What are you baking? August 2022

For the very first time, I tasted mulberries; they were from SF farmers market, Frog Hollow farm. Incredible, very expensive. When they no longer had any in stock, another stand was selling some, didn’t taste the same at all.

They look gorgeous!! Hope that you are feeling better…

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You may have experienced the difference between Persian mulberries and regular mulberries. When fully ripe, Persian mulberries are very juicy and have an intense, almost wine-like flavor.

Regular mulberries are drier with a more muted flavor.

My husband planted a Persian mulberry tree. When the mulberries are ripe, the neighbors, birds and squirrels are delighted.

One of the berry vendors, Py of Pudwill, explained to us that even though Persian mulberries cost much more than other berries, the farmers earn less. Persian mulberries are so delicate that only a fraction make it to the market intact. She also complained that the people who picked the Persian mulberries hands got stained purple which in turn stained everything purple. :wink:

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My husband went to Hawaii and brought back three pineapples. The Hawaiian pineapples are a zillion times better than the ones we get here in Los Angeles, CA.

Yesterday I made Stella Parks Hummingbird cake with her cream cheese frosting.

It is delicious. I was skeptical about the recipe because I find that banana tends to overpower other flavors. In this recipe, I can barely taste the banana; the pineapple comes through loud and clear.

I baked it in a 10" Fat Daddio anodized aluminum cake pan. It was done in 35 minutes.

I’ve never met a cream cheese frosting that I didn’t like, but I like Stella Parks’ recipe by far the best.

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My good friend, Jamal, is from Jordan. He loved the mulberries I brought him. He thinks they grow in Jordan but people dislike this bush/tree because it attracts millions of insects and birds.

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Had to come back online tonight to mention I’ve finally made moon dust! Been wanting to try this forever :slight_smile: And now: to make a tart with it!!!

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Yes, I prefer the moondust. I didn’t like the almond paste mixture I tried once. I did like crumbled Amaretti cookies.

Petit popovers with yogurt and assorted berries. These are best eaten as finger foods!

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So very pretty!

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Friends!

I have some local sour cherries frozen that I need to use up in a baked good. (Not jam.) What have you made with frozen sour cherries that you liked? I don’t think I want to make pie - thinking more some kind of cake.

Thank you Gretchen…easy to make and really delicious. I used vanilla Greek yogurt as it was inadvertently purchased but worked out fine for this application.

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Louisa Weiss’s cakes in Classic German Baking all call for jarred sour cherries, so I imagine thawed and drained would work well. I haven’t made the sunken lemon-cherry cake, but it got enthusiastic reviews on the CH BCOTM thread.

ETA: I have made the Dunkler Kirchkuchen (spiced chocolate cherry cake*) from that book, and it is also very good. The spicing is subtle and well balanced. *That link looks to only change out the AP flour for a gluten free flour mix.

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How about a chocolate roulade with a sour cherry mousse filling? Served with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top. Bit of a play on black forest cake.

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Insomnia strikes again. Just mixed up a batch of momofuku milk bar cornflake marshmallow chocolate chip cookies. The balls of dough are currently chilling in the fridge. I’ve read all sorts of horror stories and adapted recipes. Apparently this is a tricky recipe. I followed what was in the book. We shall see how they turn out.

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Smitten Kitchen’s Burst Tomato Galette with my own super sweet tomatoes came out great, as always. I did forget that I had wanted to add some garlic to the filling. Hopefully, I will remember next year! My sister and husband request the SK galettes every year. The zucchini one will be next!

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I have two copies of that book (oy) and actually was considering the chocolate one too! I can’t decide!

A few years ago I made this sour cherry marzipan crumble. I looove sour cherries (and they are so elusive here in upstate NY!) and we really enjoyed this. I do recall thinking it could do with less sugar in the filling, but I generally feel that way about crisps/crumbles/cobblers.

Oh that looks amazing! And I even have the almond paste.

I think I’ll save that one for my other batch of frozen cherries, and have it with some nice vanilla ice cream :slight_smile:

Tart du jour…crème patisserie, figs, raspberries.
David Leibovitz pâte sablée. This was a 4” tart that we split, and it was plenty!

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Lottchen’s Kirschkuchen’s in the oven; the Rustic Fruit Desserts rhubarb with ginger crumb is out of the oven. Happy day in the kitchen for me :slight_smile:

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