This week we can thank Lynne of Honey Muffin for choosing Double Apple Bundt Cake (pages 184 and 185). I may have mentioned before (in fact I’m pretty certain I have) that the only fruit I really like in a dessert is apples so I was pretty excited to give this cake a try.
Since I am (as always) cutting this pretty close to the wire, let’s jump right in…
This week’s TWD recipe is Tarte Fine (page 315) selected by Leslie of Lethally Delicious. Let me just reiterate, this week’s recipe is Tarte Fine NOT Tarte Tatin.
I did read the recipe line up, I knew it was Tarte Fine this week. And yet, somehow I found myself sorting through my oven safe skillets for just the right size. I rolled out the pastry dough, cut it in a circle, docked it and placed it in the refrigerator to firm up again. I had 8 apples out and was just about to start preparing them for the Tarte Tatin before it finally occurred to me that I was looking at the wrong recipe.
I was able to recover and went on to make a very nice Tarte Fine more or less according to the script…
As usual, I’m cutting it pretty close to the wire for my TWD post. Maybe someday organization and time management will return to my life. In the mean time, let’s discuss Elizabeth of Cake or Death? selection of Apple-Apple Bread Pudding on pages 408 and 409 of Dorie’s book.
I think I may have mentioned it the last time we did a bread pudding, but in general I would say they aren’t my favorite dessert. I’m really not sure why – in essence they are a baked french toast and french toast is listed among my favorite breakfast foods. Maybe that is the issue, maybe bread pudding just seems more like a breakfast than a dessert. That being said, I was surprised to find that I really did enjoy this particular bread pudding…
I had every intention of posting this a little closer to Thanksgiving, I planned to post it on Friday, which then got postponed until Saturday and I’m not entirely sure where Sunday went. I think we all know what they say about “good intentions” and “best laid plans” which is why I’m here on Monday writing a post that I should have shared on Friday. But, moving on…
It has been said a time or two (or 3 or 4 or 20) that I tend to go every so slightly (read insanely) overboard with my holiday menus and preparation. If that is true (and I’m not admitting that it is!) I’m sure I come by it quite honestly by way of my mother. Every holiday meal I’ve ever made has fallen short of the abundance my mother spreads on the holiday table multiple times a year; of course I think the largest number I’ve ever had at my holiday table is 5 (this Thanksgiving it was only 2, and that included me), but that doesn’t stop me from striving for the Holiday feast perfection that my mother serves up at every major holiday.
So did I truly go over board this Thanksgiving? I’ll let you be the judge, but I will say that the leftovers are going to be enjoyed in several forms for quite some time…
I posted the full recipe for these muffins in anticipation of getting this post up, however, my day job then became my day and night job, neatly preventing me from doing much of anything else (as I’m sure “Prince Charming” would unhappily attest to if you asked him). I’ve decided not to let that happen anymore (well, I can’t avoid the working late and crazy hours at the moment, but I can decide I’m still going to do the things I enjoy – sleep is optional, right?) so on to the real reason you’re here reading this…
This recipe was inspired by the need to use up some pre-sliced apples that were starting to brown a bit; there weren’t very many of them so many of my normal apple based recipes just weren’t an option. So I decided to get creative and come up with something new. Unfortunately, my creativity used most of my mixing bowls and challenged my limited counter space. But don’t let that stop you from following along – I assure you these are worth all the bowls it took to make them. Grab the recipe and let’s go!