ZoëBakes

Homemade Pizza

October 29, 2008January 25, 2022 Zoë François 54 Comments

This is my very first Daring Baker’s Challenge. I had a good laugh when I found out that we’d be baking homemade pizza from Peter Reinhart’s book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. As you might imagine, I bake every day from my own book, but it has been many years since I’ve made pizza or bread from a traditional recipe. I must admit it was great fun! It took a lot longer than I have become accustomed to, but it was a joy to knead the dough, satisfying to see it rising on my counter and, as you can see, I actually spun it over my head. The dough is very similar in taste to the olive oil dough (page 134) in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and I ended up making them side by side. I’ll leave it up to you to do the same and tell me what you think! 😉

I made a southwestern shrimp pizza using some of the Hatch’s Chillies my friend Jen roasted and gave to me, along with grilled corn and goat cheese. I also made a purple potato and bacon pizza with onions I sautéed in the bacon fat. I called Jen as they were coming out of the oven and we had a fabulous lunch!

Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Mousse Cake

October 27, 2008November 27, 2021 Zoë François 24 Comments

Last week I made a Génoise, the classic ethereal cake that is the perfect base for so many desserts. It is a cake just begging to be flavored with a syrup. If left all alone it can be a bit on the dry side. In fact, it is also known as a sponge cake, because it soaks up the flavors you add and holds them perfectly. The trick is knowing how to add the flavors so the cake is moist but not soggy. I decided to go with a simple syrup flavored with cinnamon, I layered the whole thing with milk chocolate mousse, enrobed it in a cinnamon buttercream and covered it in rolled fondant for my much hyped blog-iversary cake. 😉 Here’s how I made the cake and all its layers. Next I will decorate it, I promise!:

Apple and Cajeta (Rich Mexican Caramel) Crisp

October 24, 2008September 19, 2022 Zoë François 25 Comments

Last weekend my family finally got out to pick apples. It was the most spectacular day — perfectly blue sky (see picture below), cool, but not cold and all the varieties of apples were in full readiness. I came home with 20 pounds of apples; a variety of Haralson, Honey Crisp, Regent and Cortland. When I bake with apples I like to have a selection of sweet, tart, firm and some that turn to sauce. It makes for a tastier pie or crisp.

I wanted to make a dessert that would allow the apple’s delicate flavor to shine through, but was just a touch decadent. The classic caramel apple came to mind as the perfect flavor combination, but I wanted something warm and homey. I had just been to the farmer’s market the day before and met a man with a goat (yes a goat) in downtown Minneapolis. We got to talking about the merits of goat’s milk and it hit me that the perfect thing for my apples would be cajeta, the rich Mexican caramel made with goat’s milk. It is caramel, but better. The taste is rich and complex in a way that doesn’t make it cloyingly sweet. Hmmm, I’m not sure exactly how to describe that flavor? Like a great glass of wine, it is just more complex and interesting.

The tart juiciness of the apples and the cajeta are made for each other. The recipe: Read More

Basics: Homemade Rolled Fondant! Part 2

October 16, 2008November 27, 2021 Zoë François 167 Comments

fondant cut out in the shape of the word fondant next to a marble rolling pin on a silpat

More than half of the cakes I do for clients are covered with fondant. It is gorgeous, sleek and can be simple or ornate. Over the years I’ve tried just about every product out there and have loved some and loathed others. Some are easy to use but have no taste feel like chewing gum in your mouth. Others are melt in your mouth and have a pleasant flavor, but are nearly impossible to work with unless the conditions are just right. Not to mention the cost. For those of you who have worked with it you know it is very spendy, as we say here in MN. So make your own and get the flavor, the texture and the price you like. It is very easy, albeit a tad messy, but most of all fun!

Basics: Génoise and Homemade Rolled Fondant! Part 1

October 14, 2008November 27, 2021 Zoë François 37 Comments

Génoise Recipe | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

I’m gearing up for my one year blog-iversary next week and I’m making myself a cake. On the way to that celebratory occasion, I’ve made a few of the basic elements in the pastry kitchen: génoise and homemade rolled fondant. As Sherry Yard says in the opening of her génoise recipe from The Secrets of Baking, this simple cake is a test of pastry chefs technical prowess. It is used in competitions and in restaurant job interviews to see if you were paying attention in culinary school. Génoise is a basic cake used for weddings, birthdays, jellyrolls, petits fours and many more classic desserts. I love this delicious, light and versatile cake when it is baked well. You can add flavored syrup to it without it disintegrating into mush, it holds up to buttercream, ganache, fondant and anything else you can think of. It may seem old school, but I think génoise really is essential and can be easy if you have the right recipe and the proper technique.

Mocha Chip Cookies

October 10, 2008November 27, 2021 Zoë François 30 Comments

For those of you who have been visiting with me on Twitter, you already know that my day doesn’t begin until my first, or sometimes second, cup of coffee. It was a happy day for me when my local Costco started carrying Illy coffee. I first had this smooth, rich, deep cup of “liquid life” when I attended a pastry conference at the CIA in Napa Valley a few years ago. I was hooked, but it is awfully expensive and I rarely splurged. Now I can have it and not feel as though I’m exploiting my bank account. My Twitter friends are very vocal about their coffee preferences and say they like illy but prefer Caffe Kimbo and LavAzz. What is your favorite bean?

My 1st Anniversary of Zoe Bakes is coming up and I’ve ordered a special apron in honor of the event. I’ll be giving it away as soon as it arrives. One Year, how time flies!