March 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Orange Tian

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

This challenge and I had a love/hate relationship.  My crust base and caramel did not behave, but I absolutely loved the marmalade and segmenting oranges.  I got lots of practice segmenting them too, because I had to do 8 oranges.  Sadly, while I really wanted to like this dessert, it just didn't happen. While I love eating citrus fruit, I've never liked them any way other than fresh.   BUT I did enjoy the complexity and various components of the dish; I can see some of  it coming to play in later cooking adventures.

S'mores Bites

Have I got the perfect summer time dessert for you! It is a variation of the smores bars I posted quite some time ago (May '08).  Awhile ago as I was deciding what to bring for dessert to a family dinner, I remembered how everyone loves the s'mores bars,  but they are so darn messy.  How could I make them easier to eat?  Then, a voice spoke to me.. it was my mini-muffin pan calling from the pantry!  With just a few adjustments to the recipe, I created perfect, bite-sized pieces of smores heaven.  Mmhmm. 

See how the tops crackle open to show delicious marshmallowy goodness? Yuummy.

S'mores Bites

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• approximately 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1jar marshmallow fluff

Preheat oven to 350F. Generously spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. It will be kind of clumpy.



Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball.  Press the ball into a cup of the  muffin pan and gently press down so that the ball turns into a cup.  Have the dough on the sides rise to the edge of the cup itself, but make sure you have a good 1/6 to 1/4 inch of dough at the bottom.  Repeat until  you have filled the pan. (You should have a good deal of dough left.)


Drop about 5 chocolate chips into each cup, pushing down gently so they kind of stick in place.

Carefully spoon the marshmallow creme into a piping bag or a really strong zip back (the first time,  my bag busted and marshmallow goop oozed out!)  Using a circular motion, pipe about 1 tbsp of creme into each cup.  It might look overfilled at first, but the creme will settle down after sitting for a minute. Repeat.

Now, roll approximately 1  teaspoon of dough into a ball, then flatten it out into a disk.  It should be about 1/8 inch thick and about the same size as the top of the muffin cup.   Gently lay the disc atop the creme and press down GENTLY.  Repeat. 

Bake 15-20 minutes, until the tops crack open to reveal the marshmallowy awesomeness inside. 

Crawfish Empanadas and Spanish Rice

Yesterday, I started craving crawfish really badly.  Then, I leafed through the paper and saw a recipe from a local restaurant for crawfish enchiladas.   Since I needed to go to the store anyway, I decided I'd make them tonight.. Unfortunately, after returning from the store, I discovered a second column of ingredients that I had not noticed in the article.  While musing over what to do with the crawfish, I had this flash of inspiration; crawfish empanadas!  I've wanted  to make empanadas for a while now and I knew I had a recipe for dough bookmarked.  I decided I'd try my hand at "spanish rice" while I was at it.  

The empanadas were a bit disappointing, way too dry.  They would be better with a sauce, since I couldn't make the crawfish mixture too saucey for fear of the dough getting soggy and exploding.  Next time I'll create some sort of sauce, but I'll probably use a different dough as well.  

The rice on the other hand was FANTASTIC!  It was exactly how I like it.  Hubby even agreed that it was better than anything at a restaurant.  I found a recipe online and somewhat followed it.  


Spanish Rice

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies, mostly drained
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 1 tbsp cumin
• salt and red pepper to taste
• a dash of seasoned salt or chacheres

In a medium sized pot, heat olive oil.  Stir in rice and cook for a few minutes, until the rice begins to look translucent and smell nutty. 

Stir in broth and water, then add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.  

Remove from heat, cover, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

March 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Risotto

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

 I was SO excited when I saw risotto was this month's challenge! I've been considering attempting it for a month or so now, especially after I learned Courtney really wanted to make some too! Unfortunately, things kept coming up so I had to do this challenge at the last moment and couldn't get Courtney over here.  But really, that just means I'll be making another batch soon.  

The challenge was super lenient; we had to make the stock from scratch and create the risotto base, but the end result was all our own.  Hubby wanted shrimp risotto, but I didn't want to put shrimp directly in the risotto.  Instead, I decided basil and parmesan would go nicely with shrimp and thus my risotto was born.   This was my first time ever having risotto, and I totally understand why it's such a popular dish.  It is so versatile and comforting!   I can't wait to make some more with Courtney.

Brownies

Man, what a week!  Monday was super busy at work and on top of that, my computer was shut down by a virus (kind thanks to the girl who downloaded all that crap on my computer before me).  By the end of the day, I realized I just really needed brownie, and really, we all did.  So I went home, whipped up a batch, and brought them to work the next day.  Good thing I did, because every day this week has been crazy and those little squares of decadent chocolate heaven really help a girl through the afternoon.  My apologies for not having a picture, but I got them finished right before bed time and have left them at work.  But I trust you all know what a brownie looks like: square, brown, crispy flaky top. 

Brownies
(original recipe here) 

• 9 oz bittersweet chocolate (I didn't have enough so I used 6 oz bittersweet, 3 oz semi-sweet)
• 1 cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 325F.  Line a baking dish with foil and grease generously.  

In a double boiler (or a heat safe bowl over a large pot) melt the chocolate and butter just until melted.  Don't let it go too long or it will separate and get funky.  whisk in the sugar.  It will be grainy and that is okay.  

Remove from the heat and whisk in eggs one at a time.  Whisk in vanilla extract.


Finally, whisk in flour and salt until just combined.   Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-22 minutes.  (Mine took 35 minutes, but I also used a smaller pan to get thicker brownies.)


Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Not too long ago, hubby and I discovered a local restaurant, called T-Coons, that has super delicious Cajun food.  On our first visit, we were lucky enough to arrive as they were still serving breakfast and I knew I had to have their sweet potato pancake the moment I spied it on the menu.  It was  one of the best breakfast items I have ever had; it was sweet and hearty and very fluffy, considering it had sweet potato.  It was the absolute perfect texture and amazingly delicious.  I've dreamed of it since and have considered trying to make it before.  This morning, I decided it was time. 

 I used my usual pancake recipe as a basis.  It took a couple practice pancakes and adding more ingredients until I got something I was satisfied with.   The recipe still needs some modification, but I think it's a darn good start!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1  cup sugar
• 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato (I'll probably puree this next time)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.


In a separate bowl, beat eggs into mashed sweet potatoes, then mix in the melted butter and vanilla.  Slowly whisk in the milk.


Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking as you go.  The batter will be very thick. 


Heat a tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.   Spoon a third of a cup of batter into the skillet, then use a metal spoon to spread it out by slowly circling the back of the spoon on the surface of the batter.  


Cook for a few minutes until the surface of the pancake looks stiff and dull.  There will not be nearly as many air bubbles as there are with regular pancakes.   Flip, then cook an additional few minutes.  


Serve with Steen's Cane Syrup if you've got. 

February 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Tiramisu

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. 

I can't exactly remember, but I'm pretty sure I squealed with delight when I learned the challenge for this month was tiramisu.  It's a dessert I love, yet never have.  I kept considering attempting to make it, but most of my eaters don't do coffee.. And then this challenge came along! I made it as the dessert to complement the homemade pasta Courtney and I made.  Yum yum!

 The recipe was definitely a challenge in that it required two to three days to make all of the components and get it together.  The first part of the challenge was to make homemade mascarpone cheese (a super soft, creamy cheese), which required straining in the fridge over night.  I next made a vanilla pastry cream (YUM) and zabaglione (a thick custard made with wine).   Then, the lady fingers (savoiardi biscuits) had to be baked.  Finally, the dish could be assembled, then chilled over night before serving.

I made two sizeable mistakes: most obviously, my sifter wasn't as fine as I remembered, resulting in a too-thick cocoa dusting on top.  Secondly, my lady fingers were quite dry and did not absorb much of anything.  I probably overmixed the batter. 

If I ever need to really impress someone, I'd probably pull this recipe up and give it another go! The creamy mixture is just so damn good.

Homemade Ravioli

A couple  of weeks ago, my friend Courtney came over and we made king cakes.  As the cakes rose and baked, we looked through  my cookbooks and discussed things we'd like to try cooking.  We both really wanted to try our hands at making pasta, so we decided to make homemade ravioli.  We filled some with a spinach and cheese mixture and others with meat (because boys are silly).  

(sorry my photos aren't very good, it's a bit embarrassing to make company wait to eat so I can snap pictures!)

 

We used a pasta recipe from my awesome Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and I just sort of created the spinach cheese mixture.  

 

Courtney made the meat mixture before coming over, following Alton Brown's meatloaf recipe.  I'll find that recipe sooner or later and actually try it.  From the ravioli, it seems super tasty!

 

Homemade Pasta

(Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, page 414)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup flour

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, salt, and dried basil.  Create a well in the center.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Mix in water and oil.  Pour into the well in the flour, and gently stir to combine.  It is okay if all of the flour does not fully incorporate; you're going to knead it next.

On a lightly floured surface, using the remaining 1/3 cup flour, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Cover and let sit 10 minutes.  

Divide the dough into quarters.   Roll each piece into a 12" by 12" square, or until it's about 1/16" thick.  (You can roll it too thin, and then you're have ravioli that look like brains!)  Let sit 20 minutes, uncovered.

Using a cookie cutter, pasta cutter, or glass, cut as many circles as you can.  Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling on half of the circles, then dip your finger in water and run it around the outer edge of the pasta circle.   Place another circle of dough on top and seal shut. 

In a large pot, bring water with a generous splash of olive oil to a boil.  Boil 4-5 ravioli at a time, making sure not to crowd them, for 7-9  minutes.

Spinach and Cheese filling

• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 tbsp mascarpone
• 7 oz ricotta
• 1/4 cup mozzarella 
• 1/8 cup shredded parmesan 
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add spinach and boil 30 seconds.  Drain immediately and run cold water over the spinach to stop the cooking.  Press the spinach to remove as much water as possible.  Finely chop and pat away excess liquid.  Combine in a bowl with the other ingredients.

Corn Maque Choux

(If you're unsure, it's pronounced "mock shoe")

A couple days ago, I had the strangest desire to make some corn maque choux, which is weird because I've only had it a few times before and it was never my favorite dish.  But for some reason, I craved the creamy, spicy, sweetness that makes this dish.   I glanced at a couple recipes then decided to swing it.   Hubby thought I made it too sweet, but it's a personal preference.  Start with a little sugar and add it to your liking.  Using Rotel canned tomatoes and chilies adds the perfect amount of heat.

Corn Maque Choux

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can sweet kernel corn
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
• 1 can cream style corn
• 1-2 tsp sugar (I used a full 2 tsp)
• 2 tsp cream
• salt to taste

In a large skillet, melt the butter.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft.  Stir in sweet corn and let cook for a minute or two.  Stir in the Rotel, then gently stir in the creamed corn.   Sprinkle the sugar over the surface and stir in.  Slowly stir in cream.  Bring  to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes.

The February 2010 Daring Cook's Challenge: Mezze Table

The 2010 February Daring COOKs challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

Oh my, this challenge was so fun!! A mezze table is a style of meal that involves multiple small dishes from which everyone takes a little.  It can be a full meal or an appetizer or whatever you want.  The exciting part of this challenge is that it required making homemade pita bread and hummus.  I've been wanting to try my hand at hummus for a while and this finally made me do it!  There were a few optional recipes to do, so I also made cucumber raita and falafel.  We had feta in the fridge so I set some of that out too. 

 The hummus did not come out quite right, which was totally my fault.  It was a bit dry and my brain seemed to forget what hummus should taste like every time I tried mine.  Next time I make hummus, I'll be sure to add more liquid and I'll tweak the ingredients more.    

The Falafel was amazing! It was seriously the best falafel I've ever had.  I was so impressed with it and myself because I've always imagined falafel was really difficult to make.  

The pita was good and also fun to make as it puffs up in the oven.  

The raita was a bit too tangy; next time I might do half Greek yogurt and half whole-milk yogurt.

I do plan on posting the recipes at some point, but hubby and I are going to New Orleans for the Bacchus Mardi Gras parade and we must leave now.