Schichttorte

One thing I love about the Great British Bake Off is it has exposed me to so many desserts for all over Eroupe.  At the beginning I thought they would stay close to home with the Victoria Sandwich and Cornish Pasty. But as the series progress I have got to spend time on recipes from France, Sweeden and quite often Germany. I’ve never been lucky enough to visit Germany (beyond a layover in the Munich airport), but based on GBBO it is worth a stop for their desserts alone. Sadly after I post this bake I will never be welcome in Germany again.

Kouign amann

There was a time in my life when laminating meant sandwiching a very important piece of paper between two sheets of plastic and heat sealing them together.  This often took place in a library and would result in every unsuspecting piece of paper receiving a glossy plastic shell.  I blame the weird melting plastic fumes.  Thankfully my life has brought me to a place where lamination means butter, flour and in very lucky cases sugar.  Kouign amann has all the elements of delicious lamination and I think it would taste even better if eaten in a library, just enjoy it away from the laminator fumes.

Pear Pie

You may find yourself asking what happens when you wrap a shoelace around a pear and put it in the oven.  Or,  if you’re a true baker, what happens when that shoelace is made out of flour and butter and the pear is covered in festive goo?  Well, don’t despair I too was plagued with that age-old question and one Sunday afternoon I took it upon myself to find out.

Pretzels – See you Series 4

First and foremost an update for all those who have been on pins and needles regarding the Charlotte Royal.  They ate it AND they said it was good!  Although I should mention it was consumed after consuming several drinks and a delicious meal (they may have been drunk and or groggy).  It maintained its brain shape after coming out of the bowl and the bavarois was fruity and jiggly.  I think we all benefitted from the fact that I skipped coving the whole thing in goo, but mostly me because I didn’t have to spend hours tracking down arrowroot. So there you have it, another retro dessert in the bag.

Now on to Pretzels.  I have been adopted into a family that worships the gods of baseball.  Since meeting my husband I have memorized entire team rosters, learned how to properly score and game and spent a Thanksgiving at the Baseball Hall of fame.  And while I don’t think any of my many hours spent watching baseball have included pretzels this bake seems like a homage to baseball fans everywhere. And I can almost guarantee more than one of these pretzels will be consumed while watching a game, even if it is from our couch.