Tag Archives: pastries

Banana, Hazelnut and Cinnamon Scones

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Danguole| 11 Comments

Spring Forward…  You have cost me one whole episode of Teen Mom 2.  Thanks?  I guess?  I mean, I’d be mad if I were doing something valuable with my time.  Like baking scones.  If you’d taken these away, we might have to have capital-w Words.  Maybe all-caps WORDS.

Ah, spring forward.  The controversy!  Morning people and night people: it takes all kinds.  We can’t all do everything at once; that’d be madness.  Like baking.  Some of us get down with night baking, some of us wake up naturally with the sun, drink some green juice/chamomile tea/virgin blood (I don’t know how you people operate, forgive me) and bake up breakfast goods at an appropriate time.

Either way, we will have scones.  Tender, slightly sweet, dotted with heavenly banana chunks and toasty hazelnuts.

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Posted in Baking, banana, Breakfast, Vegetarian, weekend

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Gorgonzola and Chive Gougeres (French cheese puffs)

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Danguole| 8 Comments

Mes chers amis!  (All the French I know comes from what I picked up from Julia Child’s autobiography.)

Today we’re going to be a wee bit fancy.  I mean it–there aren’t even any yoga pants in sight around here.  Just the little luxuries that are sandalwood candles, fresh laundry, an awesome soundtrack and cheesy snacks.

That last thing…  It might be my very favorite thing.

Gougeres are just one of many uses of the eggy wonder that is choux pastry.  It’s the same dough we use for profiteroles/cream puffs, except that instead of baking, then filling them, we add cheese and herbs right in, pipe them smaller, and let them get all puffy and wonderful.  In fact, if you’ve ever wanted to give cream puffs a try, this would be a good practice run.  An opportunity to test the waters. (And the butters, and the flours–hey-o!)

The end result? Bite-size puffs with a chewy, airy, eggy middle, dotted with salty, pungent (in the good way) gorgonzola cheese that oozes out onto the surface to leave those heavenly, brown, crunchy melted-and-cooled-cheese spots.  The chives are there for a touch of oniony greenery.  I think it’s nice.

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Posted in Appetizer, Baking, Entertaining, Vegetarian

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Orange-Ricotta Pop Tarts

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Danguole| 16 Comments

Holy crap, I am obsessed with Weeds. These things tend to happen in the winter: Netflix streaming and dark evenings somehow make me extraordinarily motivated…  To sit on my couch and catch up on pop culture.  Watch all the things!  Yes!

I’m not doing so hot; Weeds premiered in 2005, you know?  I would have an easier time forgetting just how late I am to the party if it weren’t for the cell phones.  Old-school flip phones with that familiar greenish-grey/black display.  Shows about drug dealers feature phones A LOT.

On this schedule, I’ll be ready to discuss Girls and Downton Abbey in 2021.  Let’s make it a date, okay?

I’ll bring homemade pop tarts.

This has been on my to-do list for a while.  First thanks to the ever-brilliant and inspiring Deb from Smitten Kitchen. Then I had this killer homemade sweet potato pop tart at Dottie’s True Blue in San Francisco.  I guess I tend to get around to baking projects slightly more quickly than I catch up to cool TV shows.  Slightly.

And so, here they are!  And they’re beauties.  Tender,  buttery pastry crust, and zesty, slightly sweet, citrusy, creamy-dreamy-cheesy, slightly vanilla-scented filling.  A swirl of powdered-sugar icing on top.  Pop tarts!  Made from real food!

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Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Vegetarian, Winter

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Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Tart

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Danguole| 6 Comments

This dish…  It’s my liger, you see.  A lion and a tiger mix, bred for its skills in magic.  I took this and this, smushed them together and hoped for the best.

It’s like that one time on Full House.  Michelle Tanner was working hard toward her cooking badge for the Blonde Kids of Nineties TV Troop or whatever, and put olives in chocolate pudding, calling it “Michelle’s Pudding Surprise…”  OF COURSE Uncles Jesse and Joey and Co. pretended to like it, because come on–it’s the Tanners, and being much nicer and more wholesome than you and me is kiiiind of their thing.

Well.  My point being: this tart is an experiment just like that, except I’m roughly 18% smarter than 5-year-old Michelle Tanner (sorry, kid–at least you’re cuter).  This actually turned out really, really excellent.  Think sweet, rich fall flavors, topped with tangy goat cheese and a drizzle of honey, cozied up in a buttery crust.

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Posted in Appetizer, Baking, Fall, Main courses, Vegetarian

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Rhubarb Buttermilk Scones

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Danguole| 3 Comments

Without further ado, some things that make me happy lately, in addition to these light, tender, tart fruit-studded beauties:

-Trying to dress more like Bret McKenzie.  Namely, those animal sweatshirts…   Amazing.

-Remembering to add the fabric softener like a real adult.  This means paying attention to the washing machine and what the last rinse cycle sounds like, which seems like Unnecessary Waste of Brain, but it’s worth it.

-Concert season officially started, last night, with the Black Keys.  It was stellar.  I danced my face off.

Life without a face is a bit of an adjustment, but I’m getting used to it.

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Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Spring, Vegetarian

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