RomanticCynic wrote:If there is still room - I'd like to join.

I was thinking of either a mille crepe cake - or an apple sharlotka...
Hope to see you soon...

great, yes there is room. i'll PM you my address. joan

I agree Joan. Somebody new--just come. Joan is a good host and you will find a warm and cozy place. I have not decided what to make yet. I am thinking of a few things. Got to think practical for timing and transport.

Hi,

I am making Apricot filled thingies that won first place at Sunset Food's heirloom recipe contest in cooperation with Greater Midwest Foodways.

I wanted to make them for Christmas. I have all the ingredients, then my extended family showed up. I never got to make them. Monica Kass Rogers featured them on her website LostRecipesFound.com recently. She advise you had to make a few to get the hand of it. I will be practicing on you all!

Regards,

Looking forward to being a guinea pig. I do not mind being a gp for apricot thingies.

Apricot Thingies are really named Grandma Bertha's Apricot Delights!

Those look vaguely like rugelach. Can't wait to get a taste of that flaky pastry!

I'm making some form of chocolate layer cake, but I have to narrow down my list.

I will be making a dessert with apples and lots of cinnamon. And a mystery spice. Whoever guesses
will receive bonus points......................for, hmmmmmm? Does anyone have interest in a dessert exchange cookbook swap?
A book that we have enjoyed but are ready to pass on. Something that someone else may desire?
I am really looking forward to both the company and the food this Sunday. Again, thank you, Joan.

i think a cookbook swap is a great idea.

I would be interested in a cookbook swap. I bet I have something to donate. If not, I have a sizable stack of old magazines—Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, etc. Does that count?

I can officially say what I'm bringing: Chocolate Molasses Cake with (hopefully) Salted Caramel Frosting. I did not frost it yet, and although former attempts at caramel frosting have failed, I will at least try again. If it doesn't work, I'll make basic chocolate. I can say for sure that the cake batter was quite tasty.

Pie Lady wrote:I would be interested in a cookbook swap. I bet I have something to donate. If not, I have a sizable stack of old magazines—Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, etc. Does that count?

I can officially say what I'm bringing: Chocolate Molasses Cake with (hopefully) Salted Caramel Frosting. I did not frost it yet, and although former attempts at caramel frosting have failed, I will at least try again. If it doesn't work, I'll make basic chocolate. I can say for sure that the cake batter was quite tasty.

If the frosting fails, you could make a pourable caramel sauce to heat and pour over the slice of cake.

Ok, ladies, sadly disaster has struck over here. I was trying to make a version of ho ho's from th e Bouchon Bakery cookbook, but the cake part was a total fail. I will probably be bringing chocolate chip cookies tomorrow because I have the ingredients here and no time to come up with something more elaborate. Oh well. I was really looking forward to ho ho's.

Chocolate chip cookies are always welcome in my home.

so, dinner tomorrow will be a butternut squash/kale/italian sausage/gruyere gratin. and a green salad on the side. to drink i have iced tea, hibiscus/lime juice and hot apple cider to acknowledge the incoming cold weather. i ended up making 2 desserts; i was eager to try a cookie called a ginger slice that david lebovitz was raving about on his website. it requires lyles golden syrup (no substitutes acceptable) and since i've never baked with lgs. i was curious to see what it's like. it's delicious- just sugar cooked and caramelized into a thick golden liquid a little thinner than honey. unfortunately, the slices are less than great, so i decided to make another dessert; one of my favorite cakes: a st.louis gooey butter cake. but i experimented by adding homemade cranberry curd to form a layer between the crust and the filling. we'll see tomorrow if it tastes as good as it looks.... i hope the potential snow won't be a problem for everyone. see you tomorrow. justjoan

Ms. Ingie wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I would be interested in a cookbook swap. I bet I have something to donate. If not, I have a sizable stack of old magazines—Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, etc. Does that count?

I can officially say what I'm bringing: Chocolate Molasses Cake with (hopefully) Salted Caramel Frosting. I did not frost it yet, and although former attempts at caramel frosting have failed, I will at least try again. If it doesn't work, I'll make basic chocolate. I can say for sure that the cake batter was quite tasty.

If the frosting fails, you could make a pourable caramel sauce to heat and pour over the slice of cake.

Right now my kitchen is filled with acrid smoke. You really do have to watch caramel closely! So much for multi-tasking. Second attempt commencing in 3...2...1...

the weather doesn't look as bad as i feared it would- 30% chance of showers this evening. feel free to bring your favorite slippers or another pair of shoes to wear indoors. i've got unprotected old wood floors, so wet shoes are not great to wear indoors. holey socks will not be commented on if you prefer to go shoeless....(my floors were washed on friday). looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting romantic cynic. joan

The frosting worked rather nicely. There isn't a terrible lot of it...this recipe is fraught with lies. However humble my offering, I am rather confident of the taste.

.

.this recipe is fraught with lies.

very well put. this is so true of many recipes.

Hi,

I am leaving in minutes. The apricot thingies came out just a little while ago.

Regards.

Thanks to Joan for a delightful evening, providing a lovely appetizer and beverages, and a scrumptious casserole. A wide variety of delectable desserts tempted me to eat far more than intended. Cathy2 will be posting photos.

Thanks to everyone for the deliciousness and Joan for hosting. Nice to meet you, RomanticCynic!

justjoan wrote:so, dinner tomorrow will be a butternut squash/kale/italian sausage/gruyere gratin....

Justjoan--I would love to see the recipe for this, if you are so inclined.... Thanks.

tarte tatin wrote:

justjoan wrote:so, dinner tomorrow will be a butternut squash/kale/italian sausage/gruyere gratin....

Justjoan--I would love to see the recipe for this, if you are so inclined.... Thanks.

this recipe is more a list of ingredients as i didn't measure anything. i'll give an estimate for what will fill a standard pyrex lasagna pan.( 13x9) (last night i used an slightly taller le creuset baking pan).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH/KALE/ITALIAN SAUSAGE GRATIN ALL QUANTITIES APPROXIMATE
1 very large long necked butternut squash or 2 small ones. i only use the neck portion
1-2 bunches lacinato kale (the flat kale)
2 medium onions
3 large cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh sage, chopped coarsely
salt and pepper to taste (i seasoned lightly each layer as i assembled the gratin)
olive oil
panko bread crumbs (about 1/3 cup)
pecans, about 2/3 cup
about 2 lbs. italian sausage,cooked, (i use bari foods hot sausage) and thinly sliced (optional: makes a great side dish without the sausage, or for a vegetarian entree i might add a little more cheese)
8 oz. imported gruyere
3/4 cup each, vermouth or white wine and cream
2T. cold butter, chopped

i steamed the peeled and halved squash in an inch of water in the oven in advance, so it would cool before i sliced it thinly. discard the bulbous end before cooking. make sure you peel off the light yellow layer below the skin. steam about 40 minutes at 325 or until knife pierces it easily. meanwhile slice and saute the onions in a little olive oil till carmelized. then add sliced garlic and cook 5 minutes. add wine and cream and cook, stirring, till slightly reduced. off heat stir in sage and a little salt and pepper. remove large stems from kale and coarsely chop. no need to cook. if you can only find curly kale, then quickly blanch to compact the kale as it would be hard to layer it in the casserole otherwise. grate the cheese. in the food processor using off/on switch, coarsely chop pecans, butter, and bread crumbs.
add 1-2 T. olive oil to the pan and spread evenly over the bottom. start by layering 1/2 squash, then 1/2 kale, then 1/2 sausage and 1/2 onions with some of the liquid. salt and pepper lightly as you go. top with 1/2 cheese. then repeat. top all with pecan crumbs. press down firmly as you assemble it so it compacts and you can fill the pan to the max. bake covered loosely with foil at 350 about 45minutes. uncover and bake another 30 minutes. serve hot or warm. can be assembled, covered, and chilled the day before if you like. let sit at room temp. for an hour before baking, or add another 20 minutes or so to baking time. enjoy!!

Thanks Joan for your hospitality. Thanks also for making (mostly) healthy things...loved the hibiscus drink. Lovely flavor and color. Everything else was more than good.

Thanks to Joan for hosting a great exchange. I am hoping to work on the homemade ho ho plan for the next few weeks and have them to bring for the next exchange.
And thanks to everyone for being so lovely and excited about my big news

I had a great time at my first Dessert exchange last night - I enjoyed everything I had. It was also a treat to have some again this afternoon.

Thanks again to Joan for hosting...

And thanks to all of you for such a warm welcome - I look forward to the next one I can attend.

Hi,

All exchanges begin with dinner:


Butternut squash, Italian sausage, Kale gratin by JustJoan, on Flickr


Green salad with pickled onions and oranged dressed with a mustard vinagrett by JustJoan, on Flickr

Once we cleared the table, the business of sampling desserts begins:

(I have lost track of who made what and what it may be --- please send corrections via PM and I will update)


Ginger bars by justjoan, on Flickr


Grandma Bertha's Apricot Delights by Cathy2, on Flickr


Chocolate Chip Cookies by LauraS, on Flickr


Fig rolll by CookieMonster, on Flickr


Honey Apple cake with a honey caramel sauce by Ms. Ingie, on Flickr


Chocolate Molasses Cake with Caramel Frosting by Pie Lady, on Flickr


St. Louis Gooey Cake with Cranberry Curd by justjoan, on Flickr


Lemon cake by toria, on Flickr


Mille Crepe Cake by Romantic Cynic, on Flickr


Apple carrot honey cake, a variation of one from E. Alston by izzy, on Flickr


Buttermilk Chess Pie by SueF, on Flickr

Thanks justjoan for hosting, I had a great time.

Regards,

The bundt cake was made by me and was a Honey Apple cake with a honey caramel sauce.

The ginger bars were Joan's.

And you're nuts, Joan, they were delish. I bet they'd be good with tea, but I wouldn't know because...the cat...ate them before I could make a pot.

Hi,

LostREcipesFound.com has an adaptation of Grandma Bertha's Apricot Delights.

Regards.

Thanks again Joan, for hosting.
Pleasant evening. Thank goodness the mystery of the keys was resolved. It was a lesson for most of us. Definitely for me. Nice desserts. My dessert was the apple carrot honey cake, a variation of one from E. Alston.
The entree was good, as was the salad.