archive for February, 2008

Eatin’ o’ the green.

Recipe: Pistachio Cookies

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Green is for lettuce, our crunchy companion whose color ranges from the pale pearl-green of an iceberg heart to the deep forest-green of romaine’s outer shell. Green is for fresh garden peas, steamed to bring out both flavor and color. But green is NOT for cookies—unless it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Ah, but then, lads and mavourneens, green is for everything from beer to body paint—AND cookies. read the rest of this entry »

All tied up: Shaping Kaiser Rolls

Recipe: None

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From Penny Raynor: “I’ve been a member of the Baking Circle for a L O N G time but I find this blog to be especially fun. I think you should include a demonstration of the shaping of the Kaiser Rolls that you put in the Baking Sheet in the Spring 2006 issue. It’s one of my favorite “tricks” and I always use it for my (or Moomie’s) burger buns.”

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The French Toast Connection

Recipe: None

Ever have one of those conversations when someone absolutely puts their finger on the pulse of a universal experience? Phil Jones did that for me in his email last week: “When using cinnamon, e.g., for French Toast, how do you get it to blend in nicely, instead of floating on top of the mixture, and/or making an unmixed coating on the bowl at the edge of the liquid?”

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My reaction was visceral: “He is SO right!” Is there anything more annoying?

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What’s a Tweedie?

Recipe: None

Anatomy of a test run, chapter 1.

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People contact us all the time looking for long-lost recipes. Not long ago we fielded an email from a customer who was looking to re-create a collection of family recipes. They’d found sources for everything on their list but a recipe called Tweedies, and wanted to know if we could help. read the rest of this entry »

Gingerbread cookies: They’re not just for Christmas anymore.

Recipe: Soft Ginger-Molasses Cookies and Ginger Syrup

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Run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me—I’m the gingerbread man!

Now, I ask you: was the original gingerbread man happily enjoying the holiday season, lounging around the Christmas tree, waiting for Santa to arrive? No way. read the rest of this entry »

When times are tough, thanks for sticking with the best: King Arthur Flour.

Recipe: None

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King Arthur Flour: we deliver quality.

BUMMER! That’s what I thought when I heard the news that wheat prices had risen even higher and faster than the experts had predicted last fall. The cost of wheat, per bushel, is now more than triple what it was last April. In fact, the cost of wheat has doubled just since last month. WHEW! read the rest of this entry »

Tweedie bar cookies, Chapter 2

Recipe: None

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After my first attempt at bar Tweedies, I did a little cogitating. I knew I had to back off the baking powder for sure. I also realized it was time to use some common sense about the middle layer, and make a confectioners’ sugar frosting that would just plain behave itself. Finally, I wondered what kind of brownie-like proportions could be brought to bear on the base layers, to get something more moist, that would read more like a bar cookie. read the rest of this entry »

Sticky wickeds.

Recipe: Quintessential Pecan Sticky Buns

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What is it about sticky buns that just seems so perfectly in tune with this time of the year?

Is it the over-the-top sweetness, the kind of sugary overkill we used to enjoy as kids, sucking on lollipops and rock candy? Or maybe it’s the active way you eat these buns, grasping them gingerly to avoid the sticky parts, but inevitably ending up with fingers to lick clean… read the rest of this entry »

Hearts and flours: I’m in love! (Do I need Dr. Phil?)

Recipe: 100% Whole Wheat Pain de Mie

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OK, I admit it. I can’t be silent any longer. This secret love I have is burning inside me, an unquenchable fire… whose temperature is about 350°F. read the rest of this entry »

Spinach quiche: a miracle in the making

Recipe: Miraculous Spinach Quiche

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If spinach makes you think of gray-green glop served from a can… or the sad-looking stuff the lunch ladies would plop onto your plate in elementary school, exuding a disgusting puddle that you tried in vain to keep away from your mac and cheese… then it’s time for you to update your expectations. read the rest of this entry »