Monday, February 20, 2012

Baking at the Improv Kitchen


Baking at the Improv Kitchen

(Disclaimer) I baked these tartlets while under the influence of powerful, mind-altering, cold medicine, the kind of medicine that cautions users against operating heavy machinery like Kitchen Aid stand mixers, and motor vehicles.   Consequently, I made a few mistakes/adjustments along the way.  Mistake Number One: I forgot to add the sugar to the crust; I added it after I had collected up the dough to chill.  Mistake Number Two (or what I prefer to call an improvisational baking technique): I eyeballed, rather than weighed, the six ounces of bittersweet chocolate from my various leftover bittersweet chocolate sources. (I don’t own a scale. Perhaps that will be my next baking investment.)  Mistake Number Three:  I forgot to buy the biscotti, therefore, omitted it. I’m sure the biscotti would have provided a nice textural contrast to the smooth filling, but the crust also provides contrasting texture.  I did, however, add the chopped white and milk chocolate to the filling, which delivered some crunch.

Regardless of my various mishaps, I found, this recipe is quite forgiving.  The only way to goof up these tartlets would be to put them on your driveway and cruise your car back and forth over them, and, given that I’m currently on cold medication and restricted from driving, that is not likely to happen.  The recipe is also rather generous. It produced a lot more dough and filling than required for the requisite six, four and one half inch tartlets.  I scored two bonus tartlets from my batch and still had a bit of dough and filling leftover. 


All in all, I had fun.  I shared some of my tartlets with family and friends, tried a recipe I would never have selected on my own, and enjoyed a decadent dessert with my girls on a President’s Day evening.  This recipe is awesome!  On a scale of one to ten, it is clearly a ten for hardcore chocoholics.  The crust is easy to work with (you need the extra water TWD bakers recommend), the filling is a cinch to prepare, and the tartlets release easily for the pans. The crust has a delicate crumb and the filling is silky smooth and intensely chocolate. This is a good recipe to tout out for company, in that, it is relatively easy to prepare and produces a restaurant quality dessert with minimal effort.  Go to TWD, or, better yet, buy a copy of Baking With Julia for the recipe.

Bake on!   





12 comments:

  1. Julianne, don't worry about the biscotti. They don't really hold up in all that egg yolk and chocolate! I too added a scale to my "must buy" list. Why can't they package chocolate in 1oz squares??? Your tartlets look fantastic!

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  2. Your tartlets are so cute! Maybe I should've spent the money for the little pans. I made one big tart. You didn't miss out by omitting the biscotti. It got a little soggy and didn't really add the promised crunch.

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  3. I agree with the previous posters. The biscotti isn't life altering. Mine did stay crisp and provide a nice textural variance, but that was mostly achieved by the crust and chocolate anyway.

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  4. Yeah, the biscotti was non-existent in mine. But your little tartlets are so cute!

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  5. Oh goodness, I've decreed that I'm never allowed to cook while on medication (as I do things like burn caramel that I forgot to add the vanilla to...). Your tartlets are beautiful, though, "mistakes" and all!

    Ditto on the biscotti--I was expecting it to add some crunch and texture and it just didn't, so you probably didn't miss much there. I got a kitchen scale about a month ago and I honestly don't know how I've lived without it all these years.

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  6. Your tarts look great! I was a little puzzled with the biscotti as well - I added it but really couldn't tell it was there when they were done. I think I'd like to give these a try without it next time.

    I bit the bullet a few years ago and picked up a cheapy kitchen scale - I'm amazed at how often I use it now!

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  7. I probably would do at least one or two of those on a good day; we won't even talk about what happens when I am sick...
    Great work!

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  8. Yeah....the biscotti? I'm kinda thinking, what's the point?? We're enjoying eating the rest of the package though, so no harm done. :)

    Your tartlets look wonderful, despite your being "under the influence while baking"--ha! :)

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  9. Drive back and forth over them - hahaah! Nice! Great looking tarts!

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  10. I've baked under the influence of those powerful cold medicines you speak of...you remembered to add the chopped chocolate. You did great! ;)

    Your tartlets look great!

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  11. Hope you feel better! You are a warrior...baking and not feeling well. Glad to read all went well.

    ~ Carmen
    http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com

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  12. Do buy a scale! It's the best baking investment I've made. I use it for everything I bake and convert volume to weight since it's so much more accurate.

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