Teenie Cakes

François Payard's Patisserie & Other Macaron Indulgences

Earlier this month I finally opened the December 2009 issue of Food & Wine Magazine.    The issue included an article entitled "Lesson in French Cookies: Baking Macarons" by Emily Kaiser.   The write-up featured French pastry chef François Payard demonstrating to Jason Wu (Fashion designer - designed Michelle Obama's inaugural gown) his macaron making process.    It's a great article and Payard explains there are four things for a successful macaron:

1. A smooth macaronade
2. A fluffy meringue
3. Attentive baking
4. Plenty of filling

Also, recipes for:

• Raspberry Macarons
• Chocolate Macarons
• Passion Fruit Macarons

Read the article with photos and recipes on the Food & Wine Magazine's site here.

 A couple of weeks ago, I visited Payard's Patisserie in Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas.    The bakery is kind of tucked away in the back with the other restaurants.   It's a lovely Patisserie with beautiful decor and many wonderful desserts in their dessert case and options for creating your own gift baskets or packaged treats to go.   If you're in Las Vegas and anywhere near Caesar's Palace, it's definitely worth your visit to at least experience it if you are a dessert, pastry and/or macaron lover.

Costco's Annual Cookbook - Home Cooking

Costco is a very dangerous place for me.  I really try to limit the number of visits per month because I'll end up leaving with way more than I should've.   Never go to Costco hungry!   It's a great and fun place!  Who can beat the eggs and variety & price of nuts especially when you love to bake!? 

I made one of those visits on Black Friday...absent-mindedly forgot about their annual complimentary cookbook!   Gotta have the cookbook!

This year's theme is Home Cooking the Costco Way.  The contents include:

• Stretching Your Food Dollar
• Breakfasts
• Appetizers
• Salads and Soups
• Side Dishes
• Chef's Choice (recipes created by some of America's outstanding chefs)
• Entrees
• Desserts
• Beverages

Great recipes with attainable ingredients, beautiful photography that accompies each recipe and it's complimentary!   That's the best Black Friday deal around!

Available while supplies last this holiday weekend.

To view past Recipes the Costco Way complimentary cookbooks since 2002, click here.

Teenie Cakes aka TeenieCakes

Bouchon Bistro opens in Southern California

Last fall we spent some days in Napa hoping to catch the fall harvest and enjoy some autumn colors.    Not really knowing what to expect on our trip except for the obvious...wineries and good food, I wasn't very organized in way of making reservations at restaurants.   My bad.   

We stayed in Yountville at the Yountville Inn  and I was in hog heaven to discover that down the street, a mere walking distance, was the Bouchon Bakery AND that every morning the Yountville Inn treated us to Bouchon pastries for breakfast! The second great find was another Thomas Keller establishment ad hoc - just on our walking way to Bouchon's!    We didn't have reservations at ad hoc, but we did manage to squeeze into the wine/bar area and enjoy some fresh and absolutely delicious beignets.  

Napa is the home to several Thomas Keller Restaurants like The French Laundry and The Bouchon Bistro. Well...I'm happy to share that Southern California will now enjoy a Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills, which opened today!    I'm sure it will be all the rage to foodies around and probably will be in anyone's better interest to make sure you make reservations before attempting to crash the restaurant for a seat.

Also, earlier this month Thomas Keller released a newer cookbook Ad Hoc at Home , which is for sure on my Christmas list.   I do have and enjoy his Bouchon cookbook, which is beautiful and practical.   I used it for last month's Daring Baker's challenge when we all took on the macarons challenge.

Teenie Cakes aka TeenieCakes

Carole Walter's - Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

I have several of Carole Walter's cookbooks and they have all been good investments.  The title of each of her books is prefaced with the word "great" ...and that they are.  I only wish she'd come out with more cookbooks!   After the holidays last year, I tried to find a copy of her Great Pies & Tarts book and happily secured a copy from a smaller bookstore through Amazon.com (it's a hard one to locate). 

Books by Carole Walters:

• Great Cookies:  Secrets to Sensational Sweets (2003)
• Great Cakes:  Over 250 Recipes to Bake, Share and Enjoy (2005)
• Great Pies & Tarts (2006)
• Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More:  200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight (2007)

The book is laid out as follows:

• Chapter 1 - Perfect Pound Cakes
• Chapter 2 - Home-Style Coffee Cakes
• Chapter 3 - Muffins & Quick Breads
• Chapter 4 - Biscuits & Scones
• Chapter 5 - Easy Does It Yeasted Coffee Cakes
• Chapter 6 - Brioche, Croissants & Danish
• Chapter 7 - Strudel: Then and Now
• Chapter 8 - Coffee Break Bites
• Chapter 9 - Streusels, Glazes, Frostings & Spreads

About Equipment

About Ingredients

Specialty Sources

Each recipe has a personal introduction, an At A Glance section (pans, pan prep, baking time, oven temp and difficulty rating), and storage suggestion.  There are illustrations and photographs that accompany some of the recipes and throughout the book there are tips and suggestions.    The instructions are straight-forward and ingredients that you can readily find in your local markets.  

I've been trying to perfect a muffin that I'm going to blog about in the next posts and will be referencing some of the tips and bits and pieces of recipes I borrowed from this book for my delicious muffins.

TeenieCakes aka Teenie Cakes

Ebelskivers - More Ideas and Recipes!

I had an earlier post about ebelskivers when I received a surprise gift from my brother and sister-in-laws after the holidays.   I received an ebelskiver pan and mix!  Although these sweet or savory treats are served all year, they are traditional in Denmark before the Christmas holidays.

Guess what beautiful cookbook I found?   A cookbook devoted to ebelskivers!   This book is written by Kevin Crafts, Ebelskivers - Filled Pancakes and Other Mouthwatering Miniatures - an exclusive book of Williams Sonoma (nope...can't find it on Amazon.com!).   

The book is rich with recipes, ideas, beautiful supporting photography and includes over 40 recipes of simple, sweet, and savory ebelskiver treats.

Ebelskivers by Kevin Crafts

Contents

- All About Ebelskivers (from pans, batter basics and tips & tricks)

- Simple Ebelskivers

• classic ebelskivers
• crunchy cinnamon ebelskivers
• maple-nut ebelskivers
• chocolate chip ebelskivers
• coconut ebelskivers
• honey-glazed buttermilk ebelskivers
• streusel-topped ebelskivers
• lemon-poppy seed ebelskivers
• iced gingerbread ebelskivers
• corn cakes with blueberry compote

- Sweet Treats

• cherry-almond ebelskivers
• double-blackberry ebelskivers
• raspberry jam-filled ebelskivers
• jelly donut ebelskivers
• ebelskivers with spiced apple filling
• banana-rum pancakes
• orange cream ebelskivers
• strawberry shortcake pancakes
• peanut butter & jelly ebelskivers
• sticky toffee ebelskivers
• pumpkin pie ebeskivers
• chocolate truffle ebelskivers
• ebelskivers, s'mores style
• salted caramel-pecan ebelskivers
• molten chocolate ebelskivers

- Savory Snacks

• herb & goat cheese ebelskivers
• ebelskiver popovers
• walnut, pear & blue cheese pancakes
• miniature stove-top cheese souffles
• spicy corn ebelskivers
• potato & green onion pancakes
• mushroom & pancetta ebelskivers
• spinach & feta pancakes
• ebelskivers, crab cake style
• tomato-stuffed polenta cakes
• chicken bites with creamy dressing
• smoked salmon & dill ebelskivers
• fig & prosciutto ebelskivers
• two-cheese puffs with marinara

The book offers a lot of ideas and inspiration for other flavors and combinations without having to rely on a mix.   Also, some places sell ebelskiver turning tools... you really don't need to buy these turning tools.   You can just as easily and effectively use skewers (like bamboo or bbq skewers).

This last weekend I whipped up the honey-glazed buttermilk ebelskivers.  It took a little practice and because I had to add the topping to the wells before the batter, I had to work quickly.  The first batch suffered from my inexperience, but the second and third batch turned out beautiful and delicious!

Please note: I am not affiliated with Williams Sonoma other than enjoying their products, attending their complimentary demonstrations and being a foodie! =)

TeenieCakes aka Teenie Cakes

Related Posts

• An Ebelskiver Surprise!