Double-Decker Salted Caramel Cake

This cake was born from the idea, anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

There is a lot of caramel in this cake…and I did think we were overdoing it, and that the cake would be very sweet, but Dorie was correct…it just works!

We might have started a new tradition, which seems fun…our “April Birthday” bakers chose this one, so we have to take a minute to thank Kayte, Steph, and Diane for a great choice…and to say Happy Birthday! 🎂

Like most things, this isn’t a hard recipe but it does take a little time.

I started with making the homemade salted caramel so it had time to cool before I needed it. I am always reminded at how simple this is…just sugar, water, corn syrup, butter, cream, vanilla and fluer de sel. This is used swirled in the cake, and also a cup of it mixed with confectioners sugar for the frosting.

The cake is baked in a springform and sliced after baking to get the two layers. The cake batter is thick and airy. You don’t whip the eggs like a meringue, but it does form shiny peaks before adding the dry ingredients. Nothing is too unusual other than buttermilk, but it sure was a moist and flavorful cake. I will have to mention here that this cake had 1/2 t of cinnamon…that is the only spice, and I would say a minimal amount at that…

And yet…

Every person who had this, which was 11 people 😳 , and not all together, said it was the most delicious SPICE cake 😂…me included. There was 3 T of caramel swirled in the cake, but still, I thought that was pretty crazy how unanimous that reaction was. Interesting how much flavor those two things could give to a cake!

The sliced cake is frosted with the sugar/caramel mixture which I thought the texture/consistency interesting to work with…more like a coating or thick glaze. We are told, you can leave it plain, or add chocolate or toffee pieces for decoration. I was leery to add more sugar…I really thought this would already be an overly sweet cake but I went for it anyway adding mini chocolate chips and chopped up almond roca and I am really glad I did! It finished the cake beautifully and everyone loved the added crunch.

Two big takeaways from this bake…it is quite the showstopper and incredibly it is not a sweet cake at all. Dorie tells us caramel is really just burnt sugar and will add a tinge of bitterness which will make it intriguing. She was spot on. We served it with vanilla ice cream when my kids were all over and everyone said that was the perfect compliment.

So, while not the healthiest dessert, it was indeed delicious. Everyone LOVED it and would gladly have this one again. My dad, adding it to his running “top 25” list. ❤️

This one is a keeper!

Goat Cheese-Black Pepper Quick Bread

This quick bread is described as being perfect for eating outdoors, perhaps at a garden party or with a cold glass of wine. That it is a cross between a muffin and a sponge cake…laced beautifully with goat cheese, mint, and a fair amount of black pepper.

I knew this would be an out of the box experiment for us. Most of us aren’t big goat cheese eaters, wine drinkers, or lovers of mint in food but we are always up for the adventure because you never know. 🤷‍♀️

Quick bread, really is a quick bread to make…pretty much combine wet ingredients, then dry. Mix the two lightly together and fold in gently the cheese and mint. We are told be light, and fast is better than thorough. The dough is smoothed out and cooked for about 35 min.

So, interestingly the recipe notes compare this bread to a cross between a muffin and sponge bread…first reaction I got was this seemed like a cross between cornbread and a biscuit. How funny is that?! 😂. Most of my tasters gave me the feedback that they weren’t really a fan…that it was fun to try but just not their thing. This did not surprise me.

Not a keeper with this one…but I am feeling very confident that they will have a different opinion about the salted caramel cake that comes later this month. 😂❤️

Parisian Custard Tart

Let’s just start by saying…you want the top to be browned to a mahogany char…the darker the top, the more authentic the tart!

Whoo hoo!

I felt like I had to tell everyone I gave a piece to…it is suppose to be burnt looking on top…it isn’t a mistake haha. I think I would have problems serving this at a gathering, or bringing somewhere without the disclaimer 😂🤦‍♀️

I shouldn’t have worried…this was loved by all! In fact, my son likened it to…and I quote,

“Loved the dessert!😍 reminds me exactly of these “pasteis de nata” things that we had in Lisbon”

I mean does it get better than that?..I think not haha!

Everyone loved the crust, and the lightness and texture of the custard…not to mention the flavor. I feel like this was a pretty easy dessert for the reactions I got.

I used the store bought puff pastry as suggested by Dorie…and honestly probably the hardest part was getting a rectangle piece shaped and fitted into a round springform haha. But it worked and looked way better than I had expected that is for sure. The custard was easy, but always unsettling to make sure it doesn’t curdle, but this one was a success. Everything needs some chilling time, separately and together so that takes some planning. I let mine chill overnight as suggested and I think based on the reviews, that was a good choice and I would do that again.

Since I have one more sheet of puff pastry, I am thinking I will make this again for everyone. 😍

This one is a keeper!

Breakfast-in-Rome Lemon Cake

Our breakfast coffee cake, has it beginnings from a restaurant in Rome…Roscioli Caffè. In both its simplicity and flavor, it grabs you.

From the family of ciambelle, or ring cakes ours is made in a tube pan. We get our flavor from lemon zest and juice, along with fresh blueberries. Our airiness and height is from whipped egg whites along with some baking powder.

The egg yolks and sugar get us started, followed by the oil and vanilla. Then the dry ingredients are mixed in and ever so gently the whipped egg whites are folded in. Finally topped off with a gently fold of the blueberries.

The batter gets scraped into the well buttered and floured pan, leveled off and baked for approximately 45 min. This smelled delicious while it was baking!

Lemon and blueberry are always such a great combo and this one was described as delicious by my tasters. Two of the texts back were actually: “crushed it” and “deliciousness!” I think it is hard not to love a cake like this…I was told it went perfectly with morning coffee by my dad who put it in his “top 15”. 🥰 We are told you can leave out the blueberries but I am not sure why you would do that haha.

This one is a keeper!

Potato Flake Biscuits

Although my husband and I aren’t big biscuit fans, we both thought these were flavorful and well suited for an egg sandwich. (Thanks for the suggestion Cakelaw! 🥰)

These are different than your usual plain biscuit…they have sautéed onions, potato flakes, herbs, and Parmesan cheese mixed in. I took Dorie’s advice and patted them into a square and cut them with no scrap…I made half a recipe and got four square biscuits…perfect for a sandwich.

I think the recipe is good and people who enjoy biscuits would probably love them for the flavor, but I don’t see myself making these again. We are 0/3 on the biscuits so far in the cookbook…I am thinking it is us 🤦‍♀️, not the recipes…we are just not biscuit people 😂🤷‍♀️ but that is ok. Always fun to try!

Rosa Jackson’s Bourride

The final recipe in an amazing adventure!

This is my third Dorie Greenspan cookbook I have completely finished (+ the cookie one I came up a bit short on and will finish on my own). This one we started November of 2018…so just short of 5 1/2 years of twice a month cooking and blogging.

I would say, this one, Everyday Dorie is my favorite one!

It is my favorite because it really is an “everyday” cookbook with elevated dishes, it has a wide variety of dinner dishes and some desserts, but mostly because there are many recipes in this cookbook I have made over and over and over again…they were that good!

I have loved the community of bakers I have met through this group…that I have never met in person, but feel like they are friends. I am sad for it to end. Thankfully many of us are still currently working our way through another one of Dorie’s cookbooks so it isn’t ALL done yet..thank goodness. This baking/blogging is just part of who I am now after doing it since 2012 😳…I can’t stop hahaha.

I wasn’t sure about having this recipe as our last hooray…it didn’t appear to be one that would amaze me, or be a fantastic looking dessert like one of our other cookbooks…but boy did I underestimate this recipe! It was a simple, humble looking dish but packed an amazing and fantastic punch of flavor…unbelievable, honestly, from what I expected. I always know it is a winner when my husbands first question is, “how hard was this?” 😂

Thankfully it wasn’t hard. There are only two parts, and since making our own garlic aioli required barely cooked egg yolks, I bought that part.

The second part is making the “bourride” which tells you it is a fish stew of sorts with aioli..a garlic mayonnaise. This fish stew is a nod to Dorie’s friend Rosa who is a “whose who” in France giving tours of the Nice Market and runs a cooking school so you can buy your ingredients and then head over and make the dish. Sounds fun!

The base of the dish is cubed carrots, sliced leeks, and shredded spinach. This is all sautéed for 5 min and then fish added to the pan and cooked for another 4-6 min on each side. I opted to bake my Mahi by itself and just cooked the veggies for 10 min. The garlic aioli and some broth are added to the veggies to make a sauce, more thick than thin.

The veggies and sauce get placed in a shallow dish with the fish added on top. Top with some pepper.

My husbands first comment went straight to…this is FANTASTIC. I hadn’t even tried it yet, and was like, really?! And he said, yes…fantastic! I tried it and thoroughly agreed…fantastic. What I loved about this dish was the amazing flavor we got without it being a heavy dish even though there was a garlic aioli sauce…it was like a light coating to dip everything in, not be overpowered by.

We loved everything about it…the veggies, fish, and sauce. This will be another one of Dorie’s recipes that gets repeated in our house.

Honestly, usually when I have finished a cookbook it gets retired from the spot next to the stove to make way for something new, but this one will stay right where it is because I use it so often. I will remember all the fun cooking adventures with all of you each time I pull it out.

So, I will end this post and cookbook by saying…this recipe AND this cookbook are both a keeper!!

Bourbon-Roasted Pork Loin

This recipe had me going to Total Wine to get a little, mini bottle of Bourbon 😂…might need to keep some on hand for this recipe! It was really tasty.

I halved the recipe, and used a tenderloin but otherwise made it as stated.

The foundation of the dish is the onion and apple…a classic pork combination. They get a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a quick 10 min sauté in olive oil to soften them.

While they are cooking you make the coating for the pork. This is made up of the bourbon, grainy mustard, honey, brown sugar, and sriracha. The pork loin gets covered in the sauce and put on top of the onions and apple. I found the mixture more saucy than a rub but it worked fine.

The whole thing gets popped in a 400 degree oven for about 50 min.

We were pleasantly surprised. This was really flavorful, and not a lot of work. We especially liked the onions with the pork. Next time I will make the full amount of the onions and sauce since there is none of that to go with the leftover pork haha.

I would totally make this again. This one is a keeper!

Copenhagen Rye Cookies with Chocolate, Spice, and Seeds

These were a treat!

I asked my husband what he would say about them…could he taste this, or taste that…and he said, “all I can say is they are just plain good and they are a keeper for sure!” 😂

These are quite a complex cookie we have for this bake…with quite the unusual mix of ingredients.

Dorie was inspired from a visit to Copenhagen where they commonly use rye flour and top their baked good with seeds and nuts. These cookies were born from that.

We have the usual ingredients of butter, eggs, flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and vanilla but that is where the common ends. We use a combo of rye and all-purpose flour mixed with cinnamon, 2t of cardamom, and 2T of espresso powder. Once all the ingredients are mixed up, dark chocolate and a half cup of mixed seeds are added. I used the suggested sunflower, flax, and poppy seeds. The dough needs to chill in the fridge for a few hours so all the flavors meld together and will be more pronounced.

The dough is scooped and topped with flaky sea salt and more seeds if you would like. I only did the salt and that is really a flavor enhancer…especially with the chocolate. Highly recommend.

The cookies bake and need a rest before eating. My husband couldn’t wait and did try one while they were still warm. The overwhelming flavor was chocolate…he still loved the cookie but after letting them cool, he could taste the other flavors.

The texture of these cookies is really unique..chewy, but crispy edged and the seeds give a subtle popping crunch with every bite. These really were unlike any cookies we could remember having. Really tasty, and just really fun to try.

Who knew to add seeds and spice to chocolate chip cookies haha…nice change from the usual.

This one is a keeper!

*update…my husband says these might be one of his favorite cookies. He loves them.

*update #2…my son-in-law texted me that these might be a most favorite ever.

Crazy how much some people loved these…not everyone was a huge fan but those that loved them, loved them!!

Braised Lamb Shanks With Tomatoes And Olives

This is our second lamb recipe. We had never eaten lamb before, so on the first go around I made the lamb. We were glad to try it, but it wasn’t a favorite for us so, after talking with a friend/fellow baker Steph…she was going to sub chicken thighs and make the rest as called for…sounded perfect to me so I went a little rogue. 🤦‍♀️

Braising is a cooking technique that uses a combo of stewing and steaming. The meat can be lightly seared, and then immersed in liquid and cooked at a low temperature for a long time in a sealed container. In this recipe, we achieve this by sealing our pot with foil, and then covering with the top. This creates the steaming along with the stewing.

The liquid in this case is a mixture of chicken broth, white wine, and the juice leftover from the whole tomatoes.

The veggies are sautéed first: carrots, onion, some rosemary, and a head of garlic. Before those color, 4 anchovies are added stirring until they dissolve. Then rest is stirred in: whole tomatoes snipped, white wine, chicken broth, olives, and citrus peel. The chicken is added to the pot and submerged as best as possible and then sealed up with the foil and then the lid.

This cooks for 2 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone.

Our first impressions were that this smelled delicious while it was cooking, and the chicken was just so, so tender. I need to remember this method for cooking meat because it is so simple and so tender.

We really enjoyed this dinner. The flavors were really tasty together and the chicken just so good.

This one is a keeper.

Spinach-Mozzarella Pie with Parm Crumble

Oh, this was a tasty one!

Made up of three main components, this takes time to make but nothing is very difficult.

The parm crumble was the first I tackled…mostly because it needed 2+ hours of chill time. Really easy to throw together…flour, Parmesan, and butter get whipped up in the food processor until you reach the crumble state. It then goes in the fridge to chill.

Next step was to make the All-Butter Pie Dough we have made before. Also easy to mix together in the food processor. The flour, butter, sugar, salt, and ice water are whirled just until it comes together. The dough gets kneeded, rolled, and placed in the pie plate where it is docked and set aside to chill for at least an hour.

Once all the chilling takes place, the rest comes together nicely. The crust is partially baked while you sauté up the filling…consisting of onion, shallot, garlic, and spinach. The custard base is also mixed up…eggs, yolk, cream, milk, and scallions. Both are seasoned with salt and pepper.

We are now ready to assemble. 😅

Like I said, a little time consuming.

Everything is layered. Crust, then spinach mixture, custard topped with cubed mozzarella and finally finished off with the Parmesan crumble covering the top. This cooks until golden and puffed…mine took longer than the suggested time.

Interestingly, we are told this tastes best at room temperature so we are to let it cool down before eating.

We had this with some fish and veggies for dinner and we both loved it declaring it was just so flavorful. I wasn’t sure what to expect, or how heavy of a side this would be, but we both thought it was perfect. My other tasters concurred.

This was a winner all the way around…a little time consuming, but delicious!

This one is a keeper!