French Fridays with Dorie, Week 9: Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake

My task list Wednesday evening included three desserts in just about as many hours.  The week had been busy and already included several visits to the grocery.  All, I might add, without full consultation of my pantry and shopping lists left elsewhere.  A dangerous combination, yes.

When I finally settled in to prepare this week's FFwD selection, Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake, I realized that I was missing several key ingredients:  Cream of Wheat or Farina, whole milk, and golden raisins. 

I was debating...do I go out in the lovely rain/sleet mix on the eve of Thanksgiving or stay tucked in at home and attempt to make this with a few modifications?  Challenge accepted and this is the route I chose:  cornmeal, half and half, skim milk and red wine plumped raisins in place of the missing ingredients.

The cornmeal, milk, and salt bubbled nicely and after the addition of the eggs and vanilla it was looking like a great modification.  

The sugar, water, and squeeze of lemon juice boiled into a deep amber caramel.



The caramel glazed the bottom of the cake pan and was topped with the cornmeal batter.  All looking great so far!

Out of the oven and filled the kitchen with a great aroma and then....

Unfortunately, the caramel topped pudding cake plopped out of the pan and into a mess.  But the cake easily turned into a delicious pudding treat, just served in a bowl. 

Translation: Carmel garni de gâteau à la semoule

Listen to the pronunciation. 

I am looking forward to what French Fridays Saturdays with Dorie has in store for December. 

French Fridays with Dorie, Week 8: Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans

For week eight of the French Fridays with Dorie adventure, I decided to give the savory flan a try.  The Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans, from Around My French Table, were easy to prepare.  The recipe begins with whisking together pumpkin, eggs, and heavy cream and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Before baking in a water bath, the flans were topped with Gorgonzola (or goat cheese, yum!) and toasted walnuts.  Drizzle with a little honey and you have an interesting mixture of flavors...bold cheese with the mildly sweet pumpkin and honey.  Interesting, indeed.

Translation:  Citrouille Gorgonzola Flan

Listen to the pronunciation.

Oh why I love pumpkin...

• Versatile ingredient!  Shines so well in sweet and savory dishes and could make an appearance at any meal.   Nutrition powerhouse!  Great source of fiber, vitamin A, potassium and the antioxidant, beta-carotene.  There are 600 or so carotenoids in our foods.  Beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein are probably the most widely recognized.  Foods brightly colored in reds, greens, deep-yellows and orange will provide  you with the best sources of carotenoids.    
•  The seeds!  Pepitas!  Roast the seeds with a little olive oil, season with salt & pepper and you have a  great fiber, iron and protein-rich snack. 
• The color!  Really loving orange at the moment.
• The ingredient in my all-time favorite cookie...Pumpkin Cookies.  Follow the link to this fantastic family recipe.

Here are some more interesting pumpkin recipes:

Pumpkin Flan with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds from Epicurious

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes from Epicurious

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Puree from Fine Cooking

Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup from Eating Well

Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake from Eating Well

Pumpkin Honey Beer Quick Bread from Cooking Light

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie from Cooking Light

Next week:  The Caramel Topped Semolina Cake

French Fridays with Dorie, Week 7: Pommes Dauphinois

Another lovely evening with Dorie Greenspan and her cookbook, Around My Kitchen Table!  Week seven of French Fridays with Dorie has resulted in something that smelled & tasted incredibly divine:  Pommes Dauphinois or Potato Gratin.  Amazing recipe!  

Dorie gives some great garlic advice in the cookbook: split the clove and remove the germ to tone down the bitterness.  If you find yourself with fresh, Spring garlic, this step would be unnecessary.  Look for the slender teardrop shaped piece and use the tip of a paring knife to scoop out the germ.  The same could be done with onions or shallots, especially if using raw in salads.  



The gratin begins with simmering garlic and heavy cream.  Really, the most delightful smell.  I decided to veer a little off the main recipe and layer sweet potatoes with the russets into 3 1/2 inch ramekins instead of a 2 quart baking pan.  Each potato layer was draped with the garlic cream, salt and pepper.  

Grated Gruyere cheese and rosemary topped the potatoes and baked at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes until a knife easily reached the bottom of the ramekin.  The original recipe halved nicely and was plenty to fill four ramekins.

 

Translation: Potato Gratin

Pronunciation: Pommes Dauphinois

A few recipes that I have had my eye on...
Scalloped Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin from Epicurious
Provencal Tomato Potato Gratin from Epicurious


A tad bit lighter...
Potato Gratin from Eating Well
Wild Mushrom and Sweet Potato Gratin from Cooking Light


As requested by Dorie, the recipes from Around My French Table are not republished online.

There is a birthday celebration looming and I think some of the Dorie Greenspan recipes will make an appearance.  The Caramel-Peanut Topped Brownie Cake from Baking From My Home to Yours is at the top of my list.  I think it will satisfy the guest of honor's chocolate & caramel cake request!  Any suggestions? More to come on this subject...

French Fridays with Dorie, Week 6: Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux

French Fridays with Dorie, again has turned into French Sunday or maybe Monday by the time this is wrapped up! For November, there is a delicious selection of recipes to try & since I am just returning from a beach vacation and feeling especially slow moving in the cold weather, I found this recipe calling my name.  Roast chicken is delicious, but roast chicken for les paresseux, or lazy people, seemed oh so appropriate!

My roast chicken usually depends upon what I have in the refrigerator...a little citrus, herbs from the garden, and built on a bed of carrots, onions and celery.  Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken has always been a favorite.  Dorie's recipe presented an interesting twist and one that I will most certainly repeat: two slices of baguette placed at the bottom of the dutch oven with a little olive oil.  As the chicken roasted, the bread collected juices, formed a crust, resulting in gooey goodness. The recipe suggests roasting the liver in the cavity and when it is cooked, mash and spread over the juicy bread, drizzle with juices and season with salt.

The chicken was seasoned with salt, pepper, sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and oregano along with an entire head of garlic placed in and outside the cavity.  A splash of olive oil and white wine for a little liquid in the dutch oven and into the oven the roast went.

After 45 minutes at 450 degrees F, baby potatoes, carrots, and shallots were added to the roast. Forty five minutes more at the same temperature and uncovered, a crisp, golden skin formed and the house was filled with that perfect roast chicken smell.

Delicious! Délicieux!

Listen to the translation of roast chicken for the lazy:  poulet rôti pour les paresseux

Here is hoping for many more lazy days filled with treats like this!

November recipes from Around My French Table will include:
Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flan, page 146
Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux, pages 200-201
Potato Gratin, pages 360-361
Caramel Topped Semolina Cake, pages 438-439

Autumn, please don't go!

Autumn has taken a nasty turn and old man winter has made a very unwelcome appearance around here.  The first flakes of snow have fallen and I am not ready to let go of the lovely, sunny fall days.  To keep the glorious fall weather fresh in my mind, I turned to an old family friend:  pumpkin cookies.  Each fall these goodies would make an appearance at countless sporting events, harvest parties, and in college care packages.  My mother's signature cookie even arrived at my doorstep this year! 

The moist cake-like cookies soften as they age and are equally delicious plain or topped with cream cheese frosting.  The pumpkin cookies are also my secret breakfast indulgence with a steaming cup of coffee.  Let's just focus on the fact that they are a source of fiber & vitamin A! 

Pumpkin Cookies

4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cup quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 ounces Solid Pack Pumpkin

Position oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease. 

In large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon & salt.  Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, in a large bowl, cream butter at medium speed until soft and creamy.  Gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with spatula, as needed.  Reduce mixer speed to low, alternate dry ingredients and pumpkin, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Mix well after each addition.  Scrape down the bowl, making sure the batter is well combined.

Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough.  Bake at 350 degrees F, 12-13 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned.  Allow cookies to rest on sheets for 1-2 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Favorite additions include raisins, chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts.  Very versatile base cookie that may accommodate many extras!

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Working with a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment or hand mixer, combine cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed of mixer to low and gradually add powdered sugar.  Frosting may be thinned by adding teaspoons of milk until desired consistency.