Sometimes the best birthday gifts are “gifties” (i.e., self-given gifts), and Dorie Greenspan has given herself a doozy of a giftie. How about having a book published for your 39th birthday! In this case, Baking Chez Moi, to be released on October 27, which has received rave reviews from the press, members of the culinary world, and Dorie’s close personal friends. If that’s not excitement enough for one birthday girl, the Doristas are celebrating Dorie’s birthday by throwing a virtual birthday bash. 
Each Dorista has selected one of four recipes from Baking Chez Moi to prepare and write about in terms so glowing as to make Dorie blush. I am something of a birthday glutton and celebrate for an entire month to ensure that one and all can bestow an appropriate accolade or present, and also so Sous Chef has no excuse for not planning a wonderful celebration. So instead of making just one recipe, I made two.
The first was Granola Cake that I have made three times since first seeing the recipe in September. Better than a granola bar and just as versatile, this cake is moist, chewy, and a perfect all-day/all-night comfort food. I varied the recipe by using white chocolate since I get migraines from the real thing, but I don’t think it compromised the flavors or texture in the slightest. The second is Brown Butter Peach Tourte. Butter makes the baking world go around, and this recipe is just loaded with the stuff. The crust was light and rich in flavor and just oozing buttery goodness. No fresh peaches were available, so I used frozen sliced peaches from Whole Foods. These were pure slices of peach, no liquid or sauce, and they worked fantastically as a fresh fruit substitute.
What is a birthday party without gifts? To celebrate Dorie’s birthday I’m bestowing a copy of Baking Chez Moi through a drawing (no purchase or bribing of The Culinary Diva is necessary). To enter, just leave a comment with an answer to any one of the five questions below (for fun, try to answer all five). The winner will be drawn from all qualified entries and announced on Monday, November 3rd. A comment will constitute an entry whether its answer is correct or not, although only one entry per person will be accepted for the drawing, so go ahead and see if you are Dorie’s biggest fan or not.
How well do you know Dorie Greenspan:
Question 1 – How many cookbooks has Dorie Greenspan authored/co-authored?
- 5
- 8
- 10
- 11
Question 2 – Who is the original Dorista?
- Trevor of Sis Boom Blog
- Daniel Boulud
- Michael Greenspan
- Pierre Herme
Question 3 – How many times has Dorie Greenspan won the James Beard Foundation Award?
- 5
- 2
- 0
- 3
Question 4 – What is the name of Dorie’s Blog?
- On the Road with Dorie Greenspan
- French Fridays with Dorie
- Tuesdays with Dorie
- doriegreenspan.com
Question 5 – Which recipe did not make the cover of Baking Chez Moi?
- Brown Butter Peach Tourte
- Carrément Chocolate
- Canneles’
- Palets de Dames, Lille Style
Make sure to pick up your copy of Baking Chez Moi and check out the virtual Birthday Party for Dorie:
- Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Adriana from Great Food 360º
- Gaye from Laws of the Kitchen
- Sanya from Kitchen Therapy
- Mardi from eat.live.travel.write
- Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
- Tricia and Nana from Tricia and Nana Cooking with Dorie
- Katie from Prof Who Cooks
Chocolate Cream Puffs with Mascarpone Filling
- Mardi from eat.live.travel.write
- Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
- Tammy from Chez Nous
- Mary from Lights on Bright No Brakes
- Betsy from A Plateful of Happiness
- Rosa from One Expat’s Life
- Teresa from One Wet Foot
- Diane from Cafe Mom Cooks
- Susan from Create Amazing Meals
- Emily from Emily’s Cooking Foray
- Eileen from Cookbook Immersion Project
- Teresa from One Wet Foot
- Margaret from Tea and Scones
- Alice from A Mama, Baby & Shar-Pei in the Kitchen
For Recipes. click on link below:
Palets des Dames, Lille Style
Chocolate Cream Puffs with Mascarpone and Rose Filling
(Answers: Q1-d; Q2-c; Q3-b; Q4-d; Q5-a)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for the pan
- 1 cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (if granola is not spiced)
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (if granola is not spiced)
- 1 cup (120 grams) granola, preferably homemade
- 4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet, milk or white chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup (60 grams) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- ½ cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Set a rack on the oven’s middle shelf, then heat the oven to 325 F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with butter, then line it with kitchen parchment or waxed paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and nutmeg, if using. In another bowl, toss together the granola, chocolate and coconut.
- Working in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the ½ cup of butter at low-medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes more.
- Beat in the vanilla and salt. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until it disappears into the batter. Add the granola mixture, again mixing just until incorporated. Scrape the batter, which will be very thick, into the prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter to make sure it gets into the corners.
- Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and sugar-crackly; a skewer inserted at the center should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and unmold it onto the rack; invert and cool to room temperature on the rack.
- The cake is very moist and will keep, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for about 4 days. You also can wrap it airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months; defrost it still wrapped.
- Nutrition information per serving: 200 calories; 100 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 11 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 25 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 12 g sugar; 3 g protein; 65 mg sodium.
- Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking Chez Moi,” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014
CONGRATULATIONS: Aaron Rishell & Cakelaw, after truffles and a great bottle of Burgundy I decided to give away two copies of Baking Chez Moi!
Question 5 — the brown butter peach tourte
This is Dorie’s 10th book.
This tourte was the recipe that caught my eye first…but I never thought of using frozen peaches! I was thinking I’d have to wait till next summer. It looks magnificent…as does the granola cake. I love your Dorie quiz…such a terrific post, Christy!!
Such a fun post Christy! And that tourte? Wow. I need to make it soon.
Dorie has authored or co-authored 11 cookbooks
Beautiful tourte and thanks for trying out frozen peaches! I was eyeing the tourte recipe, thinking of how peaches had finally gone out of season about a week ago, and it’s good to know the frozen worked out! Plus, it’s gorgeous, to boot!
Question 5 the awnser is the brown butter peach tourte
I really, really want a slice of that tourte – yum!
?#5 = the tourte!
and yours look absolutely amazing and that granola cake is a healthy runner up!
I love your quiz! I also love that the tourte worked with frozen peaches, too. And the granola cake is something I should keep in ind next time I have to bring food to a meeting. Great, creative post!
Both your dishes look fantastic!
I can totally understand the larger slice 🙂
That granola cake looks yummy. I’m excited to check out the new book and see what else she’s got in there.
Well, the original Dorista is Mr. Michael Greenspan. He has the t-shirt to prove it!
I hadn’t read about the granola cake, but it seems like a good baby step to snap me out of my baking snafu. And great pointer on using the frozen peaches.
I agree with Adriana…the original Dorista is Michael!
Christy, Your Brown Butter Peach Tourte is gorgeous and I am craving a piece right now! I would not have thought to use frozen peaches…Bonne Idee! I also love the granola cake, delectable looking!
Fun post, Christy! Loved the quiz! Happy weekend!!
LOL, love your quiz! Here’s my answers (although please dont consider my comment an entry since I have a copy 😉 ) 1-3, 2-3, 3-2, 4-4, 5-2 !! How’d I do?? LOL!
Your granola cake looks better in your blog than the text, and I’ll be making it on your recommendation! How fantastic that you had all this time for baking this week, Im sure Sous Chef enjoyed it thoroughly! Happy Trifecta Celebration Day, Christy!
What a great recipe book. Happy Birthday.
Christy, I’m so happy that we’ve gotten to know each other! I also celebrate my birthday for a whole month! And whenever I want something, I always tell John, “You know, my birhtday’s coming up!” LOL!
I am dying to make the peach tourte – and I would take a big slice, too!
Have a lovely weekend! xoxox
I am über impressed. You made TWO fabulous new recipes and thought up that fun quiz. GREAT post 🙂 And loved your results. I was already dying to do the tourte next but peaches are out of season. So nice to hear your results with the frozen ones. And I am so trying that granola cake soon !!!
Both of your desserts looking wonderful. I am looking forward
to continuing this journey with you and all of the Doristas. I
can’t wait for the book to come next week. This was
such a lovely celebration and I am glad that Tricia and I were part of it.
Greenspan has won the James Beard Foundation Award twice.
My husband loves granola so that granola cake is going to be a big hit in our house. Love the peach tourte, it looks perfect. Again I should have made two recipes. I’ll keep my fingers crossed on the book giveaway, I still haven’t bought the book.
I usually celebrate my birthday for a week, but this year, I’ll follow your example and extend it to the entire month of December! I’m so excited to know the tourte works with frozen peaches because, like LIz, I thought I was going to have to wait until next summer to make that one. It looks wonderful! Cute quiz! I’m not sure thought I’d do better.
#1-4, #2-3, #3-?, #4-1, #5-?
I was so glad to meet you this summer, and look forward to another year of cooking with you!
Aren’t you fun 🙂
Of course, we all know that Michael is the original Dorista – and he has the shirt to prove it 😉 (He wore it to IFBC last year).
I thought I was indulgent by celebrating my birthday over four days – you win! (The torte and cake look delicious)
Would love to have this book. It would be my first as I hear raves about her/
Won 2x for James Beard. Fun blog! I would be delighted to win!
Your intro paragraph is fabulous, Christy. Read it twice. I wish I had had the peach tourte recipe this summer when the peaches around here were fabulous. However, if Whole Foods frozen peaches work, I can make that happen. Thanks for the review on the Granola Cake. I like it when people bake or cook from a new book if they comment about what they try. I also think Dorie’s Chez Moi is doable, more doable than her book with Julia. I am also going to like Mimi’s A Kitchen in France. Can you figure out how she pulls all that off? There ain’t no way you can have 6 kids and then do the things she does. She has as much energy as Alice!
This is a really creative and original post! I know none of the answers off the top of my head but I definitely want to bake that granola cake and would love to win the book!
Love this post, Christy! Question 5 – the Brown Butter Peach Tart is not on the cover of the book…but I would love to make it! My homemade granola will be perfect in the cake; definitely going to try it.