lovesgenoise's Reviews
64 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title 
Website: Smitten Kitchen
I like these cookies a lot- made them three times so far. I've found that they're best if three things are followed:
First, the chopped chocolate/chips should be 53-60% dark chocolate, as the cookie base isn't very sweet and anything with a higher cacao percentage makes them too bitter and unbalanced.
Second, they really are better with the fleur de sel, as the crunchiness remains in the finished cookie and somehow the quanitity is perfect. When I made them with fine sea salt the amount wasn't quite right, tastewise, and they lacked that special crunch.
Third, beg, borrow or steal a scale, because they also have a better texture if you weigh ingredients. The volume measure for the brown sugar is not an accurate translation from the weights that this recipe was originally developed with, but rather a next-best-thing approximation.
useful (6)
Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
I’ve made this buttercream twice now, and I can’t say enough about how delicious it is. It has a dreamy, soft and creamy texture and it's not too buttery. I have started stockpiling Green and Black’s white chocolate whenever it goes on sale, hoping to make more of this soon.
The texture of this buttercream is a little on the soft side (about like cream cheese buttercream), and it can be a little translucent in very thin layers. But it is so delicious that it is worth a little extra effort to keep it cool while piping, and since it isn't too buttery, extremely thin layers aren't needed.
Don't Scorch the Chocolate
This buttercream requires switching gears at the double-boiler: first, you try not to get it too hot (so you don't scorch the chocolate), then after adding the eggs you turn up the heat and push to get it hot enough (to bring the custard to 140F).
Freezing
It freezes perfectly, just be sure to bring it to room temperature and re-beat it with a whisk (by hand is fine) to restore its texture.
Serving Size
This recipe only makes 7 cups of buttercream- the 14 cups that is mentioned at the beginning of the recipe comes from making two batches. It scales down easily- I make half the recipe as written (3.5 cups), and the only change is that the custard cools faster.
The photo shows an 8" layer of the Golden Dream cake topped with the lemon version of this buttercream.
useful (2)
The Bread Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
This is a lovely bread, enriched with walnut oil and studded with additional walnuts, it pairs well with soft cheese and fruit.
I did use the optional gappe, the toasted milk solids left over from making brown butter. Tthe walnuts, oil and gappe all contributed to a very rich and flavorful bread. It also has a nice toasty flavor from the crust- there's a lot of surface area created by the lattice shape.
This bread does undergo three and a half rises, so it's best to find a warm spot to proof it, 80-85F or so would be about perfect.
Because of the large surface area, I think this bread is best eaten the day it's baked. The recipe says the bread improves after sitting for 6-18 hrs, but mine was drier after that time (I covered it loosely).
Can't wait to make french toast with the leftovers!
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Rose's Celebrations
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow & Co - 1992
The stock, stuffing and gravy from this recipe are far, far better than any I've ever had, either in someone's home or in a restaurant.
The key to these recipes is being able to make a large quanitity of the best stock you'll ever taste a day before the turkey is roasted. It provides a base for the stuffing and gravy that is just divine. It's worthwhile to note that I found it easier, and just as good, to roast the bones in the oven, whole, rather than cutting them up and roasting in a pan, stovetop.
We left the mushrooms out of the stuffing due to a family allergy, but it was still sublime. Up until I tried this recipe I had never much cared for stuffing- now that has changed, I can't wait to have this again. We used vacuum-packed, jarred chestnuts that were excellent and helped this come together very quickly.
useful (1)
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts
By Maida Heatter
Andrews McMeel Publishing - 1999
I loved the combination of flavors in this cake- pecans, chocolate and Bailey's are very, very nice together. I toasted my pecans lightly. I also appreciated that this torte had enough flour to bake up flat, unlike those that normally bake up with a sunken center. However, it didn't seem quite as tender as cakes without flour, so I guess there's a trade-off for the nice shape. The texture was dense, like most nut tortes, and fudgy.
useful (1)
Rose's Christmas Cookies
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1998
These cookies are a nut-lover's dream- intense flavor from three different nuts and a surprising, almost shocking disappearing texture that makes them a real standout. One of my all-time favorite cookies.
I shape them by forming a log and slicing it, as if making slice and bake cookies. Then I cut each disc in half (into two semi-circles), and put the straight, cut side down on the pan.
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These are wonderful- more intensely lemon than most and not overly sweet.
When you're making them, it's easy to think that there isn't enough of the lemon topping, as the proportion of lemon to shortbread is different than many recipes (the lemon layer is thinner than the shortbread layer). This is because the curd is more intensely flavored than the thicker toppings. When eaten, they are perfect.
Be careful to bake the shortbread long enough, once when I made these the base wasn't as crispy as it should have been because I didn't bake long enough. The top should begin to color, but not darkly.
When making the curd, the author has an update on her blog: stir in the softened butter before adding the lemon juice, and you'll get less stuff left behind in the strainer. Works like a charm.
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Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
By Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito, Tina Rupp
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2008
These were quite good! A couple of notes: first, the recipe calls for chocolate that contains 60-72% cocoa solids. I used 70% chocolate and for me, they were almost too sweet (though I still managed to eat quite a few). Next time I'll use 72% chocolate. Chocolate from the lower end of that range would make sweeter brownies. With the 70% chocolate they were sweet enough that there was no edge of bitterness, even though they contain brown sugar, dark chocolate and coffee.
The second note is that these are quite wet and fudgy in texture and stick to the pan if they're a little underbaked. I liked them baked to an internal temp of 185-190F.
For those who weigh ingredients, this book uses 139g as the weight of a cup of AP flour.
useful (0)
The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
I've made this crust several times, mostly with almonds but once with pecans. It is my favorite pate sucree, the nuts add flavor and help keep it tender.
To ensure the crust doesn't crack, I like to use a whole egg in place of the yolk and cream, the book talks about this version of the crust in the "Understanding" section on p. 58.
I love the process and smooth results of rolling the dough (instead of pressing it into the pan). Unless my kithcen is quite cool, it often needs to be chilled part way through rolling to keep it from becoming too sticky.
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These are the candied pecans I used for a garnish on the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. They are delicious, but be aware that the recipe is right when it describes the crust of sugar as "fine", it is a very thin layer.
The next time I make these, I may experiment with reducing the quantity of water in the syrup, to see if the thickness of the sugar layer can be controlled by the water content of the syrup.
I use them for salads as well as dessert garnishes.
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The Cake Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1988
This recipe is listed as a variation of La Brioche Cake. It is a strawberry shortcake-style recipe, intended to be served with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and it is my all-time favorite way to eat strawberries. It is also good with peaches or nectarines.
The "cake" is actually a brioche bread, syruped with liqueur to transform it into a dessert. I don't have good kirsch on hand, so I make the syrup for this with 4T of gold rum, eliminate the lemon juice, and pull back on the sugar a little, to 120 grams. I also like to add the zest of one large orange to the dough during shaping. Brioche gets baked to an internal temp of 190F.
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
This is a wonderful and easy way to stabilize whipped cream with starch so it won't water out. It makes the cream suitable for piping or for storing up to a day ahead of serving (refrigerated).
It's easier to make than the super-stabilized whipped cream (made with gelatin) because the window of time to add the small, thickened portion of cream to the larger bowl is much longer- i.e., with the gelatin, you have to time it carefully (I set the timer), but with the starch, it is a more relaxed process.
The same quantities and method can also be used for cassava/tapioca starch, which will enable the stabilized cream to be frozen and thawed without watering out. Corn starch doesn't freeze well.
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Cookwise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
By Shirley O. Corriher
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1997
Brioche:
The brioche base recipe used for the Sausage in Brioche is wonderful- delicious, full-flavored, and meets the goal of a fine crumb that doesn't pull away from fillings. It benefits from a full-flavored, sophisticated sausage.
This brioche is a very soft dough, and if you use a bread flour that is lower in protein, like Gold Medal's Better for Bread (which I love), you might want to leave out a tablespoon of water so the dough won't be too soft to work with. A higher-protein flour like King Arthur's bread flour will probably need the full amount of water.
It's worthwhile to note that the brioche will continue to rise vigorously after doubling and putting in the fridge, so I found it helpful to start the chilling when the dough had reached 1.5 times its original volume, instead of double (first rise).
Presentation:
I chose a different presentation of this bread and filling partly because I needed a smaller diameter loaf to serve as an hors d'oeurve, and partly because I find the classic French presentation of a full loaf of bread with a single round sausage in the middle not to my liking.
For the presentation in the photo, I used 2/3 of the brioche recipe with all of the filling. I removed the sauage from its casing and pressed it flat in the pan, browned it on one side, then added the wine. I rolled the dough into two long rectangles, brushed them sparingly with egg white, layered the sausage on, then brushed it sparingly with egg white, then rolled tightly and tucked ends under. I did not use oil for rolling, as that would prevent the dough from adhereing to its filling. I rolled on lightly floured plastic wrap and then used the wrap to help roll the soft dough.
Large Recipe:
This recipe (2/3 of the brioche rolled with all the filling) made two loaves, 19" long by 4.5" wide. Each loaf can be sliced into about 35 half-inch slices, so the recipe serves a large number as an appetizer. The dijon butter is lovely, but half the recipe is enough for both large loaves. Left over slices are sublime toasted and topped with a fried or poached egg.
useful (1)
Website: Real Baking With Rose Levy Beranbaum
I love being able to bake something completely healthy that is also entirely delicious. Despite being 100% whole wheat, the texture of this loaf is fairly light, quite moist, and not at all mealy or gritty like some whole wheat breads. It's a very full-flavored bread, and great on its own, but even better with cheese.
Ingredients:
I used La Tourangelle walnut oil, which intensifies the walnut flavor of this bread. But I think it would still be great with a neutral oil, as the chopped walnuts give plenty of flavor. Even though I wasn't crazy about the smell of the freshly ground wheat and I'm not a big fan of honey, I still loved the flavor of the finished bread.
Grinding the flour:
I used a heavy-duty blender to grind the fresh wheat berries, which seemed to work well. The only issue I had is that my sponge was quite liquid-y, which I think was due to the blender not grinding the flour as finely as a grain mill, but the bread was still excellent. My food processor wasn't able to grind the wheat berries into flour.
Rising:
More important than the sponge consistency is the practice of limiting the rises to 1.5x. The first time I made this bread the second rise went to double, and it wasn't as light as the second time I made it, when I watched the rises more carefully.
The first and second photos are the full recipe, which makes a large sandwich-style loaf. The third photo is a half recipe shaped into a long baguette, which measured 16" x 4 3/8".
Highly recommended.
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The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
By Ina Garten, Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter - 1999
I loved this veggie dish, it was very, very good and so easy. Full of deep roasted flavor and can be used so many ways, I look forward to making it again.
I checked the vegetables at the end of the roasting time, and they didn't look very brown, so I turned the oven up and left them in another 7-8 minutes, until they were looking dark and toasty in places. This gave the spread a wonderful roasted flavor.
The quantity of salt in the recipe was perfect for us but might be too much for someone with a less salty palate or if your veggies are on the small side. We didn't need to add any additional seasoning at the end.
We did add a squirt of lemon juice (from about 1/4 of a lemon) at the end, which the spread seemed to need. Perhaps our tomato paste wasn't very acidic.
Amazingly, even my veggie-phobic ten year old liked this- she's asked to have it tomorrow morning on toast for breakfast :)
useful (3)
I agree with the other reviewers, this recipe is so easy it hardly counts as a recipe, but then it's good, so I'm inclined to rate it well anyway. I think roasted vegetables were more of a novelty when this book was first published in 1999, so Ms. Garten should get credit for being in the forefront of that movement.
Perhaps because I had fewer sprouts than the recipe called for, mine were very brown on the outside before the inside was done. And I cut the largest sprouts in half to facilitate even cooking- that may have been a mistake as they were a bit dry by the time they were cooked all the way through.
This was good to try for meals where the oven is already being used, but for stove top meals I'll continue to saute brussel sprouts, as I like the moistness that comes from finishing them off in a covered pan after they've been browned.
useful (1)
Rose's Celebrations
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow & Co - 1992
I've made this twice now and I think it's destined to become a family tradition. My first time making it I was a little intimidated by the need to filet a turkey breast, but it turns out it's pretty fast and easy. And a heavy rolling pin worked fine to hammer the meat, no special tool required there.
Editing after my third go-round with this recipe: using a separately purchased turkey breast makes this an easier and approachable recipe. I did find it a bit challenging to remove the breast bones from the whole turkey.
For me, the shallots and sage leaves need to be sauteed before adding to the filling, I found them to be too strong and unbalanced when put in raw, as the recipe specifies. I also found it helpful to have the prosciutto and pancetta sliced as thinly as possible to keep from overwhelming the delicate white meat flavor.
The real beauty of this recipe is not only that it allows you to roast the breast meat separately (avoiding overcooking), but that it also allows you to make large quantities of wonderful stock the day before roasting the turkey, so you have it for the best stuffing and gravy you'll ever experience.
useful (1)
The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
A lovely pie for anyone who loves raspberries. The flavor of currants stayed mostly in the background, but complemented the raspberries nicely.
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The Bread Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
This bread adds up to more than the sum of its parts. The raisin-pecan version has a mellow, blended flavor that is delicious, while the cranberry-walnut version has a bright combination of flavors that remain more distinct. It's one of my favorite breads in the book. It has a dense, fine crumb and a soft texture.
I like to split the recipe into two smaller loaves, as it makes one large loaf and we are a small family. One to eat right away, one for the freezer. Great with fresh ricotta or cream cheese.
useful (0)
The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century
By Amanda Hesser
W. W. Norton & Company - 2010
I enjoyed this cake very much, but I expect all the fanfare attached to this recipe is because of its ease and simplicity, and because baked Italian plums are absolutely delicious. When I tasted the base cake without plum, it was bland, though that might be because I didn't know how this book measures flour and may have used too much.
Flour Measurement:
I took one cup of flour to mean 150 grams because having equal weights of sugar and flour is a classic way to formulate a cake recipe. This is a maximum amount for one cup of flour, and corresponds to a dip-and-sweep method of measuring. If I make it again, I'll probably try less flour, and use unbleached AP, as this is specified in many of the earlier versions of this recipe.
Sugar:
This cake has a relatively high proportion of sugar, and I was worried about it being too sweet, so went with the lower amount of sugar (3/4 cup) mentioned in the recipe. With that and the tartness of the plums, the cake definitely came across as a not-too-sweet dessert- perfect for me but my daughter thought it wasn't sweet enough. I used an additional 1 T for the topping.
Typo:
An important point is that this recipe appears to have a typo when it calls for one tablespoon of cinnamon, as most other websites and books where this recipe is printed call for one teaspoon of cinnamon. I used half a teaspoon of cinnamon and thought it was plenty- any more might have obscured the flavor of the plums (I used the small Italian prune plums, which were delicious).
The combination of fruit and cinnamon, plus the rustic look of the cake, made me think of a breakfast or brunch cake, and that was how we ate most of it, in the morning with coffee. This cake baked up 1 5/8" tall and registered 200F in the center after 45" of baking.
useful (3)
The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
Loved this pie! When I saw the quanities of salt and nutmeg, I had my doubts, but the flavor of this pie is sublime.
I made it a day ahead of serving and so used 75% of the gelatin/water as per the instructions in the beginning of the chiffon chapter. The texture was ethereal and light, just holding its shape for cutting.
I wanted a prettier presentation than I normally get with a crumb crust, so instead of the gingersnap crust I used the sweet nut cookie crust, using pecans for the nuts, brown sugar for the sugar, and adding a little ginger. It went well with the filling but wasn't as flavorful as a good gingersnap.
The whipped cream and pecans in the photo are from the back section of the book, I've linked to those reviews.
useful (3)
The Bread Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
This is the bread depicted on the cover. So far, it's my favorite savory bread from this book. I love everything about it, from the open crumb (large holes) to the magical flavors produced by durum flour and a mellow biga.
It's worth noting that coarse semolina doesn't work well for this recipe (it calls for finely ground durum flour). As the coarse flour is easier to find, I have tried both allowing it time to absorb the water in the recipe, and grinding it in the food processor, but the substitution still doesn't work as well as the fine flour does. If the coarse flour is all that is available, you can reduce hydration a bit and the bread will still be good.
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This potato flatbread is absolutely delicious, and can be used for small dinner rolls as well as for flatbread. The flavor tastes like a cross between buttery mashed potatoes and pizza crust. It's a very tender pizza crust, yet still bakes up with a crisp exterior.
Using this dough for pizza strikes me as an American-style departure from the traditional Italian pie. We love it with the mushroom and onion topping listed in the book, but prefer the more Italian-style "Perfect Pizza Dough" recipe that precedes it for classic Pizza Margherita and similar pies.
Large Serving Size
Both this recipe and the "Perfect Pizza Dough" make one 10-inch flatbread or 7 oz of dough, but this one lists that as a main serving for one, while the other recipe lists it as a main serving for two. With either recipe, we double it (14 oz of dough) for a family of three.
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
Delicious, super moist, and beautiful! This cake uses basic ingredients and goes together quickly. The fruit takes the place of frosting, decorations and syrup.
For the presentation in the photo, I used 22 oz nectarines and 6 oz blueberries, same total fruit weight as the recipe but more stone fruit and fewer blueberries.
It's important to note that this cake bakes up with a firm and crunchy top crust that can make it more difficult to test for doneness- the firmer crust seems to resist a gentle poke and it also scrapes the toothpick clean, even if the center isn't done. An instant-read thermometer should register at least 190F in the center when done.
Best flavor when made a day before serving. If there's any undissolved caramel left in the pan after unmolding, it can be put back in place on top of the cake and it will dissolve after a day or so.
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The Classic Italian Cook Book:The art of Italian cooking and the Italian art of eating
By Marcella Hazan
Knopf - 1976
This is a robust, garlicky, salty pesto that is wonderful and memorable. Like many of the recipes from this book, it has become a staple in my kitchen, I have probably made it more than 25 times.
I have fine-tuned it to my tastes, pulling back on the raw garlic and adding a very small squirt of lemon juice to help preserve a fresh green color. Walnuts also work well with this recipe if pine nuts are not available. I freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a ziploc. Great on pizza and potato gnocchi as well as on pasta.
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The Bread Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
Our go-to pizza dough, we make it nearly every week. This is a no-knead dough so it's incredibly easy, perfect for a novice bread maker or for anyone who needs to spend more time on toppings, salad, etc. The recommend King Arthur Italian-style flour makes a noticeably light, crisp crust, but the all-purpose version is nearly as good. Letting the dough sit overnight in the fridge gives nice flavor. And the portion size is somewhat small, it serves two modest appetites. We double it for a family of three.
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
The ultimate pecan pie, baked with plenty of pecans and a shallow layer of filling so it isn't overly sweet (you can see how thin the filling is in the photo with the cut tart). The Lyle's syrup is delicious in this pie, don't be tempted to substitute. It pairs well with bourbon (as in bourbon whipped cream).
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Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
By Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito, Tina Rupp
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2008
These cookies might be an all-time favorite for those who enjoy a little extra salt in desserts. They rate a perfect 5 for texture, baking up crispy on the outside and soft/chewy on the inside. They also rate a perfect 5 for the level of sweetness- even with the sugar sprinkle on top and milk chocolate chips, the sugar seemed about the right balance with the peanut butter and salt (not too sweet).
The flavor is good, but the reason I rated the overall cookie four stars instead of five is that they are a little too salty for me and have a slight bitter aftertaste.
There is a lot of baking soda in these. It seems like cookie recipes often use larger amounts of baking soda to facilitate browning, and I suspect that the soda might also help create the lovely texture, keeping these from setting until they have spread into a thin, crispy-on-the-outside-chewy-on-the-inside cookie. If I make these again I'll start with a small batch and use less baking soda, in hopes of reducing the saltiness and eliminating the bitter aftertaste.
I liked these better the day after baking, when all the flavors had had a chance to blend and mellow a bit.
For those who weigh ingredients, this book uses 139g as the weight of a cup of AP flour (I learned this from RLB's baking forum, where a member had been in contact with one of the authors).
useful (0)
The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
Delicious, creamy and full of peaches. It took me several tries to get this one right- the key is to be sure to bake the peaches long enough that they have exuded all their juice before adding the custard mixture. If they are still firm, they haven't baked long enough. They should be almost fully baked. If you add the custard too soon, the tart will have a lot of extra juices that flow out when sliced.
I bake this pie to an internal temp of 160F to ensure that the custard is properly thickened.
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
One of the best cakes I have ever made, and I never thought I would say that about a cake that doesn't contain butter. It's light and fresh and has a dreamy, spongy texture. I've made a tangerine version and a lemon version. The author gives leavening and flavor adjustments for the lemon version on her blog.
This cake is a little tricky and requires everything to be just right. Use a silver (i.e., not a non-stick) springform, cake strips, a flower nail, unbleached AP flour and measure or weigh everything carefully. Underbaking and overbaking will also create problems.
For the whipped cream recipe listed with the cake, be sure to use sweet orange marmalade, as the classic, somewhat bitter variety makes terrible whipped cream (voice of experience). For the tangerine version, I used homemade tangerine preserves, which worked very well. For the lemon version, I flavored the whipped cream with lemon oil and vanilla.
The photos are the lemon version, which had blueberries in the center filling and was topped with raspberries.
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
My all-time favorite apple pie, we make it every Fall after picking apples at local orchards. The open face design allows blind baking of the crust for the crispiest pastry. The method of concentrating the juices gives an intense and pure flavor, as less thickener is needed. Can't wait to make it again.
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The Cake Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1988
This buttercream is silky smooth, rich and not too sweet, which means I'll never again suffer through gritty or overly sweet powdered sugar frostings. It's bascially whipped butter lightened with Italian Meringue. It is a little more challenging to make than a powdered sugar frosting, but very worthwhile to master.
There is an updated technique on the author's Youtube video, which basically involves dumping all of the cooled meringue onto the whipped butter at once and then whipping at med-high or high speed. This is much faster and simpler than the tablespoon-at-a-time method in the book, and I've done it several times now, it works well.
An important tip is that this buttercream almost always curdles a little bit just before it forms an emulsion- keep beating on med-high or high and as long as it's at the right temperature it will come together. The ideal temperature for both the whipped butter and the cooled meringue is about 70F.
If the temperature of the buttercream is too cool and it curdles, even badly, it can still be saved by bringing the mixture to the correct temp and then beating on high speed.
Another point is to err on the lower side of the 248-250F for the temperature of the cooked sugar syrup. Going over 250F will produce an overly firm, hard-to-pipe and unpleasant-to-eat buttercream. If the sugar syrup does overshoot 250F, it's easy to swirl in a little water (the temp will lower) and then try for 248F again.
Finally, unsalted butter is a must. Salted butter doesn't taste good in this.
My favorite flavors are the lemon curd and the white chocolate. Normally, I don't care for white chocolate at all, but in this buttercream it doesn't come across as too sweet and it does something incredibly dreamy to the texture.
The photos show a cake frosted with lemon curd mousseline, and cupcakes frosted with white chocolate mousseline.
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Cookwise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
By Shirley O. Corriher
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1997
Followed this recipe exactly, from the marinade to the weight of the steak to the overnight (20 hrs) soak. It was a good, well-balanced marinade, but it overwhelmed the meat. I have found this to be the case with other, similar skirt steak recipes, too, so maybe I'm just not fond of lengthy marinades. As the balance of flavors was so good, I may try this again with a shorter soaking time, perhaps 4-5 hours.
Leftovers did make sensational sandwiches topped with arugula and tomato slices.
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
I made this recipe as marble cupcakes. It is flavorful and the chocolate cake is perfectly balanced with the yellow. Not a difficult or time-consuming cake, just make a classic yellow sour cream batter, add melted chocolate to a portion, then swirl.
The recipe makes 24 flat-topped cupcakes. For rounded tops, consider reducing the baking powder slightly.
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Rose's Christmas Cookies
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1998
These capture perfectly the flavor of the best lemon-poppyseed muffins or cake. And the texture is wonderful- the inside is slightly moist and soft, but crispy from the poppyseeds, while the outside is a bit crunchy.
When I made these, they came out slightly flatter than the hemispheres shown in the book, but I was still happy with them. The roundest cookies in my batch were the smaller ones, and the ones that had more finely ground almonds pressed into the outside.
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
Made this Lemon Meringue Pie for houseguests last week, and they all declared it was the best they'd ever had. I have to say, I agree- the filling layer is deep (perfect recipe for a deep dish pie plate), lemony and just a bit creamy. It is not as intense as a lemon curd, but perfectly balanced with the crust and meringue. I used the flaky cream cheese crust, my favorite.
Use a Saucepan
After a few bakers had trouble with the filling not setting, Ms. Beranbaum posted a change to the recipe on her website: make the filling in a saucepan (instead of a double boiler) and be sure to bring it to a full boil. I did this and had no problems.
The other important point is to fully anchor the meringue onto the crust so it won't shrink. I made the Italian meringue and had no trouble with it, but it was harder to cut cleanly after a night in the fridge.
I think the meringue quantity in the recipe is probably just right- it seemed like it was high enough as I was piling it on, so I didn't use all that the recipe made. But after baking mine seemed a little short so I probably should have used it all after all.
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A light, elegant pie that was very popular with guests and could be made ahead and frozen.
I chose the version with the almond pate sucree crust, rather than the meringue shell, and included the optional raspberry sauce in a webbed design on top of the pie.
There are a lot of components to this pie- crust, lemond curd, whipped cream and italian meringue, plus the raspberry sauce, but it was nice to have a creation that can just be defrosted and served when needed.
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The Cake Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1988
By far the best hot fudge I've ever encountered. It's very easy to make, I do it completely in the microwave in a 4-cup pyrex with buttered sides to prevent boiling over. Keeps well in the refrigerator, and can be re-warmed in the microwave numerous times for desserts and sundaes. I use Lyle's in place of the corn syrup, the substitution works well.
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
One of my all-time favorite cakes. This cake is somewhat dense with added texture from ground almonds. Balancing the richness of butter, almonds and sour cream is plenty of lemon zest and juice.
The cake is not difficult but it's a little more time-consuming than a classic American-style butter cake, because of the need to toast and grind almonds, and because of the zesting and juicing of lemons. But very worth it, I've made it over and over. Don't be tempted to make substitutions with this cake, the balance of flavors and textures is absolutely perfect as written. It's noticeably better on the day after it is made, and keeps well for several days.
The photo shows this cake as a torte topped with glazed fresh blueberries (from the Cake Bible) and trimmed with white chocolate-lemon buttercream. The buttercream is from the Wedding Cake chapter of Rose's Heavenly Cakes.
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
This tart is for the pastry cream lover, and that suits me perfectly. It's a layer of vanilla-rum pastry cream encased top, bottom and sides with an almond cookie crust. There's something pleasing about the way this is constructed, I find myself wondering how to make other pies into some version of this simple, elegant presentation.
The next time I make this I will pull back a bit on both the sugar and the rum in the pastry cream, to suit my own taste.
The recipe seemed complicated when I read through how to shape the dough between two pans, but it's simpler than it sounds and it went off without a hitch. I made the crust dough and the pastry cream a day ahead of rolling, assembling and baking the tart, and that seemed to be a good division of labor, not too much to do on either day.
This tart slices very neatly and thinly, it could easily serve 20 or more thin slices if other desserts were on offer.
Corrections
The author has published two adjustments for this recipe: first, to add a tablespoon of heavy cream to the yolk/vanilla mixture to make the dough hold together better; and second, to bake it at 325 instead of 350F.
For the tart in the photos, I re-rolled the scraps and cut them into leaves, baked them separately on a sheet pan, and attached them while still hot with a little egg white. I served it with a sour cherry conserve, but I think it would be even better with sweetened or brandied whole sour cherries, or fresh sweet (bing) cherries.
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I love strawberries but have never tried a strawberry-rhubarb pie until this one- boy, was I missing out! It's a wonderful combo, I can tell it's going to have to join my collection of pies that I make every year.
Full disclosure- I didn't come home from the grocery with enough rhubarb, so this had about 3/4 of what was called for. And I used strawberry halves instead of the thinner slices that were called for. But even with my altered proportions, this pie was terriffic, highly recommended.
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Just sublime. Best tasting pie crust I've ever had- leaps and bounds ahead of all-butter crusts. There's an updated version on the author's blog that uses heavy cream instead of water for added tenderness, which is great if you're using all-purpose flour instead of lower protein pastry flour.
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A showcase recipe for tart/sour cherries. The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly, it's sublime. Compared to the standard lattice-top recipe on the previous page, it contains more fruit, which suited our taste perfectly.
The second time, I reduced the juices by half, then decreased the sugar and cornstarch accordingly. Also wonderful, but a few might find it bordering on overly cloying and intense. I think this works best if the juices are reduced in the microwave (rather than stovetop), to avoid caramelizing or browning, which would make the tart filling seem bitter.
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Rose's Christmas Cookies
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1998
These are an outrageously good, upscale version of the seven layer bars of my childhood. Possibly the easiest recipe in the book, they depend upon high quality chocolate. A real crowd pleaser.
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
So far, this is my favorite recipe in the book, it's a fabulous pie. Every year we freeze concord grapes so that we can make this pie several more times after the Fall grape season is over.
It's a very liquid-y/juicy pie, and for me sometimes bakes up a bit messy, so the picture is of this pie with all the components prepared separately and then assembled. The "top crust" was two grape leaves baked on a sheet pan and place on top of the pie just before serving.
The pie pairs very nicely with lemon, either lemon whipped cream or lemon ice cream.
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Rose's Christmas Cookies
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1998
These brownies are rich and chocolate-y, as well as very easy and fuss-free to make. There are only a handful of ingredients, all of which are already on hand in our kitchen. The last time we made these my ten year-old daughter proudly made them all herself, with only very light, hands-off supervision from the grown-ups. The photo shows her brownies.
The texture is tender and dense/fudgy, perfect for us but maybe not quite right if you're looking for a firm or chewy texture. They are a not-too-sweet brownie, with enough cocoa to balance the sugar in the recipe. However, if you opt to leave out the nuts, they will be a lot sweeter, which may be good or bad depending on how you like your brownies.
For a moist, fudgy texture, it's important not to overbake.
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The Cake Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1988
This is a glorious flourless chocolate cake, and it only uses 3 ingredients. Simple and elegant. It really does taste like a chocolate truffle. It's a crowd pleaser and received many compliments.
A Make-Ahead, Sit-Out-All-Night Cake:
I chose this because I could make it a couple of days in advance, and because it could sit out during a party and wouldn't get dry the way a traditional flour- or egg-based cake would. It was still perfectly moist and delicious at the end of the night. However, it is a bit messy to cut if you don't follow the suggestion to use a hot sharp knife.
Chocolate Percentage:
I've made this twice, and used a 53% chocolate one time and 60% the other time. Even though I'm a not-too-sweet person, I found the 60% a little too intense and bitter. I'll stick to 53-57% chocolate for this in the future.
When it's Done:
According to the author, this should bake to an internal temp of 150F, and the water bath should also be about 150F. For me, the water bath worked well when I filled a tea kettle and brought it to a boil while the eggs were beating, then pulled it off the heat and allowed it to cool a bit while I was folding the chocolate/butter mixture and eggs together. Both times I made this, my torte took longer than the specified baking time for the internal temp to come up to 150F.
Hot Fudge Variation:
I also tried the "chocolate torture" variation, with espresso and homemade hot fudge, and have to say that the hot fudge is outstanding and only takes a few minutes to make in the microwave. However, it needs to be quite liquid in order to spread out into a reasonably uniform layer on the cake. Mine was too thick and sunk into the batter in places. Tasted great, but wasn't very pretty.
A second attempt at the hot fudge variation worked well when I used the lukewarm fudge as a topping to pour over the finished, chilled cake. It set up glossy and beautiful at room temp.
The espresso stays in the background and enhances the chocolate, it doesn't come across as a mocha cake.
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
We love this cake and make it over and over. It is easier than a classic chiffon, about as easy as an American butter cake. It is equally popular with kids and adults. Our favorite ice cream pairing with this is H. Daz Strawberry, but chocolate comes in a close second.
With no butter or cream, the flavor of this cake depends on a good-quality, full-flavored cocoa.
We bake this as individual ice cream sandwiches in a pan with 1-cup cavities. The right amount of batter per cavity is 60-62 grams, any more and the sandwich will be too tall to eat. For cakes of this size, 75% of the recipe on p.137 will make 12. They bake for 20 minutes, and we lower the oven temp 25F because our pan has a dark lining.
Like most sponge-type cakes, the top crust on this cake is sticky (top crust when in the cake pan). If you're making little sandwiches to eat with your hands, you can trim the crust if you don't want the sticky texture.
For filling these, it is easiest to slice (torte) them while still room temp, then put them in the freezer before filling with ice cream.
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The Cake Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1988
Among the Cake Bible's chocolate butter cakes, this is my favorite. It has a light, moist texture and works well for cupcakes as well as layer cakes. The brown sugar contributes a more complex and slightly bittersweet flavor, as well as a deep, dark color. The flavors of brown sugar, butter and chocolate remind me a little of chocolate chip cookies, only this is a bit more chocolate-y.
Because of the dark color and the somewhat bittersweet flavor, I like to pair it with sweeter, light-colored buttercreams, such as white chocolate mousseline (pictured in photo).
This recipe makes 28 cupcakes, which bake in 20-25" at 350F.
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This is a lovely chocolate cake- rich, mellow, and with a finer crumb than the Perfect All-American. The flavor of the chocolate and sour cream remind me of a brownie, though the texture is that of a tender cake.
Although the author prefers serving this cake unadorned, I have found that it also pairs wonderfully with nut flavors. The photo shows this cake baked as cupcakes and topped with hazelnut mousseline (mousseline buttercream with white chocolate and hazelnut paste).
This recipe makes 15 cupcakes and they bake in about 20".
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