Quartre Quarts - French Fridays with Dorie

Quartre Quarts

I'm back! I'm back on the French Fridays with Dorie circuit! This week, the French Fridays with Dorie group made Quartre Quarts from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Around my French Table. 

It's a snacking cake with no frosting. Um, I'm sooooo there!

This is totally delicious. I just made it afternoon and am trying to save some to bring into work tomorrow! It reminds me of the Swedish Visiting Cake sans the nuts. It is light, not very sweet and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. I used vanilla (you can also use rum) so it has a great warm, vanilla taste. It's topped with just enough brown sugar to give it sweetness.

Be sure to check out my fellow French Fridays with Dorie members and see their creations!

Please note: French Fridays with Dorie will not be posting recipes. Please support Dorie and purchase the book or find it at your library.

Tuesdays with Dorie Finishes Book - Thank you Dorie & TWD

Just some of the delicious recipes made during Tuesdays with Dorie...

This past week, the baking group Tuesdays with Dorie completed making all the recipes in Dorie Greenspan's wonderful book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I wasn't able to participate each week, but I have made a majority of the recipes in the book. Aside from the butter, flour and chocolate, the Tuesdays with Dorie group changed my life in so many positive ways. I've made new friends and felt such a sense of community and friendship in this vast online world. TWD has helped me discover blogs and inspired me to bake each week! I learned new skills and gained confidence in my baking. Thank you Dorie Greenspan for being supportive of our group (getting a comment from The Dorie Greenspan on your post is such a thrill) and answering our questions. Dorie would give us hints and explanations...she's awesome! Thank you Laurie (who started the group) and Jules (who helped with  coordination) for keeping us organized and on track!

My new year's resolutions is to join the group going through Dorie's classic, Baking with Julia!

I'm sad this round of Tuesdays with Dorie has ended...but I know I have a book full of great recipes and notes, friendships and inspiration to carry me for many years to come.

Please read this Washington Post article about the group!

Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake - Day #13 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Spiced Cranberry Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #13

Happy Saturday! It's Day #13 of I Like Big Bundts...my crazy marathon of 30 Bundts in 30 days! I hope you celebrate National Bundt Day on November 15th!

Today's Bundt is really special! It's Dorie Greenspan's Spiced Cranberry Bundt. I made it with Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet when I visited her earlier this month in Connecticut (see my BlogMary post here). It's fitting that we made a Dorie Greenspan recipe because Dorie, without knowing it, brought Mary and I together!

In 2008, Mary and I were both in the online group Tuesdays with Dorie...baking our way through Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook. Mary wrote me an email starting with "I'm in Tuesdays with Dorie too..." asking for Los Angeles restaurant recommendations...and a friendship was born. Thanks Dorie for not only your delicious recipes and wonderful cookbooks, but for helping two people named Mary meet!

The submission info can be found here! Just submit by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a button for baking along with me!


We made our cake by pulverizing some slivered almonds for the almond flour, and toasted some almonds for the batter. East Coast Mary had a bag of cranberries in the freezer (something I must do this year) so we had frozen cranberries and dried cranberries. This bundt has a delicious combo of spices: Chinese five-spice powder, ground ginger and ground cinnamon.



Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze

Recipe: Click here for recipe on Bon Appetite site

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

Basic Biscuits - Tuesdays with Dorie

Basic Biscuits

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort chose Basic Biscuits on page 21 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I made 1/4 of the recipe and pulled out two biscuits...that I ate piping hot from the oven with some blueberry jam. The look is "rustic" (read: I didn't roll them out and cut them into cute circles...just sorta balled them up and threw them into the oven!)

These would be great with a big bowl of soup or just more butter and jam. Try them soon!

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 21)

Apple Nut Muffin Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

Apple Nut Muffin Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Katrina of Baking and Boys chose Apple Nut Muffin Cake on page 37 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Katrina, who shares a birthday with the awesome National Bundt Day, selected a winner. Dorie writes that she planned on making muffins, but threw it all into a square pan. I just love Dorie and can see this happening to many people.

I used one medium Granny Smith apple, walnuts and regular raisins. Next time, because I'm such a gingerific person, I might throw in a handful of crystallized ginger to "fall" it up. This is super easy to make and perfect for breakfast. And let's not forget the antioxidants... fruit and nuts are healthy, people! ;)

I came home from a fantastic trip to New England (more on that later), woke up and made this. I took photos with my new Samsung Charge phone before the sun came up.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Katrina of Baking and Boys blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 37)

Classic Brownies - Tuesdays with Dorie

Classic Brownies

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Anne of Anne Strawberry chose Classic Brownies on page 88 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Hope you are all doing well! I've been pretty busy lately and am trying to get back on the baking bandwagon! Today, it's one of Dorie Greenspan's brownie recipes! If you don't have Dorie's book yet, you really need to...she has a whole section on brownies!

Chocolate, a little flour and California walnuts.
Yum!
These brownies are moist and rich. I'm more of a cakey brownie person, but these were good with the walnuts.

Check out the other TWD baker's creations here!

Recipe:
Anne of Anne Strawberry blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 88)

Chocolate Chunk Muffins - Tuesdays with Dorie

Chocolate Chunk Muffins 

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles chose Chocolate Chunk Muffins on page 18 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I folded half the chips into batter and put a few on top before baking.

Perfect with a cup of coffee or milk!

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 18)

Chocolate Biscotti - Tuesdays with Dorie

Chocolate Biscotti

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes picked Chocolate Biscotti from Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I used raw almonds (chopped a bit) and mini chocolate chips. Next time, I'm going to add dried cherries...that would be awesomeness.

Biscotti are twice baked cookies. Bake off a log, let cool for a bit and then cut and bake on its side. This finishes the baking and dries them out...making them crunchy. I like to leave a bit of "soft" in the center.

Grab a couple biscotti and a cup of coffee or tea. Nothing better.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 144)

Maple Cornmeal Biscuits - Tuesdays with Dorie

Maple Cornmeal Biscuits

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, May 17, 2011 – Lindsay from A Little Something… Sweet chose Maple Cornmeal Biscuits on page 24. of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

These are sooooo good! I could eat a hundred of these light, slightly sweet biscuits. The maple syrup flavor is subtle yet delicious!

I made half the recipe and used a cookie scoop to dish out these drop biscuits. Yes, no rolling or forming...but scoop and bake. So easy! My scoop was small as I got 12 small biscuits (the full recipe yields 12 larger biscuits)

I hope you get a chance to make these soon. They are perfect with breakfast, lunch or dinner! 


Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!


Recipe:
Lindsay from A Little Something… Sweet blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 24)