filed in Foodstuff
Favorite Confections
I’ve been baking for as long as I can remember. There’s something about the precision that appeals to me, as well as its transformative quality. Things puff up and look utterly different than the batter or dough. And finally, I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and baking has been a way to satisfy that. Last month, I baked a cream cheese poundcake that will become part of my regular repertoire. But if I had to pick one favorite, it would be chocolate chip cookies. What’s yours?
Painting by Joel Penkman
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I see two questions to be answered here, one referencing a sweet tooth and the other baking.
For the former, ice cream. Definitely ice cream. I love to make the stuff and I love the transformation (much as you do with baking). I’m rather partial to my slightly salted caramel ice cream, though homemade ginger ice cream also ranks near the top. Yeah, those two.
For the latter: If I could pick only one thing to bake and eat, it would be an apple pie.
Now, Wendy, ask another food/cooking-related question please. I have to fit creme brulee on my list somehow 😉
One of my other most favorite desserts is chocolate pot de creme – a sister of the creme brulee. Favorite desserts that are so much more than pudding?
You hit the nail on the head with the comment about precision: it reminds me of the saying that baking is science and cooking is art. I have always done quite a bit of both but am definitely more of a cook in temperament (I hate to measure) but somehow prefer baking and am always curious to see how my ‘intuitive’ measuring works out.
My favorite thing to bake these days would be my mother’s cheesecake recipe. I have never encountered a cheesecake as perfect.
Robin, I would love that cheesecake recipe, if you’re willing to share.
Sure, happy to. Coming your way via email.
It’s very easy to whip up in the cuisinart, although I remember my mother laboriously pressing cottage cheese through a sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. But I’m wondering now if that might not be better in some way, the same way purists like to make pesto with a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor.
Generally speaking, I’m not into shortcuts when it comes to baking and cooking. But there are 2 places I draw the line. Unlike my Latvian grandmother, I refuse to grate potatoes by hand for my annual Hanukkah batch of latkes (potato pancakes). And I use a food processor for pesto. I’m very satisfied with the results.
Living alone for so long, I’ve always found that baking is something I only do if. Could take it into the office. Otherwise I’ll eat it all. How do you avoid that?
I have worked on making half or even quarter recipes of some favorites, including the cheesecake I mentioned above. I bought a 7″ springform pan just for that purpose and a half size cheesecake I can manage to consume over the course of several days.
My ballet teacher is ecstatic when I bring him baked goods. So that’s another outlet.
Usually I bake for dinner parties. But when I’m baking for myself, it’s because it can freeze well. I usually have chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer, which comes in handy if I have a craving, or if someone unexpectedly comes over for a meal. When I recently baked the cream cheese poundcake, I cut the finished cake into individual servings and stowed them away, so that I can eat one slice at a time.