Daring Bakers Challenge: Fresh Fruit Fraisier

Look at this beauty!


I'm still impressed with myself each time I look at the picture of this cake.  When my neighbor saw it she said, "You made that?  I thought you bought it!"  


Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Fraisiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.


So, this cake was a bit of work but nothing that was too tricky really.  Just lots of components.  The first part is the sponge cake.  My cake rose and dripped in the oven creating a bit of a mess.  Then when it was all cooled it fell in the middle.  I had to trim it up to make it look nice and polished but then I got to eat the trimmed bits.  So yummy.


The pastry cream that went in the middle is a pretty usual pastry cream but it gets an extra bit of support from gelatin so that the cake doesn't take a tumble in the middle of serving it.


Jana, our host, encouraged us to use whatever fresh fruits we liked so I chose peaches, just ripening in our neck of the woods.  The fruit and pastry cream in the middle is so pretty and yummy at the same time.  


The whole thing gets topped off with a disc of almond paste.  I didn't make my own.  I just bought a tube at the store but I thought it added a nice flavor with the peaches.


Overall, a wonderful success!  To check out the recipes and see a tantalizing slideshow of other great fraisiers follow the link to The Daring Kitchen.

Martha Monday: Summer Bread Salad

Megan from Megan's Cookin' chose a fantastic summery salad for this week's Martha Monday project.  Lots of fresh veggies.  A tangy, mustard-y vinaigrette.  And some sturdy bread to soak up all the flavor.

I couldn't get enough of this salad!

It's a great addition to bring to a potluck, a picnic, or party.  I'm definitely putting this salad in my recipe box.  Thanks Megan!

Click here to get the recipe for Summer Bread Salad.

Martha Monday: Chocolate Caramel Pecan Clusters

Trust me to make something easy into a complicated mess. 

SteaknPotatoKindaGurl chose Chocolate Caramel Pecan Clusters for this week's Martha Monday project that was easy easy easy.  Toast some pecans.  Line 'em up.  Unwrap a caramel candy.  Stick it on top.  Bake in the oven for a few minutes.  Repeat with chocolate.  Top with some more toasted chopped pecans.  Easy right?

Weeeeeeelllllll.  When I went to the store to buy my ingredients I got pecans . . . and Scharffen Berger chocolate . . . and what?  No fancy schmancy gourmet caramels?  There was no way I was putting Brach's caramels on my candy.  If I'm going to splurge on something so calorie rich I'm going to do it right!  So instead of purchasing caramels, I got some cream.

That's right.  I made caramels.  Thanks to Ina Garten's beautiful recipe and a few caramel making tips from Ms. Humble, I made beautiful, soft, flavorful caramels that are tasty on their own and also in these candies.

Now, my fabulous caramels did melt a bit more than expected and pool all around my nuts but who cares?  A little refrigeration took care of that.  These were so yummy and gooey.  I think I'll go eat another one!

Martha Monday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

So, my husband is gone.  Off in Bahrain basking in the sweltering 120 degree weather.  Working.  Working.  Working.

And here I am.  At home.  Enjoying a cool balmy 90 degree day.  My three-year-old is singing, "I poop in my pa-a-a-ants!"  Let me take a minute to change that.

There.  All done.

So, let me tell you about my diet today.  Cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies.  After all, the Martha Monday project was to choose one of the chocolate chip cookie desserts in the July 2011 issue of Living.  So, I made the dough last night.  It seemed like a lot of butter and sugar went into the dough.  But I faithfully followed the recipe.  Then, when I got up this morning I flipped on the oven and baked up a batch.

I was right.  There was a lot of butter and sugar in the dough.  They were kind of greasy and very crisp.  Not my favorite chocolate chip cookie but after being slathered in chocolate ganache and ice cream, who could tell what the cookie tasted like?

This was an incredibly rich and decadent dessert.  I ate one for lunch and couldn't stomach anything else.  Not even a salad.

Now I have to figure out what to do with the other seven ice cream sandwiches.  Dinner?  Maybe.

Psst!  You may have noticed I didn't give you a recipe or a link to it.  That's because it wasn't worth it.  DON'T make this cookie recipe.  But if you want to make a decadent dessert, make your favorite cookie recipe.  Smear it with ganache and ice cream.  Refreeze.  Enjoy.