Tuesdays with Dorie - Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

If you love chocolate, and I mean REALLY love chocolate this recipe is for you.  I must confess that there are times when I feel out of place in this world.  I like chocolate. I enjoy chocolate. BUT...[gulp]...my life would go one just fine without it.  I know, I know, it's difficult for some of you, who obsess over chocolate, to believe that someone like me can and does exist.  I promise, I wanted the first bite of my tart to send me into the ecstasy that others describe when indulging in chocolate, but it didn't.  I knew when I read the recipe that I should back off the dark chocolate that was called for.  I have not used bittersweet chocolate one time when I didn't think it made the recipe too chocolatey (yes, I said it!).  I am definitely going to make this again, but with a semi-sweet chocolate instead.

So, what did I like about the recipe.  I LOVED the biscotti and the texture it gave to the filling.  I adored the chocolate crust and will definitely be using it again.  It would be fantastic filled with coffee ice cream and topped with caramel.

I encourage to buy Baking with Julia.  I'm already stretching myself beyond my comfort zone!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia - White Bread

I cannot begin to tell you how much I have always wanted to be one of those women who bakes.  I love the idea of preparing homemade breads and pastries, but, alas, I am not; and not for lack of desire, it's just the damn details that get me.  So, it surprises me that I am even attempting Dorie Greenspan's Baking with Julia.  I have been poring over this book for weeks now.  I stumbled across Tuesdays with Dorie a year or so ago and knew that if the opportunity came again to participate, that I would be jumping on that bandwagon in a heartbeat.

I was so happy when the first recipe that was selected was for White Loaves.  The bread was DIVINE!  I wish that my pictures had turned out better, but, unfortunately they didn't.  I'm going to be making some more bread tomorrow for some sweet neighbors, so I'll try pictures again.

Anyway, back to the bread, the only change that I made was using salted butter for the unsalted (mainly because that was all I had).  The aroma in the house was beyond description.  I'm sure I didn't wait long enough to slice the bread, but the little ones and I had reached the limits of our patience after smelling it for so long.  A pat of softened butter and a healthy drizzle of local honey sent us into ecstasy.  My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it again. Sadly, our family of 9 has no problem dispensing of two loaves of bread much too quickly.

I guess I'll just have to make more tomorrow.

Buy Baking with Julia - I promise you won't be disappointed!