Catching up on the last few weeks’ worth of Tuesdays with Dorie recipes Curd, Cream and Berry Cake, Mocha-Walnut Torte AND Smoked Salmon Roll-Up all from Baking with Dorie:
Hi dear readers – it’s been… a while. Quick update for those of you who don’t follow me on Instagram…
At the beginning of May (after being fairly unwell for the month of April and even before) I was hospitalized for a fairly serious emergency surgery. Surgery went well, and prognosis looks incredibly good, but my recuperation period is such that I am on medical leave for the rest of the school year, hence my radio silence since… mid-April. Slowly I can do a little more laptop time every couple of days and I’m hoping to be more active over the next few weeks…
I’ve dictated most of this post and have copied and pasted from my Instagram posts to make things a bit easier on my eyes so apologies if you already read this on my IG feed.
I’ve been fortunate in that over the last 6 weeks Neil and a dear friend have caught me up on my Tuesdays with Dorie bakes. First up – the Curd, Cream and Berry Cake (p 102).
Baked and assembled while I was still in hospital this was ready for my return home. What a glorious welcome home! My friend and I both decided that we preferred an 8-inch round cake pan to a 9-inch (this cake is actually TWO 9-inch cakes because thy baked so thin that it would have been hard to split them in half to fill), but apart from this, the cake was spectacular and lasted a few days in the fridge without falling apart. I’ll definitely make this again (in a minified version – see below how I schooled my friend in this!).
Next up: Smoked Salmon Roll-Up (p 336).
After looking at the recipe myself, I decided that even I wouldn’t complete the recipe as it was written. Basically, a sponge cake with cream cheese and salmon mixture with herbs, rolled up inside to make a pretty-looking roll.
I wasn’t going to ask Neil to adapt this by making it smaller because it seemed impossible to minify. And, we had been gifted a beautiful loaf of Irish brown bread from a friend so we decided to take Dorie‘s “playing around“ inspiration, and played around with this ourselves, to make open-faced sandwiches that were devoured at an outdoor meal.
Definitely nothing close to the original, but a fabulous appetizer for an outdoor meal! I think Neil would make this again, but I’m not sure will ever go the spongecake route!
Lastly, Mocha-Walnut Torte (p 123) from way back in April…
My friend who baked the Berry Cake is not only super talented in terms of crafty things, but also an excellent baker and I wondered if she might have a go at the Mocha Walnut Torte. This recipe serves 10 to 12 and since we have an abundance of baked goods and treats in the house right now, I suggested she might minify it. Those of you who know me know that I like to minify, everything, usually divided by the amount of eggs in a recipe. Chris was a little bit hesitant about this but she boldly went ahead and made two tiny tortes using just one egg and dividing the rest of the recipe by four.
The one thing about minifying recipes is that baking time is always a bit of a mystery and especially with a recipe like this where it is a sort of fudgy cake that rises and collapses after it comes out it’s hard to know. These two were a little overbaked but delicious nonetheless. They were fudgy and cakey on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. We divided them up and serve them with coffee ice cream and it was perfect. I’d definitely make this recipe again.
So, here’s to friends, here’s to wonderful partners who decorate cakes at 9pm after spending all day in the hospital with me. I mean, just LOOK at their work!
Buy Baking with Dorie and join us baking through the book!
Buy Baking with Dorie on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store geographically closest to you). For free worldwide shipping, buy it on Blackwell’s. To support your local Indie bookstore, purchase on Bookshop.org.
Then join us over on Tuesdays with Dorie and bake your way through the book!
_________
Please note: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links from Blackwell’s and Bookshop.org. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
_________
Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Baking with Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions are 100% my own.
_________
Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now!
Click here for details and how to order!
I am glad you surrounded by lovely family and friends. Get well soon my friend:)