I am constantly amazed at how many food blogs are out there. Food blogging has become a huge industry and with this there are many groups and organisations that have been set up to get these people together – comparing recipes, photos of their baking etc etc, in fact I think in this coming year there is even a food blogging conference in New Orleans. Anyway, yesterday I found a site called ‘Tuesdays with Dorie’. Dorie Greenspan has a great selection of cook books out but this group cook from a particular one; ‘Baking: From My Home To Yours’. Each week someone picks a recipe and everyone cooks it, takes pictures and compares notes and the like. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Only problem is that membership is limited and from what I can gather on the website, people have been trying desperately to join since 2008. And I mean, really desperately – it’s kind of crazy.
So I added my name to the list and I am not expecting a call for quite some time. But you know what? I have Dorie’s book and I can cook what I like from it, whenever I want! I am not limited to someone elses choice and cooking on Tuesdays. So I may start my own group – WILWILWD (Whatever I Like, Whenever I Like with Dorie). Membership is open to everyone, you are not required to write pleading emails and you can cook to your hearts desire. Sound good?
So, today I chose to cook Dorie’s Cranberry Shortbread Cake. A nice tart little treat which would be well suited to a Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner – I know we are in the Christmas aftermath but I still had cranberries in my fridge and I got sick of seeing them every time I opened my fruit drawer.
The shortbread itself is lovely and buttery which is perfect for the quite tart cranberry filling. I particularly love the red of the cranberries – so perfectly crimson and pretty. Anyway, I served this with a vanilla bean ice cream which balanced out the tart of the filling very nicely (the little mouths of my daughters preferred it this way too).
So whether I get accepted to ‘Tuesdays with Dorie’ remains to be seen (probably not now that I have started my own organisation) but at the moment I am happy navigating my own way through the food blogging universe – doing my own thing 
Jam Filling
1 large navel orange
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 12-ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
1 cup sugar
Jam Filling
Grate the zest of an orange into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice off the peel, removing the white, cottony pith that sticks to the fruit, and slice between the membranes to release the orange segments. Cut the segments into 1/4-inch wide pieces and toss these into the pan and add the orange juice.
Put the cranberries in the pan, stir in the sugar, set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the cranberries pop and your spoon leaves tracks, between 5 – 10 minutes.
Scrape the jam into a bowl and taste it, if it’s too tart, add more sugar to taste. Cool to room temperature. (The filling can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator)
Shortbread
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and continue to beat until it dissolves into the butter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg and egg yolk and, beating until they too are absorbed. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated; since this is a delicate dough, one that should not be over beaten, you might want to finish mixing in the flour by hand using a sturdy spatula. You’ll have a thick dough, one that is quite malleable.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and gather it together in a ball, then divide in half and pat each half into a disk. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate them for 15 to 30 minutes. (At this point, the dough can be refrigerated overnight; set it out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before proceeding)
Baking
While the dough is chilling, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350f. Lightly butter a 9” springform pan (preferably nonstick) and line with parchment paper.
Work with one piece of dough at a time. For the bottom layer, either roll out the dough to size between two pieces of plastic wrap — it’s an easy enough dough to roll — and lay it in the pan, or put the dough in the pan and press it lightly and evenly across the bottom with your fingertips. Spread the cranberry filling over the dough.
Unwrap the second piece of dough, but leave it on the plastic. Press and/or roll it until it is just the diameter of the pan. Carefully lift the dough and invert it on the filling, lift off the plastic and use your fingers to even it as necessary so that it covers the filling. Brush the top of the cake very lightly with water and sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is lightly golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for about 20 minutes, then run a blunt knife around the cake, remove the sides of the pan and let cool to room temperature.
Source: Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
© 2010 – 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.
This shortbread looks like its going to be made and consumed a lot in my home! Thanks!
I like the sound of your group! I don’t the rulesy groups too. Life is complicated enough as it is! I started a group featuring a specific cuisine- that of Kerala but thats about the only rule!
Would love to have you join! No pleading mails required! But you can say hi
http://magpiesrecipes.blogspot.com/p/keralakitchen.html
I would love to join, it looks great. By the way your photos are fantastic for someone with no photographic training. I am the same – it is taking quite a bit of playing around with my point and shoot camera
xxMichelle