Holiday baking and other food prep

[ihop]

Holy shit.  I would lay down that lasagna and make sweet love to it. 

 

I'm curious how your lasagna turns out CG. There seems to be a lot of different flavors going on there.

I head up to my parents' house on Friday. I've promised my brother a very chocolate dessert, perhaps flourless chocolate cake?

My all time favorite flourless chocolate dessert:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/la-bete-noire-235831

[caribougrrl]

my better half did a trial run with this clementine cake last night: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016184-clementine-cake

instead of ganache, she piled up candied citrus peel and drizzled some chocolate over it... which was all very nice... but holy mother of all things good and lovely, the cake itself is so delicious, it didn't need any of it (trial run = success; this is what we will bring to our New Year's day thing)

[merigayle]

My all time favorite flourless chocolate dessert:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/la-bete-noire-235831

Pinning recipe!

[Chasing Amy]

My all time favorite flourless chocolate dessert:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/la-bete-noire-235831

Ganache makes everything better!

my better half did a trial run with this clementine cake last night: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016184-clementine-cake

instead of ganache, she piled up candied citrus peel and drizzled some chocolate over it... which was all very nice... but holy mother of all things good and lovely, the cake itself is so delicious, it didn't need any of it (trial run = success; this is what we will bring to our New Year's day thing)

I made a similar version from Nigella.  Tossed the whole thing. Granted, I don't like orange marmalade so I probably shouldn't have bothered with this one. It did smell good whilst baking, however.

[hally]

I've made Nigella's Clementine cake several times, and liked it. I never iced it.

[diablita]

yes, I love Nigella's version.  You can't eat it the same day though; it has to rest.

[DocBuzzkill]

Spawn the Elder kindly made cranberry kringle-babka for JülakkuhsolstiXmas breakfast.

The base is a cardamom-spiced yeast dough that is chilled overnight then rolled out.


A slab of marzipan (he makes his own using almond powder, sugar, and egg white) is then rolled out and placed on the dough.  A filling of cranberries, chopped almonds,  orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau - he used Solerno, a blood-orange liqueur because that's what I have on hand), sugar, and egg white  is placed on top of that, and then rolled up, like a babka.


Here are the 2 filled rolls.  I wasn't able to snap any pics of the assembly, which involves slicing each roll vertically in 2 parts, turning each part so that the dough sides touch, then twisting these around one another, like a kringle.   The cranberries were trying to make daring bids for freedom, so Spawn the Elder suggested that the camera and I get the fuck right out of the kitchen because I was unnerving him.  The twists are topped with yet more sugar, another egg white, and sliced almonds.


Here's an assembled kringle-babka before it goes into the oven (this is the k-b he made for co-workers a couple of weeks ago).


And here's the cranberry kringle-babka out of the oven.  Once it has rested and cooled a bit, Spawn the Elder drizzles a frosting made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, powdered sugar, and a dash of orange liqueur over the kringle-babka.


Breakfast was a slice of this beautiful monster, still warm and a bit like pudding in the center (supposed to be like that), washed down with hot coffee.  The tart cranberries provide a counterpoint to the intense sweetness and richness, and a serving probably has, like, 4000 kcal/slice, but oh, so good.

[caribougrrl]

 

[seattlegirl]

OMG, that sounds awesome, CRB!

I just pulled an apple cranberry currant crumble pie out of the oven.  Smells so good!

Recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_cranberry_currant_crumble_pie/

[diablita]

sounds amazing CRB!!   as does that, SG

I'm sort of wanting to bake sugar cookies (I think we have Chanukah cutters here somewhere) and decorate them tomorrow, but not fully wanting to deal with the mess that DD will inevitably make.  We'll see...

[diablita]

Have I shared this recipe for chickpea crackers?

A local friend made some for me and I went googling for an approximation.  They're very, very good.  We eat them plain but I'd love them with a tapenade or white bean dip.

[merigayle]

Have I shared this recipe for chickpea crackers?

A local friend made some for me and I went googling for an approximation.  They're very, very good.  We eat them plain but I'd love them with a tapenade or white bean dip.

pinned!

[diablita]

 

[Run Amok]

I will try those, dev. Thanks for sharing

[diablita]

you're welcome.  they're super delicious.

The reason for making them this time is kind of funny: my DH isn't very good at being doctor google.  He told me the other day that he was sure he had a malady that is VERY serious because of symptoms he's been having.  Based on the symptoms he described (GI, will spare you the details) I could tell that he was experiencing 2 different problems, not related and both very common.  So I gave him the schpiel about hearing hoof beats and assuming horses and not zebras.  

We went over the things he had added to his diet lately and the culprit seemed to be pears:  They've been trucking in comice pears (my fave and we never used to get them loose here!!) and DH has been eating them like candy for a snack at night.  He didn't believe me when I told him pears in that qty could cause his symptoms but begrudgingly agreed to stop eating them.  After 24 hours, digestive symptoms already going away.  And in the meantime I made him these to snack on.

luckily we grow really, really nice apples in our area and he'll eat those

[DocBuzzkill]

OMG, that sounds awesome, CRB!

I just pulled an apple cranberry currant crumble pie out of the oven.  Smells so good!

Recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_cranberry_currant_crumble_pie/

sounds amazing CRB!!   as does that, SG

That kringle-babka is pretty decadent.  Spawn the Elder is hanging out with friends today and took the rest (about a third) to them.

SG and D, I have bookmarked both the apple cranberry currant pie and chickpea cracker recipes.  Both look really good!

[rocketgirl]

I made a generic Philadelphia cheesecake using the Kraft recipe.  I NAILED the cooling down (no cracks!)  It was tasty with strawberry balsamic glaze.

[Run Amok]

I bought chickpea flour to try the crackers but I don't have any ground flax. Dang it!

[diablita]

I bet it would turn out ok without it

[JBM]

CRB that looks amazing. I'm also impressed with his talent for baking.

I made a blueberry coffee cake from Ina Garten the other day. It was delicious! Then I made raspberry cheesecake cupcakes that were absolutely divine. Everything is gone now though. 

I did share though.