I’m reading a wonderful little book by Peter Mayle and Gerard Auzet titled Confessions of a French Baker, and believe I have now discovered the secret of making perfect baguettes! I had the ingredients correct, but not in quite the right proportions. Also, the method as described in this book is slightly different from the way I thought it should be done after reading several other books on baking these past few years. So today I experimented, using Gerard Auzet’s instructions, and voila! It worked! Toothsome, with lots of holes, crunchy exterior, chewy interior… I almost ate all 8 baguettes myself before Dennis came home for lunch! He agreed. This was my best effort yet.

And, feeling in a baking mood, I also made Butter Tart Muffins because the recipe sounded too good to be true. I discovered it in the LCBO’s Food & Drink Autumn 2007 Magazine. The recipe comes originally from a coffee shop called The Bean in Huntsville, ON. No mention in the article as to who invented this recipe, but I must say that person was a genius! So simple an idea, yet Sooooo good… I made the recipe substituting chopped pecans for the raisins, just because, and not only did these finished muffins taste like butter tarts, but the house smelled as though I’d baked a pecan pie. Delicioso!