Lemon Icebox Cake

Luscious lemon cloud on a plate,

that's what this is.

Rose's Lemon Icebox Cake

is lighter than air,

what I call

a 

Bridge Lady Dessert.

Growing up 

my brother and I 

were witness

to our mom's

bridge groups

trying to outdo

each other

when it came to desserts.

We were the happy

recipients

of leftovers.

Start with an angel food cake.

Rose's angel food cakes are divine.

They are perfectly sweetened

and light as a feather.

This is not one of her's!

It was either a store bought

cake or no icebox cake.

Humidity was up

and

it was an exhausting week.

I would have had 

a nervous breakdown

had 

it fallen out of the pan 

in a splat.

The ethereal filling

takes a lot of lemon zest.

I detest

making lemon zest.

Is that a haiku?

I had been eyeing this bag

of pink lemons at Trader Joe's.

It reminds me of a grapefruit.

Lemon curd requires loads of patience

but is so worth it.

Italian meringue requires a stiff drink

or at least steadying one's nerves

and taking the sugar syrup head on.

Folded together with whipped cream 

and 

the lemon curd,

well, I could easily have stopped right there.

I was honestly shocked how delicious 

this concoction is.

Slicing a top  and bottom ring

off the trimmed cake,

the rest is cut or torn into pieces.

The humidity was already

starting to cause

the cake to moisten

so I had to tear it apart.

Layered with the filling

and packed in the frig 

for twelve hours.

Twelve hours?!

It was a very long twelve hours.

Plain

With Rose's wonderful

raspberry sauce.

This recipe

is an

absolute winner.

~

The Baking Bible

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Chocolate Ganache Tartlets

If you like a little something chocolate-y,

not too sweet,

set within a buttery crust,

then Rose's 

Chocolate Ganache Tartlets

are for you.

This tartlet crust is

unusual.

It is made with

golden beurre noisette.

The flavor of 

rich clarified butter

enhances the dough.

Baked and then filled

with creamy

dark chocolate ganache,

they are just the right size

for a special treat.

A dollop of whipped cream

for those

who like something extra.

This is a lovely recipe

and 

easy to make.

~

The Baking Bible

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Rose's Classic Chicken Cacciatore Piccante

The Melting Potters

made

Rose's Classic Chicken Cacciatore Piccante.

At first I thought

the recipe was complicated

but as I worked my

way through,

it was actually quite easy.

I did use all white meat

as that is what

my husband and brother prefer.

Being a vegetarian

it began to dawn on me

this recipe would

be quite good with paneer

or tofu.

My husband pronounced it

"very pleasant"

and cleaned his plate.

This is amazing for a couple reasons.

First his appetite is very sketchy still.

Second, being northern Italian,

he is not partial to heavy tomato sauces.

So for him to proclaim "pleasant"

is the equivalent of a standing ovation.

~

Rose's Melting Pot

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Hanaa's Avid Baker's No Knead Brioche

This brioche was quite simple to make.

So simple

I had my doubts

it would turn out.

It's a nice loaf of bread.

It made wonderful French toast.e

Thanks Hanaa!

This was fun.

Blueberry Blackberry Buckle

Rose's amazing Blueberry Buckle

is such a lovely dessert.

I've wondered what a Buckle was 

for quite a while.

This is the optional 

blueberry blackberry

version. 

Unbeknownst to me

my grandmother made them

for years.

She gave the recipe to my mother

who started making them.

My mother gave the recipe to

all her friends

who started making them.

My mom's been gone for fourteen

years 

and whenever I run into one of these ladies,

they invariably say

"I still make your mother's fruit cobbler."

I smile and nod because 

I never cared for it.

It wasn't a proper cobbler with

inch thick pie crust

which is what I longed for

as a child.

Also to live on a farm

with a 

red barn.

So now I have to dig out the

"cobbler" recipe

and compare ingredients.

Because while I didn't care

for that one

I absolutely love this one.

Rose's never fail

combination

of adding lemon zest

and juice

with fruit

works every time.

I, however, do not.

Once again the berries didn't thicken.

My beautiful  

aromatic buckle

was soup.

I can't be trusted with cornstarch.

I pulled off the cake and

used extreme willpower

not to devour it,

threw the 

juice in a pan

and reheated it to thicken.

Did you know entire

studies are written

and papers published

on this?

Neither did I.

Thickened berries cooled,

back in the pan

topped with crust

and no one is the wiser.

Except for my husband

who ate

a bowl of 

Berry Buckle Soup

and declared it

delicious!

~

The Baking Bible

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Blueberry Muffins with Rose's Bread Bible Bakers

This is the first recipe 

Rose's Bread Bible Bakers

are making together.

These simple muffins are incredible.

A buttery muffin they have

a wonderfully rich crumb.

Trying for a mis en place

instead of a mess all over the place

This is a bowl, wooden spoon

and whisk recipe 

for a bit of fun.

Butter and sugar creamed

The addition of sour cream

makes a lovely batter.

With muffins, just like scones,

it's a light hand at this point

which feels counter intuitive.

These are my standard brand of frozen wild 

blueberries  

and normally are quite small.

Not this year.

Rose's finishing touch is a sprinkling

of sugar with fresh grated nutmeg.

Paired with the lemon zest

inside the batter

they are my 

new favorite muffins.

I've made loads of  blueberry muffins

over the years

for the grandchildren.

These are better.

A bit of nostalgia 

kicked in reading 

Jeniffer's

post.

This was her first blueberry muffin

which brought back the memory

of the first time my mother made them.

A boxed mix with a little tiny can

of the smallest blueberries

tucked inside.

It was quite a novelty.

Otis Spunkmeyer

was the muffin man

game changer 

here in California.

Suddenly muffins were everywhere,

replacing donuts as the

go to breakfast on the run.

Seriously, 

common ingredients?

Mixing up a batch of Rose's

Blueberry Muffins

with real ingredients

is simple and quick.

And far tastier.

~

The Bread Bible

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Crumpets

Today I finally made a crumpet!

I've been eagerly waiting

for Rose's Alpha Bakers 

to make crumpets,

second only to scones.

These were so much fun to stir up.

The ingredients are minimal;

bread flour, yeast, salt, sugar, 

baking soda, cream of tarter, milk and water.

Double double toil and trouble

fire burn and cauldron bubble

Interesting dough.

After a warm rise the bubbles

start to make themselves known.

They are the real star

of  the show.

No self respecting crumpet

can be without them

lest they be a flubbery 

pancake.

I wasn't too sure about the last step;

pouring in the milk with baking soda

gently.

 I was afraid of ruining all the bubbles,

 poured the mixture into the rings 

and crossed my fingers.

It's interesting that where the dough was thicker,

the bubbles couldn't quite make it through.

Next time I shall heed Rose's advice

to thin with water.

Hands down these crumpets

dance circles

around the packets

from Trader Joe's.

~

The Baking Bible

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum