So Many Christmas Cookies

It's time for a Christmas cookie photo extravaganza!

Brining Chicken

Crispy chicken skin, crispy crispy chicken skin!

Am I late? I'm not late. If I get this up within the hour, I'm not late.

Chocolate Mille Feuille

Not quite Mille Feuille. Cent Feuille?

I totally failed October's Daring Bakers' Challenge, which was Mille Feuille.

Paella, no seafood

I can't say I loved this paella, though I could see the paella potential. The first problem was that my doctor forbade me from eating any more experimental seafood until I've seen an allergist. Since I live in the land of snail-slow health care, that will be never. (I miss the days of medical nepotism in which my pa made a call and I immediately saw whichever specialist was best. I didn't even know what I had!) So I was already sub-enthused about my paella options while admiring everyone else's lovely shrimp and mussel dishes. What's a paella without a big, whole, kinda-creepy-looking shrimp sitting in the middle?

Pate a Choux Swans

SWANS!

Cornmeal Lemon Cake with Blueberry Compote

DISCLAIMER: Guest blogger.

Cornmeal Crust Quiche

So, ten days later, here's my post for July's Daring Cook's Challenge, which was essentially just "Cornmeal!"

Apple Tart with Maple

It's hard not to want to bake fruit-based desserts in the summer. All the fruits at the farmer's market just look so beautiful. Not that apples are really in season right now, but I've wanted to make this tart for a while. I think it is very pretty along the same lines as the impossible nectarine tart, but with a fraction of the effort.

Fish En Papillote, Basa

I actually did end up baking something "en papillote" as per July's Daring Cook's challenge. I used to cook salmon en papillote all the time; it was one of the first things I really made consistently when I moved away from home. It's easy, delicious, healthy, and it doesn't leave many dishes--a perfect University meal when you're tired of going to the meal hall. But this delicious fish story has a tragic ending.

Earl Grey and Chocolate Battenburg with Grape Jelly (and Ice Cream Battenburg!)

Eaten with coffee, not tea.

In honour of the Queen's diamond jubilee, June's Daring Baker's challenge was battenburg cakes. I was excited for this one, and my flavours started out with a taste of a gorgeous artisan concord grape jelly at the farmer's market. Our market recently moved into a new building, big and open and airy. I think it was a good move as the building is more green, more accessible, and can house more vendors, but I miss the twisting halls of the historic market in the brewery and so I tend to stop back in there to look at the handful of vendors who staunchly stayed behind, along with those who are moving into the vacuum. That's where I tasted the concord grape jelly, and after pairing it with chocolate (you always need chocolate) and earl grey (which seemed appropriately British) in my head, I went back and picked up a little jar. The whole cake got covered in chocolate plastique because, of course, almond-based marzipan is poison in my house.