions
Preheat oven to 300F
Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners
Set aside 18 cherry halves
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add eggs and extracts, beating well after each addition. Add one-third of the dry ingredients, then half the milk; repeat and mix until well combined. Add in the remaining cherries that were not set aside and mix only until cherries are well distributed. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
For the frosting make a half-batch of the buttercreme icing recipe found here and mix in a few fresh cherries (about a half-dozen to a dozen depending on personal preference), pitted and chopped very small (almost to the point of being mashed).
Once the cupcakes have been frosted, garnish each with a half-cherry, some crushed almonds and a drizzle of melted chocolate.
Enjoy!
