Lick the Spoon

TLT - Terribly Late Tina

2010-09-06T09:33:00.007-04:00

Is it Monday already?
Once again, I am late for posting this week's Baking Beauties challenge. It's never because I am late at completing the challenge... it's just that the weekends always speed by and the next thing I know, it's Monday morning and I am cursing that I now have to rush to complete the post.
As most people, I find mt mind is in a complete fog on Monday mornings, so please excuse any randomness in this post.

Okay, back to the good stuff. The TLT (Larry T) Salad. During the summer, when the weather is smok'n and our family is trying to survive in our home (that does not include air conditioning), the thought of turning on the stove or the oven just disgusts me. We often eat a "Big Salad" (a la Seinfeld) for dinner. It's healthy, it's filling and it keeps us cool.

This salad was exactly that. I might be lying a little, since I did have to use the oven to bake the croutons and bacon. But, the croutons were easily prepared the evening before (when the house got down to a respectable temperature).

I absolutely loved the dressing for this salad. I used the tiny bit of basil that grew in my garden this summer (it caught a horrible disease that left most of the leaves discoloured and inedible) in the dressing. It was so fresh and tart and just what I like in my vinaigrette.

The entire salad was a hit. In fact, this was the third time making it since we bought Bite Me. It definitely won't be the last either.

Falafels, how I love thee...

2010-08-23T14:48:00.006-04:00

I really do. I could eat them everyday. Except that wouldn't be the healthiest thing to do. That's why I enjoyed this week's Baking Beauties recipe. These falafels, in a larger burger patty size, are baked, not fried.

When I was in high school and a rebellious vegetarian teenager, one of the first recipes I tried to make was a chickpea burger. I don't remember if it went over well with my "meat and potato" parents, but it was a hit with me. Even though the Bite Me recipe was much different, it was nonetheless delicious.

Now, I didn't follow the recipe to the "T." To the falafel mixture, I added a dash of cinnamon and straight up bread crumbs until I reached my desired texture. As well, I didn't bother cooking the onions first before running the ingredients through the food processor. I thought, if I'm grinding everything up, what's the point. It's not like you're going to bite on a hunk of raw onion. Oh yeah, I added some fresh cilantro as well.

With the tahini sauce, I didn't add the mint and parsley. I just didn't think it needed it. We just folded our pitas over the falafels, to form a sort of sandwich. We topped our falafels with the yummy tahini sauce and some shredded cabbage.

I will definitely make this again. Like I said, I love falafels. But, I never appreciated smelling like a fry house after making them. The Falafel Burger is a healthier and less smelly alternative to the authentic fair.

Guilt Free Pop Tarts

2010-08-15T19:02:00.008-04:00

Now, it's not what you are thinking. They're still full of sugar and fat, but I can guarantee that you will be able to pronounce every ingredient used. I can't say the same for the commercial ones of our childhood. That's why you can have a guilt free conscience serving these tasty treats to your children for a weekend brunch.

I decided to make these for just that occasion - a Sunday brunch with some very good friends. I thought the kiddies would love to eat these plum and strawberry preserve pop tarts while the grown-ups feasted on eggs, bacon, french toast and fruit. Well, the pop tarts were enjoyed, but by the grown ups and not the kids. I can't say that the kids didn't like them because we finished them off before they even had a chance to try them.

The recipe is a basic butter pastry that encompasses a fruit preserve. You can use any filling you want, but since Ontario strawberries were in full force, I wanted to take advantage. I just adore plums as well and find that the tartness really balanced out the flavour.

Pop Tarts
(as adapted from epicurious.com)

Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour plus additional for shaping and rolling
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons ice water
12 tablespoons fruit preserves
Powdered sugar

Preparation
Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, coarse salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter. Using fingertips or back of fork, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water by tablespoonfuls, tossing until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Divide in half; shape each half into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on floured surface to about 13x11 inches. Trim to 12x10-inch rectangle, then cut into eight 5x3-inch rectangles.

Arrange 4 rectangles, spaced apart, on each sheet. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons preserves in row down center of each rectangle. Top preserves with second dough rectangle. Using fingertips, gently press all edges of each tart to seal; press all edges with tines of fork to double-seal. Using toothpick, poke a few holes in center of top dough rectangle. Cover; freeze tarts on sheets at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake frozen tarts uncovered until golden, reversing sheets after 15 minutes, 25 to 30 minutes total (some preserves may leak out). Immediately transfer tarts to rack. Sift powdered sugar lightly over.

Tortilla Crusted Chicken with Avocado Dip

2010-08-08T22:01:00.009-04:00

I am so excited about the new cookbook that we are working through for the Baking Beauties. Over the last year or so, sometimes I have found that it's hard to think of what to make for dinner. It's not that I can't come up with ideas - please, I am constantly thinking of food. But, with so much going on in our busy lives I find that far too often I realize it's 4pm and I haven't decided what it is I am making for dinner.
Pre-children, this wouldn't always be a huge issue. I would stop by the grocery store after work, start cooking when I got home and by 6pm when my hubby would step in the door, dinner would be on the table.
Now, it's pretty much game over after I pick up my toddler from daycare. Occasionally, both children throw me a bone by napping (Elliott) and playing independently (Avery). But, as I just said, this is not normally the case.
So, going back to my first thought, what makes "Bite Me" so wonderful is that each recipe is straightforward, easy and an all-around crowd pleaser. Or so it seems. A few of us have skipped ahead and tested out some recipes - all were hits.
The Tortilla Chicken on page 141 is certainly no exception. Definitely not for the faint of heart, this tortilla and cheese breaded chicken breast is something heavier than we normally eat. But, maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Really, how much boneless, skinless, tasteless chicken breast can one family eat?

The real winner from this recipe is the avocado dip. So smooth and creamy and delightful. I almost wanted to throw the extra into my ice cream maker to see what the outcome would be. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) we finished off the dip before I could test it out. I used the extra dip as a spread on some veggie sandwiches and a southwest inspired burger. Yumelish!
Anyways - if you don't have this cookbook yet, what are you waiting for! It might be the one time I can actually get away with telling someone to "Bite Me"

Baking Beautiful Brioche!

2010-07-26T10:53:00.014-04:00

This past Baking Beauties assignment was for us to try our hand at making brioche. I just adore fresh baked bread, so I couldn't wait to complete this recipe.

One recipe from "Baking with Julia" can make three loaves of brioche, so you get quite a bit from not too much work. I don't have proper brioche flute pans, so I decided to make some loaves with my dough. I sectioned off the dough into three - using two thirds for two loaves and the last third to make dulce de leche cream cheese brioche buns.

The dough was quite easy to put together (simpler than other recipes I have tried). However, if I didn't have a stand mixer, I wouldn't be saying brioche is easy; my Kitchen Aid handles the tough part - kneading for 15 minutes. My mixer was so hot, I swear it was about 2 minutes away from smoking!

From that point, there's not much left to do. A few steps of waiting for the wonderfully buttery and tender dough to rise and voila, c'est tout! I can not even tell you how delicious the main floor of our house smelled while it was baking. Like heaven.

To make the dulce de leche cream cheese buns, you take the dough after the first two hour rise and roll it out into a rectangle. Layer cream cheese and dulce de leche over the dough (leaving an inch border all around). Roll it up and slice it. Place slices into paper lined muffin tins. Leave to rise in the fridge over night. In the morning, you must let it rise again for 2 hours before you bake until golden. It's a nice change from your regular run of the mill sticky buns.

As for the brioche loaves, I served them with some berry preserves, but it was so good, I had many slices au naturel. I hope all the Beauties tested this recipe out. It was easy and the results were fantastic. I will definitely be revisiting this recipe when I feel the urge for some brioche!

P.S. Brioche is best eaten the day it's baked. However, if you can't finish it, day old brioche makes an excellent french toast!

Rhubarb Upside Down

2010-07-13T15:35:00.011-04:00

So I finally completed the Baking Beauties challenge from Baking with Julia - The Upside-down Cake. I decided to make Baby Rhubarb Upside-down Cakes... a perfect treat to bring to my parent's for lunch.

I have hordes of fresh rhubarb growing in my backyard, so I need to use it any chance I get. I never realized how quickly rhubarb grows. I guess I always assumed you harvest it once, and it's gone. Not so. I have given away bundles and bundles of the stuff and more just keeps cropping up. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining - I love the stuff. It just seems never-ending. Anyways, having fresh rhubarb for this recipe was wonderful.

I don't have proper "baby cake" tins, so I used my muffin tin instead. I guess I had a bit too much batter, and the cake part overflowed a wee bit. Thankfully it didn't spill onto the bottom of the oven, resulting in a stinky, smokey kitchen.

The recipe states to turn out the cakes as soon as they come out of the oven because the caramel cause them to get stuck. However, I think I should have waited a minute or two as I found part of the rhubarb topping stayed behind with part of the cake.

I served the little cakes with some whipped cream and, of course, coffee. They were a hit! A delicious buttery cake that's not too sweet - balanced out by the tart rhubarb. A perfect summer treat!

One Big Cupcake for a Big Boy One!

2010-07-11T21:16:00.014-04:00

That doesn't really make sense, does it? Well, what I am getting at is my darling little nephew, Oliver, turned one today. And in celebration of this big milestone, I made him a giant cupcake birthday cake.
Since he doesn't talk yet, his mom and I were allowed to decide the theme for his birthday (what do one year olds know anyways!). We thought someone as sweet as Oliver deserved an equally sweet and adorable cake.

The cake is a simple white butter cake, filled with a fresh peach puree and peach mousseline buttercream. I decorated the cake with simple rolled fondant (the white chocolate kind, as I find it has a slightly better taste than the plain stuff).

My sister gave me complete carte blanche on what flavour of cake to make. Being that the last week or so has been a heat wave here in T.O., I was inspired to do something light and fresh. I made a wonderful peach puree by blending some market fresh peaches, reducing it by half, and adding a little almond and vanilla extract. At one point, I let Avery try some and he insisted on having more (and more and more). I got a bit nervous that he might eat all of it. I don't remember him being that fond of peach puree when he was a baby!

Michele and I had met up earlier in the week to make cupcake shaped monogrammed cookies as favours for the party. Well, really I should say that I hid in the kitchen decorating while Michele was stuck entertaining our two little ones. If you asked, I am sure each of us would say we got the better deal. We used a blue and green motif. Each cookie was placed in a cellophane bag, tied with red and white twine. This is what I used as inspiration for the colour scheme of the cake.

I used blue fondant as the "paper cup" portion of the cake, brown fondant for the "cake" and white fondant for the "icing." The whole thing was topped with a cherry and sprinkles made of (you guessed it) fondant.

I don't know how impressed Olie was, but I can say all the older children were fighting over who got the cherry. Jerry decided that it was best to have all the children share the prized decoration.

Happy Birthday little Oliver. I can't believe a year has gone by already. You are as adorable and pleasant as the day you were born, and we can't wait to watch you grow even more!

Oh, and PS, with the busyness of this weekend, I didn't manage to complete our Baking Beauties challenge. I will do this tomorrow and post after I am finished... promise ;)

Hopping on the Bandwagon

2010-06-26T16:14:00.021-04:00

I know macarons have been the new "it" dessert for quite a while now, knocking cupcakes back to where they belong - the "day old" sale rack on the bakery counter at your local grocery store.

I have been a huge fan of these delicious little cookies for quite some time, for a lot of reasons really. The flavour combinations are absolutely endless. They make portion controlling very easy; for me, they are so sweet and indulgent that one alone can satisfy. They let me use up all of those darn egg whites that are leftover after I make ice cream! Plus, they are just so darn adorable.

I recently purchased the delightfully simple and gorgeously styled "i ♥ macarons" by Hisako Ogita. The book just ignites your imagination. She has included many flavour inspirations for you to test out, from the obvious (coffee with bitter ganache) to those with international flare (black sesame seed and purple yam). Each process is photographed for an easy step-by-step guide to tackling a mythically difficult recipe.

To test drive the cookbook I had a hard time deciding on what to make. I finally settled on cinnamon macarons with bitter ganache and topped them off with cocoa nibs. They were a hit, especially with my little Avery. Who knew he would have such cultured taste at two years of age! As you can see, his sophistication doesn't include table manners. "Wipe your face young man!"

Anyways, if you are eager to jump on the food fad bandwagon, I would suggest you pick up this book. At the least, it would make a wonderful addition to any cookbook collection!

Buenos Dias - I'm Baaaack!

2010-05-14T08:54:00.020-04:00

And what a way to kick off my return to the blogging world, but with a spicy dish (and I am not referring to my husband) from the world of the Daring Cooks - Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas.

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Now, if you are wondering where I have been - just check out my other blog Admiring Avery to meet the new addition to our family. I am completely out numbered now - three to one. But, as my sister says, I am the one and only Queen of the Castle. So, now with a household full of hungry boys, you know I'll be cooking up a storm, and hopefully posting all of my adventures.

As you can see, I have a brand new helper these days. Avery has really taken to helping me in the kitchen. My favourite part? He even does the dishes! Although, to be honest (and I would never tell him this), he usually makes more mess than he cleans up. But he's having fun and we are spending 'mommy and son' time together, so it's more than worth it.

Anyway, back to the real story behind this post - the yumminess that is the Stacked Enchilada. I decided to make this dish for my parents, who graciously offered to take care of the kids so the hubbie and I could go out and celebrate his birthday. My mother, who can be quite picky when it comes to food, loves Mexican, so I thought this one would be a hit for sure. However, she doesn't deal with spice very well, so I didn't add quite as much of the chiles as suggested.

I had a difficult time finding the tomatillos and had to go to several shops until I could buy some. It was definitely worth the trouble because the finished sauce was out of this world.

The recipe was quite easy on the whole; the most time consuming was finding the ingredients. I used my charcoal grill to roast the chiles, which gave them a wonderfully smokey flavour. I assembled the enchilada in my trusty le Crueset because I thought it evoked the feeling of old Spanish stoneware. I think it worked ;)

On the whole, I absolutely loved this challenge. The meal was such a success, my parents begged me to send them the recipe. And I am so happy to be back into the swing of things. So, until next time...

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams - peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce, your favorite, optional
2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
3 tablespoons Olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)
Kosher salt and pepper
12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams (other cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses) can be used. Just be sure they melt well and complement the filling)
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled optional

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. DO NOT RINSE!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

True North Strong & Free - This Month's Daring Bakers Challenge

2010-01-30T09:56:00.005-05:00

...is Nanaimo Bars.
Now, people who know me well understand that even though I adore baking, I don't have a massive sweet tooth... except when it comes to nanaimo bars. I don't know what it is. It is almost like eating pure sugar. But I do love them. Maybe it's the coconut. I am obsessed with coconut. It must be the coconut.

Anyhow, I was quite excited when I saw that this month's challenge was Nanaimo bars. What flavour variation would I choose? Luckly, these Canadian born confectionaries are quick and easy to do, I was free to make a few varieties. I decided to make the original version (for which a recipe follows), a peanut butter variety (who doesn't love the classic pb & chocolate combo) and a cappuccino flavour. I've got to say the peanut butter version was the most popular, and I had a hard time keeping my husband from eating them all before I had a chance to take my pictures.

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

Marvelous Macarons - This Month's Daring Baker's Challege

2009-10-28T19:12:00.008-04:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted on this blog. Things have been insanely busy, so even though I am a day late with my post, I am surprised I was even able to complete this month's challenge. But, I told myself there was no way I was letting myself miss an excuse to make some French Macarons!

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

I fell in love with macarons after falling in love Tartelette. She makes the most wonderful combinations of flavours. Check out her blog for many inspiring creations!

Since Hallowe'en is just a few days away, I thought it would be so fitting to make Saffron Pumpkin Macarons.

Macarons, from Claudia Flemming' The Last Course: The Desserts Of Gramercy Tavern.

Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.
Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.
Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).
Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.
Cool on a rack before filling.

Voila! Vols au Vent - This Month's Daring Bakers Challenge

2009-09-28T21:12:00.007-04:00

This really was a challenge! I have been dying to try my hand at puff pasty again. I haven't attempted it since cooking school, and wondered if I could accomplish it without the helping hand of a master chef. I must say I was quite pleased with the results! Mother Nature showed me some mercy by bringing along a cold front, which kept our kitchen nice and cool, and therefore my butter didn't leak out all over the place (for the most part!).

Now... what to fill it with. Well, the cold front also had me thinking of my favourite season - autumn! So, for my savoury concoction, I made a butternut squash mousse, which I topped with goat cheese and a little sage pesto.

After savoury must of course come sweet! So, continuing with my fall inspired first course, I decided to make a cinnamon mousse and topped it with some apple confit. I had been planning on going apple picking on Sunday (and really wanted to use the fresh Ontario apples in the confit), but Mother Nature's kindness ran out because it rained all weekend. Oh well... maybe next week!

I used the leftover scraps of puff pastry to make mini pains au chocolat. I was lucky enough to get one bite before my husband devoured them all. Who doesn't like buttery pastry with dark chocolate?!

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan. I should also note that this is the same cookbook that we use for the Baking Beauties challenges. So, ladies, get ready because eventually we will be getting to this recipe!

And speaking of Baking Beauties, I must note that I am in the process of making last week's challenge (Pumpkin Walnut Loaf). I made the mistake of not ready the recipe. I thouht it was going to be a quick bread and not one made with yeast. I had no idea it had to chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours! I will finish and post my results tomorrow!

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Steph’s note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. While I encourage you to make the full recipe of puff pastry, as extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.

There is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). They do seem to give slightly different ingredient measurements verbally than the ones in the book…I listed the recipe as it appears printed in the book. http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter

plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Dobos Torta - This Month's Daring Bakers Challenge

2009-08-27T19:26:00.006-04:00

I am finally back in the swing of things... completing this month's Daring Bakers right after completing a Baking Beauties challenge, and just before I embark on creating my nephew a "Bruce" (the shark from Finding Nemo) cake for his 3rd birthday. Did I mention I am taking care of my little toddler alone, while my husband is traveling for work? Now that's multitasking!

The cake was easy enough to make. I decided to cut the recipe in half to make two 3" cakes instead of one. Good thing I scaled down because I found the Dobos to be too sweet for my tastes; my husband ate them both!

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Dobos Torta
Sponge cake layers

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt
Chocolate Buttercream

4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Caramel topping

1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)
Finishing touches

a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts
Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)
Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Berry Galette...Sort of?

2009-08-23T19:06:00.010-04:00

So, this week's Baking Beauties Challenge was to make a berry galette; perfect to make use of our in season berries! Well, this week I cheated a little. I didn't mean too, but I hate wasting food and I had a perfectly delicious sheet of sponge cake sitting around waiting to be eaten.
What could be better than sponge cake with berries? Well, I'll tell you. Sponge cake, drizzled with lavender syrup, filled with macerated berries and topped with whipped cream and crushed pistachios. Yep, it was good.
I used a mixture of raspberries, strawberries and rhubarb, which I mixed with a touch of sugar and honey. The result was divine. I would have been happy eating the berries alone.

The sponge cake I made was the same recipe used for the French Strawberry Cake, which was a Baking Beauties challenge a couple of month's ago. The cake is a little dry, which is why I decided to drizzle the layers with lavender syrup.
What I really enjoyed about the dessert was that the flavour of the berries came through first and foremost. The hint of lavender followed. And it all ended the way any good dessert should, with the coolness and richness of whipped cream.
I figured my fellow Baking Beauties wouldn't mind that I strayed from the recipe a bit. We have made the galette dough before (with the pizza galette), so I didn't avoid trying something new. Maybe I will try the actual berry galette a little later in the season. I imagine using some ripe dark plums. Yum! I love summer.

Here is the actual Berry Galette recipe. If you want to subsitute the sponge, use the recipe found under the French Strawberry Cake post.

Galette Dough
Makes Enough For Two 8 inch Galettes
The cornmeal in this wonderfully buttery dough not only gives it a bit of crunch, it makes it crisp enough to stand up to soft and syrupy fillings and sturdy enough to be rolled to extreme thinness. You can use this dough to line a tart pan, but it is particularly well suited to rustic tarts called Galettes - - flat, open-face, free-form tarts whose edges are folded over the filling like the ruffled top of a drawstring purse.

The dough is made quickly either by hand or in a food processor and produces enough for two Galettes.

3 tablespoons sour cream (or yogurt or buttermilk)
1/3 cup (approximately) ice water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 to 8 pieces

To Make The Dough By Hand: stir the sour cream and 1/.3 cup ice water together in a small bowl and set aside. Put the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a fork to mix. Drop the butter pieces into the bowl, tossing them once or twice just to coat them with flour. With a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour, aiming for pieces of butter that range in size from bread crumbs to small peas. The smaller pieces will make the dough tender, the larger ones will make it flaky.

Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you've added all of the sour cream, the dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if it's not, add additional cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time. With your hands, gather the curds of dough together. ( You'll have a soft, malleable dough, the kind you might want to overwork.)

Chilling The Dough: turn the dough out of the bowl and divide it in half. Press each piece of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To Make The Dough In A Food Processor: stir the sour cream and 1/3 cup ice water together in a small bowl; set aside. Put the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in the work of a processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse to combine. Drop the butter pieces into the bowl and pulse 8 to 10 times or until the mixture is speckled with pieces of butter that vary in size from bread crumbs to peas. With the machine running, add the sour cream mixture and process just until the dough forms soft, moist curds.

Chilling The Dough: Remove the dough from the processor, divide it in half, and press each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Storing: the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two, or it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped, in the refrigerator. It is convenient to roll the dough into rounds, place parchment between each round, and freeze them wrapped in plastic; this way you'll need only about 20 minutes to defrost a round of dough at room temperature before it can be filled, folded into a Galette, and baked.

Berry Galette

Makes 4 To 6 Servings

This, as heirloom cookbooks used to say, is a keeper. It is so simple and inviting and so enjoyable to construct that you'll find yourself turning to it frequently. It's called a Galette because it's flat, open-faced and free-form - - the crust is rolled into a circle, the filling is piled in the center, and the edges of the crust are turned in and ruffled. The filling can be mixed berries, as suggested here (if you include strawberries, don't include many, as they're too watery), peeled soft fruits, like peaches or apricots, or, in fall and winter, tart apples or sweet pears.

1/2 recipe Galette Dough, chilled
1 1/2 cups mixed berries (or cut-up peeled fruit)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into an 11-inch circle that's about 1/8 in. thick. Since the dough is soft, you'll need to lift it now and then and toss some more flour under it and over the top. Roll up the dough around your rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Spread the berries over the dough, leaving a 2-to 3- inch border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the fruit and drizzle on the honey, if you're using it. Cut the butter into slivers and scatter it on top of the fruit. Fold the uncovered border of dough up over the filling, allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work your way around the Galette. (Because you're folding a wide edge of dough onto a smaller part of the circle, it will pleat naturally - - just go with it.) Dip a pastry brush in water, give the edge of the crust a light coating, and then sprinkle the crust with the remaining teaspoon of sugar.

Baking The Galette: Bake the Galette for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the Galette rest on the sheet for 10 minutes. Slip a wide spatula or a small baking sheet under the Galette and slide it onto the cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, cutting the tart with a pizza wheel or a sharp knife.

Storing: the Galette is best eaten the day it is made.

Back to Baking

2009-08-16T19:56:00.017-04:00

Oh my goodness. After what has seemed like a month long illness, I am finally getting back to normal. As such, I thought it was high time to get back to my adventures in baking.
I have been ever so neglectful with keeping up with all of my challenges, and believe me, I have felt terribly guilty about it. So, even though the temperature is about 40C with the humidex, I was willing to turn on my oven to an astounding 450F to finish this week's Baking Beauties challenge.

Focaccia is something I just love to eat. We have made one version already from "Baking with Julia" (Fruit Focaccia), but I knew this one was more my style. Leaf Shaped Fouggase was the recipe we tackled this week. I thought it would be quite easy, especially when you consider we have made the base focaccia dough before. Let's just say I had a few mishaps along the way. Also, you must begin the whole process a day before you plan to serve the bread, as the dough needs to chill for at least 24 hours.
After that, there is just the simple task of shaping the dough into a leaf and brushing with olive oil, herbs and salt. Another indication of how sick I've been is that we were out of olive oil. Luckily, I had some avocado oil that I think worked very well in it's place.

I was looking for the little bubbles on the surface of focaccia, and could only see a few by the edge of the dough. I decided to re-read the instructions and realized that instead of spraying the oven with water (as the recipe stated), I sprayed the actual focaccia. Oops!
The smell in the condo was out of this world. It was reminiscent of the scent when you first walk into a Subway (as in the restaurant, not the TTC). Yum. Just after twenty minutes, the focaccia were done and I took them out of the oven. The intense heat from the door opening set off our fire alarm. I was so stunned that I knocked over my bottle of avocado oil. Wonderful.
Oh well, all was well. The focaccia was baked to a lovely golden colour. I couldn't wait for it to cool to taste it. It was delicious! All the mishaps were worth it.

Ka'kat

2009-07-19T11:27:00.015-04:00

This week's Baking Beauties challenge was to make Ka'kat. Julia describes it as a Middle-Eastern version of American soft pretzels. Well, that did it for me. I love pretzels! I had high hopes for this week's baking adventure.

The recipe was very easy to follow. Although the instructions said to knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, I got a bit lazy, and through it into my mixer. Hey, that thing cost a lot of money, I might as well get as much use of it as I can! The dough was smooth and silky after it's trip to the Kitchen Aid mixer. I left it to rise for about 1 1/2 hours. When I came back to check on it, it looked like an incredibly growing "mess." So, I punched that monster down. What? Julia told me to do it.

The recipe makes 32 pieces; each piece needs to be rolled into a 6" strip and folded into a circle, much like a bagel. Once finished, the ka'kat needs to rise for a second time (only 1/2 hour). It then gets topped with egg wash and sesame seeds. They took a mere 20 minutes at 400F, and were browned to perfection! Ka'kat really looks like mini bagels and I must say, they taste quite similar as well. I can only assume that this is because I left out mahleb, which is ground sour cherry kernels. Next time I attempt this recipe, I will definitely make sure I have some on hand. I am sure it would take this recipe from mediocre to amazing!

Avery certainly enjoyed them; as you can see he could hardly wait for me to finish taking my picture to snap one up. What a guy!

Ka'kat
2 tsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
4 to 5 cups hard unbleached white flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. mahleb, ground
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water, for egg wash
3 to 4 Tbs. sesame seeds
You will need a medium-sized bread bowl, two large baking sheets, and a pastry
brush.
In a medium-sized bread bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.
Add 2 to 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, stirring constantly in the same direction to
help activate the gluten, until a thick dough begins to form. Then stire 100 times
in the same direction, about 1 minute. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Add the salt, butter, and mahleb, stir, and continue to add more flour, using a
wooden spoon to stir it in. When the dough will no longer take any more flour,
turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until
smooth and elastic, adding flour only when necessary. Rinse out the bread bowl,
oil lightly, and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to
rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1-1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough and divide into 32 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll
each piece under your palms into a cigar-shaped rope 6 to 7 inches long. (You
can also roll them in the air between your palms, letting the bread hang down
vertically from your hands.) Pinch together the ends of each rope to form an ovalshaped
loop. Place the ka'kat on lightly oiled baking sheets, at least 1/2 inch
apart. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Place the racks in the upper part of the oven, and preheat the oven to 400° F.
Just before baking, brush the breads with egg wash and sprinkle on the sesame
seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned; switch the baking sheets
after 10 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack, then wrap in a cloth to keep warm.
Serve warm.
Makes 32 oval bread rings about 3-1/2 inches across.

No, it's Not Science Class - it's Cooking

2009-07-14T17:33:00.013-04:00

This month's Daring Cook's challenge was also my first attempt at molecular cuisine. Specifically, we would be investigating the intensification of flavours when dried. The dried herbs and flavouring agents would then be ground into a powder and used as an accompaniment to some poached fish.
Being an A+ science student (ha), I wasn't too worried about this month's challenge. However, the day I planned on making everything, the universe had something else in mind. I spent the entire morning in the Just for Kids clinic, after my little son came down with a rash. This meant that all of those precious hours needed to properly dry out my herbs in the oven was no longer an option. Why not postpone making the dish to another day? Well, didn't I mention I was having a dinner guest... and I promised her a dining experience like no other. And I was in no state to think of something else to make.
Since moving, I haven't really become accustomed to our microwave, since we rarely ever use it. So, finding out how long and which power level to use to dry out the flavour components was very much trial and error. The Daring Cooks forum did warn about how quickly the parsley and cilantro could burn. They definitely weren't exaggerating. There I was, with my nose pressed against the glass, watching intently. I turned away for one second and the entire thing was in flames. And, if you haven't had the pleasure of smelling smoking parsley and cilantro, not to worry; it smells exactly like another herb which is usually lit on purpose. I was sure my neighbors thought some hippies had moved in next store!
All other powders were made successfully, but I found my onion & caper powder had retained a bit too much moisture. It still had a great flavour, which I guess is the main concern, so I wasn't too disappointed.
It was an extremely wonderful challenge this month and I am really happy I was able to experiment in the kitchen a little more than I normally do.

Skate, Traditional Flavors Powdered - with changes
4 skate wings
* Beurre monte
* 300g fresh green beans
sea salt/kosher salt
1 banana
454g butter - 4 sticks
300g lemons
5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet
150g cilantro
150g parsley
100g dried banana chips
300g spray dried cream powder (or powdered milk)
100g cup minced red onion
200g capers (brined, not oil)
* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Powders - prepare ahead of time
caper / onion
lemon powder
cilantro/parsley powder
'brown butter' powder

Powders
once dried, all powders should be pulsed in a coffee grinder/spice mill/morter and pestle then passed through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.

citrus powder
300g lemons
1000g simple syrup
5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet

zest 300g of lemons (10.6 oz), remove the pith from the zest and poach in the simple syrup three times. dry with paper towels and move to a dehydrating tray. 130 for 12 hours. pulse the zest in a coffee grinder, pass through chinois, and mix with citric acid/vitamin C powder.

If you do not have a dehydrator, place in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes at medium powder. Once dried, follow the other instructions.

cilantro/parsley powder
150g cilantro
150g parsley

blanch the parsley in boiling saltwater for 1 second, submerge the leaves in ice water for 3 minutes. Dry on paper towels and place on dehydrator tray. 130 for 12 hours. grind and pass through chinois.

If you do not have a dehydrator, place in microwave for 30 seconds, turn over leaves and microwave for another thirty seconds. They should be dry by now, pulse in coffee grinder, pass through chinois and reserve.

onion powder
100g cup minced red onions

dehydrator - 130 for 12 hours
microwave at medium power for 20 minutes.

pulse in grinder, pass through chinois

Caper powder
200g capers (get the ones packed in brine/vinegar)

run the capers under cold water for two minutes to remove some of the brine.
dry on paper towels and dehydrate for 12 hours at 130 degrees.
microwave instructions are unclear. Dry them as much a possible with paper towels, the microwave on medium for 1 minute. Check the moisture content and stir them. repeat for 30 second intervals until they are dry. If you use this method, pleas post the time needed to dry the capers.

Once dry, pulse and sift the powder. Mix it with the onion powder.

Brown Butter powder

100g Dried banana chips (unsweetened if possible - many are coated in honey - the freeze dried ones would be brilliant)
300g spray dried cream powder

If you cannot find the cream powder, you can substitute Bob's red mill non fat dry milk powder, or even carnation instant milk powder. The substitutions will alter the flavor a little, but you will still get the general idea.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees, sift the cream powder into a fine layer on a silpat or on parchment. bake for 4 minutes, then remove for heat. If it bakes for too long, it will burn. Be very cautious with all powders in the oven. They all go from browned to burnt in a few seconds.

grind the banana chips in a coffee grinder and mix with the toasted cream powder. Pass this through a chinois and reserve.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Skate
Prepare the skate - 50G v shaped cuts are recommended
Bring 100g water, 100g beurre monte, and green bean rounds to a boil over high heat. Cook until the water has evaporated (about 3 minutes), when the pan is almost dry, remove it from heat and season with 3g salt

bring 300g water and 300g beurre monte to simmer over medium heat, add skate wings and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and flip the wing over and let rest in pan for two more minutes. Transfer to warming tray lined with parchment and season with 5 grams of fine sea salt.

Plating

Take the tip of a small spoon and make a small mound of the citrus powder, the onion-caper powder, and the cilantro parsley-powder. Swirl these around in a hurricane type pattern. I found that it is easier, and you get finer lines if you lightly shake the plate to flatten out the mounds, then swirl the spoon through it to get the pattern.

peel the remaining banana into very think slices (3mm) fan three slices on the plate, place green beans on top and place skate wing portion on top. On the tall edge, sprinkle the brown butter powder.

French Strawberry Cake

2009-07-12T14:06:00.011-04:00

This week's Baking Beauties assignment was to make a French Strawberry Cake. In all honesty, I completed this cake a couple of weeks ago, to serve for dessert when we had some dinner guests. I was so pleased to be able to use the most delicious, fresh Ontario strawberries in this recipe. It wasn't the most attractive thing I've ever produced, but the flavour more than made up for its appearance.
And now you are going to think that I purposely avoided posting pictures because of the ugliness of my finished cake. It's simply not true. It just so happens that my wonderfully inquisitive son completely destroyed our computer (where all of my pictures had been loaded). This morning, out of desperation and anger from trying to use even start-up our clunker of a computer, we went out and bought a shiny, brand new laptop. Yes! This one is strictly hands off for the little tyke - no matter how much he fusses and whines.

So, until I find some time & patience or (more likely) a magic wand to impart some life back into our old computer, those pictures will not be making an appearance on this blog anytime soon.
So,back to the cake. The base of this cake is a genoise. It's the French standard for cakes, much as our standard over here is a butter cake (which happens to be so much more boring, in my opinion). Of course, it's intersting texture also means it's also more difficult to execute. Thankfully, I have my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer to whip those eggs and sugar into the viscous mass that is required by the recipe. Julia says to mix them until a ribbon stays on the surface for 10 seconds. Mine, in fact, never disappeared. Good job, KA!
Since there is no leavening agent in the batter, all of the air that you incorporate into the mix is all that will keep the finished cake light and airy. You need to be extremely careful while folding in the dry ingredients. While at cooking school, I remember doing this process by hand. I stuck with using the spatula this time. It seemed to have done the job!

Now, my one mistake is that I thought I was smart in using a 7" round pan instead of the suggested 8", so that my finished cake would be taller, and therefore easier to slice into three pieces. Unfortunately, this resulted in a big portion of the batter spilling over the sides of the pan while cooking. I won't be making that mistake again.
The cream was a breeze to mix together and I especially enjoyed the slight tang that the addition of sour cream added to the frosting.
Overall, I enjoyed this recipe. The cake was basic enough to really let the flavour of the strawberries shine through. And, by not cooking the strawberries with sugar, the freshness wasn't lost. I will definitely have a redo of this recipe, if only to use up the last of the strawberries we picked by hand. Is there a better excuse to make cake?

Before I sign off, I'd like to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to my sister Michele, her husband Jerry and their son Truman. On Saturday they welcomed the beautiful Oliver Henri Topolski as the newest member of their clan. Oliver, you are just gorgeous!

Hazelnut Heaven

2009-07-05T07:56:00.012-04:00

I've got to say that I am so happy I was able to snap up a picture of this week's Baking Beauties challenge before they were all devoured. They were that good. I actually had to hide one in the refrigerator to make sure it wasn't eaten before I could get out my camera.

And I wish I could blame the disappearing little cakes on my husband, but this one was all me. I have a thing for "nutty" desserts - so this was right up my alley. The delicious little loaves, which I cooked in muffin tins instead of mini loaf pans, were so delicate and flavourful, I just couldn't help myself. The hazelnut flavour was strong, but not overpowering. I also noted a slight coconut flavour to them, although there was no coconut in them.

The recipe was quite straightforward and easy to accomplish. The only alteration I made was to add Frangelico instead of the almond extract. Oh, and I didn't have creme fraiche, so I just added heavy cream....Mmmm, cream.

Hazelnut Baby Loaves
1/3 cup hazelnuts, peeled (see below)
1 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure almond extract ( vanilla will do..)
1 cup creme fraiche, homemade or store-bought, OR
heavy cream, at room temperature
1 stick(4 ounces, nearly 100 gms) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Melted butter, for greasing the pans
little flour for dusting the pans

Here we go..

To skin the hazelnuts, bring a cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add 1/2 a tsp of baking soda and the nuts, and boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the water turns black. To test if the skins have loosened sufficiently, drop a nut into a bowl of cold water and rub lightly against the skin. if the skin just slides off,the nuts are ready to go. Turn the nuts into a colander and run cold water over them. Slip off the skins, toss the nuts into a towel, pat dry, and use as required.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 deg F(180 deg C). Brush a light coating of butter over the insides of 8 mini-loaf pans, each 4 1/4 by 2 1/2 by 2 inches. Dust the inside of the pan with a little flour and tap out the excess.
Place the hazelnuts and 1 tbsp of sugar in a mixer or processor and just process until the nuts are finely ground, taking care not to overdo this or you'll end up with hazelnut butter. Its absolutely fine if its not totally ground. Whisk or stir together the ground hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, and salt just to combine; set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the almond extract to the creame fraiche and stir to blend and loosen the creme fraiche; reserve.
Put the butter and the remaining sugar in the bowl of a paddle attachment, or use a hand-held mixer, and beat on a medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, scarping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. The butter and sugar must be beaten until they are light, fluffy, and pale, so don't rush it- the process can take 3 to 4 minutes with a heavy-duty mixer or 6 to 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer.
Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, filling the pans between half and two-thirds full, then give each pan a couple of raps against the countertop to settle the batter.
Place the pans in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. (Test a couple of the cakes to be certain.) Remove from the oven, turn them out of their pans onto a rack and cool.
The loaves can be served warm or at room temperature.

Fruit Focaccia - This Week's Baking Beauties Challenge

2009-06-28T15:27:00.011-04:00

Oh my. Not only did I complete a Daring Cook's Challenge on Friday (you'll have to wait until July 14th to see the results), a Daring Baker's Challenge yesterday, but also a Baking Beuties Challenge today. What a busy weekend... and I've got to say, I am ordering in dinner tonight. These hands will not be touching any more pots or pans today.

The Fruit Focaccia from Julia Child's "Baking with Julia" is a straightforward recipe, with not too much work involved (minus resting/proofing time of course). It kind of reminds me of the flavour of Panettone, without all of the cake around it. I think that I would have preferred the focaccia with a bit less fruit in it. I am a bread fiend, so anything that takes away from it just seems like a waste.

I can't really say if I'd make this again, as I am kind of indifferent to the finished product. It did make me want to make a savoury focaccia though - maybe of the rosemary/sea salt variety. But I will save that for another weekend because as of right now... I. AM. DONE.

Tart...er... Pudding... Who Cares?! It's Delicious!

2009-06-27T19:43:00.025-04:00

June was a month that just seemed to speed by. Could it be at all due to the fact that it was my last month on maternity leave? Hmmm... maybe. I am sure it was also helped by the weather, which finally stayed above the 20C mark, meaning much of our days were spent outside. I am using this as my excuse for almost missing this month's Daring Bakers Challenge. In fact, I only completed the challenge today -which also happens to be our day to post our results. Well, as they say, there is a first time for everything.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

I must say, I am almost happy that I waited so long to finish this month's challenge, as the delicious summer ripe fruit has started to role in! So, how was I going to choose which fruit to use for my Bakewell Tart... er... pudding. After some deliberation, I decided on a few classic pairings: strawberry & rhubarb and peach & blueberry.

This Bakewell dessert starts off with a simple sweet shortbread crust and is layered with (my last minute) homemade jam and frangipane. This recipe would compliment almost any fruit preserve or jam, and with summer finally upon us, there is an abundance to choose from.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding
Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Baking Biscotti

2009-06-21T17:08:00.008-04:00

This week's Baking Beauties challenge was to make biscotti. Well, as Julia points out, any cookie in Italy is called "biscotti." What we were making is what we in North America think of when we hear biscotti. The proper name of the cookie is actually Cantuccini and it is delicious.
It is such an easy cookie to make, with little more to it than flour, sugar, eggs and whatever flavour components you want to stick in. The original Julia Child recipe calls for the addition of unblanched almonds, however, I had on hand some pistachios and cocoa nibs that I thought would be a delicious alternative.
The recipe in "Baking with Julia" makes eight dozen, so I scaled the recipe down in half. Normally, I would have made the entire thing and freeze half, but it is so easy to do, there is no need to prepare batches ahead of time.
This cookie has a great flavour and you can eat a handful without having to feel guilty. The only fat in the recipe comes from the eggs (and I guess whatever other sinful additions you make on your own accord).
The only pitfall to these tasty treats is that if you plan on serving them to guests, be prepared to also make some accompanying lattes, as these biscotti just beg to be dipped into a frothy beverage. So, dust of your espresso maker, call up some friends and ENJOY!

To the Birthday Boy, Who's as Cute as Apple Pie (er... Tart?)

2009-06-14T19:01:00.022-04:00

This is going to be a double post today. Not only must I talk about the delicious French Apple Tart I made for this week's Baking Beauties challenge, but also the completion of Avery's birthday cake.

Let's start with the French Apple Tart. The crust for this tart is made with only vegetable shortening and produces a beautifully flaky crust. While I loved the texture, I thought it was missing that richness in flavour you get in a crust made with butter. The filling for this tart is made with roasted apples, mixed with sugar, cinnamon and breadcrumbs. I didn't have enough of the required crumbs, so I made my own using dried cake scraps. YUM! The tart is then topped with thinly sliced apples, fanned ever so attractively across the filling.
I really enjoyed this tart, as did my parents (whom I served it to during their weekly visit). I even enjoyed it, dare I say, more than apple pie?! I honestly could eat the filling on it's own! This will definitely be a recipe I will make again and again and again.

Avery's 1st birthday party was a hit. And, I am happy to note that I pulled it all off (with some help from the hubby and friends) with no stress... well, just a little bit of stress, but that's normal, right?
I was pleased with the spread: BL-Tea sandwiches, grilled vegetable canapes, prosciutto & fig/port sandwiches, various cheeses, crudites, fruit plates and the birthday cake.

The idea for Avery's cake came from an ice cream I made back in February called cereal milk ice cream. I have always loved the flavour of the milk left in bowl after I eat cereal. I wanted to see if that flavour could be captured elsewhere. For the cake, I took it one step further and based the cake on the flavour of Lucky Charms. I used my no fail white cake recipe, and in place of the milk, I used milk which I had steeped with toasted Corn Flakes. The mousseline buttercream was flavoured simply with vanilla beans. Lastly, the fondant was made with marshmallows. Combined, the flavour was reminiscent of our childhood favourite sugary breakfast cereal.
Avery enjoyed his first slice of cake immensely, as did all the other guests at his party. I have a sinking suspicion he has acquired his father's sweet tooth! Anyways, it was a labour of love completing this cake for my baby, who I guess isn't really a baby anymore. Happy 1st Birthday Avery!

Blowing Bubbles

2009-06-07T20:37:00.017-04:00

I swear this is not going to be a growing trend... but once again, I passed on the Baking Beauties challenge for this week. The reasoning behind this week's lack of participation is my little Avery's upcoming birthday.
My darling baby will be turning one this week. Of course, since I love making cakes, I had to come up with something outstanding for his first birthday, right?! I have settled on a cake which will be shaped as baby blocks. Resting on the cake board with the cake will be some of his favourite play things fashioned out of gum paste.
One of his favourites (for the moment) is bubbles. He just goes crazy for them. He fiercely waves his tiny arms when he sees us take out the plastic wand. He actually has figured out how to blow them himself, albeit not that well. He growls while doing it, but that just makes it even more adorable.
I thought a great addition to the gum paste bottle and bubble wand would be bubbles scattered across the cake board. But how to do it?

After some research, I found a number of helpful instructions on how to "blow sugar balls" (be careful if you type this into google, as a whole slew of NSFW sites come up). The basic idea is to make a sugar syrup which is boiled to 305F. It is then placed on an oiled marble slab and is folded in on itself until it becomes a semi solid. At this point you can (with protected hands) start the pulling process. It is important to aerate the sugar concoction to produce a wonderful sheen on the finished product. The soft sugar is placed around either a wooden or metal mouthpiece attached to a pump and air is forced into it, while the sugar is shaped into the desired form.
Now, there is a lot of "recommended" equipment suggested for blowing sugar balls - heat lamps, air pumps, spirit burner. However, I accomplished the task with a bamboo straw, a hair dryer and some latex cleaning gloves. It was relatively easy and a lot of fun. As soon as things calm down a bit, I might even attempt some other sugarwork. But, for at least another week, my focus is solely on Avery's cake and birthday party.

Passing on Pizza Rustica

2009-05-31T20:29:00.006-04:00

I don't know why I don't read recipes ahead of time. It wasn't until Thursday when talking with a fellow Baking Beauty that I discovered Pizza Rustica was actually a quiche masquerading under the name "pizza."
Unfortunately, a sensitivity to eggs runs through the O'Brien household - so I opted to skip out on this week's recipe.
So, instead, I bring you a delightful muffin recipe adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley.
I love muffins, not only for breakfast, but for a snack at any time of the day. These ones definitely satisfy! These muffins are easy to prepare and have a bright, tangy flavour.

Orange, Dried Cranberry and Cornmeal Muffins
Regan Daley, In the Sweet Kitchen
12 Regular Muffins

Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup bulghur or millet
2 large eggs
grated zest of one orange
1 1/2 cups orange juice, with pulp
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup dried cranberries, plumped in warm water & drained

1. Heat oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin tin with paper liners. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add sugar, cornmeal, bulghur and stir with a fork.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and add orange juice, zest and butter. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing just until combined (you should still see floury patches). Gently fold in cranberries.
3. Spoon into tins. Bake approximately 25 minutes, until tops are golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

Simply Strudel - This Month's Daring Bakers Challenge

2009-05-27T21:19:00.010-04:00

Oh my goodness. For the second month in a row, I've almost missed the post date for our Daring Bakers Challenge. I don't know... maybe all of these cooking/baking clubs are beginning to get a bit much for me. Nah! Forget it! I just need to be more organized.

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Being of German descent, this challenge was right up my alley. I think fondly of the afternoons spent with my family, having coffee and 'apfelstrudel mit sahne'. But, this also meant that when I decided to bring my completed challenge to Mother's Day brunch, I was going to have an expert panel to impress.

For my first round of strudel making (yes, there did end up being a few), I decided on a roasted plum and pistachio strudel. Although plums are not in season right now, I just love their flavour, and it very much reminds me of my Deutsche relatives. I roasted the plums in the oven with a bit of brown sugar for about 45 minutes. In place of the bread crumbs between the layers of dough, I sprinkled crushed pistachios. What a delicious combination!

I also felt it necessary to bring along one of the most traditional strudels - Topfenstrudel. The filling is made quite simply with quark cheese, butter, sugar, eggs and a little lemon zest. I didn't secure the dough as well as I should have, and had a bit of leakage. But, no harm done - the strudel was still a success.

Lastly, I attempted the classic apple strudel. It is so simple in flavour, but that is what is so great about it. You have the softness of the apples in between the flakiness of the crust. Of course, there is no better thing to accompany strudel than whipped cream, and a lot of it!

I found the dough itself quite easy to prepare. The rolling/stretching of the dough was not difficult, just messy. Thankfully, I finally have a big enough counter to fit the 2'x 3' stretched dough. I can't imagine having to do this in my last apartment!

This is definitely a recipe I will come back to because the possibilities are endless. I have only tackled three simple sweet versions, and never even ventured to the savoury side. The entire process doesn't take that long, and I find the results are always impressive. I can't wait to see what the DB's have in store for us next!

Apple Strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Lovely Lemon Loaf

2009-05-24T07:15:00.014-04:00

I was very happy that this week's Baking Beauties assignment was on the lighter side of baking; easy to prepare and not nausea inducing from too much chocolate (my apologies for last week ladies).

I quickly whipped up this cake on weeknight and I think the whole process took maybe 15 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time when you have a mischievous infant running around.

The loaf has a wonderfully pronounced lemon flavour, all thanks to the addition of the zest of three lemons. It has a beautifully dense crumb and really serves better the day after it is baked to give time for the crumb to set. As per Julia's suggestion, I sliced the loaf quite thinly, and served it with freshly whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Absolutely reminiscent of a summer afternoon.

I enjoyed this challenge much more than last week's... but must admit I am looking forward to next week's savoury recipe. And really, when am I ever not in the mood for pizza!

Boca Negra - Never Again!

2009-05-17T14:36:00.011-04:00

This week's Baking Beauties challenge was to make Boca Negra. For those who are not familiar, this is an extremely rich, liquor perfumed cake, topped off with a white chocolate ganache. I've gotta say Julia, this was a bit much, even for you!

I took the thinnest slice possible and toned down the white chocolate ganache by folding it with some whipped cream; I am still feeling a bit ill almost two hours after eating it.

It's not that the cake wasn't tasty - it was. The cake was just too decadent for this baker. Also, I had one tiny complication. Julia is adamant that you bake the cake for precisely 30 minutes. Well, after 30 minutes, I had my doubts that it had set, but what was I to do? I had put my trust in Julia's expertise... and let's just say that when I inverted the pan, there was one hot mess on the plate. No harm done though, I just poured everything back into my pan, and cooked it a bit longer.

I must say I did enjoy the addition of alcohol to this cake and the accompanying ganache. I substituted some Crown Royale for the bourbon with excellent results. But, on the whole, the cake wasn't my favourite. So, chances are, I will not be revisiting this recipe.

The First Ever Daring Cooks Challenge

2009-05-14T07:49:00.009-04:00

As if I needed another baking/cooking/anything group to occupy my time... but I just couldn't help myself.
While I've inundated myself with enough sweets to induce even the healthiest into a diabetic coma, I thought by joining the Daring Cooks, it would help balance things out.

The lovely creators of the Daring Bakers have long had this group in the works, so it was with much anticipation that we learned of the first challenge... Ricotta Gnocchi! They chose the recipe from the stunning cookbook by Judy Rodgers, named after her restaurant, The Zuni Café Cookbook.

I love gnocchi, but have only tried my hand at the potato variety. I wondered how bland ricotta could be transformed into something flavourful and savoury. Well, for me, it was the addition of a hearty dose of nutmeg, salt and white pepper. I topped it very simply with some freshly shaved parmesan and fresh cracked black pepper. And, the best part? I got to serve it to my little A-man (he loved it). It was delectable, and a nice easy challenge to start off this exciting group.

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi
Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.

For the gnocchi:
1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)
½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)
about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:
8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.

To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.
Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.
Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.
Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.
Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.
Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.

Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.
In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.
With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.
At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.
Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.
You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.

Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.
In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.
Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.
Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).
When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.
Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.

Better Late Than Never - Best Ever Brownies

2009-05-11T19:43:00.006-04:00

I really meant to complete this week's Baking Beauties challenge on Sunday, really I did. Not only was I celebrating my first ever Mother's Day, we were also toasting to my husband's birthday. Needless to say, the weekend was jam packed and went by way too quickly. Before I knew it, it was 8pm on Sunday evening and I was just too pooped to start baking, let alone blog about it.

It almost seems like fate though, since I am having a bunch of the local Junction mom's over for coffee and tea tomorrow, and brownies are a perfect accompaniment. And I am sure this recipe will receive rave reviews.

While this recipe was slightly more labour intensive than other brownies I have made, the end result is so good, it's worth the extra effort. I practically had to chain my husband away from the pan! This is definitely a recipe I will be revisiting in the future... perhaps with some homemade coffee ice cream and crushed toasted almonds. Yum!

Croissants Challenging? Yes, yes they are!

2009-05-03T20:31:00.017-04:00

So, this week's Baking Beauties challenge (and I do mean challenge) was to make croissants. I had really wanted to make them for my parents when they visited this week, but I miscalculated how much time was needed.
I admit, I cheated slightly and waited a mere half hour between each turn of the dough instead of the two hours as suggested in the recipe. I just couldn't bare to wait so long. I was doing well for time until I noticed that after the croissants are formed, they need to proof for three to four hours. Proofing is essential for creating a light and airy product, so you can't skip this step. So, I had to send my parents home with raw, unproofed croissants that they could bake when they finally made it home.

The dough itself was simple to make, thanks in large part to my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I had one issue while turning the dough; the butter was seeping out all over the place. Fortunately, by the time I made it to the third turn, everything looked beautiful and I was feeling happy about my progress.

The smell throughout the house while the croissants were baking was unbelievable. Honestly, someone needs to bottle it up - I would pay big bucks to have that smell wafting through my kitchen on a regular basis! It was hard to wait for the croissants to cool before taking a bite, but it is apparently crucial to allow the layers to settle before eating.

I made two varieties of croissants: chocolate and almond. I was so happy with the almond filling; it tasted exactly as that of my favourite bakery. But, the chocolate was also sinfully delicious, and I am almost embarrassed to say that everything was devoured in the span of three days.

While I was quite impressed with how well my croissants turned out, they were still a far cry from the deliciousness that is served at my favourite patisserie, Ma Maison. I guess I need to keep practicing to improve my technique. And, I am pretty sure I wouldn't hear any complaints about it in this household.

Ole Mole Cheesecake - This Month's Daring Baker's Challenge

2009-04-27T21:49:00.003-04:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.
What to do with a cheesecake? The possibilities are absolutely endless. But how to decide?
For whatever reason, my mind wandered south of the border, and landed on a cheesecake inspired by the Mexican mole sauce.
For the crust, I added ground, toasted pumpkin seeds and a dash of cinnamon to the regular graham cracker crust.
The cheesecake itself was flavoured with about 5oz of melted dark chocolate and a healthy dose of chili pepper. It was just enough heat to leave a nice warmth in your throat after finishing a piece.
Now, although this has nothing to do with a mole sauce, I thought the entire cake would serve well to be topped with a dulce de leche mousse. The cake obviously wasn't indulgent enough on it's own.
I served the cheesecake on Easter and it was a hit.
You will need to excuse my lack of picture as I just finished moving all of my pictures from my computer to an external hard drive... and will have to find some time tomorrow to retrieve at least one of cheesecake! But, believe me, the picture won't do it any justice.

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Crazy for Cocoa Crisps

2009-04-26T20:26:00.009-04:00

I am so surprised that through this crazy busy week I was able to complete this week's Baking Beauties assignment. However, it wasn't that difficult of a recipe to complete, thankfully. Avery was watching intently while I was making the dough, and even tried to help clean out the bowl.

Once again, I didn't pay attention to how many cookies the recipe made (and like the X-cookies, this recipe made an astounding 5 1/2 dozen). But, this cookie recipe is great in the fact that the dough can be frozen for a month. So, I didn't bake off the full batch.

A quick 10 minutes in the oven and you are left with nice, crisp, not-so-sweet cookie. YUMMY! The cookies are good, but nothing could excite me more than next week's assignment - croissants!!!!

My Best Friend's Wedding!

2009-04-25T14:11:00.021-04:00

One of my oldest and dearest friend's, Kim (of Not Julia) got married last night. It was a whirlwind romance; a brief ten year courtship before they tied the knot (although I shouldn't poke fun, as that was as long as it took for my husband to pop the question!).
I not only had the pleasure of being her maid of honour, but as well, Kim bestowed on me the privilege of making their wedding cake. I should note that I am also lucky in the fact that Kim and Craig are two of the most easy going people I have ever met. There was a good chance I would never encounter any Bridzilla moments from Kim.

The happy couple opted for a three tiered cake, with the bottom and top tiers made of chai spiced cake with chai mousseline buttercream and the middle tier a more standard vanilla cake with lemon curd flavoured buttercream. Everything was topped with an exceptionally sweet white fondant - this is the one instance where I believe aesthetics takes precedence over taste.
I can't believe how much I agonized over this cake. Actually, that's not entirely true... I knew I would obsess over it. I wanted to make sure that the cake was exactly what Kim and Craig expected.

Once the cake was completed, and I had finally restricted myself from touching it any more, my anxiousness turned to how I would transport the heavy, sugary beast to the venue. I was lucky enough to have a van show up as my cab ride, with an extremely friendly and helpful driver. As soon as the cake left my hands, I huge relief washed over me and I was ready to enjoy the night...and what a night it was.
CONGRATULATIONS to Kim & Craig! Kim you looked absolutely gorgeous! And Craig, you rocked that swanky suit! Here's wishing you all the best in the years to come!

We're on a (Chiffon) Roll!

2009-04-19T10:44:00.020-04:00

I have a feeling I may be one of the only Baking Beauties to complete this week's challenge. While talking with some of the other members, I could sense their panic with the lengthy recipe for the Vanilla Chiffon Roll. But, the Beauties could have relaxed. The recipe actually wasn't too tricky at all. I must admit that there was a tiny stressful moment (mixed with a very messy counter top) while I tried to roll the cake around the mousse. However, all ended very well.

The cake portion of this recipe was simple and quick; it takes only ten minutes to bake! I made a few substitutions, which thankfully, didn't compromise the quality of the finished cake. I didn't have any vegetable oil on hand, so I used olive oil. The cake took on a slightly fruity flavour because of it, which paired very well with the mousse.

The mousse was a bit more laborious than the cake portion of the recipe. I tackled the mousse in the evening, after my little bug had gone to sleep. I didn't need any extra tiny hands getting into the mix! However, since our move, not everything is where it should be. The walnuts needed for the recipe were being held hostage in Avery's closet and would not be making an appearance for this cake. I did have pistachios (my favourite) available, and decided that they were just as good (if not better) to use. Much grinding and whisking later, a deliciously rich and not overly sweet mousse was created.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, the trickiest part of the recipe was assembling the cake. The cake is thin, large and delicate. I was quite satisfied that it didn't crack when rolling it over the mousse. Of course, I had been too impatient to let the mousse firm up a bit before attempting to assemble everything, so much of it came out of the sides. It was the perfect excuse to eat up the spillage. I wrapped the assembled cake and left it in the fridge to firm up overnight.

I brought most of the cake to a Mommy playgroup, where it was gobbled up quite quickly. I was happy to hear good reviews all around. This is definitely a recipe I would try again. In the summer, I imagine it with stabilized whipped cream and fresh berries for a light and tasty dessert.

Sweet or Savoury, Scones Satisfy

2009-04-11T20:22:00.009-04:00

Being a mom of a small child, you realize that being able to grab something at a moment's notice may be your only chance of eating during the day. Scones are quite perfect for this; a light, flaky pastry which eases hunger until you are able to make a real meal.

This week's Baking Beauties assignment was to make plain scones, however, I decided to deviate from the original Julia Child recipe to create something a little more exciting.

I made both a savoury and a sweet version of the delightful pastry, opting for a refreshing lavender & lemon and wonderfully balanced dried pear & aged Gouda. I really can not tell you which one was more well received.

For the lavender & lemon scones, I didn't do much to alter the recipe. I substituted lavender sugar for regular granulated sugar, and I added about one tablespoon of lavender buds to the recipe. Since the recipe already called for lemon zest (quite a lot as well), there was no need for any other additions.

The alterations for the dried pear and aged Gouda were also quite simple. The addition of dried pear guarantees an intensity of flavour and sweetness that helps balance out the pungency of the Gouda. Drying out pear slices took minimal effort; I sliced two Bartlett pears, laying the slices out on a baking sheet and baked them for four hours at 200 degrees F (flipping once halfway through). I diced the dried pears (about 6 tablespoons in total)and added, along with two cups of grated Gouda, right before incorporating the milk. A large pinch of cayenne pepper with a healthy dash of fleur de sel helped to round out of the flavour of the scone.

This is definitely a recipe I will go back to. I just think it will be hard to decide what flavour to make next!

Break Out the Champagne Meringues!

2009-04-05T11:36:00.016-04:00

This week's Baking Beauties assignment was to tackle meringue cookies.
I have made meringue cookies on many different occasions, so I wasn't too concerned about the execution of it.
However, I was interested to see the results of a meringue done in a kitchen with proper temperature control. See, I am used to kitchens that are either incredibly hot and humid (some of you may remember the Morningside Manor) or incredibly cold (our last apartment). It definitely helped produce an airier and crispier final product - that, or my technique is improving. I'd like to think it's a bit of both!

So, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Kim (of
Not Julia) is getting married this month. I had the privilege of being appointed her maid of honour, and as such, had the task of throwing her a soiree to celebrate the end of her single days. I thought there would be no better place to bring an assortment of meringue cookies. And, there was nothing more fitting than to flavour them with champagne.

I must admit that I am not really a fan of meringues. I love how they look and they are one of my favourite things to pipe out. But, since I prefer things are not overly sweet, I find them to be a bit much. I am happy to say that there were several ladies in attendance of Kim's bachelorette that happened to love them... so I will conclude that this week's challenge was a success!

A Little Cookie Love

2009-04-01T19:09:00.012-04:00

Since Avery was born last June, my parents have been coming to visit almost every week. It is so nice to have them close by and able to spend time with our little guy. The least I can do is make sure to have some treats and coffee ready for them when they arrive!

This week was no exception. However, things are still a bit crazy over here, so I had to go with something simple - cookies. Today's choice was Cocoa Nib Hazelnut cookies. I must say, I was quite pleased with the results. An eggless cookie dough, with a healthy addition of hemilayan salt was the perfect addition to our afternoon coffee.

The dough is easliy formed into a log to chill before baking. And while you are at it, just make a double batch and put one aside in the freezer. Just slice and pop into the oven whenever you have an unexpected guest - or whenever you need a little treat!

Cocoa Nib & Hazelnut Cookies
Makes two dozen

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup demerara sugar
3/4 tsp pink himalayan salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted & chopped
1/3 cup organic cocoa nibs
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Cream butter, sugar and salt in bowl of mixer and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla.
2. Mix in hazelnuts and cocoa nibs until combined. Add flour and mix on low until incorporated.
3. Form dough into 12-inch log about 2 inches thick. Wrap in parchment and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or freeze (up to three months).
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown at the edges. Let cookies firm up on the pans for about 1 minute before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Not Your Basic Blueberry Muffin

2009-03-29T19:51:00.007-04:00

I missed last week's Baking Beauties recipe because things were just crazy around here. But, this week, I am back, and finished the recipe just under the wire.

This week's challenge was to make blueberry muffins, however, this was not a typical muffin recipe. The recipe we used from Julia Child's "Baking with Julia" was actually more of a cake style muffin.
We were required to cream the sugar with butter, and then add eggs and continue to beat until very fluffy. We then added the dry ingredients (which included cake flour) and wet ingredients alternately. I The result was a flat topped, soft textured, buttery blueberry muffin.

I can't say that I love them. They are good, but they are not what I expect from a muffin. I like muffins that are more of a dense texture. Having said that, I am sure they will still be gone by the end of tomorrow; we like our baked goods!

Loving Lasagna - March's Daring Bakers Challenge

2009-03-28T16:01:00.014-04:00

When I saw that this month's Daring Bakers Challenge was a return to the savoury, I was quite happy. I was even more delighted in the fact that it was something that would take care of dinner and lunches for a couple of days. The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
We've had an incredibly busy month, having just moved into our new condo this past week. Knowing that things would be getting crazier as the month went on, I completed the Daring Bakers Challenge quite early. Since we were only required to follow the pasta recipe verbatim, and were able to alter the fillings, I chose a sweet tomato sauce, a simple bechamel sauce and a mascarpone & ricotta mix to complete my lasagna.

I found the pasta quite simple to make, but I could have added a tad bit more flour as it was quite sticky when rolling out. I own a pasta maker, which made the whole process that much easier. Many of the Daring Bakers had to do it by hand. 'Respek' to them, as my arms were sore enough after kneading the dough for ten minutes; I can't imagine what they would have felt like after rolling the dough paper thin!

The sauce I made was basic, but very flavourful. Since spring has just arrived, garden fresh tomatoes are not available; I was forced to use the trusty canned variety. I simmered them in a pot with sauteed onions, garlic and carrots (to add a touch of sweetness). When the sauce got a bit thick, I added some fresh basil, and took my hand blender to it. And, of course, I tossed in a few swigs of a full bodied red wine at the end for good measure!

For the cheese portion, I mixed ricotta with a cup of mascarpone. I added an egg, fresh basil and salt & pepper. The bechamel sauce was made with an equal weight of butter to flour with a few cups of whole milk. I have to admit, I had quite a bit left over. If I was thinking properly, I would have made a nice cheese sauce from the rest, but I just tossed it.

Each layer of lasagna was glued with a generous helping of freshly grated parmesan cheese... yum!

I must say the lasagna went over quite well with family and friends. Although pasta is not something I make often, I would definitely revisit this recipe whenever the urge bites me!

Pasta Verde (Spinach Egg Pasta)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.

A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Need a Night Cap?

2009-03-15T18:20:00.019-04:00

How about one made of chocolate and mint?

I should have finished the Baking Beauties challenge earlier this week, as I needed something to help relax my mind before bed. I have been stressed out with our impending move and am finding it difficult to quiet my thoughts. These chocolate cookies, with a mint ganache filling, would easily send me off to a pleasant dreamland.

I made the Mint Nightcap Cookies over two days; I completed the ganache last night and the cookie portion this afternoon. After sneaking a little nibble of the "mint" infused chocolate ganache, I felt there wasn't enough of punch to it. I decided to add some chopped fresh mint to the cookie dough to help increase the intensity.

The ganache was a standard recipe of heavy cream and chocolate (of the semi-sweet variety). As I mentioned, the tablespoon of chopped mint did not impart enough flavour when boiled with the cream. If I were to make this recipe again, I would either let the mint steep in the cream for about half an hour, or add more than the recipe called for.

The cookie dough was quite simple to prepare. I managed to fit all of the cookies onto two baking sheets. I used a small ice cream scoop to portion out the dough, so that the sizes were all relatively equal. However, a spoon would've sufficed. I cooked them for the required 8 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.

The recipe calls for assembly just prior to serving. I plan on bringing these cookies to an afternoon get together later this week, so I only assembled a few for us to test tonight. I must say, these cookies were a treat! Quite rich in flavour, I could eat only one. I couldn't think of a better snack to send us off to bed...

Better Than Pizza?

2009-03-06T09:38:00.010-05:00

At the O'Brien household, we always order in pizza once a week, but honestly, the Tomato Cheese Galette for this week's Baking Beauties had me questioning what we were thinking.
The pastry for this galette was just divine. The addition of cornmeal to the dough leaves the cooked crust wonderfully crisp. I prepared the dough by hand; being in the middle of packing for our relocation, I couldn't be bothered to find my food processor. It came together quite quickly. It was topped simply with monterey jack, mozzarella (I used mini boccaccini), plum tomatoes and fresh basil.

The night I baked the galettes, I ate an entire one myself - and I didn't even feel guilty about it. It was that good! I can only imagine how delicious it will be during the summer months when we have garden fresh tomatoes and basil at our fingertips!

'X'trodinary Cookies

2009-03-01T06:24:00.001-05:00

This week's Baking Beauties challenge was a twist on a Sicilian favourite, and is aptly named X-Cookies.
I can't say that I've ever been a fan of fig newton's. But this cookie, filled with a mixture of figs, almonds, chocolate and rum is nothing but a distant relative of that processed fruit filled cookie.

The dough for the X-Cookie was incredibly forgiving - it is not possible to overwork! As well, the filling was a breeze to make; having just under the required amount of figs for the recipe, I substituted with extra raisins and almonds.
However, when the time came to assemble the cookies, I was faced with not only a sea, but rather an ocean of cookies. I guess I never really absorbed the part of the recipe where it states that it makes FIVE dozen. There were enough cookies for all of High Park!

Luckily, I had a few occasions coming up where I could bring these little tasty treats, so they wouldn't be in the kitchen, tempting me. I must say, they were a hit with my fellow Junction moms as well as my parents.

I am very happy that this recipe came up early in the challenge. It is definitely a cookie I would make again, and it was definitely something I wouldn't have chosen on my own. Next week the Baking Beauties move on to something savoury - Tomato & Cheese Galette. Yum!

For the Love of Chocolate

2009-02-28T10:26:00.015-05:00

This month we were sentenced to death by chocolate, courtesy of the Daring Bakers.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
For our challenge, we were required to follow the Chocolate Valentino cake recipe, but were allowed to stray when it came to our ice cream.
I know I have said it before, but I just LOVE ice cream. So hearing about this challenge sent my mind into overdrive!
I knew I would be making this treat for Valentine's Day, so I figured there was no better way to celebrate a day devoted to love than with an ice cream flavoured with an aphrodisiac.
I am always drawn to sweets flavoured with herbs, so it wasn't difficult to settle on rosemary as the base for my ice cream. Having made chocolate rosemary tarts previously, I knew it would pair with our Valentino cake beautifully.
Using David Lebeovitz basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe as a jump off point, I steeped the milk and cream with sprigs of fresh rosemary. The woody herb left the ice cream with a wonderful pale green hue.
I made small chocolate cups to house the ice cream, and topped it all off with crushed caramelized cocoa nibs.
As for the cake, I used 85% cocoa chocolate - a little too dark and rich for this cake, I think (although I didn't hear any complaints). I think if I were to make it again, I would use a mixture of dark and milk chocolate.
I've got to say I thoroughly enjoyed this month's challenge and as always, I am anxious to see what the DB crew has lined up for us next!

Chocolate Valentino from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Pound for Pound - Our first Baking Beauties Assignment

2009-02-22T09:49:00.003-05:00

To kick off the new blog group, Baking Beauties, we were assigned to make a delicious Vanilla Pound Cake... and I had the perfect occasion for it!
I brought it over to my lovely sister's house for a Family Day feast and it was a success. I made a quick blueberry sauce and cinnamon spiced whipped cream to accompany the delicately flavoured cake.

The recipe was quite easy to prepare and turned out a lovely dense crumbed cake. I substituted vanilla paste for extract, as I love seeing the tiny flecks of vanilla bean throughout the crumb. I used a standard bundt pan and baked the recipe for the full 55 minutes. A generous butter and flouring of the pan made it a breeze to unmold the cake from the pan without any tears.

Although we finished the cake long before it became stale, the genius Julia Child suggests that 'less than fresh' pound cake can be toasted and used under ice cream. I almost wish we had left some to dry out!

Next week we bake X-cookies, which are sure to be delightfully tasty!

My Funny Valentine

2009-02-11T21:26:00.014-05:00

This year, my husband has a rival for my affections - my son. Although he doesn't know it yet, my baby faces years and years of sugary confections I will make especially for the two of them. Something else he has yet to understand is that he will have to contend with his father for his fair share!
This year I went for classic sugar cookies decorated in vibrant royal icing...both recipes courtsey of
Martha Stewart. I prefer to substitute Frangelico for the brandy, to add an extra element of flavour.

To achieve the optimal blank canvas for your decorating pleasure, ensure that you roll the dough out evenly and take the cookies out of the oven before they brown. This also helps keep the cookie softer, which is my preference. Then let your imagination take over...

It is proof that you don't need to spend money on a gift this Valentines Day. Instead, present you sweetheart with a sweet heart!

Coffee and a Doughnut

2009-02-08T09:32:00.031-05:00

Well, technically, it's a beignet... but why split hairs!

This is what Sunday mornings are made for - fresh, hot brandied apple beignets with a strong shot of espresso. This, of course, is followed by staying in our pajamas a little longer than we should, enjoying each others company.

Doughnuts are not something I make often (much to my husband's dismay). We are moving in just over a month and as such, I have started clean sweeping our apartment. I came upon my fairly new, fairly unused deep fryer. I bought it on a whim, envisioning many tasty (sinful) treats that would be had by all. But, after making a delicious batch of pumpkin spice doughnuts soon after the purchase, I remembered why I hadn't bought a deep fryer before. I don't particularly enjoy the house (and myself) smelling like a french fry.

Realizing that I wouldn't be taking the deep fryer with us to our next abode, I decided that we should have one last hurrah. It started on Thursday evening, with some sweet potato fries (accompanied with a delectable chipotle mayo) and continued today with the apple beignets. Who knows what will come in the next few weeks. I am going to make up for many, many months of neglect before I hand it off to its next owner. Hopefully they will give it a better home than we did.

Brandied Apple Beignets as adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon
1/4 cup water
2 apples, chopped
Splash brandy
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
Confectioners' sugar

Directions
(1) Preheat a deep fryer. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and cook for 30 seconds to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon juice, water, apples, brandy and cinnamon. Cook the apples for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
(2) In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, melted butter and cooled apple mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture. Blend until the batter is incorporated. Cover the batter, place in the refrigerator and let rest for 2 to 4 hours.
(3) In a standing mixer or with a whisk, beat egg whites until stiff. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and blend until smooth. Fold in the beaten egg white. Using a large spoon, drop the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper-lined plate.
(4) To serve, mound the warm fritters on a platter and garnish with powdered sugar.

Breakfast of Champions

2009-02-01T12:11:00.023-05:00

When I was little, one of my favourite things was to load up a bowl full of Lucky Charms and milk and strategically eat through it. I would attempt to get all of the cereal parts first, then the marshmallows, saving the sweetened milk to drink at the end.
Well, Momofuku's Milk Bar has capitalized on such an idea. They serve something called "Cereal Milk," which is basically milk that has been steeped with toasted corn flakes.
I thought that sounded divine, but since I don't really ever sit down with a glass of milk I decided to covert this wonderful idea into something I eat a little too often - ice cream.
Now, I am not suggesting that you eat this for breakfast, but it is a wonderful way to finish off dinner. I think this ice cream would also be delicious with the addition of some small marshmallows (a la Lucky Charms).

Cereal Milk Ice Cream
3 cups corn flakes
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Crunchy Chocolate
125g dark chocolate
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups corn flakes

(1) Preheat oven to 250F. Spread cornflakes on cookie sheet and place into oven until toasted (about 5-7 minutes). Let cool.
(2) In a saucepan, heat 1 cup heavy cream. Add sugars and vanilla extract, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add toasted corn flakes and on medium-high, heat until just boiling. Let seep for 30 minutes.
(3) Strain cream mixture into medium bowl. Add remaining cream and milk and stir to combine. Place in the fridge to chill (at least 1 hour).
(4) In the meantime, you can make the crunchy chocolate to add to the ice cream (or skip altogether if you plan to leave the ice cream plain). Chop chocolate and melt with butter, either in a double boiler or in the microwave.
(5) Lightly crush corn flakes by placing in ziploc bag and banging with a rolling pin (or you can use your CLEAN hands - they work just as well).
(6) Mix chocolate with corn flakes and spread on parchment paper. Place in the fridge (or freezer if you can't stand to wait) until hard. Break into small pieces.
(7) Make ice cream according to your manufacturer's directions. About 5 minutes before freezing is finished, add crunchy chocolate.
(8) Place in airtight container and freeze until ready to eat.

Tuile We Meet Again...in the Springtime?

2009-01-29T14:18:00.006-05:00

I was finally waking up from the sugar induced haze of the holidays when I heard what this month's Daring Baker's Challenge was - tuiles. Boy, was I pleased.

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Tuiles are thin, crisp cookies, normally with a lace like texture. The name 'tuile' comes from their traditional curved shape that resembles the roofing tiles once used in France. We were given a choice of two batters (a Dutch version or the traditional French recipe). The stipulations were that we must shape them and pair it with something "light."

Well, seeing as I received a beautiful ice cream maker for Christmas, I thought there would be no better way of christening it than with this challenge. So, I would be shaping my tuile into a cone. Although, I couldn't just leave it at that - this was for the Daring Bakers after all. I tinted part of the batter into three different pastel colours. I used the dyed batter to create a plaid design on the ice cream cone.

I had no problems deciding on the flavour of ice cream. And while lavender Riesling ice cream may not necessarily be so light on the calories, it is light in flavour. I felt that the finished challenge definitely evoked a feeling of springtime - something I am sure all of us could use during the middle of this deep freeze.

Following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.

Tuiles
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

Waste Not, Want Not

2009-01-02T18:27:00.016-05:00

I always find myself, at the end of a baking session, left with some sort of scraps which I feel incredibly guilty for throwing out. I put the extra ganache or cake trimmings in Tupperware into the freezer, at which point I normally forget about it only to rediscover the now freezer burnt leftovers upon cleaning out the fridge.

Well, I happened upon a delightful idea from Baking Obsession...a way to turn all of your baking extras into a delicious treat. Chocolate Salami. Yes, chocolate salami. It's basically a mixture of cake and/or cookie crumbs, chocolate ganache and any tasty tidbits you'd like to throw into the mix. The salami pictured is a mixture of warped truffles (they were left too close for too long to a hot oven), white and dark chocolate ganache, cookies, nuts and chopped dates.

The recipe below is just a basic guideline. It is an excellent method for using up any bits and pieces you have lying around that you don't want to go to waste. This log is so good, you'll actually be trimming off more than you need, just to have an excuse to make some more!

Chocolate Salami
1 lb ganache (any type or mixture)
1 lb cake scraps (or any extra baked goods such as cookies, brownies, etc)
1/2 lb chopped nuts and/or dried fruit (again, any variety will do)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp of liqueur (I used Grand Marnier, but feel free to substitute with your preferred brand)

1) In a food processor, pulse the cake scraps until they resemble cookie crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl and add chopped nuts.
2) In a bain marie, remelt the chocolate ganache. Once smooth, remove from heat. Add extract and liqueur. Pour into the bowl with cake scraps.
3) Stir ganache and cake mixture well. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm.
4) Cut a piece of parchment paper, slightly longer than the desired length of finished log. Using your hands, shape refrigerated mixture into a round log. Wrap in parchment and plastic wrap. From this point, you may freeze it until needed. When ready to eat, dust unwrapped log with icing sugar, slice and enjoy.

Yuletide Greetings - This Month's Daring Baker's Challenge

2008-12-28T09:52:00.037-05:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand. In France you can buy two kinds of Yule log. The Genoise and Buttercream type is what you usually find over here in North America. What is more commonly purchased in France is a frozen Yule Log very reminiscent of an ice cream cake, only it’s not made of ice cream but rather frozen mousse of some sort. Well, anyone who knows me will understand that a dessert containing creme brulee and mousse would be an instant favourite.

I've got to admit, this month's challenge was the first that brought on a bit of panic when looking it over. However, after reading through each step, I quickly realized that it just appeared cumbersome because of all of the different layers. Each recipe was surprisingly simple to execute. The completed log had to include a dacquoise layer, a feuillantine insert, a creme brulee insert, a ganache insert, a mousse and an icing. We were given complete creative control over what flavours we wanted to include in our French Yule Log. I decided on a walnut-coconut dacquoise, cinnamon-cardamom creme brulee, cinnamon ganache, coconut dark chocolate feuillantine and dark chocolate mousse.

I served it for Christmas dessert and knew that it went over well when my sister (who is notorious for only eating half or her dessert) yelled at her husband for swiping a bite of her piece. For me, that was the best complement I could have been given. She even asked to bring a piece home! Now, that's one successful DB challenge!

Please do not be too intimidated at how long the recipe is. As I mentioned above, each layer is not difficult to make. The most efficient way to complete this recipe is to make the creme brulee layer first, followed by the chocolate mousse and feuillantine insert. Then bake the dacquoise layer and complete the ganache insert. Freeze the log at this stage overnight. The day you plan to serve the log, unmold the log and coat. Return to the freezer until serving time.

French Yule Log

Dacquoise Biscuit
2.8 oz (1/2 cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) ground walnut
2/3 cup toasted shredded coconut
1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner’s sugar
2Tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the ground walnut and the confectioner's sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds). Add shredded coconut.
2. Sift the flour into the mix.
3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
6. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).
7. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.
8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

Dark Chocolate Mousse
2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1 + 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup
0.5 oz (15g) water
50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)
6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water.
2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
2a.Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.
2b.Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.
2c.Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.
3. In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
4. Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff.
5. Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of whipped cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.
6. Add in the rest of the whipped cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.

Cinnamon Ganache Insert
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp / 135g) heavy cream
A pinch of cinnamon
2.7 oz (75g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
3.2 oz (90g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color.
2. Heat the cream with the cinnamon (use the quantity of cinnamon you want to infuse the cream, a pinch is the smallest amount suggested) until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the milk and dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

Coconut Dark Chocolate Feuillantine
3.5 oz (100g) dark chocolate
1 oz (1/3 cup/25g) shredded coconut
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) unsalted butter
2.1 oz (60g) lace crepes or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

1. Spread the coconut on a baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes at 375°F (190°C) to toast (a different temperature might work better for you with your own oven).
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir until smooth and add the toasted coconut.
3. Add the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

Cinnamon Cardamom Creme Brulee
1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp cardamom pods

1. Heat the milk, cream, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.
5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

Dark Chocolate Icing
4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.
3. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.

Assembling the French Yule Log
1)Line your mold or pan with plastic film.
2)Cut the Dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there. If you are using an actual Yule mold which is in the shape of a half-pipe, you want the Dacquoise to cover the entire half-pipe portion of the mold.
3)Pipe one third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
4)Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
5)Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
6)Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.
7)Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
8)Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
9)Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight eidge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
10)Close with the last strip of Dacquoise. Freeze until the next day.
11)Unmold the log and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan. Cover the cake with the icing.Let set. Return to the freezer.

The Long and Short"bread"of It

2008-12-14T23:01:00.006-05:00

Christmas is a season where cookies and treats are abound. Year after year, you anticipate family holiday favourites - which in my case is shortbread.
It is one of those fabulous cookies that acts as a blank canvas for any flavour you wish to enjoy, savoury or sweet. Believe me, I do not discriminate - I devour them all!

A good shortbread recipe is hard to find. One that promises a fine, sandy texture that melts into rich, buttery goodness in your mouth. The secret to achieving this comes with the addition of two things to your standard shortbread recipe: cornstarch and icing sugar. It is imperative that you sift the flour (it aids in obtaining that wonderful texture) and do not ever, under any circumstances, over work the dough. You must also ensure that only the finest quality of ingredients are used, since so few are actually in the recipe. Follow this advice and you are well on your way to baking a perfect shortbread cookie.

As I said before, there are no limitations on combinations of flavours used to enhance the plain dough. So make a few batches and have some fun with it.

Chocolate Fleur de Sel Shortbread Cookies
Makes roughly 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp fleur de sel
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dark chocolate, finely chopped

1. Mix flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl.
2. Beat butter in mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add flour and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate.
4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion cookies using a teaspoon. Flatten slightly with back of spoon. Chill formed cookies in the fridge for an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring.

While shortbread cookies keep for months in the freezer, they are best when eaten within a week. Enjoy!

Haute Chocolate!

2008-12-07T12:18:00.021-05:00

As you may or may not have noticed, taking a cue from coffee, single origin chocolate has become quite vogue. Understanding the complexities of chocolate and its unique properties has always been difficult. Now, with all of the specific varieties of chocolate available, you may need the help of a sommelier to differentiate between them.
Besides the numerous political advantages in single origin chocolate (proper trade and labour practices can be secured this way) there is the ability to blend cocoa beans to deliver a chocolate whose best features are promoted.
Of course, most of the large chocolate companies have jumped on board. However, it is easy to find local businesses doing the same thing on a much smaller scale.
Rouge Chocolatier is a particularly interesting bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer I came upon. Colin Gasko (the founder) sources, roasts, grinds, conches, tempers and molds all of the chocolate himself in a small shop in Minneapolis. And, if you are interested, they deliver to Canada!

So, celebrate the brilliance of chocolate by grabbing your favourite designer bar (70% cocoa or higher of course!) and create a luscious ganache topped chocolate cupcake.

Haute Chocolate Cupcakes

The chocolate cupcake recipe is courtesy of the always interesting Chocolate & Zucchini blog.

Chocolate Ganache
12oz chocolate
2 cups whipping cream

1. Place chocolate in a food processor. Pulse until chocolate is finely chopped.
2. Heat cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles form around edge. Pour cream into food processor and run until chocolate is melted and smooth. Place chocolate in bowl of mixer.
3. Refrigerate mixture until cold. Using whisk attachment beat chocolate mixture until soft peaks form with beater is lifted.
4. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Whipping Cream
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar

1. Place bowl of mixer and whisk attachment in fridge to chill.
2. Add cream and sugar to mixer bowl. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
3. Pipe onto cupcakes just prior to serving.

Toasted homemade marshmallows are an excellent topper to these cupcakes, just as they are to any good hot chocolate. A wonderful recipe can be found here, brought to you by Brownie Points.

Welcome...

2008-12-04T22:14:00.003-05:00

to my new blog!

This is my very first post for "Lick the Spoon." I decided I should stop crowding the blog I created for documenting my son's growth (Admiring Avery)with postings of my "Daring" adventures in the kitchen. Most of my spare time is spent by the stove anyway.

Especially with the holiday season upon us, I have many excuses to tinker in the kitchen.

Check back soon for a new post with some great holiday recipes. Until then, happy feasting!