Islands in the sky, food & travel

I'm definitely trying to make up for lost time because I just realized I never published this recipe, and I've baked so many delicious versions of babkas.  There may be a subconscious reason for that. How do I explain this about breadbaking... it's tricky, to put it mildly! Getting the dough right is all about the texture and not entirely the recipe. The yeast has to be fresh (it should become creamy or bubbly once you put it in lukewarm water). You have to practice and practice until you get the texture and softness just right, adjusting as you must.  You cannot be impatient, it can take a couple hours or more because rising time is to be respected.  Of course follow the basic recipe, but you must adjust it according to where you live : your altitude, level of humidity, dryness of climate, etc.  For example, I've had a touch-and-go-oven for many years, I had to adjust the cooking time because of my temperamental beast, no pun intended! I changed ovens last week and ...

Whenever I travel to Austria, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic..., I see this type of cake in bakery windows, looking so delicious and just the perfect easy-to-eat treat while going about wandering. You can find different versions, for example, Polish Szarlotkas, or apple crumble cakes; or German apfelkuchens with apples, or blueberry streusel cakes; not to forget Viennese bakeress, or raspberry streusel cakes.  I had some sweet vine peaches and ripe mangos so I tried this as a topping, and it was an absolute delight! I also had some blanched hazelnuts so I ground them and made a semi-fine powder for a slightly nutty taste to the dough. Here’s the recipe : Batter : 100 g softened butter 120 g sugar 2 eggs 10 cl whipping cream or yogurt 120 g flour (or gluten-free flour) 30 g almond flour or hazelnut powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch of salt 2 cups diced peaches and mangoes (or fruit of preference : blueberries, raspberries, apples, pears..) Crumble topping:...

Traditional cannelés from Bordeaux have their particular taste because of a key ingredient : rum.  But I don't like rum in cakes, an experience that dates back to Christmas cakes that looked so yummy as a child and taking that first bite and discovering they were doused with rum.  So when I make cannelés I replace the rum with Amaretto, which stays more in the background and has such a nice almond fragrance.   Here's the classic recipe with a twist (about 40 mini cannelés or 20 regular size) 500 ml of milk 125 g of flour (or gluten-free blend with xanthan gum) 250 g sugar 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 100 ml amaretto 20 g melted butter (+ softened butter for molds) 2 tablespoons vanilla A pinch of salt In a bowl, beat yolks with sugar, add milk and melted butter.  Add other wet ingredients.  Add dry ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate about 24 hours.   Preheat oven to 250° C / 450° F. Butter the molds. Fill molds with the batter up to 1/4" from top to al...