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dessert

Petite Buche de Noel ~Bourbon Laced Apple and Walnut Filled Rolls

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This was fun. I’ve had this idea to do a mini Buche de Noel rattling around in my head for awhile now. I spent the better part of an afternoon working out the details. Aren’t they just SO cute??? and frightfully delicious too.

Traditionally I make the classic Buche de Noel cake every year for my holiday table. I vary the insides but typically it’s a vanilla sponge cake with a chocolate mousse filling. The outside is covered in chocolate icing and sculpted to look like a log. I would make gum paste holly leaves and marzipan mushrooms to decorate it. All that sprinkled with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Not a thing wrong with any of that- it’s just that I wanted to try something different.

I got to thinking that the papery layers of Filo dough could be made to look like a shaggy bark- So maybe this is more of a Birch tree bark and not such a deep brown one, but you’ll work with me on that, right? I made cuts and snips in the dough on my various attempts and this is what I came up with.

The recipe is a Bourbon laced browned butter apple and walnut filling, inside layers of crunchy dough on the outside. The first batch turned out to have too much pastry and too much bite to contend with in order to get to the sweet center. I played around with proportions and thicknesses and came up with what I felt was a great balance. Lots of lovely crunch of the delicate layers on the outside to the right amount of sweet soft warm filling.

So maybe they’re more of a shaggy mini apple strudel if you really want to get technical, but I believe in the magic of Christmas, and my imagination is my best toy. You are welcome to call them whatever you wish- either way, they’ll make a great addition to any dessert table.

Petite Buche de Noel
You can premake the rolls and store them unbaked in the freezer until needed, when you can put them directly into the oven from the cold. They are great on their own, but a sauce of creme anglaise on the side is a nice touch. If you’re not into the boozy aspect of the dessert you can simply omit.
 
makes 6 5″ buche
 
2 large granny smith apples, peeled and fine diced
.5c walnuts, toasted and chopped
2T sweet butter
2T bourbon or calvados (optional)
3T sugar
2T flour
pinch of salt
3 sheets of filo dough
powdered sugar to decorate
 
Preheat oven to 350˚ and prepare a baking sheet, either greased or lined with paper
 
In a large sautee pan, warm the butter over medium heat until the butter browns. 
 
Add the apples, sugar and bourbon and sautee for a quick 2 minutes. You want the apples half cooked, not turned to mush.
 
Remove from the heat and transfer to bowl, reserving the pan. Sprinkle flour over the mixture and gently toss to incorporate
 
Lay one sheet of filo dough out and spray lightly with cooking spray. Fold in half bringing two short ends together. Spray the dough again.
 
At the bottom of the rectangle lay down an even 1″ layer of filling, or a third of the mixture, along entire length of the dough. 
 
Loosely roll up the filling. Trim one end on an angle, then cut in the center on an angle. 
 
With the sharp tip of a knife, make a series of small cuts in the outer layers of the dough, especially starting from the outer edge. Carefully roll each piece in the reserved sugar/butter that remains in the cooking pan, then set onto the baking sheet.
 
Repeat this process 2 more times for a total of 6 rolls.
 
Bake for approx 25 mins in the center of the oven. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 mins, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
 
 

12 Days of Holiday Food Gifts to Make {Revisited}

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Happy Holidays!
Twelve amazing days of Food gifts for memorable giving.

Last year for the holidays I did a series of 12 food gifts for making and giving. A bunch of folks have been asking about them, so here they are in the order that they were posted in. Just click on the title to take you directly to the original post. Also be sure to check on the page bar at the top of the post for resources for jars, containers, ribbons, etc.

White Chocolate Candies

Day 1- White Chocolate Candies– easy to make drops.

Day 2- Candied Fruits- Sweet and Savory. This post contains recipes for the candied pears shown above, candied spicy tangerines and candied ginger.

Day 3- Rosemary Lemon Biscotti and Dark Chocolate Cherry Biscotti– two classic cookies.\

Day 4- A Tradition Renewed- Marzipan– instructions on how to make cherries, pears and plums.

Day 5- Cowboy Candy- sweet pickled jalapeños that have the added bones of a beautiful syrup leftover that makes the dang best margaritas you’ve EVER tasted!

Day 6- Flavored Oils– Two infusion methods: Hot and Cold. Recipes for Lemon Oil, Basil Oil and Smoked Paprika Oil.

Day 7- Mixed Drinks~Pre-made cocktails. These are the bases for some delicious cocktails. Just add ice a spritz of tonic or soda water and you can kick back and enjoy the evening.

Day 8- Fruit Compotes~ Red & Blueberry Mint, and Orange Lavender– Send along with a batch of homemade scones for a special Christmas morning breakfast.

Day 9- Fregolotta- An Italian tradition. It’s a large cracker like cookie, full of almonds, that is broken and eaten after dinner, served here with a ruby port.

Day 10- Homemade syrups to make your own exotic soda or create a cocktail. Blueberry Thyme, Ginger Ale, and Fresh Mint

Day 11- Apricot Tapenade with Rosemary. A sweet and savory fruit sauce that pairs beautifully with cheese and makes a colorful and sparkling addition to your holiday table.

Day 12- NUTELLA!!!!!!

Happy making and sharing everyone!

Molasses Crisp Cookies and Some Holiday Baking Tips

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Sugared Molasses Crisps, full of Winter spiciness.

I spent some time with my neighbors yesterday decking the halls of my apartment building. This family is renowned for the over-the-top decor. It took them the best part of yesterday- about 8 hours- to tack up lights, glistening glittered candy canes, tinsel and hanging snowflakes. The transformation is so staggering that when I came home last night after being out I had trouble finding my door!

Before I headed out to assist in untangling miles and miles of colored lights, I made up a couple of batches of cookies. The first being these molasses crisps.

I love these spicy cookies, and I love the way they make the house smell when they’re baking too. The best part is they have a ring of crunchy goodness on the outside and a chewy soft interior. LOVE that in a spice cookie.

As I was making these I started to think about some words of wisdom I might share about holiday baking. I know for some baking is not a regular thing, and even if it is, the high volume and intensity of cookie swapping and gift giving can be a major undertaking. So let me offer you a few words of advice that may make things go a little better for you.

7 Tips to Make Holiday Cookie Making a Success
 
  • Take a moment to write up an action plan and pin it up for you to see. The recipes that call for chilling the dough should be made first. The same goes for cookies that need to be filled. Put them at the beginning of the preparation order.
  • As with the action plan, write up all your recipes and post them on up where you can see them easily. Chefs keep their orders at eye level and it’s for a good reason. If you have to keep retrieving greasy slips of paper from under the flour sack it will start to make you crazy.
  • Before baking the entire batch try a test cookie or three. This may feel like a waste of time but it is SO worth it. The test batch will let you know if your oven is too hot, if the racks are too high/low, if your dough is too warm/cold, etc.
  • Don’t try to make doughs and bake at the same time. It’s hard to keep too many plates spinning at once. Dedicate dough preparation time and then baking time. Utilize the time that the cookies are in the oven to clean or just pull together the ingredients for the next batch.
  • If time runs out you can set unbaked cookies on a baking sheet, cover and store in the fridge until you have the time to bake them off. Just be sure that the dough is at the correct temperature before baking- and still do that test run.
  • Update your baking soda and baking powder. They lose their potency over time, so start with a fresh box if it’s been awhile since you’ve used them.
  • Lastly, keep notes. We all tweak here and there, and we all learn to nuance our kitchens and work methods. Update your recipes with what worked and what didn’t- this information will be invaluable the next time you bake, and it’s the legacy that you can pass on to your family.

 

 
 
 
 
 
There will be more baking to come over the next few days, so stay tuned!
Spicy Molasses Crisp Cookies
makes approx 4 doz cookies
 
2c all purpose flour
1t baking soda
1t ground cinnamon
.5t ground cloves
.25t ground nutmeg
.25t salt
1 generous T fresh minced ginger
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
.5 c sugar
.5c dark brown sugar
.25 c molasses
1 egg, room temp
1c demerara sugar
 
Preheat oven to 350˚ and line cookie sheets with parchment or cut brown paper bags- or you can simply grease a cookie sheet.
 
In a large bowl sift together four, baking soda, salt and dried spices.
 
In a stand mixer, beat the butter, the sugars, the molasses and the ginger until creamy and fluffy. About 5 mins. Add the egg and beat smooth.
 
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until evenly incorporated.
 
If the dough is too soft to handle you can pop this into the fridge for awhile, or even overnight. Just let the dough come to room temp before baking.
 
Pinch off enough dough to make a 1″ ball and roll in the demerara sugar, or another course sugar you may have.
 
Place on the cookie sheet allowing at least 2″ between. Using a flat bottomed glass, mash down the balls to a 1/8″ thickness.
 
Bake in the middle of the oven for ~15 minutes. Since the color is dark you can’t use that as a baking guide. I press on mine to test for doneness. They should feel fully cooked but still give.
 
Cool on racks.
 
 
Happy Baking!!!