Well, I've come full circle; I have decided to once again participate in what started my very first blog -- The Daring Bakers! This month's challenge was to make a Dutch pastry called Gevulde Speculaas. I was excited that my first challenge back in the Daring Baker's saddle was a pastry from Holland, one of my favorite countries that we visited during our European travels! I did not, however, sample any authentic Speculaas while in Amsterdam, so I had nothing with which to compare my homemade version.
I have to say, this was a very simple pastry to make, despite the fact that we were required to make from-scratch almond paste and Speculaas spice blend, which sounded a little intimidating. One of the coolest things I learned while making these was that almonds can be easily stripped of their brown casings by simply boiling them in water for 1-2 minutes. They just slip write out of their skins! And, they are much prettier to look at when they are naked!
I wouldn't say that these were my favorite dessert that I have ever made, but they are definitely tasty. I think they would go really well with a cup of tea, if you are into that sort of thing. ;) I wish I were, but, alas I have not yet developed my taste buds into the tea drinking sort.
 |
| Almond skins |
 |
| Naked almonds |
 |
| Speculaas pre-bake |
 |
| Speculaas post-bake |
Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers’ Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch! That includes making our own spice mix, almond paste and dough! Delicious!
No comments:
Post a Comment