Tabla de contenidos para November/December 2022 en Bake from Scratch

PRESENTING: A MOST BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY IN FRANCE France has always felt like my home away from home, and last year, I had the pleasure of making it my home for one blissful December. This issue is a love letter to that magical, magnificent time. Like a sweet travelogue, each story captures an element of my trip. I went to my friend Jane Bertch’s La Cuisine Paris for two of our Holiday Baking Retreats (La Cuisine Paris: A French Souvenir, page 91), an experience I always cherish. I was whisked away to the enchanting Christmas market in Strasbourg (Strasbourg: Capitale de Noël, page 69), where the merriment stretches from stall to stall. I baked with Jamie Schler at her hotel in Chinon (Chinon Charm, page 57), experiencing all the charms the…

BAKING BREAD FOR THOSE IN NEED LED BY CONGREGANT PAULA WEINSTEIN, VOLUNTEERS FROM TEMPLE ISRAEL COLUMBUS OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, HAVE BEEN BAKING AND TAKING CHALLAH TO JORDAN’S CROSSING, A COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER, SINCE NOVEMBER 2019. HERE, WE TALK WITH PAULA ABOUT ALL THINGS CHALLAH, HOLIDAY BAKING, AND GIVING BACK TO THOSE IN NEED. What is the significance of challah? Paula Weinstein: The term “challah” is most widely used to mean any bread used in Jewish rituals but is typically eaten on Shabbat (the Jewish sabbath, which runs from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday) as well as many major Jewish holidays. The traditional shape of challah is braided to form 12 humps, meant to signify the 12 tribes of Israel. What inspired you all to start baking for Jordan’s…

What’s the main inspiration behind your new cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers? Deb Perelman: With this cookbook, I was thinking a lot about the energy that drove me to create [my blog] Smitten Kitchen in the first place, and I’ve been blogging forever. I started it in 2006, and a lot of it was just this idea of [wanting] forever recipes. I didn’t want, like, a quicky, one-off recipe; I wanted the last blueberry muffins you’d ever make or the last pound cake you’d ever make. I think that’s what we’re all looking for; we’re just looking for the one that’s going to make us not have to think about selection next time we want to bake. What would be my ultimate chicken Parmesan? What would be my ultimate chocolate peanut…

CHESTNUT GINGERSNAP CHEESECAKE WITH MOLASSES WHIPPED CREAM Makes 1 (9-inch) cake Complemented by the warm spice of a gingersnap crust and caramel flavor of a Molasses Whipped Cream, the silky chestnut filling of this cheesecake delivers divine holiday comfort. Its stunning appearance is only rivaled by its sophisticated flavor. 2 (8-ounce) packages (454 grams) cream cheese, softened½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cloves3 large eggs (150 grams), room temperature3 large egg yolks (54 grams), room temperature¾ cup (180 grams) crème fraîche, room temperature1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh orange juice1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract1⅓ cups (426 grams) crème de marrons or chestnut cream*Boiling waterChestnut-Gingersnap Crust (recipe follows)Molasses Whipped Cream (recipe follows)Garnish: crystallized ginger strips, candied orange peel strips 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 2. In…

SAVE TIME FOR celebrating THE HOLIDAY BAKING SEASON CAN BE HECTIC, BUT A FEW MAKE-AHEAD TIPS AND TRICKS CAN SAVE YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON. MIX OR MAKE SOME OF YOUR DOUGHS OR TOPPINGS AHEAD OF TIME, AND REFRIGERATE OR FREEZE THEM TO BE BAKED OR ASSEMBLED LATER. TIME SPENT IN THE KITCHEN IS NEVER TIME WASTED, BUT THESE PREP-AHEAD TIPS WILL GIVE YOU TIME FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST AROUND THE HOLIDAYS, TIME SPENT WITH LOVED ONES. BISCUITS AND SCONES A golden, steamy scone or biscuit makes for the most festive of mornings. Keep bags of these buttery beauties in your freezer and always enjoy them on-demand. As a bonus, the chill resolidifies the butter pieces in these baked goods, meaning beautiful lift and texture once baked. Freeze: Arrange unbaked cut scones or biscuits…

LA GLACERIE 13 rue du Temple 75004 Paris laglacerie.fr For several years, Meilleur Ouvrier de France pastry chef David Wesmaël has been bringing his award-winning ice cream-making expertise to the holiday table with his bûches glacées. With a textured and colorful theme (animal print, marble, and more), his “nomadic” collection of cakes is all the more special because the cakes fit perfectly into cold-sealing tubes that can be shipped throughout France. The flavors themselves were inspired by far-flung adventures, such as the Madagasikara, which blends mango and Madagascan vanilla ice creams with a lime and banana center, or the Strombolia, which nods to Sicily with its pistachio ice cream center married with an almond iced mousse, strawberry and lemon sorbet for freshness, and a lemony-almond crust for texture and crunch.…

If there ever was a giving tree, the chestnut tree is it. Like the formidable oak tree, its tannin-rich wood provides durable, straight timber for carpenters building furniture, fences, and even ships. Those same tannins were used to hand-dye silks and leather. But where the chestnut proves most useful is in the kitchen. Encased in a prickly husk, the chestnut is one of the great jewels of the culinary world. Versatile and nutrient-rich, its mildly sweet meat has staved off famines and nourished generations of Europeans, Asians, Americans, and Arabs. In other words, wherever the chestnut has been cultivated, humanity has flourished. But why has this special tree nut endured as a sweet ingredient for bakers? First, we need to discuss the unique qualities of its chemical makeup. Unlike other…

powered by Red Star® Yeast JULEKAKE Makes 1 (9x5-inch) loaf This traditional Norwegian Christmas bread combines tender, enriched dough with the sweet scent of cardamom and cinnamon and then gets bejeweled with dried and candied fruits and drizzled with a simple Sugar Glaze. It packs a fruitcake-like taste without all the hassle, making it a delicious addition to breakfast, brunch, or even an afternoon cup of coffee or cocoa. 3½ to 3¾ cups (438 to 468 grams) all-purpose flour, divided¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar1 (0.25-ounce) package (7 grams) instant yeast*2 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt1¼ teaspoons (2.5 grams) ground cardamom½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon⅔ cup (160 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk, divided6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter⅓ cup (80 grams) water2 large eggs (100 grams),…

In the Loire Valley’s small town of Chinon, France, located on the Vienne river, cookbook author and food writer Jamie Schler owns and runs the cozy and charming Hôtel Diderot with her husband, Jean-Pierre. When the couple purchased the hotel, which dates back to the 1400s, part of their contract stipulated that Jamie had to spend two weeks learning the jam-making process she was inheriting from the previous owner. It’s tradition that hotel guests are treated to breakfast each morning in front of the hotel’s roaring fireplace, where baskets of breads are served with fresh chèvre and homemade jams. Currently, more than 50 varieties of jam are made from local fruit throughout the year. When Jamie’s not spending time with guests or making jams, she’s baking in her home kitchen,…

On the right bank of the Seine, just a stone’s throw from the impressive Hôtel de Ville and within view of the grand and gothic Cathedral Notre Dame, lies a narrow building marked with a simple sign that reads “La Cuisine Paris.” Tucked beside a traditional bistro, Le Trumilou, La Cuisine Paris seems the humblest entry on this stretch of Parisian sidewalk. But upon entering, visitors immediately encounter a cook’s and baker’s sanctuary, a Francophile’s dream culinary school made delightfully real. Upstairs, light streams through expansive windows, casting sunshine on a state-of-the-art kitchen lined with stand mixers, ovens, and stovetops. Downstairs, a centuries-old cellar has been transformed into two more modern kitchens, with new cooking equipment sharing space with ancient stone archways and ceilings. Finally, at the street level is…

Marcel Proust famously immortalized the madeleine in his tome Remembrance of Things Past, forever infusing this sweet, curiously shell-shaped cake with the romance of turn-of-the-last-century France. Although I’ve lived in France for 35 years, I’ve never read Proust, so when I went looking through his works for mentions of the madeleine, I was surprised to find that his character hadn’t enjoyed this treat in some gilded Parisian salon de thé. Rather, the lad indulges in the “exquisite pleasure” of dipping “the little scallop-shell” of pastry into a cup of tea with his mother at home. I discovered madeleines in a similar way in my mother-in-law’s modest kitchen (oddly enough, her name was Madeleine) when I first married into a French family. They were purchased in large bags at the supermarket…

Each holiday season on the Grande Île de Strasbourg, close to where France meets Germany, the Christkindelsmärik spans more than 300 stalls in squares throughout the city center. This Christmas market has existed since 1570 and is one of the oldest and most famous in Europe. It doesn’t take long to realize this is quite literally the capital of Christmas. Everything sparkles, shines, twinkles, and is bedecked for the holidays. Twist through the city’s pedestrian-only cobblestone streets and find local bakeries, boutiques, restaurants, and flower shops donning elaborate window displays and decorations. In the evening, magnificent light displays are everywhere, and angels, chandeliers, and stars strung over the streets give them a magical, festive glow. Each year, the Great Christmas Tree anchors Place Kléber and stands nearly 100 feet tall.…