Monday, November 10
Welcome to the first recipe in a new baking adventure! The Tuesdays with Dorie group has taken on a new cookbook! See, Dorie Greenspan published a new cookbook, Baking Chez Moi, so we couldn't let this awesome event pass us by. We are taking it on, while continuing with our other cookbook, Baking with Julia. Honestly, this is an undertaking that I am not certain I will be able to totally complete, as it means that we are baking and posting something for every Tuesday. And while you know I have a compulsion to bake, I have other things I want to bake/cook/post about as well, so this could get tricky. But I will do my best and I hope you'll stick with me!
So, our first recipe is Palets de Dames. They are a cakey cookie with a delicate vanilla flavor that is brightened with a lemony-sweet icing on top. The batter for this cookie is really like cake batter. Very soft and sticky. It refrigerates for at least an hour, which helps it firm up to be a bit more cookie-dough-ish. It is then scooped out in little balls onto the cookie sheet. Dorie recommends using a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop for such an endeavor. That lady is smart. I don't have one so I just used 2 teaspoons-worth of dough and rolled it in my hands. This was sticky and messy. Doable, of course, but don't you think I should purchase some cookie scoops? I think it is definitely a good idea. You can never have too many baking gadgets, can you? (Hint: The correct answer is "No, of COURSE not!")
While these cookies are cute, and tasty, I am not sure I'll make them again. They aren't a cookie that call to me every time I walk near the kitchen, "come have a treat...." which, actually, is probably a good thing. However if anyone asks for iced cookies, I'd make these in a heartbeat. They really are easy and tasty. Oh, and I added the sprinkles. They aren't a necessity for these cookies, but they sure make them cute, huh? And trust me, sprinkles take them OVER THE TOP for 6-year old girls!
You can find this recipe on pages 272-274 of Baking Chez Moi. Since this is my first recipe out of this book, I can't say much about the book as a whole yet. However, based on the brilliance of Baking: From My Home to Yours and my complete admiration for Dorie Greenspan, I suspect that this cookbook will be fantastic! I was able to pre-order it before it was published, so it arrived on my doorstep the exact day it came out! I have to admit that I grabbed the book from my porch, ran into the house, and slowly but eagerly looked through every page. I'm such a dork.
If you want to see what other bakers thought of this recipe, head to the Tuesdays with Dorie blog and click on LYL: Palets de Dames.