Mint-White Chocolate Pots de Crème - Tuesdays with Dorie

Lavender in dessert - or anything at all - does not a happy family make in my home so I barely glanced at this month's chosen recipe for Lavender-White Chocolate Pots de Crème before checking Dorie's bonne ideé, hoping for an alternative flavour suggestion - she didn't let me down! Mint and citrus zest as replacements for lavender sounded good to me.

The mint was rather subtle and the flavour from the orange peel I used wasn't present at all so these were mainly decadently rich and creamy white chocolate baked custards - not a bad thing at all for fans of white chocolate. They went over well.

Visit here to see what everyone else made from Baking Chez Moi this week.

Chunky Fruit-and-Nut Bars - Tuesdays with Dorie

These treats were exactly what the name says: "chunky fruit-and-nut bars". They were simple to make and a tasty way to use up a surplus of nuts and dried fruit. 

I made them with almonds and tart cherries; there was just enough bittersweet chocolate to bind them together. They were delicious!

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking Chez Moi. Visit here to see what the other bakers made.

Cannelés - Tuesdays with Dorie

I'm starting the year with a recipe from Baking Chez Moi that looked simple but was a challenge for me to get right: cannelés. These pretty little fluted pastries are named for the channelled moulds in which they're made.

Their crêpe-like batter comprised milk, sugar, butter, flour, eggs, rum and vanilla and required several hours refrigeration. It was poured into a greased and frozen cannelé mould and baked, first at 450°F, and then at 400°F. I have only one 15-cavity silicone mould that I bought over 5 years ago when I started baking with TWD knowing this recipe was in the book so I had to bake in batches. For the first batch, I followed the recipe baking times but made the mistake of checking one that must have been in a hot spot in my oven; I thought they were done but clearly, they weren't!

Cannelé fail: 

I baked the second batch for an extra 10 minutes at 450°F and 5 at 400°F. I suspect my mould is larger than the "mini" that's called for as my yield was only 30 in the end.

Much better:

I had never had one before and enjoyed the crisp exterior that tasted of caramelized sugar and vanilla-rum custardy interior. 

Visit here to see how the rest of the TWD bakers fared.

Honey-Nut Nougat - Tuesdays with Dorie

The perfect treat to add to your holiday dessert table.....

....toasted pistachios and almonds, and plump cranberries bound by chewy nougat, the latest from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking Chez Moi. Scary part aside - pouring boiling honey-sugar syrup into a whirring stand mixer with whipped egg white - it was remarkably easy to make and quite delicious.

Best wishes for the holiday season and the year to come!

Touch-of-Crunch Chocolate Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

There's always room for chocolate on my holiday dessert table so this week's project for Tuesdays with Dorie, a seemingly simple chocolate cake, was a great choice.

Its appearance didn't impress much, but the crackle top hid a mousse-like centre, fudgy sides and crisp edges. Black sesame seeds added nuttiness to the rich chocolate flavour and a pleasant crunch to the texture. It was anything but simple.

Enjoyed by all, it will be made again.

Visit here to see what everyone else made from Baking Chez Moi.