Chocolate Apricot Babka

A couple of years ago I bought a used copy of The Art of the Dessert by Ann Amernick. The one recipe I bookmarked right away was for a chocolate apricot babka. Not out of any nostalgia. Quite the contrary. The cakes and cookies and breads I recall from the Jewish bakeries when I was growing up were always unpleasantly dry. As if they were baked a bit stale on purpose. But because I happened about the same time to read Rose Levy Beranbaums's rave review of this particular version. And since she is an old and trusted friend in my kitchen -- we have been baking together now for twenty-two years -- into my baking queue went the recipe.

This babka is moist and tender and the apricot and chocolate duo is subtle and addictive. I had two slices for dinner, and it will probably make an even better mid-morning snack. Three kitchen notes: (1) I used 1 and 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast, and it was more than enough, and (2) I used chocolate cake crumbs, and (3) I used two whole eggs and two egg yolks. The dough was a silky dream to handle. Click here for the recipe.

Let's Just All Agree Never to Eat Another Pine Nut Ever Ever Ever Again

If I were not on day five of an episode with no relief yet in sight, I probably would treat reports of Pine Nut Syndrome with a lot of skepticism. The condition sounds quite fantastical. Eat some bland little white nuts, and for the next week or two or more everything -- and by everything I mean everything; cheddar cheese, peanut butter cup ice cream, fresh squeezed orange juice, Good & Plenty, tap water even -- tastes astringent, metallic, ashen, in short, disgusting. Alas, it is just as bad as it sounds, and no fantasy. In my refrigerator I have a quart of buttermilk, a pint of cream, a dozen eggs, two pounds of unsalted butter, 8 ounces of Kerrygold salted butter, a dozen limes, a dozen juice oranges...and zero taste to make anything of this bounty. If that is not a warning to stay away from pine nuts for ever and ever....

Kouign Amann = A Very Good Start to 2014

Until a couple of weeks ago I had never heard of a kouign amann, let alone tasted one. Turns out the baking blogosphere has been raving about these pastries for a couple of years. I had some catching up to do, and fast! With a little help from the folks at theKitchn (link to recipe), I can now tell what the hoopla is all about.

The best way to describe these:   a croissant and a palmier collided at high speed and fused into flaky caramel butter heaven.

A few kitchen notes:

1) I used one teaspoon of instant yeast. Any more than one teaspoon would be way too much.

2) I used salted butter from Trader Joe's. Maybe it is worth it to use something fancier, but honestly they turned out so good, and the caramel flavor predominates so much, I am skeptical that more expensive butter will make much difference.

3) I baked these in individual aluminum pie tins. I buttered the tins generously, dropped the individual pastries into the tins, and then crimped the sides all the way around so that there was no place left to rise but up.

4) I added a pinch of fleur de sel to the top, along with some extra sugar, right before baking.

Aebelskiver, aka Danish Pancake Balls

A couple of years ago some students at the end of the year gave me an aebelskiver pan. Proof that I had taught them well! Since I live alone I never make pancakes. There is always too much batter and no use for it. But since I got this pan, I do every now and then make a batch of aebelskiver. Since they freeze wonderfully, a prerequisite for registration in my breakfast course. They also make a great afternoon snack.

The recipe, from Beatrice Ojakangas in The Great Scandinavian Baking Book.

1 cup milk,  heated to lukewarm

½ cup melted butter

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks

2 tbs sugar

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Melted butter for brushing pan.

Whisk together milk, butter, egg yolks, and sugar, Whisk in flour and baking powder. Fold in egg whites. Heat pan over medium heat, reduce heat to low and use about one heaping tablespoon batter for each Aebelskiver, lightly butter pan before each round.

Bouquet of (Paper) Sunflowers