Dorie Greenspan's 'Baking: From My Home to Yours'I've been keeping an eye out for kindred spirits since the age of 10, when I learned of their existence while reading "Anne of Green Gables." The first time I met Dorie Greenspan, I had a feeling she might be one. Once I discovered that we share the same odd affinity for sitting in front of our ovens as though they're televisions and watching through the hazy window as our doughs rise and cookies bake, I was sure of it. It's more than that, though. Greenspan helped me find my voice as a baker, and, ultimately, as a cook. Through her cookbooks and recipes, and her own example, she taught me to trust my instincts. I don't want to say she taught me how to bake. My mother did that. But Mom followed the recipe as written. I like to go rogue and adapt an existing recipe or, sometimes, merge a few different ones to create something new. It's because of Greenspan that I've felt safe and had such a good time doing it. The thing is, Greenspan can also teach you to bake if you don't know how. Of her many cookbooks (like the one about baking with Julia Child; another with world-famous French pastry chef Pierre Hermé; her first, which deals solely with pancakes; or the self-explanatory "Dorie's Cookies"), "Baking: From My Home to Yours" is probably best-suited to that task. But that's not all it will do for you. The book will increase your kitchen confidence by magnitudes. No one writes a recipe the way Greenspan does. It's as if she knows just the thing you're going to freak out about right before the freaking out might begin to burble. Does your dough look like it's not coming together? She will note it at exactly the point in the recipe when you might have been starting to doubt your dough — and yourself. Don't worry, she'll tell you. It may look like it's failing, but give it a few more seconds in your stand mixer and it'll get there. What she's saying is: You can do it, and if you stick with her, you will.  | In this cookbook, she also provides failproof formulas for every baked good and dessert you can think of — Bundts, cupcakes, tea loaves, tortes, tarts, pies, puddings, souffles, cobblers, crisps, crumbles, meringues, ice creams. That is what baking relies on, ratios that work. And once you have them, you can manipulate them to your tastes and whims so long as you uphold the balance of wet ingredients, dry ingredients and fat. I always say, as long as your architecture is sound, you can customize a baking recipe however you'd like. Greenspan's architecture is the soundest I know, and she encourages that kind of creativity, giving you tips for it. Some of you might be wondering what this has to do with you, because you believe yourself to be the sort of person who is not wired for baking. Or, worse, you see it as a frivolous pursuit. This is nonsense. Knowing how to bake makes you a better savory cook, and vice-versa. They inform each other. Many techniques are essential to both. There will come a time in all of our lives where we'll have to make an old-so-and-so a birthday cake, or impress a person of interest with homemade cookies, or wish we could rustle up a batch of brownies from scratch for a bake sale (or our own eating pleasure). Should you need to do those things, you should know you can. If you have "Baking: From My Home to Yours," you will.  | Menu | Cream SconesIf you associate scones with hockey pucks, it's because you've been doing it wrong, and now you've got a recipe that's right as rain to sort you out. Chocolate Pots de CremeNext time you think maybe you should make panna cotta, don't; make these instead and you'll probably never go back.  | Focus on playing around | This is a "gift that keeps on giving" kind of cookbook. Most recipes come with an addendum titled "Playing Around" that offers tips for adapting your baked good. With little effort, you can turn a Coconut Tea Cake, into a Coconut Lemon, Lime, Orange or Sesame Tea Cake … or a Coconut Spice Tea Cake accented by ground coriander, ginger, cardamom or cinnamon, or crushed Sichuan peppercorns (and she tells you exactly how much of each you need). Take the scones below: She doesn't provide suggestions for changing them up, but because she has taught me how to play around, I can tell you, I might swap those currants for chocolate chips or dried cherries. Or I might rub the grated zest of half an orange into the sugar.  | Recipes | Cream SconesIf you think scones are duds that slipped through the cracks of the baking system and managed to worm their way into pastry baskets, it's because you haven't had a proper scone — a tender-crumbed, buttery, barely sweet, craggy top cousin of a biscuit, often speckled with fruit, nuts or chocolate chips, or maybe savory elements such as herbs and cheese. (I've even made them with pickles!) Greenspan's cream scone is the archetype; it's exactly what a proper scone should be, with or without its classy dried currants. She says we should lavish them with "lots of sweet butter and any jam you love." I like to do what she tells me. MAKE AHEAD: These are best served soon after they're made. If you want to save them, wrap them airtight as soon as they cool to room temperature and freeze them for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the scones, re-heat them in a 350-degree oven. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe on our website at washingtonpost.com/recipes. IngredientsServings: 12
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 1 large egg
2/3 cup (180 milliliters) cold heavy cream
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
3/4 cup (110 grams) plump, dried currants StepsGetting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Stir the egg and cream together. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips (my favorite method) or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between — and that's just right. Pour the egg and cream mixture and currants over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together. Don't overdo it. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into 6 wedges and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other piece of dough. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don't defrost before baking — just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.) Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving or wait for them to cool to room temperature. Toss these into a basket and bring them to the table with lots of sweet butter and any flavor jam you love. Nutritional facts (per scone): Calories: 206; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Cholesterol: 46 mg; Sodium: 143 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 8 g. Chocolate Pots de Creme Here we have the platonic ideal of creaminess, in chocolate form. You can think of it as the French version of pudding, but I have to tell you, I prefer these small, rich pots of cream to their American counterparts. They have a slightly softer, smoother texture than our delicious yet somewhat less refined Swiss Miss cups and their homemade iterations but are just as easy to produce and a lovely way to finish off a dinner party. Whenever I put a spoonful in my mouth, I'm reminded of the Tori Amos lyrics "Got a cloud sleeping on my tongue." It's a cloud of cream, and it's heaven. NOTE: The custards, arranged in a water-filled roasting pan, need to be covered during baking. If you have pot de creme cups with lids, great; if not, use custard cups and a professional technique — cover the roaster with plastic wrap. There's no risk because you'll be baking at a very low temperature. Just follow the directions (in the recipe below) and don't forget to poke holes in the plastic. MAKE AHEAD: The pots de creme can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to a day. Like all creamy concoctions, they will quickly pick up refrigerator odors, so keep them tightly covered. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe on our website at washingtonpost.com/recipes. IngredientsServings: 8
Active time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes 4 ounces (115 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) whole milk
1 large egg
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher or fine sea salt StepsGetting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a large roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels, then put eight 4-ounce (1/2-cup) custard cups, ramekins, espresso or pot de creme cups in the pan. Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Put the chopped chocolate in a 2-quart glass measuring cup or a large heat-proof bowl. Bring 1/2 cup of the heavy cream to a boil. When the cream is just at a boil, pour it over the chocolate and wait for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula and, starting in the center of the bowl, gently stir the cream and chocolate in ever-widening concentric circles until the ganache is smooth; set aside. Stir the remaining 1 cup cream and the milk together in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk the egg, yolks, sugar and salt together until pale and slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in a little of the hot liquid — this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Finally, slowly whisk the egg mixture into the ganache, stirring gently to incorporate. With a spoon, skim the foam off the top of the custard, then pour the custard into the cups. Pour enough hot water from the teakettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Cover the top of the pan snugly with plastic wrap, poke two holes in two opposite corners and very carefully and steadily slide the setup into the oven. Bake the custards for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the tops darken and the custards jiggle a little only in the center when tapped or lightly shaken. Gingerly remove the roasting pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the custards to rest in their warm bath for 10 minutes, then peel off the plastic wrap and transfer the cups from the water (careful — they're still hot) to the cooling rack. Refrigerate when they reach room temperature. When the pots de creme are cool, cover them tightly with plastic wrap or their little lids. While you can serve pots de creme at room temperature, I prefer these chilled. I usually serve them with a little lightly sweetened whipped cream or a dollop of creme fraiche. Nutritional facts (per serving): Calories: 341; Protein: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Fat: 28 g; Saturated Fat: 16 g; Cholesterol: 204 mg; Sodium: 74 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 12 g. Join our virtual cookbook club!Chat about the books, ask questions and share your creations by joining the Essential Cookbooks Facebook group here, and show others you've joined the club by posting your recipe photos on Instagram using #voraciouslycookbooks. Have a question?Email us at voraciously@washpost.com or message @eatvoraciously on Instagram. Charlotte Druckman is a journalist and food writer. She conceived and edited the collection "Women on Food" and is the author of "Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat" and "Staying in the Kitchen." In addition, she has written two cookbooks — "Stir, Sizzle, Bake: Recipes for Your Cast-Iron Skillet" and "Kitchen Remix: 75 Recipes for Making the Most of Your Ingredients," and co-wrote chef Anita Lo's "Cooking Without Borders." She lives in New York City. Find her on Instagram (@chardrucks) or Twitter (@cettedrucks). Photos by Justin Tsucalas; food styling by Nichole Bryant; props by Limonata Creative; illustrations by Louisa Cannell, all for The Washington Post. | 
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