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Lamingtons [Daring Bakers] :: Daily Candor

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This month, we made a treat from Down Under: lamingtons. Made of yellow sponge cake cubes rolled around in a chocolate sauce and then desiccated coconut, they’re both simple and really delicious. I made them for a recent brunch and they were a hit among both adults and children. For the May challenge Marcellina from Marcellina in Cucina dared us to make Lamingtons, an Australian delicacy that is as tasty as it is elegant. Would I make them again? Photos after the jump. A close-up of the crumb.

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Follow-up: What Europeans Think of Each Other :: Daily Candor

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Follow-up: What Europeans Think of Each Other. I logged into my blog after two months of complete neglect to see over 400 comments awaiting moderation. I thought it was the usual spam crap until I started wading through the list. Not sure how this post. Made it on someone’s radar, but it seems to have spread virally, and I spent a good two hours reading through the over-300 comments added to it. It was thoroughly amusing. The other 2 years in Europe were spent in the Netherlands) . Times sure have change...

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April :: 2015 :: Daily Candor

http://dailycandor.com/2015/04

This month we made a popular Italian yeast bread: focaccia. It wasn’t too difficult to make and it came out mouth-wateringly delicious. I mean, I have the other half of the round I made earlier today sitting on my counter, salty, greasy (in a good way), crunchy and chewy, tempting me to finish it off before I check out for the night. I might give some rosemary or olives a shot. Or I might just add some za’atar and make some manaeesh. Photos after the jump. What Europeans think of each other.

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March :: 2015 :: Daily Candor

http://dailycandor.com/2015/03

Tarte Tatin [Daring Bakers]. This was a relatively easy challenge, and the output was so incredibly delicious. (I love apples, but standard apple pies aren’t close to this delicious) You create a caramel, layer in sliced apples, let them cook together, throw on a layer of pastry dough, toss it into the oven to bake, then invert onto a plate and…voila! It’s really difficult to stop yourself from eating it when you begin…. For the March Daring Bakers’ challenge, Korena from Korena in the Kitchen.

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Paris-Brest [Daring Bakers] :: Daily Candor

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This month’s challenge was a French pastry. At first I thought “oh, great” – French pastry is incredibly time-consuming, and if you cut corners in any way, everything falls apart. Just like your typical Parisian when you speak broken French to them: very unforgiving. But this is supposed to be a challenge, right? The November Daring Baker’s challenge took us for a ride! Luisa from Rise of the Sourdough Preacher challenged us to make Paris-Brest, a beautiful pastry celebrating the Paris-Brest bicycle race.

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What Europeans think of each other :: Daily Candor

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What Europeans think of each other. Disliked by some Spanish (particularly the Catalonians), for being arrogant. One woman from Barcelona told me, Come on, who really likes the French? Considered idiots by both the Dutch and the French. Belgians, in turn, consider the Dutch to be a bunch of cranky assholes, and French stuck-up. Only nominally considered European by other Europeans, but the Greeks fiercely identify as European. Naturally, this is a huge irritant to Greeks. A very small country, despite it...

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Sachertorte [Daring Bakers] :: Daily Candor

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I loved this month’s challenge. Years ago, I used to order sachertortes from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna and send them as gifts. They came in gorgeous wooden boxes, and their thick glaze prevented the chocolatey cake from drying out in transit. I was too intimidated to try to bake one myself, but that’s what Daring Bakers challenges are for, right? The October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Korena of Korena in the Kitchen. Made for a terrific pastry experience. I didn’t strain out the...

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Esterházy Torte [Daring Bakers] :: Daily Candor

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Esterházy Torte [Daring Bakers]. Another challenging Central European dessert, and another time that I failed at the glaze-over-apricot-jam layer. For the month of January Jelena from A Kingdom for a Cake. Invited us to start this year with a dreamy celebration cake. She challenged us to make the Esterhazy cake a.k.a the Hungarian dream. What better way to start the year than with a sweet dream? It can’t. EDIT: We had a slice. Then two. It is. If you like hazelnuts, you’ll love this. Pics after the jump.

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Ensaimadas [Daring Bakers] :: Daily Candor

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This month’s challenge was to make a Mallorcan pastry called an. There was also a challenge to make a Hungarian chimney cake called Kürt? Skalács that I did not attempt). The ensaimada is a coiled, layered pastry with an optional filling that’s traditionally made with pork fat (. Means pork lard in the local Catalan dialect). In the version I made, I used butter instead. For the filling, I used a combination of Trader Joe’s speculoos butter and semisweet chocolate chunks. Photos after the jump. Yes I saw...