I promised a second post to talk about how it tasted. Delicious! The entire family was expecting something very tart or bitter, and we were all pleasantly surprised. (I wasn’t entirely certain those firm, bouncy little fruits would actually cook – again, pleasantly surprised!)
I would definitely make this again – relatively easy to make (and, yep, I’ll add one additional egg white next time) with an impressive presentation.
Yeah, I know this was supposed to be up last Tuesday, but since I need a dessert for Sunday dinner, it had to wait for today.
I must say this was much easier than the picture led me to believe it would be. I’ll be using the Sweet Tart Dough recipe again and again (this was one of the easiest rolling doughs I have EVER made!) And I think Dorie is right on – rolling it rather than pressing it into a tart pan looks so much nicer and gives a much more consistent thickness. I loved the idea of cutting the dough using a ravioli cutter – what a nice edge!
Now, I’ve told friends about this book (and recommended they buy it as their go-to book for French style desserts that real people can actually make!) and Dorie again demonstrated why: “…keep beating until the whites are shiny…droopy tips….they will look like marshmallow.” The perfect description of what this meringue looked like when ready! No need to guess – one more minute?…one minute too long?
I did think the 60-minute baking left the meringue looking pale, so I put it under the broiler – and, if you haven’t made this yet, beware! The meringue can go from pale to nearly burnt in seconds – a word to the wise!
We’ll be eating this tonight at dinner, so I’ll post a second time to let you know how it tastes – I’m really curious! My only experience with cranberries has been either sauce or relish, or Craisins in my oatmeal. I can hardly wait!
If you haven’t made these yet, please be warned: do not taste them before you glaze them. You won’t have any left to glaze! These puffy little cookies really are more like little cakes – and yes, I did eat about half of them before they were cool enough to glaze. I’ll be making more, to be sure! I think my next batch will be made a tad bit larger – my scoop made for cookies just about the size of a Nilla Vanilla Wafer – and while that was fine, it’s far too easy to eat a dozen of them using the excuse, “Oh, well, they’re really small!” The smaller size also did cause me to adjust the baking time down to between 5 and 7 minutes rather than the 7 to 9.
Orange sanding sugar showed up better than the white. (In a shout out to Oregon State University, I tried to also do a few with black sanding sugar, but the black sugar really didn’t look appetizing!)
Dorie Greenspan is a genius! Never have I had a cookbook that was as explicit in its directions as this one. I love the fact that she tells you things like, “Stand at the stove and be prepared to whisk constantly – yes, constantly!”
This week’s dessert is taken right from her pages, Limoncello Cupcakes. I think they look just like the picture! And, may I say, they were as delicious as they looked. Everyone particularly enjoyed the surprise of marmalade in the center!
Limoncello Cupcakes
I just got my copy of Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking Chez Moi,” and find myself reading it like one would read a novel! And that would be a novel one can’t put down – Gone Girl has nothing on this! I’ve decided to work my way through it, one recipe at a time, so go out an buy your fat pants if you must, but it’s going to be a long and glorious ride!
First up – Limoncello Cupcakes. Yes, you read that right – cupcakes (and I don’t even particularly like cupcakes).
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