Dessert - The Polyphonic Dessert Blog

[silentbob]

I'm hosting my first dinner party in a long time, and can't figure out what to do for dessert. I have an unopened pint of Capogiro's pineapple-mint sorbet, and think it could serve as a good topping if paired with something else.

Anyone have ideas/suggestions? The more low-maintenance, the better.

[zoramargolis]

I'm hosting my first dinner party in a long time, and can't figure out what to do for dessert. I have an unopened pint of Capogiro's pineapple-mint sorbet, and think it could serve as a good topping if paired with something else.

Anyone have ideas/suggestions? The more low-maintenance, the better.

Make mango panna cotta -- or just cut up chunks of mango--and serve with a scoop of your sorbet. Add a couple of shortbread or sugar cookies, if it doesn't seem substantial enough.

[silentbob]

Heh. I did a Google search using the phrase "with pineapple sorbet" and panna cotta came up several times. Sounds like a great idea.

That said, I've never made panna cotta before and most of the recipes talk about bringing the cream/sugar mixture "to a scald" -- what does that mean exactly?

[cjsadler]

That said, I've never made panna cotta before and most of the recipes talk about bringing the cream/sugar mixture "to a scald" -- what does that mean exactly?

It means to bring it to just below a boil (about 180). For the purposes of panna cotta, though, all you're trying to do is dissolve the sugar and then the gelatin (so you don't even need to go that high).

I've heard that scalding isn't relevant these days since almost all milk and cream is pasteurized. Apparently, the goal of scalding used to be destroying enzymes and bacteria, but it's something that keeps getting put in recipes because that's what people have always done.

[zoramargolis]

Panna cotta is one of the easiest desserts in the world to make. It is essentially (your choice of) flavored, sweetened cream, firmed up with Knox gelatin. When I do mango panna cotta, I substitute mango puree for 1/2 of the heavy cream and cut way back on the sugar, depending on how sweet the mango is. A little bit of lemon zest is nice, too.

[cjsadler]

Inspired by the panna cotta talk, I made some chocolate panna cotta with amaretto soaked cherries.

[cheezepowder]

I made ribbon layer cookies using the recipe here. For the chocolate glaze, I didn't want to use unsweetened chocolate and powdered sugar because I thought I may as well use semisweet chocolate to begin with, so instead, I made chocolate glaze by mixing 4 oz melted semisweet chocolate, 4 tbls melted butter, and about 1 to 2 tbls corn syrup based on the chocolate butter icing recipe in The Best Recipe. I also didn't bake the cake layers for the full 15 minutes [edited to add: for the first layer, I baked for about 14 minutes, but I started checking the second two cake layers after about 10 minutes and pulled them out after approx. 11 minutes.] I've never had these before so can't compare to other versions, but I thought these were really good - moist, dense, almondy.

[smokey]

Wow, I've never heard of or seen anything like the ribbon layer cookies.

I made hazelnut biscotti this weekend as a thank you for teachers at my son's daycare. I think it's a Gourmet recipe (I'm not sure, a friend shared it with me and I've never been able to find it at epicurious). Regardless, I quite like it. No fat, some frangelico, not at all too sweet. Somebody else is bringing in a cake for them, and since most of the teachers were neither born nor raised in the U.S., I thought a less sweet alternative would be good. We'll see how they go over.

[Xochitl10]

I made the Warm Bittersweet Mousse from my go-to dessert book, Alice Medrich's "Bittersweet." I used Callebaut 70% and a bit of Hennessy VSOP, and served them chilled after baking. They're very nice, rich without being too rich, creamy, and wonderfully chocolaty.

I think the Callebaut 70% has become my favorite bittersweet to work with. I prefer its earthiness to what I've come to consider an unpleasant acidity in comparable Scharffen Berger (which I used to really like).

[silentbob]

Panna cotta is one of the easiest desserts in the world to make. It is essentially (your choice of) flavored, sweetened cream, firmed up with Knox gelatin. When I do mango panna cotta, I substitute mango puree for 1/2 of the heavy cream and cut way back on the sugar, depending on how sweet the mango is. A little bit of lemon zest is nice, too.

I did a dry run using this recipe and reducing the portion. It tasted okay, but certainly didn't look as silky as the photo above. I used Trader Joe's mango sauce for the puree and definitely agree that cutting back on the sugar will be necessary next time.

One concern I have is that the color of the panna cotta is very similar to that of the pineapple sorbet (a pale yellow-orange). If I place them next to each other on the plate, my instinct is to put something in between for color contrast. Garnish? Flavored syrup? Pieces of fruit? Compote?

[zoramargolis]

I did a dry run using this recipe and reducing the portion. It tasted okay, but certainly didn't look as silky as the photo above. I used Trader Joe's mango sauce for the puree and definitely agree that cutting back on the sugar will be necessary next time.

One concern I have is that the color of the panna cotta is very similar to that of the pineapple sorbet (a pale yellow-orange). If I place them next to each other on the plate, my instinct is to put something in between for color contrast. Garnish? Flavored syrup? Pieces of fruit? Compote?

Check the ingredients in the TJ's Mango Sauce...I always use pureed fresh mango when I make mango pc. There may not be enough actual mango in the sauce and the flavor is going to be different because it has been processed and heated to high temperature.

How about strawberries and mint leaves for color contrast?

[laniloa]

I made ribbon layer cookies

These are called rainbow cookies in the Jewish bakeries near where I grew up. When they are made well, there is nothing like them but they are often really dry. I'm excited you posted the recipe because I've been thinking that they should be my next baking project and was going to hunt for a recipe when I got back from my trip.

[cheezepowder]

These are called rainbow cookies in the Jewish bakeries near where I grew up.

I vaguely recall having seen these cookies when I lived in NY. We saw them at Wegman's this past holiday season, and my husband mentioned they used to be his mom's favorite cookies (she also grew up in NY). The food coloring turned me off so I didn't buy them, but they did pique my curiosity so I decided to try making them when I saw the recipe. I'll be making them again. I mailed some to my mother in law and will see how they compare to the ones she remembers.

[laniloa]

We saw thThe food coloring turned me off so I didn't buy them,

The food coloring is the best part! Seriously, I would be skeptical if they weren't ridiculously bright.

[rkduggins]

New York State Apple Cobbler from Maida Heatter. You put cheddar cheese in the topping, which turned out really well, tasting more strongly of cheese on the parts that were the brownest.

[laniloa]

Midnight Crackles from Dorie Greenspan. Did the ginger variation. They have a bit of a crunch to the crust with a chewy, chocolatey inside with just a hint of ginger. Definitely demands a glass of milk or cup of tea.

[legant]

Adapted the Petit Pains aux Raisins for a Sunday brunch. Used puff pastry instead of the brioche. Having never made pastry cream before, it turned out pretty good. Needed a bit more "umph" for my taste; next time I'll step up the vanilla.

Also made Pecan Sticky Buns. I really do need to read the directions: the recipe calls for two pans. Ended up using only one pan; produced an unbelieveably high "cake." Also, 1 1/2 TB of salt is not the same as 1 1/2 t of salt. Yet, was quite offended when the guests thought this was store-bought.

[laniloa]

Chocolate Oatmeal Drops from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home To Yours. These are going to be a big hit at my regional coordination meeting tomorrow. Part cookie, part brownie these are rich, fudgy with a nice crust on the outside but chewy inside.

[mktye]

Non-dairy eating sister-in-law and nephew have been visiting the last week, so I've been making a lot of milk- and butter-free desserts. When it comes to baking, almond milk seems to be one of the better milk substitutes. It has a similar consistency to low-fat milk and the slight almond flavor compliments most dessert recipes.

Non-dairy boy's favorite food is strawberries, so I made strawberry shortcake for a birthday celebration on Wednesday. The shortcake base was pretty easy -- non-transfat shortening (not the new Criso, but the one they carry at WF) and vanilla almond milk worked just as well as their dairy counterparts in the biscuit.

For the whipped "cream", I finally used the iSi Gourmet Whip that Santa brought me at Christmas. 2 cups vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 sheets gelatin, 2 CO2 cartridges. It tasted surprisingly good, but was still a bit soft -- not quite soft peaks. Next time, I think I'll double the gelatin to 4 sheets. However, for the non-dairy folk, it was a big hit.

The only non-dairy disaster was an attempt at buttercream using soy butter. Everything looked good as I was beating the soy butter into the meringue and then.... kaplooey and it got runny. And it would not firm up again even when chilled for a couple of hours. Plus the salt level in soy butter is through the roof. I guess a trans-fat-free shortening would work better, but I worry about the mouthfeel (and total lack of taste). My first impulse was to go with an Italian meringue (aka Seven Minute) frosting and I should have done that.

(After looking at what I've just written, I realize there are certain, and you know who you are, DR.com members who are going to read through the last two paragraphs above and have a field day. My preemptive reply -- get your mind out of the gutter! )

[zoramargolis]

When it comes to baking, almond milk seems to be one of the better milk substitutes. It has a similar consistency to low-fat milk and the slight almond flavor compliments most dessert recipes.

I've been wondering if anyone else has discovered vanilla almond milk--the unsweetened variety has less than half the calories and carbs of soy milk, and a very pleasant flavor. I have to limit carbs, and using Splenda and half soy milk in my morning cappuccino is one of the ways I do that. I find it even pleasant to drink straight, something I do not choose to do with soy milk. I haven't yet tried cooking or baking with it. The cheapest place to get it is Trader Joe's--which sells Pacific brand (sweetened only) and Blue Diamond (sweetened vanilla, sweetened chocolate and unsweetened vanilla).

[ol_ironstomach]

I've been wondering if anyone else has discovered vanilla almond milk--

Big second on almond milk versus commercial soymilk. The texture isn't quite as smooth and if you let it settle it begins to resemble chalk powder suspended in water, but the flavor is vastly better. I have no clue about cooking with it though; I just pour it over cereal.

To be fair, I've always felt that there was something wrong with packaged soymilk. Every brand I've tasted from TJ's has this weird pukey aroma that I don't detect in Chinese soymilk...the kind served warm to dunk yo tiao in. Weird.

I've always liked orxata as well, but technically earth almonds aren't almonds at all, right?

[zoramargolis]

I've always liked orxata as well, but technically earth almonds aren't almonds at all, right?

Mexican horchata is made with rice milk, vanilla and cinnamon. I think you may be referring to horchata de chufa, from Spain. that is made from Tiger nuts, which grow like peanuts, under the ground.

http://www.popsynth.com/horchata.htm#quatro

[cjsadler]

Had some cream that needed using up and some ice cream in the freezer, so copied Bebo's "Strawberry Salad" (creme brulee, strawberries, vanilla ice cream). I've become a big fan of the low-oven approach for things like creme brulee (cooked at 200), as water baths are a pain.

[Xochitl10]

That looks gorgeous! I completely agree that water baths are a pain.

I'm thawing a banana cake, to be iced with the Sour Cream Ganache from "The Cake Bible." Due to the impending move, I'm trying to use up my baking supplies, so the chocolates going into the ganache are all the same percentage (72%), but are three different brands (Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, and Villars, which I picked up at Trader Joe's this morning to round things out but know nothing about). I'm hoping the sour cream will help even out any flavor differences among them.

[Xochitl10]

Pavlova question: I'm hosting a cocktail party tomorrow night, and making miniature pavlovas for dessert. I'm planning to top them with rum-spiked whipped cream and pineapple. I'd like to do something more interesting than just pineapple, and have thought about either grilling or broiling the pineapple with a bit of Demerara sugar. But, I'd rather not be doing fiddly stuff with either the grill or the broiler while I have guests (and have been doing my fair share to clear out the liquor closet). Would cool (either refrigerated or room temperature) grilled/broiled pineapple be a good topping, or should I just go with the raw stuff? Any other suggestions?

[Barbara]

Pavlova question: I'm hosting a cocktail party tomorrow night, and making miniature pavlovas for dessert. I'm planning to top them with rum-spiked whipped cream and pineapple. I'd like to do something more interesting than just pineapple, and have thought about either grilling or broiling the pineapple with a bit of Demerara sugar. But, I'd rather not be doing fiddly stuff with either the grill or the broiler while I have guests (and have been doing my fair share to clear out the liquor closet). Would cool (either refrigerated or room temperature) grilled/broiled pineapple be a good topping, or should I just go with the raw stuff? Any other suggestions?

You can easily grill the pineapple before your guests arrive. Do this earlier in the day and just cover and hold this before you assemble the dessert--you won't need hot pineapple here, but the grilled stuff will be more flavorful, even at room temperature. If you get the pasteurized, as opposed to "ultra" pasteurized cream, you can whip that and hold it in the refrigerator for several hours before service. Just give the cream a turn with the whip at the last moment and serve this. Ultra-pasteurized creams "weeps" shortly after whipping, besides not tasting nearly as good as the merely "pasteurized" cream. Sounds like a wonderful dessert to me, which won't require much last-minute effort on your part will be guaranteed to amaze your guests. Go for it. I hope you are have already made the merengues and have covered them. What a wonderful thing those are.

[Xochitl10]

Thanks, Barbara. I was not so organized as to have the meringues made last night, and they came out kind of flat due to cook's impatience and the fact that a 10-year-old KitchenAid Classic isn't really made to whip 24 ounces of egg whites into stiff peaks. However, once topped with the Myers-spiked whipped cream, chilled grilled pineapple and turbinado sugar, they were declared divine. Frankly, I could stand next to the grill and smell the cooking pineapple for a good long time -- it smelled awesome.

[shogun]

God bless those Baking and Pastry Arts kids.

[smokey]

I thought I might try moving this post here, as the gelato/sorbet thread seems to be more about purchased products. Any help?

So, in celebration of mother's day, I made banana ice cream this weekend (with RLB's hot fudge sauce recipe--I don't love her (at all), but that recipe is my favorite by far). Anyway, in an effort to develop a reliable base that depends exclusively on ingredients I routinely have in my cupboard (read here: no half and half, no non-ultra-pasteurized cream), I made a custard of:

2 1/2c whole milk

approx. 1/2c sugar

10 egg yolks

I figured all those egg yolks would help with emulsifying the mix, add good 'mouthfeel' and would reduce iciness issues. The base alone was too egg tasting for me, but was hidden by the flavor of the bananas (3 bananas, heated with roughly 1/4c sugar and mashed, cooled, added to the base essentially at the end of the churning) in the finished product.

The banana flavor was great, but it was a bit too icy (a fact agreed upon by all two adults eating it). In my mind, this could be due to two things:

1) not enough fat from cream

and/or

2) water added from the bananas.

In the past, I have made the recipe with fewer egg yolks and milk, but some added half and half (or cream, don't recall). That time, I drained the liquid that came from macerating the bananas (and maybe reduced it and added it back into base? not sure, my notes aren't clear), but I didn't have time to do that this time. The time I made it before, it didn't have the icy issue, making me think this is a function of the reduced fat from no cream.

Anybody have any advice on this topic? Please understand, the reduction in fat was in no way an effort to make ice cream healthy or low fat or anything. I'm well aware that cranking up the egg yolks nullifies any benefit from less cream. I'm truly just looking to see if I can develop a standard base that uses ingredients that don't require a special trip anywhere. (Plus, I'll admit, I'm not crazy for the flavor of super high fat ice cream. To me, all that fat can dull the overall flavor.)

[cjsadler]

I thought I might try moving this post here, as the gelato/sorbet thread seems to be more about purchased products. Any help?

I'd say it's definitely the milk that's making it icy. I've found that with home ice cream makers (like the cheap Cuisinart one I've got) you need a base that's got a good proportion of cream in it (the fat from egg yolks doesn't seem to work well enough). However, I've had some ice creams made with all milk that came out of a professional grade ice cream maker and they were great. In fact, a chef who uses all milk told me that they had tested it and people couldn't tell much difference between the all milk and the cream-milk bases. Hard to believe, but I tasted it with my own taste buds. Oh, and you probably know, but sure your base is well chilled (like close to freezing) before you churn it.

[laniloa]

Caramel and blueberry lemon macarrons from Bouchon Bakery. Absolutely wonderful. I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy more.

[crackers]

First fresh strawberry tart of the season. Using Julia Childs' creme patisserie recipe for the base.

[zoramargolis]

First fresh strawberry tart of the season. Using Julia Childs' creme patisserie recipe for the base.

Wow, that's beautiful! Did you serve it avec creme chantilly?

I don't have the wherewithal to take and post pictures, but last week I helped my daughter make a dessert to take to school--and the recipe, which was new to me, is definitely a keeper. Highly recommended.

It's the Lemon Cheesecake Bars that was in the most recent (July) issue of Fine Cooking. Very simple and extraordinarily good. I'm not going to post the recipe, because it is copyrighted, but I believe the magazine should still be on the news stands. The graham cracker crust doesn't need to be prebaked; no waterbath for the cheesecake, which came out really silky; the lemon curd topping comes together in five minutes. Not too sweet and very lemon-y, if you like lemon and I do. Our one modification of the recipe was to lightly sprinkle lavender flowers over the lemon curd, which gave it an extra-aromatic boost of flavor. Needless to say, she got lots of kudos from her classmates.

[crackers]

Wow, that's beautiful! Did you serve it avec creme chantilly?

Non. We'd just polished off charcoal grilled butterflied leg of lamb with mint-rosemary sauce, roasted carrots, tossed spring greens salad, and lemon rice. The tart was plenty rich without any additional creme! I did use Chantilly cream on top of some blueberry shortcakes I made earlier this weekend, but alas, no photos.

[zoramargolis]

Non. We'd just polished off charcoal grilled butterflied leg of lamb with mint-rosemary sauce, roasted carrots, tossed spring greens salad, and lemon rice. The tart was plenty rich without any additional creme! I did use Chantilly cream on top of some blueberry shortcakes I made earlier this weekend, but alas, no photos.

Ooh. Yum! Sounds like you been doin' some goo-ood cookin' and eatin' recently!

[crackers]

Made my first strawberry-Grand Marnier ice cream of the season yesterday. I served it alongside strawberry shortcakes (with creme from a can- sorry Zora). The strawberries are really good this year!

[silentbob]

Is there a significant difference between using a vanilla bean and vanilla extract when it comes to baking or cooking? I'm trying to decide which to buy from Penzey's.

BTW, the panna cotta discussed months ago upthread turned out great. I put strawberries macerated in Cointreau in the middle of the plate. Worked like a charm.

[Pat]

Is there a significant difference between using a vanilla bean and vanilla extract when it comes to baking or cooking? I'm trying to decide which to buy from Penzey's.

BTW, the panna cotta discussed months ago upthread turned out great. I put strawberries macerated in Cointreau in the middle of the plate. Worked like a charm.

Only some recipes call for vanilla beans; many more call for extract. Using the beans to create extract seems like an unnecessary extra step to me.

I buy the beans if I know I'm going to need them for something specific. They dry out if they are kept too long without use. I did turn some shriveled ones into nice vanilla extract using vodka, but if you're only buying one vanilla product from them, I'd go with the vanilla extract. Their vanilla is double strength and is very good. I believe the instructions say to adjust the recipe amount downward to account for the extra strength, but I usually use the full amount. it is good.

[zoramargolis]

Is there a significant difference between using a vanilla bean and vanilla extract when it comes to baking or cooking?

Vanilla beans are generally used for vanilla pastry cream, dessert sauces like creme anglaise, puddings and ice creams-- you heat milk with a vanilla bean in it and then remove the pod and scrape out the seeds from the split bean. Also to make vanilla sugar, you split a vanilla bean and put it into a jar of white sugar. Vanilla extract is used in baked goods. If you are planning to make a variety of different desserts, I'd say bite the bullet and get both.

[legant]

Cheesecake questions: Just made my first cheesecake. Although I liked the flavor and the texture – I’m not a big cheesecake fan – my official taster thought it was gooey; it needed a bit more “viscosity.” I had looked at several recipes before deciding on this. Other recipes added either flour or sour cream.

How would the addition of flour or sour cream affect the texture?

Also… would creaming the cheese before adding the sugar and stuff make a difference?

And… does chilling the cheesecake overnight affect the texture/density?

[mktye]

Cheesecake questions: Just made my first cheesecake. Although I liked the flavor and the texture – I’m not a big cheesecake fan – my official taster thought it was gooey; it needed a bit more “viscosity.” I had looked at several recipes before deciding on this. Other recipes added either flour or sour cream.

How would the addition of flour or sour cream affect the texture?

Also… would creaming the cheese before adding the sugar and stuff make a difference?

And… does chilling the cheesecake overnight affect the texture/density?

The addition of flour or sour cream will make a difference on the texture, but the recipe you used as written should work anyway. The cheesecake I usually make has four packages cream cheese, 1-2/3 cups sugar and four eggs. It sets up with no problem.

I tend not to cream the cheese much before adding the sugar because I find that if too much air is whipped into the filling, it leads to cracking of the finished cheesecake. But I am also going for a dense-style cheesecake.

However, serving it a little chilled makes a huge difference with it being much more dense when chilled (although the actual amount of time it stays chilled should not make a difference, just that it has reached a certain temperature).

So how does the texture seem this morning straight out of the refrigerator? (Cheesecake is on of my favorite breakfasts! )

[zoramargolis]

Cheesecake questions: Just made my first cheesecake. Although I liked the flavor and the texture – I’m not a big cheesecake fan – my official taster thought it was gooey; it needed a bit more “viscosity.” I had looked at several recipes before deciding on this. Other recipes added either flour or sour cream.

How would the addition of flour or sour cream affect the texture?

Also… would creaming the cheese before adding the sugar and stuff make a difference?

And… does chilling the cheesecake overnight affect the texture/density?

The best cheesecake I've ever made/eaten is a recipe/method from Rose Levy Barenbaum's book, _The Cake Bible_. Shirley Corriher (Alton Brown's kitchen chemistry guru) includes the recipe in her book _Cookwise_, giving due credit to RLB, because, as Corriher says, it is the best cheesecake SHE has ever made or eaten. The recipe contains 2 packages of cream cheese, 3 eggs, 1 cup of sugar and 3 cups of sour cream. It is baked in a waterbath. Corriher states: "Custard that contains no starch must be baked in a water bath or a very low temperature oven (just below 200 degrees F)." "Lack of starch makes the texture satiny smooth and creamy." "Cheesecakes are very deceptive and look undercooked when they are done."

A few comments: RLB says you can add a little bit of corn starch to stabilize the cheesecake--which I do and it still is satiny smooth and creamy. This kind of cheesecake must be refrigerated for at least a few hours or overnight. Your cake was probably "gooey" because you omitted the crucial chilling stage. Also many people are accustomed to a dense, heavy style of cheesecake. A light, creamy mousse-like texture may not be familiar and so may be rejected. For the same reason I like to serve panna cotta, I find this light, silky cheesecake to be a perfect dessert after a substantial meal. It is rich, but not overly so and isn't too filling.

[Xochitl10]

Hmm. I've made RLB's cheesecake a couple of times, and generally been underwhelmed. Even with the chilling, both times it has come out very soft and not firm enough to get clean slices. I've made it once plain and once with strawberry puree swirled in, and I haven't used the cornstarch. The strawberry version, perhaps unsurprisingly, seemed to be even softer and more difficult to slice. I recall thinking both times: "There's no way I could ice this."

These experiences leave me with two possibilities: 1) I'm making it all wrong; or 2) as you suggest, I find the more mousselike texture of this cheesecake not to my liking. Would the cornstarch make a significant difference? I want to like this cheesecake, but because of my apparent lack of success with it, I've made Nigella Lawson's London Cheesecake my go-to.

[zoramargolis]

Hmm. I've made RLB's cheesecake a couple of times, and generally been underwhelmed. Even with the chilling, both times it has come out very soft and not firm enough to get clean slices. I've made it once plain and once with strawberry puree swirled in, and I haven't used the cornstarch. The strawberry version, perhaps unsurprisingly, seemed to be even softer and more difficult to slice. I recall thinking both times: "There's no way I could ice this."

These experiences leave me with two possibilities: 1) I'm making it all wrong; or 2) as you suggest, I find the more mousselike texture of this cheesecake not to my liking. Would the cornstarch make a significant difference? I want to like this cheesecake, but because of my apparent lack of success with it, I've made Nigella Lawson's London Cheesecake my go-to.

Did you follow the instructions to the letter--filling the water bath with boiling water, baking for forty-five minutes and then turning the oven off and leaving it in the oven without opening the door for another hour? The only time I've had problems with getting neat slices, is when I have had it out of the fridge too long before serving it, so it came up to room temperature. Serving it right out of the fridge has always worked.

By the way, how will you make cheesecake now that you don't have an oven?

[Xochitl10]

Did you follow the instructions to the letter--filling the water bath with boiling water, baking for forty-five minutes and then turning the oven off and leaving it in the oven without opening the door for another hour? The only time I've had problems with getting neat slices, is when I have had it out of the fridge too long before serving it, so it came up to room temperature. Serving it right out of the fridge has always worked.

I did follow the instructions exactly. It occurs to me now, though, that both times I made it, I had an imprecise oven, so it's possible that baking temperature issues were at play. Also, I think you're correct about the serving temperature. I'll try it again when I'm back in the States and have access to "The Cake Bible" again.

By the way, how will you make cheesecake now that you don't have an oven?

I won't. It's an entirely academic question, but one I've always wondered about because almost everything else I've made out of TCB has been quite successful.

[squidsdc]

I was intrigued by the recipe in the Post's Sunday's Source for Buttermilk Pie ala Johnnye's Half Shell. I'm not much of a baker, so due to time constraints I thought I'd make the Rhubarb Compote to be served with biscuits for Father's Day. Dad loves Rhubarb, and Cook's Illustrated's "The Best Light Recipe" cookbook has an easy, light, buttermilk biscuit recipe that I think I could manage. The pie will have to wait for another day. Question for the experts--how far in advance can I make the compote? Can I just store it in the fridge until Sunday? Also, how long will Rhubarb stalks keep if I've already purchased them? I bought some when I was at Giant yesterday, and I'm not sure how long my window is before I'll have to prepare the compote. (I won't have time to search for it at a farmer's market, and I'll need it before the weekend.) Any input is greatly appreciated for this novice.

Aside to Xochitl10: I had the opportunity to try a green tea Kit Kat last night, that was supplied by a friend who traveled to Japan (the real candy, by Nestle.) I highly recommend seeking it out and giving it a try. Just don't compare it to the original, as it's made with a white chocolate, instead of milk.

[zoramargolis]

I was intrigued by the recipe in the Post's Sunday's Source for Buttermilk Pie ala Johnnye's Half Shell.

That caught my eye, too. I finally got around to getting some buttermilk, and will give the recipe a try later this week.

I had a bunch of cherries, purchased last week at H Mart for 99 cents a pound, that were juicy and crunchy, but just not sweet enough to eat raw, so I got out my trusty cherry pitter on Sunday and turned them into a cherry compote. I needed to bring a dessert to a meeting last nightand I had the idea to make a semolina cake (I had just bought a fresh bag of semolina flour) to serve with the cherry compote. I looked through a couple of cookbooks, then went on Epicurious. Lo and behold, there were recipes for two semolina cakes that looked like what I was thinking about. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/find/res...mp;x=14&y=9

One was an unleavened semolina-walnut cake to be served with cherry compote, and the other was a semolina-almond cake that had more butter and some baking powder in it. Both were to be drenched in a sugar syrup after baking. Since I'm allergic to walnuts, I chose the almond cake recipe--I also figured that with more butter and baking powder, it would be lighter. But I liked the orange zest in the first cake's batter and the orange-flavored sugar and honey syrup from the first recipe better than the other syrup's flavor profile. So I created a hybrid of the two, and doubled the amount of syrup called for in the first recipe to be in line with the amount of syrup in the recipe I was making. I added some cardamom to the batter and a few drops of orange flower water to the syrup. For the honey that the syrup needed, I used some Tasmanian Leatherwood honey that I have in my pantry, because the flavor reminds me of orange blossoms.

It came out really well--the crumb was understandably a bit coarse from the large amount of almond flour, but it was light and very moist what with all the syrup it soaked up. And it went deliciously well with the cherry compote.

[Anna Blume]

Zora, that sounds wonderful!!!!

So, what would you do with just a few blackberries? I could eat cobblers and shortcake until the leaves turn, fall and get sucked up by those annoying blowers, but something else?

[zoramargolis]

So, what would you do with just a few blackberries? I could eat cobblers and shortcake until the leaves turn, fall and get sucked up by those annoying blowers, but something else?

Just a few, eh? Well, you might use them as a plate garnish, alongside another dessert, like they do in restaurants. Or puree and strain them and mix them with some whipped cream, to go on top of something else. My take on blackberries is that they usually taste better cooked. Except for wild blackberries picked by the side of the road in Oregon, that are fat, juicy and dead ripe. You can tell that there is an idyllic food memory there. We were car camping up the west coast years ago, from L.A. to Vancouver. We pulled off the Interstate to buy gas or something in a rural area, and at the bottom of the exit ramp was a clump of blackberry brambles that were absolutely loaded with the fattest, sweetest wild blackberries I'd ever seen. We ate some, of course, and their flavor was so ambrosial that I was determined to take as many as we could pick along with us. We didn't have any plastic bags, so we just filled our cook pot and tea kettle, and put them in the back of the car. By the time we reached our camping spot in Washington State much later in the day, the berries had juiced themselves. They were so ripe that their own weight, confined in metal containers and the vibration of the car had caused them to completely disintegrate. The seeds had migrated down to the bottom of the pots. That had to have been the most delicious juice of my lifetime. Mmmm.

[Anna Blume]

What a memory!

I agree about cooking--thus the cobbler staple, though these South American imports are good in salads w goat cheese even if that combination is starting to become a bit trite. Feeling lazy, I may just poach them before they go bad and spoon them over melon or into yogurt at breakfast.