I first tasted apple strudel on a post college graduation trip to Vienna, where it was among the memorable foods I tasted in the wonderful cafés and restaurants. It is with the memory of that delightfully flaky, just sweet enough strudel, served on delicate china, in mind that I began…
Mozart Torte is one of my favorite and proudest creations, developed during the second season at Seven Layers. It consists of a nut and chocolate flaked butter sponge cake which is split and sandwiched with apricot jam, then enrobed in a bittersweet chocolate glaze. The flavor profile is rooted in…
This classic Chocolate Roulade was first published by Dione Lucas in her 1947 book The Dione Lucas Book of French Cooking. Dione was a pioneering figure in culinary arts, the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, the first female host of a television cooking show in…
My first exposure to Pear Tarte Tatin, was at Sign of the Dove in the 1990’s. I loved the dessert, but not the procedure, as I remember the pear slices would often be less than well-caramelized and occasionally stuck to the pan when unmolding. Years later while looking through Bistro…
Traditional Friday evening Challah is a long loaf, formed from a three, four, or six-strand braid. An example of a basic three strand Challah is found in the initial Friday Baking Project blog on 8/7/2021. For the upcoming Rosh Hashana holiday, the beginning of the Jewish New Year, the shape…
For many in the northeast, late summer/early fall baking always includes the simple, yet wonderful Plum Torte from Marian Burros of the New York Times. According to the paper, this recipe was printed annually from 1983 to 1989, and there was an uproar when they stopped. To pick up where…
With blueberry muffins a daily offering at Seven Layers, there were always plenty of blueberries around the shop. Wanting a new item for the pastry case toward the end of the first summer, I thought they could be put to use in a new dessert. Researching my favorite baking books,…
A galette is essentially an open-faced pie, where fruit is placed in the center and the outer edge is brought up to just partially cover the fruit, allowing its simple beauty to shine through. With no top crust to crimp and seal with the bottom, galettes are much easier than…
The Friday Baking Project
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