Georgia Peach Pie with Amaretto Cream

This has been a wonderful end of summer vacation. It's been nice to see my brother and his family and hang out. We have played Phase10 quite a bit. We all enjoyed the Knoxville Zoo and the Aquarium in Chattanouga. There is so much to see in Tennessee.

Being down in TN means having a few Southern comforts. Peaches would be one of those comforts, Georgia peaches. We hit the mother load. At a farm stand we picked up firm, ripe peaches that were bursting with peachy flavor. Everything about them was perfect. I made some of my peach amaretto jam, leaving a few behind and I just had to make peach pie. Especially after my brother asked for pie. How often do you get to make something nice for a special brother?

GEORGIA PEACH PIE with AMARETTO CREAM

8 large ripe, firm peaches
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plus1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

pie crust:

1 tsp salt
2/3 cup ice water
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

In a bowl combine salt and flour. With a pastry blender or a fork, mix butter into flour. Keep cutting up the butter with the fork until the flour and butter look like a coarse meal. It's okay if there are some pieces of butter that area little larger (you actually want that). Slowly add the water and mix, until the dough starts to come together, but is not completely smooth.

Lay down a piece of plastic and transfer half of the dough to the plastic wrap. Pull up sides and form into a disk. Chill for at least an hour or up to overnight.

filling:

Place peaches in boiling water for just a minute or so to loosen the skin. Peel peaches and cut into eighths. Sprinkle with the sugar and lemon juice. Gently stir in the flour.

Preheat oven to 400F. Roll pie crusts out to fit one large pie pan or two small ones. Pour peach filling over crust. Dot with butter. After rolling out the remaining dough, cut into strips to make a lattice. Weave the lattice making a weaved pattern over top of peach filling. If desired brush with an egg wash and if desired sprinkle with sugar (egg yolk, plus 2 tablespoons water).

Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes for smaller pies and 30 minutes for a large pie. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and bake for about 20 to 40 minutes more, depending on their size. You want the crust to be golden.

Amaretto Whipped Topping

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto liquor

In a large cold bowl, combine sugar and cream. Whip the cream until it thickens. Add the liquor and continue to whip until firm peaks form.

Here are a few pics I would like to share with you.

A butterfly that thought my 3 year olds hands had something sweet on it- probably it did.
I have never seen a green butterfly.

My daughters new love. How could you not fall in love with those beautiful, big eyes. She only has three legs but never let's it stop her which makes her that much more endearing!
Figs! I picked figs. Made fig chutney but accidentally left it all in TN. Boo hoo.
A view of the river.

Cheddar Crackers with Tomato Jam

I recently participated in a jam exchange at Steph Chows. She stopped by my site and asked me to join in the fun. I never realized that she lives here in Rochester. Whoa- that is totally cool. Now, I think I should organize Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo bloggers for a get together.
My package arrived with two little jars of jelly inside. Two tastey morsels of amazing, melt in your mouth, delicious, perfectly flavored tomato jam. I had to think of something special to do with the jam. The jam is from Natalie of Natalie's Killer Cuisine. (go check out her jam, it is AMAZING).

After returning from our trip and quick look at the fridge's contents told me I needed to do something real fast with the sharp cheddar that I had in there. I had two packs from a recent trip to an Amish store in Penn Yan. The one had an end that was starting to mold. I shaved off that end and shredded all of it up to make some amazing cheddar crackers. The crackers are amazing but paired with this jam, it is a combination that takes taste over the top. After I had the jam with it, the plain crackers just did not taste as good.

In the words of Andy Griffith, "Good cracker."

Aged Cheddar Crackers
inspired from this recipe at Epicurious
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 lb sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (preferably in a food processor)
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon nigella seeds

Blend together butter, cheese, and yolk in food processor until smooth. Add flour, dried mustard, and salt and pulse until just combined. Add pepper and nigella seeds, and pulse until combined well, then transfer to a sheet of wax paper. Shape into a log (1 1/2 - 2 inches thick), using paper as an aid, then roll up log in paper and twist ends of paper to close. Chill log until firm, about 2 hours.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap log and cut enough thin slices (about 1/8 inch thick) from it to fill baking sheet, arranging slices 1 inch apart. Return log to fridge. Bake until edges of crackers are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer on parchment to a rack and cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Make more crackers in batches with remaining dough.

Serve crackers warm or at room temperature.

Cooks' notes: Dough can be chilled, wrapped additionally in foil or in a sealed plastic bag, 1 week or frozen 2 months. Crackers can be baked 1 week ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. If desired, reheat on 2 baking sheets in a preheated 350°F oven about 5 minutes.

Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte

Anatomy of a Daring Baker Challenge.

First, you wait the infinitely long period of time between the challenge you just completed and the challenge you are about to face. You keep checking the site to see if it's up yet. Then you see the challenge and you are either pleasantly surprised or displeased. If you are pleasantly surprised and you have never done the challenge before, you think, okay it's looks a little daunting. If you are displeased witht he challenge, you just tough it out and maybe in the end find out your really glad you tried it, despite your misgivings.

You read the directions, you read them again and you read them again.... And finally you work up the courage to do the challenge. Maybe you will only take it one component at a time. But then you get started and think, hey I could do a few more components. Suddenly you are nearly there. And you think, hey, that wasn't so bad.

If you are anything like me, you are wondering what amazing thing Tartelette is going to come up with or many of the other amazingly talented Daring Bakers. I always have hopes of being really amazingly artistic but in the end, either I am too challenged by the challenge or time becomes a challenge or lack of experience. Any one of these variables makes it all challenging. But you do it anyway. For better or worse you complete the challenge. But you learn so much. I have learned, thanks to Daring Bakers, so much about different desserts and most of all I have learned that an Opera Cake is MY FAVORITE CAKE of all time. But this torte is certainly very delicious. I wasn't too thrilled about the caramel but goodness it was a tastey cake!

August's Daring Bakers' Challenge has been chosen by Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella and me, Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar. We have chosen the famous Dobos Torta, a Hungarian specialty.

The Dobos Torta is a five-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. (You may come across recipes which have anywhere between six and 12 layers of cake; there are numerous family variations!) It was invented in 1885 by József C. Dobos, a Hungarian baker, and it rapidly became famous throughout Europe for both its extraordinary taste and its keeping properties. The recipe was a secret until Dobos retired in 1906 and gave the recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry, providing that every member of the chamber can use it freely.

Equipment

* 2 baking sheets
* 9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates
* mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
* a sieve
* a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
* a small saucepan
* a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
* metal offset spatula
* sharp knife
* a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a springform tin.
* piping bag and tip, optional

Prep times

* Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.
* Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide.
* Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.
* Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes

Sponge cake layers

* 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
* 1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
* 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
* pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

* 4 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
* 4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
* 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

* 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
* 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
* 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

* a 7” cardboard round
* 12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
* ½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)
4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the center rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)
A baked layer.

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-colored caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the center of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavor.

Cheesy Dilled Zucchini Fritters

I love zucchini. I know there are people out there that don't. But hey if you don't, have you ever tried chocolate zucchini cake. You would never know it had zucchini in it. But that is precisely what I love about zucchini. VERSATILITY in a CHEAP vegetable.

Cheesy Dilled Zucchini Fritters
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness

2 medium zucchinis, shredded
4 oz shredded cheese, I used Gruyere
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
1 small onion minced
s and p

Place shredded zucchini in a colander over a bowl and salt. Let stand 20 minutes. Squeeze excess water out and combine with remaining ingredients.

Fry in a little oil until browned.

Goats Milk turns into Cajeta

Sometimes I am just so curious about things. Take for instance macarons. I just had to make those so I could taste what they were all about. So glad I did because I have made them several times since. Now, it is cajeta.

Cajeta- think Dulce de Leche with goats milk. I was so curious to find out what it is that I actually hunted down a goat farm and bought some milk. Now the milk, because it is not pasteurized, is not really recommended for consuming. I just ignored that. Besides I was planning to heat it to the nth degree. I mean lots of boiling and lots of stirring. It still is not really where I want it to be but the microwave will fix that. A couple minutes to get it heated and then some minutes to let some of the moisture out should thicken it up a bit more.

I am glad I took the time to investigate this. It was an experience that I am glad I am on the other side of. Would I do it again? No. Too much stirring. I can buy a can of dulce de leche. I like the cows milk, just the same.

My husband has been drizzling it over yogurt with some granola sprinkled on top.

Cajeta
Ingredients:
2 quarts of goat’s milk
2 cups of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Method:
1. Stir together the milk and sugar in a large pot (make sure the liquid only goes half-way up the sides as it’s going to get frothy at one point and you don’t want it boiling over) and add the cinnamon and vanilla (if using a bean, split it lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the liquid and add the pod as well). Bring to a boil on medium heat while constantly stirring. This will take about 15 minutes.
2. When milk boils, remove from heat and add baking soda (dissolved in a bit of water) to the pot. The mixture will rise and get frothy, but as long as you keep stirring it will be fine.
3. Place the pot back on the stove on medium heat, and stir and stir and stir (though if you need to take a break, leaving the pot unattended for a minute or so won’t cause any harm to the cajeta). Make sure the milk stays at a gentle simmer rather than a raging boil.
4. After about an hour, the milk should start to turn golden brown. Remove the cinnamon stick and the vanilla pod. At this point, it will start to thicken fast, so it’s important to keep stirring so the milk doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.
5. Keep stirring until the mixture is a rich brown and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, which will happen in about 15 minutes.
6. Pour into a glass container. It should keep in the refrigerator for a week, though mine has never lasted that long.

Blueberry Creamy Dreamy Ice Cream

We are busily getting ready for our vacation here. Sadly, it will just be me and my girls going. My husband has lots of work to do. What a bummer. But on the bright side after our time away we will all be so happy to see one another that we will appreciate each other just a bit more. As the expression goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

You know with all these blueberries we picked, I just had to make some blueberry ice cream. I admired the one from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, so I just had to give it a swirl!

Yum, delicious, really everyone this has such nice flavor, its one of the best ice creams I have made this summer.

Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, if frozen, thaw and drain)
2/3 cup sugar, or more to taste
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of one lemon
Juice of 1 a lemon, or more juice to taste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a medium saucepan cook blueberries, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice over medium heat, stirring, until mixture boils and the berries pop and soften, about 4 minutes.

Pour the berry mixture into a blender and whirl until a seemingly homogeneous puree is achieved, about 1 minute. The mixture will not be completely smooth. Add the heavy cream and sour cream and pulse to blend. Taste and add a bit more lemon juice or sugar if you choose.

Pour the blend into a bowl and refrigerate until it is chilled before churning into ice cream.

QUICK and DELICIOUS DESSERT

We had a friend over for dinner the other night, our last time seeing him before he becomes a married man. I am so excited for him. He is such a nice fellow and I love that he is always so positive and hopeful. It's kind of contagious when you are around him. He has a very long trip to India this weekend. My husband and I would so love to go. There will be 2000 people at his wedding. No that is not a typo for 200, I really meant 2000. He said it is not uncommon in India to have so many people.

I made him dinner and would love to show you a picture but you will have to wait until the next time I make it. It was so gobbled up by all of us. But I do have a pic of dessert to share.

You know I was so focused on making the main meal that I forgot to make something for dessert. I know probably most of you have made these but in case there is someone out there who has missed out, these are a must try for you. They come together very quickly.

Saltine Cracker Toffee

21 plus Saltine crackers
2 sticks real butter
1 cup sugar
12 oz. real milk chocolate chips

Line a cookie sheet with foil, making sure there are no holes or cracks. If you overlap foil just make sure it is sealed. Cover entire bottom of pan with whole saltines, letting foil extend up sides of pan. For three minutes, boil butter and sugar. Pour over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and allow to soften in oven. Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly. Let cool and harden. Peel foil off and break candy into pieces.