Public Service Announcement

This is just a public service announcement to remind all my subscribers that tomorrow (March 14) is Pi Day! Please remember to eat some pie and do some fun math!

Jessica

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Updates on Summer Bakes

Today I am going to share with you three of the random-ish bakes I did over the summer. All three were meant to fulfill Bake Off challenges... Except I didn't write down the recipes. Regardless, one was nearly a complete failure, and only one came out amazingly well. Therefore, it is no loss that I shall have to try to recreate them, and in one case, very much improve on it. I will try not to distress you too much, dear readers, so I will start with the bake in the middle of the pack... a white peach and raspberry pie. This bake was meant to fulfill the double-crusted fruit pie signature challenge from Series 4, Episode 4. I was very excited about this pie because I love white peaches. They are only available during summer months, so I went a little crazy with them for a while. For the double-crusted white peach raspberry pie, the fruit is mixed with white and brown sugar, a little lemon juice, some spices, and a little cornstarch as a thickening agent. The slits are cu...

Mandelbrodt- Jewish Biscotti!

The signature challenge for Series 6, Episode 2 of The Great British Bake Off is to make two dozen biscotti. Biscotti are traditionally an Italian cookie distinct for its twice-baked hard exterior. Fillings are somewhat variable. An eastern European Jewish variation of biscotti is called mandelbrodt. Mandelbrodt literally translates to English as "almond bread". Except for when I make mandelbrodt for my aunt, who is allergic to all nuts, I always include almonds and some almond extract. These biscuits are very hardy and are a good, easy crowd-pleaser. The recipe which I use calls for oil rather than butter, making them pareve (neither dairy nor meat). They are good to serve as a dessert for a crowd, or are good to bring as a snack on road trips. Due to the fact that they are rather hard, they do not easily go stale, and will stay fresh for a while. For once, I will not disclose the recipe which I used. The recipe is, I believe, my great-great-grandmother's; it ...

Lemon Lavender and Coconut Key Lime Eclairs

I have been looking forward to this challenge for a few weeks. Now that I've completed it, I no longer feel so thrilled. The end result is tasty, although I got a little impatient with the decoration. The showstopper challenge from Series 5, Episode 7 was 24 eclairs- of two different flavors. I chose to make 12 lemon and lavender eclairs and 12 coconut key lime eclairs. One of my good friends specifically requested that I do this bake as soon as he saw the words key lime . I wasted so many eggs trying to make my choux pastry. Making the choux pastry dough is not very difficult, but I kept messing up on the bake times. When choux pastry is properly baked, a nice hollow pocket will form, and the pastry will hold its shape for near-perpetuity. As I found out, the pastry will gradually deflate and the hollow pocket will collapse if the pastry is not baked long enough. I also found out- after finally making some decent choux one night- that the pastry will become soft and col...

Jessica's Bake Off Challenge

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