Crème Brûlée, which means "burnt cream", used to be the dessert I'd look for on menus when eating out. A favorite restaurant of ours in Ottawa is West End Station Bistro. We used to go there so often, they knew us. Once, when the babysitter called to say we had to get home right away [baby was hungry and bottle wasn't working], the restaurant let us take home two crème brûlées to broil in our oven. The next day, we brought back the empty ramekins. Now that's customer service!

Since then, I've learned how to make this dessert and own a crème brûlée torch. It's been a fun dessert to bring to dinner parties along with the torch and let everyone caramelize their own sugar top.

It's such a versatile dessert that can be flavored any number of ways. I used Chai tea bags steeped in the milk and cream mixture for one batch. I also added a tablespoon of dulce de leche to the milk/cream mixture in another batch. But my favorite version is the original vanilla one.

Playing Around

The recipe I usually use for crème brûlée bakes in a water bath, the oven is set to 300˚F, and the custard bakes for 25-30 minutes. This version has no water bath, the oven is set at a lower temperature (200˚F), and the custard bakes for 1 hour (or more!). So, since it was so jiggly even after extra time in the oven, I popped it into the freezer after it cooled to room temperature. It tasted refreshing this way. In fact, the ingredients for crème brûlée are the same as crème anglaise which is the base for ice cream.

Recipe

You can find the recipe for Crème Brûlée in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! 

Tasting Notes
This version of crème brûlée was lighter and less dense than the recipes I've used before. It didn't set during baking as much as I expected. However, the taste was amazing. The best part of this dessert is cracking into it with a spoon and getting a mouthful of crunchy sugar with some creamy custard with it. And freezing this version worked well. For the frozen version, a piece of crackly sugar gave it the crunch it needed. Recipe for Next Week (October 7)
Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake on pages 264 and 265 chosen by Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy.

Another Award
Nikki from Nik Snacks gave me the "You make my day award". Well, she made my day with this one. Nikki actually went to Le Cordon Bleu school, has her own blog, teaches cooking classes, is an Editorial Assistant at a local newspaper, and runs her own catering business! Now that's busy.

I now get to pass on the blog love to some of my favorite blogs:

• Kim from Scrumptious Photography has amazing photos. It's always a treat to see what she's been up to.

• Mari from Mevrouw Cupcake has inspiring takes on everything she makes and her posts are fun to read.

• Tommi from Brown Interior always makes me smile when I read her posts and her recipes are very creative and inspiring.

• Steph from Obsessed with Baking has beautiful photos of all the treats she makes in the kitchen.

• Lynne from Café Lynnylu shows off her talent with a camera with every post!

Thanks so much, Nikki. It means a lot to get an award from you!

I am so excited to present the judges for the Does My Blog Look Good in This? September 2008 Edition. We have an international panel of judges, with representation from Africa, Canada and the United States including expatriates from France and Britain. Together they bring 11 years of food blogging experience to the panel of judges. Thanks to each one of these superb food artists for being willing to give of their time and expertise.

Canon 30D

Nikon D80

Canon 10D

Canon Digital Rebel XTi

Canon 400D

I will be providing some input on the judging front as well. Keep those submissions coming! Entries must be received by September 30, 2008 [tomorrow] at midnight EST (U.S.)

~Shari

This month, the Daring Bakers were asked to make Lavash Crackers with a vegan and gluten-free dip. Lavash is a soft, thin flatbread of Armenian origin. (This is going to be an "almost wordless" post since it's been a busy month! For my Lavash crackers, I sprinkled toasted sesame seeds and black pepper on them. I used half the dough to make cracker bowls by cutting the dough into squares and carefully laying the square inside a sprayed ramekin.

To see the different versions of Lavash crackers and dips cropping up all over the foodblogosphere, check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll. Thanks to Natalie from Gluten-A-Go-Go and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl who hosted this month’s Daring Bakers event.

Recipe for Lavash Crackers

from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6)

Note: The following recipe includes directions for both gluten-free crackers (care of Natalie from Gluten-A-Go-Go) and traditional all-purpose flour crackers.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
1 tbsp (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
1 tbsp (.5 oz) vegetable oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350˚F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Recipe for Honeydew-Peach Salsa
from The Splended Table

Try the salsa with grilled seafood and poultry, or over rice noodles. Chile could be added to taste. It is best eaten within several hours of preparation. Use organic ingredients if at all possible.

juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 Red Fresno and 1 Hot Yellow minced chile (seeds removed)
1 to 2 tsp sugar,
1/2 ripe sweet honeydew melon, cubed into bite-sized pieces
4 small, ripe peaches, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup minced fresh coriander, or coriander and mint combined

In a medium bowl blend the lime juice, garlic, onion and chilies. Let stand 20 minutes, then blend in sugar and fruits with salt (a generous pinch) and pepper (to make piquant) to taste. Refrigerate up to 3 hours. Fold in fresh herbs just before serving.

Copyright 1997 Lynne Rossetto Kasper, all rights reserved.

Tasting Notes
The crackers were easy to put together and tasted wonderful, even after storing for a day or two. The salsa was a big hit and definitely a recipe worth keeping.

Dimply Plum Cake has been around the food blogosphere for awhile. Here's a round-up of some of the other ones out there before the food blog world gets hit by 250+ TWD members today (let me know if I missed you):

• The Wednesday Chef
• Kitchen Parade
• My Feasts
• No Special Effects
• Smitten Kitchen
• Rosa's Yummy Yums
• Tartelette
• Vegan Diva’s Blog

I now know why it's been blogged about so much. It's a delicious breakfast, afternoon, evening, anytime treat.

Playing Around

Passion fruit has been stealing my heart and taste buds lately. It's a taste memory that goes way back for me and is my favorite fruit out there. I thought the shell of the passion fruit would be tough enough to withstand baking a mini dimply plum cake in it. It worked great.

I also tried baking the cakes in half a mango and half a yellow dragon fruit. The batter in the mango trickled out while baking on one side, but the other side looked fine. The dragon fruit stood up well, and I'll definitely use that again.

For all the shells, next time I would dry the shell out in the oven for an hour on a low heat to reduce the moisture that the cake absorbs.

Recipe
You can find the recipe for Dimply Plum Cake in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Michelle of Bake-en who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
I loved the crunch of passion fruit seeds in the cake (but you could strain the seeds out if you don't like them). The hint of cardamom was delicious too. This cake was gobbled up quicker (mostly by me!) than a lot of other desserts that come into our hosue. Usually, when reading other TWD posts, I have the urge to nibble on whatever it is we made that week. I won't be able to do that this week, unless I make it again…soon. And I will.
Recipe for Next Week (September 30)
Creme Brulée on page 393.

Awards
In the past month, I've been lucky enough to get two awards from three different bloggers.

Karen from Something Sweet by Karen and Laura from She's Cookin' Now both gave me the "E for Excellent" award. Karen has beautiful photos of her kitchen creations, and I'm so glad she kept on blogging instead of deleting her gorgeous blog! Laura's turkey chili looks amazing as do her blueberry muffins. Check them out!

Esther & Hannah from Del Sisters Kitchen gave me the "I Love You This Much" award. Esther & Hanna are two sisters baking up a storm together.

Thanks so much, you guys. It means a lot to get these blog awards and feel supported and loved in the food blogging world. It's a treat to be part of this community!

Passion Fruit and Orange
in Love with a
Fluffy Sponge Cupcake
Kissed with Marshmallow Vanilla Frosting
How's that for a recipe title? I was inspired once again by the menu at Plus Minus Café in Mont Tremblant. I know most people's favorite cake flavor is chocolate, but I love vanilla. And this one contains passion fruit (my all-time favorite fruit), orange and vanilla.

I've been playing around with baking cakes in different fruits lately. This time, I thought it would be fun to bake the vanilla white cake inside an orange shell so that the shell would infuse the cake.

The frosting I used is a favorite of mine that is light, and airy and can take on any flavors you throw into it, including cinnamon and nutmeg or passion fruit and orange.




This is my submission to Sugar High Fridays, a dessert-focused food-blogging event created by fellow Canadian and food blogger extraordinaire Jennifer from The Domestic Goddess. This month's event is hosted by the amazing and inspiring Fanny from Foodbeam.




Recipe
This half recipe makes 1 dozen cupcakes.



For the Orange Shells

12 orange shells (I used clementines)

For the Cupcakes

3 egg whites (about 6 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (optional, but it will help stabilize the egg whites when beaten)
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks (about ¼ cup)
¾ cup sugar
2½ tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon passion fruit, scooped (straining the seeds is optional)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice

For the Frosting

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons passion fruit, scooped (straining the seeds is optional)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

To prepare the orange shells: Slice off the top of the orange and use a grapefruit spoon to clean it out. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 250°F. Bake the shells for 1 hour, until they are dried out. Transfer the orange shells to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.

To get ready for the cupcakes: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

To make the cupcakes: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar (if using) until soft peaks form.

In another bowl, working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Gradually, beat in sugar.

In a small bowl, mix the water, vanilla, passion fruit, and orange.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with water and flavorings, adding the dry ingredients in 2 additions and the water mixture in 1 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required and mix only until the ingredients are absorbed into the batter. The batter will be thick.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the cupcake batter in 3 additions.

Using a piping bag, fill the cupcake shells (or orange shells) ¾ full.

To bake the cupcakes: Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cupcakes are golden on top and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. When cool, the cupcakes can be wrapped and kept at room temperature overnight.

To make the frosting: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Boil the mixture until it reaches 248˚F (120˚C) on a candy thermometer.

While the sugar is melting, working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium. While beating the egg whites, carefully drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer’s speed to high and beat the egg whites until cool (but not too much or the mixture will separate). Frost the cupcakes and drizzle with reserved passion fruit.

Tasting Notes
These cupcakes have a delicate crumb, light and fruity taste, and are perfect for a shower or afternoon tea.

If you want to serve them in the orange shells, give your guests a spoon to eat it with because the orange shell gets hard and difficult to peel without using a pair of scissors. But, as they say "It is better to look good than to feel good."