Day 116 - Jam or Marmalade Bars?

I would much rather have strawberry jam bars as I think the rest of the family would, but that is not the direction I took.
Remember back on day 73 when I made Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier (I STILL love to say that - it sounds SO cool on the tongue!)?
Yes, I still have that orange marmalade in the fridge and noone's touched it and I certainly haven't because I just don't like the stuff.
Yeah, so why would I make something that nobody will probably eat?  Because I don't want to waste the marmalade. 
I know.
I hear you chuckling.
Yes,... you.
I'll be wasting BOTH the marmalade AND the bars this way.
Oh well, we'll see.

The recipe said to use an 8-inch square pan.  I own a 9-inch square pan or an 8-inch round pan.  I chose the round knowing the 9 would be too big and didn't want to burn my creation. 
I certainly wouldn't want to waste it by BURNING it!  ;-) (I need to add smiley face icons - on my to do list...)

This is from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, p.632; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

Jam or Marmalade Bars - 16 bars, wedges, or pretty designs

½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
jam or marmalade (did not specify an amount in the recipe)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Grease an 8-inch square pan.
Cream the shortening with the sugar, vanilla and almond extract.

Stir in the egg and blend well.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt, add to the first mixture, and combine thoroughly.

Spread half the dough in the pan.

Cover with a layer of jam or marmalade.

Pat the remaining dough on top and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool, then cut into bars 4 X 1 inches.

Or is you're using an 8-inch ROUND pan, cut into wedges however big or small you want.
'Cause they're your bars.

Or you can just cut them into pretty designs without regard to being pushed into making bars OR wedges.

Live a little.
Cut things differently.

Go outside your box.

...

ok, I'll stop.

If you have questions about pan sizes and substituting, check out this page at the Joy of Baking.  It was helpful and I know I'll need to consult this info. again during the course of the year.

Everything that I make is rated on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these orange marmalade bars earned 2½ rolling pins.
I knew I was going to have a problem putting the top layer of dough on the marmalade.
It really was a no-brainer that when I attempt to push the dough out from the center of the pan to the edges that the marmalade is going to move to the edges with it.
Yeah.
Before I placed the ball of dough on the top I flattened it as best I could like a pizza.  I placed that on the marmalade, but it wasn't big enough and still had to push it to the edges with a rubber spatula.  Consequently, there was more marmalade on the outer edges than there was in  between the layers.  It could have been the reason for it being dry, too.  Just guessing.
At first bite, they were very dry, but then the more I chewed, they became a little addicting.  And there really wasn't an overwhelming orange marmalade taste.
Go figure.
Know why?
It was all, ok, well almost all of it, pushed to the outer edges where it became crunchy and chewy which, I have to admit, was rather good.
Ultimately, I thought they were just kind of eh, or as we used to say in my high school French class, "Comme ci, comme ça" - could be better, but could be worse.

There.

There's your French lesson for the day.
The next time someone asks you how you're doing, say, "Comme ci, comme ça" (pronounced "come-see comme-saah"), and see how impressed they'll be!
Either that or they'll look at you like you have two heads and will wonder what the heck you said.
Cuisson Heureux!

Day 73 - Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier Sauce

     I have to say a big thank you to my friend, Debbie, for her assistance with today's recipe.  I couldn't have done it without her because she let me borrow her soufflé dish.  I knew I was going to have to purchase one in order to make them for this blog, so I cannot tell you how excited I was when she told me she had one.  Debbie, I am so very grateful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
     Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier.  Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier.  I like the way that rhymes; soufflé, marnier, souffé, marnier.     
     I adapted this is from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p.684,685; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.  The original recipe I wanted to use wasn't going to work.  I got 3/4 of the way through typing it to the blog and realized I never typed that the oven had to be preheated, so I switched and used the recipe for the Basic Dessert Soufflé, and added orange to it.  I also made it gluten free.  Not intentionally, but if you read the post from yesterday, you'll remember that I'm out of flour because I spilled it on the floor.  So, I substituted the King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour where it called for 3 tablespoons and added a PINCH of xanthan gum.
     There is an Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier Sauce recipe in the book, but it isn't baked.  Mine is.

     Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier

     4 egg yolks
     ¼ cup granulated sugar
     2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
     3 tablespoons butter
     3 tablespoons flour
     1/8 teaspoon salt
     2 tablespoons orange marmalade
     1 cup milk
     5 egg whites
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
     Butter a 2-quart soufflé dish or baking dish and sprinkle it with sugar.  Beat the yolks; slowly add ¼ cup of the sugar, and grated orange zest, beating until thick and blended, set aside.
     Melt the butter in a skillet and stir in the flour, and salt.  Cook for several minutes over low heat, stirring, then slowly stir in the milk.  Stir in the orange marmalade.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sauce reaches the boiling point and becomes smooth and thick.

     Remove from heat, pour a little of the hot sauce into the yolk/sugar/zest mixture, and stir well.  Add the remaining yolk mixture to the sauce, stirring constantly, then return to the heat and cook for another minute; remove and let cool.

 Put the 5 egg whites in a large bowl and beat until foamy.  Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry.

     Whisk a fourth of the whites into the sauce to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites.  Stir in the vanilla.

     Pour into the soufflé dish.  Bake for 35 minutes if a slightly runny center is desired and 45-50 minutes for a dry soufflé.

After being in the oven for 30 minutes.  15 minutes to go.

     Sauce

     1 egg yolk
     3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
     1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
     ½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

     For the sauce, put the egg yolk into a medium bowl and whip it with a fork.  Stir in the confectioners' sugar and the Grand Marnier and whisk until it is smooth and blended.  Fold in the whipped cream.  Refrigerate until used.  Spoon sauce over each serving.

Right after removal from the oven.

Less than 5 minutes out of oven.

10 minutes after being taken out of the oven.  See how much it's collapsed?

     My rating system is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and the family decided that this soufflé earned 2½ rolling pins.  It smelled absolutely delicious as it was baking, and tasting the batter before it went into the oven, I thought it was really good and was quite impressed.  I have never had a soufflé before and decided that I'd be ok if I never had one again.  It wasn't that this wasn't good, it's just not my kind of dessert.  As my husband said, it's not the type of dessert we would order in a restaurant.  The flavor of the orange was just right and that sauce was sweet with that kick of Grand Marnier, but it was a little too eggy for me.  This was definitely a more sophisticated adult dessert and I was pleased that my kids couldn't stand the sauce.  Hmmm...now what to do with the rest of the Grand Marnier?

     Happy baking!