Tuesdays with Dorie, with K: Cranberry Crackle Tart

 

Ready to bake

Here we go again. This time the Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was the Cranberry Crackle Tart, found on pages 135-137 of Baking Chez Moi.

K was less enthusiastic about this one, at first. "Cranberries, I don't like cranberries very much." "Look at the recipe K." "Meringue, I love meringue." Midway through her first slice "I'm not even done yet and already want more." So clearly, another hit.  

As expected, the hardest part of the recipe for K was rolling the crust. I sometimes wonder if I need to buy some Play-doh for her to practice with. Or perhaps I am just not instructing her properly? Any advice more than welcome. 

Once the dough was rolled out and baked, K covered it with a perhaps slightly thicker than suggested layer of our homemade raspberry jam. She then made the meringue, which was her favorite part of the project. Once the cranberries were added, she piled the meringue on top of the crust and waited impatiently for it to bake. 

By the way, if you'd like to bake along, the December recipe choices are already up on the Tuesdays with Dorie site:
December 9 – The Rugelach That Won Over France on p. 301
December 23 – Gingerbread Buche de Noel on p. 86

Rolling and grumbling

Can I just eat the meringue?

Close up of the first slice

Tuesdays with Dorie, With K: Palets de Dames

The galley. As you can see, already well used.

And here we go: Tuesdays with Dorie. What is it? Well, a group of bloggers baking through the books of Dorie Greenspan. In this case, one of my favorite new books, Baking Chez Moi. As I said when I introduced her for a talk at Omnivore Books, I took the galley home the day it arrived and K started baking that very night. We were five cakes in before Dorie's event at the store and her suggestion that I ask K if she would like to try joining the Tuesday group. As I reported on Twitter, her response? "Do you have to ask?" So here we are. Twice a month we will be joining the other participants in baking a recipe and blogging about our experience.

First up, Palets de Dames, a simple recipe of butter, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, they are dipped into an icing made with confectioner's sugar, milk and lemon.  Although traditionally the icing is left white, as you will see below, K decided to opt for green.  

The verdict: This is a very easy recipe and a great way to get started with the Tuesday group. As you can see below, K has already started experimenting with creative variations!

Dough, in process.

Rolling the dough into balls for baking.

Apparently there was a plan all along.

K's own creation, and apparently the reason she opted for green icing: an ice cream sandwich featuring lime ice cream from Mr & Mrs Miscellaneous!