Croatian Easter Bread Dolls

With all the St. Patrick's Day preparations I've been making, I almost forgot that Easter is right around the corner! In my search for Easter fare, I found (yet another) Eastern European bread recipe that I fell in love with. Traditionally, a large loaf of this bread  is made for the Easter table and the leftover dough is fashioned into little dolls for the children of the family.

The dough itself is easy to make, but it is a yeast bread so plan ahead for rising time. While you are waiting you can boil and dye your eggs (or doll heads).

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Guinness Chocolate Pudding or "Chocolate Guinness Goodness"

Everywhere I look foodies are preparing celebratory dishes for St. Patrick's day in the same way, with Guinness!

While I claim to love everything, (it's a growing problem) I have to say that extra dark stout beers are not high on the list.  The last dark beer I tried was on the aforementioned (previous post) Scotland trip, and I didn't even drink half of what was given to me. It was so filling! Afterward, I felt like I had eaten a large, yeasty piece of bread. My husband on the other hand, likes them just fine.  When I saw this recipe for chocolate pudding made with Guinness I knew it would be something we both could appreciate.

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Celtic Knot Cookies

St. Patrick's Day always brings fond memories of the trip my husband and I took a few years ago, surprisingly not to Ireland, but to Scotland.  I was in awe of the green landscape, the castles, and the odd way the frequent drizzling rain made the scenery look even more beautiful.

My favorite part of the trip was our venture to the Isle of Iona.  It's an isolated community that is accessible only by ferry, and holds ancient ruins and burial grounds of Scottish kings.  I was enamored with the Celtic engravings and relief work upon many of the old artifacts.  They were all so intricate.  And incredibly beautiful, of course.

(photo from our trip, Isle of Iona)

For this year's festivities, I've decided to replicate a simple celtic knot into cookie form.  It's easier than it looks!

 

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Peanut Butter Mousse in Tuile Cookie Spoons

Recently a friend asked me to bake for an upcoming party she's having, so I've been researching all kinds of bite-sized dessert canapés.  One recipe that caught my attention is from BHG; a rich mousse that is served in the bowl of a teaspoon. The mousse sounds inviting, but I'm not sure I want to commit a good portion of flatware to the project (32 spoons!). The idea of a disposable plastic spoon came to mind, but for a single bite - well, that would be environmentally unsound and just too wasteful.  Then, it came to me suddenly.  Edible spoons!

Do they exist? Can I make them? (google, google, google) Well. Yes and yes.

I've wanted to try stencil paste (or tuile batter) for some time, and now I had the perfect opportunity!  I found the spoon stencil online (here) and decided to give it a try. I had so much fun while experimenting.  There are so many shape and flavor possibilities!

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My First Daring Bakers Challenge - Tiramisu!

  
I did it -I joined the Daring Bakers community.  My very first challenge is everyone's favorite afternoon pick-me-up. Tiramisu!  I love tiramisu so much.  This is the second time I've made it this year.

I'll admit that one part of the challenge was not something I understood very well upon first blush.  Specifically when I read the words "...make your own mascarpone cheese..." 
Luckily, making the cheese was very easy.  And henceforth I will probably always make my own mascarpone cheese.  It takes less time than you'd think and cuts the expense of pre-packaged mascarpone nearly in half!  I'm all for that!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen, and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

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Sesame Candy, and I Heart Macarons (the book)

It all started with a little pack of Sesame Snaps.  I picked them up from the international market last weekend, and once at home I nibbled on them as I prepared lunch.  They were ever so subtly sweet, and packed with nutty sesame flavor.  I was instantly smitten.  The next step was obvious, I had to figure out how to make my own.  

Before I continue with the candy recipe, I'd like to digress for only a moment...yes, that's a macaron you see.  I have made them yet again.  But with good reason.  I recently picked up the "I love macarons" paperback and I want to share a picture from the book that may be helpful for macaron making.

But first, the candy.

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d'Anjou Poached Pear Almond Cakes and Mardi Gras Macarons

Today has been a feel good day.  It's still chilly outside, but the sun has been bright and lighting corners of my world that I nearly forgot existed.  I feel downright productive.

I've been wanting to make these little cakes since December, when they were first posted on Tartelette. I always find myself daydreaming about the sweet things on her site, but I've never tried any of her recipes.  While browsing produce last week I found a basket of small d'Anjou pears that would be ideal for her fallen pear souffles.

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