Quickie Guide to Ombre Piping

I'm sharing this article from Modern Baking magazine I read this morning.

Bob Brougham from The Cakery in North Aurora, Ill., shares his tips for piping ombre designs on cakes. Simple techniques but ones that will help pull off successful shading from dark to light.

Modern Baking: A subtle approach to ombré designs (photo gallery, tips on in the sidebar, too)

Image above courtesy Flickr user: mags20_eb through a creative commons license.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I wish peanut butter cookies weren't so addictive. They aren't my favorite cookie, and if they are on a cookie platter, I might pass them up for something else (like a chocolate chip or any macaron). Having said that, peanut butter cookies have that flavor profile that makes eating just one simply not enough. Not too sweet, no chocolate whatsoever, no sugar sprinkles or frosting, and a soft and chewy texture - all these elements combine to make peanut butter cookies irresistible to me.

Here is my favorite recipe for them. Feel free to add in whatever you like to make them your favorites: white or dark chocolate chips, chopped nuts or a handful of shredded coconut, or substitute extra crunchy peanut butter for the plain, creamy stuff.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe by Renee Shelton

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen with a #50 disher

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

1. Cream the shortening and peanut butter in a mixing bowl. Add in both sugars and cream together until smooth.
2. Add in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom well with each addition, and stir in the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Add to the creamed mixture until combined.
4. Roll into 1 inch balls, or use a #50 disher. Place about an inch or so apart on a baking sheet, and press down with a fork.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes. These are best when they are not overbaked and still soft in the center.
6. Transfer to a cooling rack after baking.

 

April Pastry Sampler Newsletter

 

April's email newsletter went out. Tips on organizing your pastry space.

Pastry Sampler April Newsletter http://bit.ly/april-ps

Orange Glass Tuiles - Super Versatile Thin, Transparent Cookies

Here's a super easy recipe for glass tuiles. Glass tuiles are transparent, crisp, thin cookies and while they can be eaten alone, are typically used as a garnish for other desserts. The picture at the right is not the greatest for showing off these cookies, but I love to serve them with fruit desserts.

For the adults in the house, marinate segmented oranges with freshly squeezed orange juice and a little muscat or other dessert liquor, orange flavored is a great choice. When I want to splurge I go with a little Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. For the kids, try a vanilla bean-infused light simple syrup with a few ticks of grated orange peel.

Highly versatile. You can crumble the cookies and use them as a base for sabayon or zabaglione desserts and fresh berries, or lightly sweetened whipped cream served with fresh fruits. If you make them small, shape the warm but set cookies in a tuile former, over the rim of a wide-rimmed bowl, or in the bottom of mini muffin cups. Orange glass tuiles are also lovely when kept flat and used as a large garnish, as is, or broken up into small pieces and used for sprinkling on top.

All in all, orange glass tuiles are a great way to dress up a bag of roadside fresh oranges.

Orange Glass Tuiles

• 3 1/2 ounces powdered sugar
• 3/4 ounces cake flour
• 1 1/4 ounces fresh squeezed orange juice 
• 1 1/4 ounces melted salted butter, no substitutions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a silicone baking sheet on a cookie sheet or a sheet pan.
2. Measure and sift the dry ingredients together.
3. Add in the orange juice, then the melted butter. Stir to smooth.
4. Place 1/2 teaspoon mounds onto the silicone baking sheet and spread out with the back of the spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie and the spread diameter of them. Bake until the tuiles are evenly browned. These cookies will spread a lot and become quite thin. If the batter is really loose, it may even bubble up and create holes in the cookies. That only adds to their charm.
5. Let the cookies rest on the sheet pan for a minute or two until they set up enough to shape. If you work too soon, they won't set up properly and you'll end up with a hot, gooey mess that will end up shaping into a crisp mess. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days before serving.

Sugar Baby by Gesine Bullock-Prado

Sugar Baby is a comprehensive cookbook revolving around sugar. It all starts in the beginning with the first chapter 'A Brief History of the World (As It Pertains to Sugar)', and explores the world of sugar from there. It is written by Gesine Bullock-Prado and if the name sounds familiar, it probably is; she is Sandra Bullock's younger sister but she's famous in her own right. Bullock-Prado is the author of Bake It Like You Mean It and a guest instructor at King Arthur Flour.

Bullock-Prado cleverly divides the book and all the recipes by sugar stages, which makes the table of contents in and of itself a great reference:

• Simple Dissolve to Thread Stage
  230°F - 235°F (110°C - 113°C) Sugar Concentration: 80%
• Soft Ball Stage
  235°F - 240°F (113°C - 116°C) Sugar Concentration: 85%
• Firm Ball Stage
  245°F - 250°F (118°C - 121°C) Sugar Concentration: 87%
• Hard Ball Stage
  250°F - 265°F (121°C - 129°C) Sugar Concentration: 92%
• Soft Crack Stage 
  270°F - 290°F (132°C - 143°C) Sugar Concentration: 95%
• Hard Crack Stage (and Beyond)
  300°F - 310°F (149°C - 154°C) Sugar Concentration: 99%

The last chapter, Put It All Together, is a fun collection of recipes no home kitchen should be without, and should be savored. I laughed out loud when reading her describe Parisian macarons to people. Overall, an entertaining and sweet read.

Along with good, basic recipes. Her chocolate glaze recipe is used for a Sachertorte, and names it as such. But while it is looks perfect poured over the top of a traditional Sachertorte, don't let that stop you from incorporating this utilitarian glaze for other things as well. And I like spicy things. I don't order a Subway sandwich without extra jalapenos and extra pepperoncinis because otherwise I'm just eating just another boring turkey sandwich, and Bullock-Prado's ginger cookies have the right amount of kick to them. I'm adapting the recipe below for you to try. Use the best quality and spiciest crystallized ginger for best results, and don't skimp on the white pepper.

The Best Ginger Cookies Ever

• 2 cups unsalted butter, no substitutions
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 cup sanding sugar, about, for coating the cookies

1. Cream the butter, both sugars, and molasses until light. Add in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom well after each addition.
2. Stir the dry ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl, and add in the mixed dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Do not over mix, and scrape the bottom well. Stir in the chopped crystallized ginger.
3. Chill the cookie dough overnight, or several hours at least.
4. Scoop the cookies out and dip in the sanding sugar to coat them, and evenly space them out on a baking sheet.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on cookie size. They will look cracked. You want them soft in the middle, so don't over bake them.
6. Transfer to a cooling rack and enjoy.

Book Information:

• Sugar Baby: Confections, Candies, Cakes & Other Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Sugar
• By Gesine Bullock-Prado
• Stewart, Tabori, and Chang; 2011
• ISBN13: 9781584798972

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher and any opinions are my own.